"Brass playing is very
easy when it is done
correctly. It is very hard
when it is attempted
incorrectly . . . It is
absolute torture when
the player is playing
incorrectly and trying to
do it by sheer force."
-
Welcome!
Hello fellow Brass Player! Congratulations for making a
GREAT decision to further your musical training. I truly
thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life.
Music is my passion, and it is a dream come true for me to
be able to share this information on a mass scale.
The Power Brass Chops
TMsystem is unlike any process
you have ever studied before.
The exercises in this manual would take at
least 7 lessons to teach to a private student.
At a minimum of $40 per lesson, that is at
LEAST $280 worth of value that you have been
able to get for just $47!! Make the best of this
book and USE THE TECHNIQUES!
My commitment to you is this: Your embouchure
strength will dramatically improve over the next 60 days
or you get your money back. No questions asked.
Even if you print this book, lay it on your music stand, and
MXVWGRQ¶WJHWDURXQGWRXVLQJLW,ZLOOJODGO\UHIXQG\RXU
money during the next 60 days and you can keep the
book just for trying my methods.
In return for giving you this totally risk-free offer, I ask
you for one small favor.
Please do not forward this PDF book to other
people.
Send them to my website ±
www.powerbrasschops.com
and give them the opportunity to own this manual for
themselves.
,KDYHDOOWKHFRS\ULJKWVWXIILQSODFHEXWOHW¶VIDFHLW± I
FDQ¶WSUHYHQW\RXIURPVKDULQJWKLVZLWKRWKHUSHRSOH
This is the HONOR system. I hope to provide so much
value in this manual that you will just naturally feel right
about helping me protect this information from being
plagiarized or copied illegally.
Sound fair?
Thank you so much.
Allen Sanders
Austin, TX
----- 2.OHW¶VJHWWRWKH)81VWXII
Power Brass Chops
TMSometimes the best way to explain what something ³IS´ requires you to explain what something ³IS NOT´.
This manual IS NOT:
a replacement for one on one private instruction ± NOTHING can substitute for one on one teaching --- but it can supplement your lessons in a VERY big way.
the only way on the planet to improve your playing and strengthen your embouchure ± EXWLW¶VDJRRGRQH
a quick fix method, although you will see fast results if you implement the system. The distinction being that WORK and
PERSISTENCE are required for this to benefit you, just like any other method book.
a theory or philosophy --- it teaches fundamentals that you probably have already been exposed to before, but in a VERY unique way.
something you try for one day and say³7KDWGLGQ¶WZRUN´
Then what IS the Power Brass Chops
TMsystem?
The Power Brass ChopsTM system IS a simple series of exercises that will
teach you how to do the following:
1) Eliminate the need to use mouthpiece pressure on your lips to play high notes or to compensate for fatigue
2) Build endurance that is shockingly consistent and reliable
3) Naturally develop a beautiful tone in ALL registers
4) Easily transition from low notes to high ones and back down without alterations in the horn angle and embouchure shape or placement
5) Play with tremendous power and clarity WITHOUT GETTING TIRED
6) Create almost effortless articulation (especially double and triple tonguing)
7) Solve the challenge of having BRACES as a Brass Player ± YES!
8) Relax while you are playing so that you can have a lot more fun!
Not your normal practice manual
Alright, DWWKLVSRLQW\RX¶YHSUREDEO\DOUHDG\IOLSSHGIRUZDUGthrough this manual DQGVDLG³:KDWLVWKLVVWXII"´
,NQRZLW¶VQRWDEXQFKRImusic staves full of all kinds of flexibility
exercises and scales and long tones and articulation drills, etc., etc., etc.
<RXGLGQ¶WJHWanother compilation of a bunch of routines with notes and technical exercises, and that might have been what you were expecting.
Be patient ± I promise that this will all make sense to you once you have implemented the methods in this manual IN THE ORDER they are laid out here for you.
ALL of those items mentioned above need to be practiced. But there are plenty of books available with brilliant methods for developing each of them.
What I am going to focus on with you is building a
FOUNDATION that makes all of those skills you need to
develop as a Brass Player possible.
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- Michael Jordan
NO pressure!
Here is the MAIN GOAL of this entire book:
I want you to be able to play in all
registers, with a beautiful tone and with
incredible stamina and power.
There is only ONE way that playing like this will ever be possible. You must ELIMINATE the need to press the mouthpiece against your lips
forever. Every player that is able to play high, loud, and for a long time without getting tired has MASTERED this skill.
,¶OOEHW\RXSUREDEO\GRQ¶WHYHQUHDOL]HKRZPXFKSUHVVXUH\RXDUHXVLQJ when you play. Or maybe you do because your lips practically need ice packs after a lot of playing from the damage caused by forcing the
mouthpiece against the embouchure!
/HW¶VWDONDERXWWKHSK\VLFVRIPDNLQg a sound on a brass instrument.
7KHOLSVYLEUDWHRU³EX]]´DV\RXEORZDLUthrough them.
This is very important that you get this, so read that again ---
The lips VIBRATE RU³EX]]´as you blow air through
them.
The instrument/mouthpiece is
basically just a MEGAPHONE for
what the lips are doing.
So then why does pressure VRUWRI³ZRUN´DQGZK\GRVR
many Brass Players use pressure while they play?
The answer to this question can be easily illustrated by imagining a Timpani drum. A Timpani drum can change pitch by pushing the metal rim underneath the head against the drum head and then releasing that tension. By pushing the metal rim up and down against the head using a pedal on the floor, the Timpani player STRETCHES the head out and
causes the sound to go up in pitch, then allows the head to contract and go down in pitch.
Unfortunately, this is the same thing most Brass Players do to their lips when they play. When they push the mouthpiece against the lips, even with slight pressure, it makes buzzing at a higher pitch level easier because the lips are being flattened and stretched. But the long-term
consequences of doing this are that you become dependent on the pressure instead of developing the muscles that need to get stronger!
Why am I making such a big deal out of this?
Because UNTIL you can get your lips to buzz freely
WITHOUT the aid of the mouthpiece and especially the
instrument, then it will be virtually impossible to play real
high, real loud, and for a long time without getting tired.
GO TO THE NEXT PAGE ± do the
next exercise right now and
OHW¶VVHHZKHUH\RXDUH
'RQ¶WVNLSDKHDG6WD\ZLWK
me ± LW¶VLPSRUWDQWWKDWZH
establish a sequence
Exercise #1 ² establishing your base pitch
Get in front of a mirror and watch your lips as you do this.
1) Take a deep, relaxed breath and blow the air out slowly WITHOUT making a buzz sound.
2) Pretend you are trying to blow a small stream of air at a tiny target on the mirror ± keep blowing until you
naturally run out of air. NO pushing of the air ± just let it naturally taper off.
3) Take another breath, blow out again with no sound, and as you continue to blow out bring the CENTER of your lips together until it makes a relaxed, medium range buzz sound.
7KHDFWXDOQRWHRUSLWFKWKDW\RXDUHEX]]LQJGRHVQ¶t matter at all. We will get to buzzing specific pitches later.
4) REPEAT those steps again --- go back to #1 right now and do it again.
- ONE breath without buzzing
- NEXT breath ± start with no buzz, then let the buzz
start in the middle of the exhale
DO THAT ³7ZR%UHDWK´SEQUENCE 10 times right now. It will only take about two minutes or so.
OK, so what did you notice?
Here are some of the things people find out when they do this for
the first time:
They have a very difficult time getting a buzz to happen
unless they really force air through their lips ± in other
ZRUGVWKH\FDQ¶WPDNHDYHU\UHOD[HGPHGLXPUDQJHEX]]
at all
If they ARE able to make the buzz on the 2
ndbreath of each
VHTXHQFHLWLVYHU\HUUDWLFDQGKDVORWVRI³URXJK´VRXQGLQJ
spots
The buzz is inconsistent ± it bounces around between being
a good/bad sound
Any number of other variations of these
Here is a BIG secret --- are you ready?
If you master buzzing on just your
lips, you can master playing your
instrument ---
It is TRULY that simple.
Practice with no horn or mouthpiece
OK, that sounds pretty simple, right? Learn to buzz on just your lips really well and then that will transfer to your horn playing.
The CHALLENGE is that if you just start doing random buzzing all the time DQG\RXGRQ¶WWDke the steps to train your embouchure to buzz
CORRECTLY, you will just end up with another set of bad habits that have been ingrained into your playing.
3OHDVHGRQ¶WGRWKDW
The MOST important thing you can do in the beginning of learning the Power Brass ChopsTM system is this:
USE A MIRROR
The reason you need to use a mirror is that you will get immediate
feedback by looking at your chops as you buzz. If something is off, and ,¶PJRLQJWRWHDFK\RXZKDWWRORRNIRU\RXZLOO6((WKHSUREOHP
Your mind and body has an incredible ability to FIX a problem without you having to think about a bunch of complex mechanical instructions IF YOU GET VISUAL OR AUDIO FEEDBACK.
If you are watching your chops in the mirror as you do these exercises, you will start to notice what your embouchure looks like when things sound great and you are relaxed. This then becomes the GOAL your mind establishes for your subconscious and it figures out how to keep repeating that same sound for you.
It is very, very simple. Please do not make this complex.
Do these exercises as often as you can and you will start to see rapid improvement of every area of your playing!
Practice that never tires you out
:RXOGQ¶WLWEHQLFHWREHDEOHWRSUDFWLFHIRUKRXUVand hours each week and never blow out your chops from practicing too much?
:HOOKHUH¶VVRPHJRRGQHZV You can do all of these lip buzzing
exercises for hours and hours and you will NOT get tired, will NOT hurt your lips like you do when you use the horn and mouthpiece, and most importantly you will NOT be limited to only doing them in a practice room when you have your horn and all the conditions are perfect.
,GRWKHVHH[HUFLVHVDV,¶PGULYLQJDURXQGHYHU\GD\,
sometimes get as much as an extra 30 minutes to 1 hour per day RISUDFWLFHGRQHE\XWLOL]LQJWKHWLPH,¶PGULYLQJ
I EVEN do them sometimes when I only drive to the store and back for 10 minutes.
Every lesson teacher on the planet will tell you that it is better to do 10 minutes every day of focused practice instead of playing for 2 hours only one day per week. SPREADING OUT the times you practice throughout each day and week makes a massive difference in your consistency of improvement.
6RLI\RXFDQ¶WSLFNXS\RXUKRUQRQDJiven day, AT LEAST do some of these exercises. Once you learn them you will only need to refer back to WKLVERRNRFFDVLRQDOO\WRPDNHVXUH\RXKDYHQ¶WIRUJRWWHQVRPHWKLQJ YRXZRQ¶WQHHGDKRUQDQG\RXZRQ¶WQHHGWKLVERRN<RXFDQSUDFWLFH and get dramatically better and be free to do it anywhere, anytime.
1RZLI\RX¶UHWRR\RXQJWRGULYHWKHQ\RX¶OOMXVWKDYHWRILQGVRPHRWKHU WLPHVZKHQ\RXQRUPDOO\ZRXOGQ¶WEHDEOHWR³SUDFWLFH´EHFDXVH\RXGRQ¶W KDYH\RXUKRUQRU\RXGRQ¶WKDYHDSUDFWLFHroom and you get some alone WLPHDQGGR\RXU³/,3621/<´EX]]LQJH[HUFLVHV\RXDUHDERXWWROHDUQ
But I feel silly doing these!
I have had some people tell me that they understand how great these types of exercises could be for them, but they really feel self-conscious or silly when they first start.
My only advice for this is to GET PAST THIS STAGE by doing it again and again. If you see improvement you will be motivated to continue.
Hey, there are professional athletes that take BALLET to improve their balance, flexibility, and coordination. But if it works and they make more PRQH\DQGJDLQPRUHUHFRJQLWLRQEHFDXVHRILWWKH\¶OOSXVKSDVWWKHLQLWLDO uncomfortable feelings they may have to gain an edge!
Figure out ways that you can get somewhere and do your exercises. For example, when I travel I sometimes put the T.V. on and buzz in the room while the T.V. is on.
7KLQNRIRWKHUVLWXDWLRQVZKHUH\RXFDQ¶WSOD\\RXUKRUQEXWFRXOGJHW some buzzing time in.
As you learn all of the exercises in this book, you are going to enjoy doing WKHPDQG\RXZRQ¶WIHHOVHOI-conscious about it anymore. It just takes getting used to.
Exercise #2 ² changing pitch as you buzz
OK, so we have established a basic exercise that starts with just air, then adding the lip buzz at a very medium range, relaxed pitch.
That exercise should ALWAYS be done first in EVERY practice session. The reason is because it establishes a relaxed buzz as the basis for everything else and you will build on that relaxed feeling.
Once you have done Exercise #1 enough so that you feel very comfortable being able to buzz at a very relaxed level, then you are ready to start
adding to it.
This exercise will start to expand your upward range from the base pitch you established in Exercise #1.
In a graph, it will look like this: High pitches Middle pitches Time
Hold for a few seconds on your base pitch established in Exercise #1, then smoothly raise the pitch up and then back down to where you started. The actual pitches are not important. You MUST stay completely relaxed as you do this. You only need to go up about a 3rd or a 5th for now, we will add much larger
spreads later.
Repeat that pattern for about 2 to 3 minutes
Seems simple enough, right?
But there is a VERY important point to keep in mind as you do this
exercise. You do not have the luxury of the mouthpiece being on your lips, so there is NO way to use pressure to make the pitch go up and down.
What this does is to ISOLATE the specific muscles in the lips that actually control the pitch.
,W¶VMXVWOLNHGRLQJFXUOVZKHQOLIWLQJIUHHZHLJKWV,I\RXVWDQGDJDLQVWD wall and keep your back flat, it isolates the biceps so that you are only working the specific muscles that are targeted with curls. But you see a lot of people bending their back in order to get the weight up with each arm. It might feel good that you lifted that amount of weight, but you just compromised the intention of the curls exercise.
Likewise, if \RXXVHWKHLQVWUXPHQWDQGPRXWKSLHFHWR³KHOS´\RXPDNH your lips buzz at a higher frequency, it becomes a crutch that most Brass Players NEVER correct. So their chops are really not that strong, they use pressure to compensate for lack of strength, and they have all these crazy side effects from it like creases in the lips, difficulty playing for long periods of time, a forced tone, and many other undesirable consequences.
Most Brass Players when asked to do these first 2 exercises will have to force air through the lips to get them to vibrate, instead of it being a relaxed buzz that can happen with a very relaxed air column. This can be QUICKLY remedied through repetition and persistence. These are fundamental exercises that should be done at the beginning of every practice session.
Fight the temptation to jump right to the instrument or even the
mouthpiece. Discipline yourself to start with no instrument, and you will be very glad you did as you build and build on these exercises.
Can you whistle?
,QDGGLWLRQWRLVRODWLQJWKHPXVFOHVLQWKHOLSVWKDWDFWXDOO\GRWKH³ZRUN´ when playing your horn, there is another benefit from doing these
exercises on just your lips. You will be able to concentrate on what is actually happening with your embouchure and not be distracted by the instrument.
1RZZH¶UHJRLQJWRHVWDEOLVKRQHPRUHEDVLFSULQFLSOHFDOOHG3LWFK&RQWURO The question we have to ask ourselves is this:
³:KDWDFWXDOO\PDNHVWKHSLWFKJRXSDQGWKHQEDFN
down on Exercise "´
Is it JUST the lips?
Is it air speed?
Is it something else?
The answer is completely surprising to most Brass Players once they pay attention and really get in touch with what is happening inside their mouth as they play.
This takes some repetitiRQWRJHWVRGRQ¶WZRUU\LI\RXGRQ¶WIHHOLWRQWKH first try.
Do Exercise #2 again and pay attention to
what your tongue is doing.
Repeat the exercise several times and really pay attention to what it does.
If you know how to whistle, do Exercise #2 but with a whistle sound instead of a buzz. Start on one pitch, make the pitch go up as you whistle and then go back down.
1RZREYLRXVO\\RX&$1¶7PDNHWKHSLWFKJRXSDQGGRZQZLWK\RXUOLSV ZKHQ\RXDUHZKLVWOLQJEHFDXVHWKH\¶UHQRWEX]]LQJ
So, what made the pitch go up and then back down?
The inside shape of your mouth did it!
You see, when you whistle and change pitches the FRONT of your
tongue moves up and down inside your mouth to change the pitch
± LW¶VVLPSOH
Now here is the CRAZY part!
0RVW%UDVV3OD\HUVGRQ¶WXVHWKHXSDQGGRZQPRYHPHQWRIWKHFRONT part of the tongue to change the pitch because they have gotten so used to using pressure and forced air. By again isolating the embouchure and NOT having the mouthpiece and horn to push into the lips, it forces the Brass Player to go to a more natural way of changing pitch, which is the EXACT same method your mouth uses to change pitch when
³:+,67/,1*´
Now, let me ask you something --- if you know how to whistle did someone ³7($&+´\RXWRGRWKDW"'LGWKH\JLYH\RXDERRNWKDWVKRZHG\RXKRZ to form your mouth into the right shape, what to do with your tongue when you want to change pitches, etc.?
The answer is NO!
You had a goal in your mind, which was to whistle. You heard other people doing it when you were younger and you wanted to do it too. Guess what? Your mind and body are perfectly capable of figuring out through trial and error how to form your mouth correctly and move your tongue correctly to make the pitches go up and down.
,VQ¶WWKDWLQWHUHVWLQJ"
Your instrument is the enemy.
It does not provide any help at all when it comes to building your strength. It only provides a way to amplify what you are able to do on your own lips WITHOUT the instrument.
Refer back to page 9 ± what did we establish there? --- that in order to master playing your instrument, you must first master buzzing your lips DQG³SOD\LQJ´:,7+287\RXr instrument.
The more time you spend AWAY from your instrument when you begin studying this manual, the FASTER results you will have.
*** Word of Warning ***
When you begin studying these techniques you are going to
realize some very bad habits have been built up in your playing,
with your embouchure, etc. You CANNOT fix everything
overnight.
So, here is how you have to do:
Practice these exercises without your
horn during your personal practice time
At band rehearsals, performances, etc.
)25*(7DERXWWKLVVWXIIDQGMXVW³SOD\´
Over time the 2 will get closer and closer to being the same.
But in the short run, there is going to be a BIG gap. In other
words, you will STILL use pressure and do some things you know
WKDW\RXGRQ¶WZDQWWRGRDQ\PRUHDV\RXSHUIRUP'RQ¶WZRUU\
DERXWLW,W¶VILQH<RXZLOOHYHQWXDOO\EHDEOHWRSOD\DOORI
your music with no pressure and with no fatigue.
'RQ¶WWU\WRUXVKWKLV It will happen naturally. Put in as
much time as you cDQRQWKHVHH[HUFLVHVZKHQ\RX¶UHDORQHWKHQ
forget about them while playing at your school, in your band,
your orchestra, or whatever group you play with.
,FDQ¶WVWUHVVWKLVHQRXJK,PSDWLHQFHFDQFDXVH\RXWRVFUDSDOO
of the small steps towards being a pressure-free Brass Player and
just go back to what is comfortable for you, even though it might
be completely wrong.
Keep doing the exercises each day and you will be amazed in a
few weeks how much it has changed your actual performance or
rehearsal playing.
Exercise #3 ² buzzing higher
So we have established a base relaxed pitch to build from, and we have started the process of moving the pitch up and down without help from the horn/mouthpiece. We noticed that the pitch is mainly controlled by the movement of the tongue inside the mouth ± exactly the same way it does it when whistling up and down on a pitch.
It is important that this next section be done after a few days of focusing on Exercise #1 and Exercise #2. You need to take great care that you GRQ¶WIRUFHDQ\WKLQJLQWKHEHJLQQLQJ
If you have done the first 2 Exercises for several days and are ready now to add the next steps, Exercise #3 will take your natural buzz range (the ability to raise the pitch above the relaxed buzz pitch you established in the beginning) and start to expand it.
You have a range on your instrument right now and you probably have a DIFFERENT range on your lips by themselves. The range on your lips by themselves might only be about a 3rd, a 5th, maybe a little more ± WKDW¶V okay.
We are now going to find out how high you can actually play, and not the ³IDNH´UDQJH\RXKDYHZKHQ\RXSXVKWKHLQVWUXPHQWLQWR\RXUPRXWK
OK, here we go:
Do Exercise #2 again and instead of only going up to a comfortable pitch, this time go up until it feels like it hits a ceiling or the buzz starts to break up and then come back down to your base buzz pitch.
***Remember --- It is VERY important that
you are doing this in front of a mirror***
Watch in the mirror and make sure you are not doing something really abnormal with your lips as you raise and lower the pitch. MOST OF THE WORK is being done by the tongue moving up and down inside the mouth, and the lip strength is going to come with time.
Here are the main MISTAKES Brass Players make while doing this exercise to try to get the pitch to go higher:
1) DO NOT roll your bottom lip way under your top one. This does make it easier to get a higher pitched buzz out, but your tone and endurance will suffer if you develop this habit. Let your
embouchure stay VWLOOLQWKHVKDSHRI\RXVD\LQJ³0´
Check the tongue by whistling up and down a little and seeing if it is doing the same thing as you buzz this exercise.
2) DO NOT pull the corners of your mouth up, down, out, etc. and stretch your lips out. This is also a very bad habit. A great Brass POD\HU¶VFRUQHUVQHYHUPRYHHYHQWKRXJKWKH\DUHSOD\LQJKLJKDQG low range notes.
<RXU³QDWXUDO´HPERXFKXUHVKRXOGVWDUWWRGHYHORSDV\RXGR Exercise #1 and #2 each day. It should be very similar to VD\LQJWKHOHWWHU³0´<RXUFRUQHUVDUH³LQ´DOLWWOHELWIURPD WRWDOO\UHOD[HGOLSSODFHPHQWEXWWKH\DUHQ¶WVRIDULQWKDW\RX ³SXFNHU´OLNHfor a kiss.
Pay attention by looking in the mirror and watching the
corners. Are they too far in? (puckered) ± or too far out? (like a smile).
Expressed again as a graph, it will look like this:
High pitches
Buzz the pitch up until it starts to break up the buzz or just caps out, then go back down to the base pitch again
Middle pitches Time
Do this about 10 times ± it should only take
about 2 minutes.
Exercise #4 ² upper register long tones
OK, now we are going to add a variation to Exercise #3. This is where we really start to expand the upward range and develop the muscle strength.
This time we are going to start at the base pitch, raise the pitch up to the comfortable cap we found in Exercise #3 and back down TWICE, then on the 3rd WLPHXSZH¶UH going to HOLD IT THERE until we need to take
another breath.
Expressed as a graph, it will look like this: High pitches
HOLD the buzz pitch as long as you can on that breath
Middle pitches Time
As you do this more and more, keep trying to stretch the held pitch upward incrementally WITHOUT altering your basic embouchure shape.
Remember, rolling your bottom lip, pulling back the corners, and any other drastic embouchure shifts will make it impossible to develop consistency, so make the embouchure shape (like saying ³0´ WKHSULRULW\DQGHYHU\WKLQJHOVHZLOOFRPHZLWKWLPH
Do this exercise 10 times ± should take about
2 minutes
Review #1
2.OHW¶VWDNHDORRNDWZKDWZH¶YHOHDUQHGVRIDU1) Mastering buzzing on your lips WITHOUT YOUR INSTRUMENT OR MOUTHPIECE is the fastest way to master playing your instrument.
2) Your instrument is just basically a megaphone for what your lips are doing as they buzz, so it is very important to ISOLATE your lips as you practice instead of relying on mouthpiece pressure.
3) (YHU\RQHZLOOKDYHDVOLJKWO\GLIIHUHQWHPERXFKXUHWKDWLV³QDWXUDO´WR them and the best way to form a starting point is to say the letter ³0´.
4) To make the pitch go up and down while buzzing, allow for the same movement with the FRONT of your tongue as you do when whistling a pitch up and down. Try whistling first, then buzz and see if you are doing the same movement with your tongue when you are both whistling and buzzing.
5) Practice these techniques on your own time, then in rehearsal and performances forget about them and just play ± you will eventually perform with no pressure but it will take time ± GRQ¶WUXVKLW
6) USE A MIRROR as you practice. A small one sitting on your practice VWDQGLVSHUIHFWEHFDXVH\RXGRQ¶WKDve to walk to another room to look at your embouchure.
7) A small amount of time buzzing EVERY DAY ± in the car, in the
shower, while watching TV, etc. will make more improvement than 2 hours of buzzing all on the same day. Consistent, daily buzzing is what it is all about!
Exercise #5 ² buzzing with the radio/iPod/etc.
,I\RXDUHOLNHPHDQGPRVWSHRSOH\RX¶UHJRLQJWRJHWERUHGGRLQJWKHVH H[HUFLVHV$QGWRDFHUWDLQH[WHQWWKDW¶VMXVWWKHSULFHRIDGPLVVLRQWR developing outstanding chops. But I also like to make things interesting for my practice sessions if at all possible.
Once you have been buzzing for a little while and you have SEEN what a comfortable, relaxed buzz looks like in the mirror -- it is OK to start buzzing without the mirror when driving, in the shower, or at another spot where WKHUHLVQ¶WDPLUURUDYDLODEOHWRORRNDW7KLVJLYHV\RXWKHDELOLW\WREX]] while listening to music.
Buzzing WITH a song on the radio, iPod, etc. is a FUN exercise and is also extremely beneficial. You will develop:
1) Unbelievable pitch control ± again you are NOT relying on the LQVWUXPHQWWR³PDNH´WKHSLWFKIRU\RX
2) Better intonation ± you are forced to actually listen to the pitches you are buzzing, which makes you keenly aware of pitch accuracy.
BIG TIP:
Make sure you are maintaining a relaxed, effortless buzz as you do this with music you are listening to. It can be medium volume so that you can still hear the music. And do NOT use articulation (tonguing) for changes in pitch. Just buzz a long, full buzz and change pitches to fit with the song.
You can buzz with the melody, you can harmonize with the melody, you can buzz the bass line, or you can buzz with the background parts. Change it up, have fun, and just be relaxed about it.
Exercise #6 ² expanding your low range
By practicing medium and high range buzzing techniques without your horn, you will DEFINITELY improve your low range automatically.
7KDWVRXQGVZHLUGGRHVQ¶WLW"
:HOOOHW¶VH[SORUHKRZWKLVKDSSHQV
The low range of your instrument requires very relaxed, loose lip muscle tone. And the challenge for most Brass Players is that they really never get to experience what that feels like to play with a very relaxed buzz. Since you take away the instrument and mouthpiece to do all of the exercises in this manual, eventually your embouchure becomes stronger and stronger until you can play practically anything WITH OR WITHOUT the mouthpiece touching your lips.
This work transfers to low range playing because you can easily move from middle to high to low range without a massive change in embouchure
placement or pressure from the mouthpiece.
It becomes virtually impossible to play a beautiful tone in the low range of a brass instrument if you have been playing for an hour with lots of
pressure. Your lips will become fatigued, might have creases from the rim of the mouthpiece, and get swollen from cutting the oxygen off because of the pressure.
Can you imagine playing high and loud with virtually no pressure? :RXOGQ¶WLWPDNHVHQVHWKDW\RXUOLSVZRXOGEHQLFHDQGVXSSOH
immediately when you transfer to the low range? This is an amazing side benefit to the Power Brass ChopsTM system.
Here is an exercise to use that will train your embouchure to go from your upper range limit to the lower range very quickly:
REMEMBER: Look in a mirror as you do
these exercises!
High pitches Buzz the pitch up and then immediately go all the way down to the lowest pitch you can sustain, hold it until you need another breath Middle pitches Low pitches Time
The goal of this exercise is to keep working towards QUICK changes from register to register without massive adjustments to your embouchure shape. By doing this over and over again, you eventually even out the transitions from upper to lower register, and vice versa!
Exercise #7 ² adding articulation (tonguing)
This exercise should not be added to the mix until you are VERY far along with pure buzzing and can do Exercises 1 ± 6 well. Once you are feeling very good about your buzz ability, it is time to add articulation (tonguing).
It is VERY IMPORTANT that you are using a MIRROR when you start
adding articulation to your buzzing practice routine, because the first thing that usually happens with most students is that they shift their
embouchure while tonguing.
REMINDER: USE A MIRROR
If you have been working for a week or more, you will start to become very comfortable starting with Exercise #1, which teaches you to create a relaxed buzz after blowing a relaxed air stream through your lips. We are going to start this exercise the same way, then add some LIGHT articulation on top of the buzzing.
So, it will look like this:
Deep Breath -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐
Air only -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Relaxed Buzz -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ light tonguing (repeat until needing another breath)
Notice that it says to LIGHTLY tongue as you buzz. Most Brass Players when doing this at first will notice how HARD they have been tonguing because it will cause the buzz to split up or alter the pitch every time they tongue. Of course, as your chops get stronger, you will be able to
OLJKWHQXSWKHDUWLFXODWLRQEHFDXVH\RX¶UHQRW)25&,1*DLUWKURXJKWKHOLSV to get them to buzz ± they buzz more easily!
The syllable that I have found most effective for learning LIGHT TONGUING is pretending to say ³WKRR´.
The ³WK´ at the beginning softens the tonguing instead of a ³G´, which tends to put the tongue in the wrong spot inside the mouth and is a harder sound. The ³RR´ helps players maintain a consistent airstream and embouchure in the middle register.
'RVHYHUDOPLQXWHVRI³PLGGOHUHJLVWHU´OLJKW
tonguing while you buzz
High Register Tonguing ² major challenge!
As you get into the UPPER REGISTER, the syllable SWITCHES to ³WKHH´.
The syllable ³WKHH´ allows the front of the tongue to go UP, which fits with the technique we learned earlier that mimics whistling. You have to allow the front of your tongue to rise up in order to raise the pitch higher while whistling and when you add tonguing, it creates a ³WKHH´ syllable.
The upper register exercise will look like this: (upper register) light tonguing ;ƐĂLJŝŶŐ͞ƚŚĞĞ͟Ϳ
Deep Breath -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ bend pitch up
Air only -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Relaxed Buzz -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐
This exercise is EXTREMELY EYE-OPENING when Brass Players do it for the first time ± they had NO IDEA how uncontrolled their upper register
articulation technique really was until they expose it by doing this exercise.
Do seYHUDOPLQXWHVRI³XSSHUUHJLVWHU´OLJKW
tonguing while you buzz
Low Register Tonguing ² another syllable
Likewise, when tonguing in the LOWER REGISTER, you switch to a ³WKR´ V\OODEOH OLNHVD\LQJWKHZRUG³WKRXJK´
Repeat the upper register exercise, but bend
WKHSLWFKGRZQZDUGVDQGWKHQXVHWKH³WKR´
syllable as you tongue.
'RVHYHUDOPLQXWHVRI³lower UHJLVWHU´OLJKW
tonguing while you buzz
Double Tonguing ² even more syllables
If you want to learn how to be BLAZING FAST at double tonguing, all you KDYHWRGRLVJHWJRRGDWLWZLWKRXW\RXUKRUQRUPRXWKSLHFHDQG\RX¶OOEH amazed at how well you can do it WITH the horn.
The syllables for medium range will be ³WKRR´ and ³JRR´ ,¶YHKHDUG SHRSOHWHDFKWRXVH³WRR´DQG³NRR´DQG\RXZLOOUHDOL]e quickly that using those harder consonants will not sound good while you are buzzing ± you literally can HEAR the clicks from each syllable breaking the buzz up into chunks of sound.
You want double tonguing to be effortless, and the only way to do that is by using a soft sound of ³WKRR´ and ³JRR´.
So, it will look like this: Deep Breath -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐
Air only -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Relaxed Buzz -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ ͞ƚŚŽŽ͟ ͞ŐŽŽ͟͞ƚŚŽŽ͟͞ŐŽŽ͟͞ƚŚŽŽ͟͞ŐŽŽ͟
Go SLOWLY at first, thHQVSHHGXSWKH³WKRR´± ³JRR´SDWWHUQXQWLO\RXIHHO very comfortable going SLOW or FAST.
+HUH¶VDWLSIRU\RX
If you ONLY practice double tonguing FAST, you will never be able to do it as effortlessly as someone that SLOWS IT DOWN and gets good at doiQJLWDWWKDWVSHHG'RQ¶WFDYHLQWRWKHXUJHWRSOD\ fast ± it will happen later!
Obviously for upper range playing, your double tonguing syllables will be:
³WKHH´ and ³JHH´ (with a ³J´OLNHLQ³JRRVH´
And for lower range playing, your double tonguing syllables will be:
³WKR´ and ³JR´
It is a BLAST when you can double tongue quickly, so be patient, practice slowly, and do it with NO HORN OR MOUTHPIECE.
Review #2
/HW¶VUHYLHZZKDWZHOHDUQHGLQWKHnd half of this manual:
1) Buzzing with the radio/an iPod/etc. is a GREAT way to train your embouchure to match pitches and have more fun while building your Power Brass ChopsTM!
2) Your low range WILL improve automatically as you use this manual, even if you are mainly working on the upper register. This happens because the ability to create a natural buzz WITHOUT the aid of the mouthpiece or horn is necessary for a great sounding lower register.
3) Practice with a mirror as much as possible ± I know this has been said about 100 times so far but it cannot be stressed enough! Watching your embouchure in the mirror as you do these exercises will teach you how to immediately recognize the correct embouchure for you.
4) Adding articulation while buzzing without the horn/mouthpiece should ONLY be done once you have really established a comfort level with all of the first 6 Exercises.
5) For middle register tonguing, use the syllable ³WKRR´ while buzzing.
6) For upper register tonguing, use the syllable ³WKHH´ while buzzing.
7) For lower register tonguing, use the syllable ³WKR´ (like the word ³WKRXJK´ ZKLOHEX]]LQJ
8) Double tonguing should be practiced SLOWLY and with these syllables:
Medium range ± ³WKRR´ and ³JRR´
High range ± ³WKHH´ and ³JHH´ OLNHWKH³J´LQ³JRRVH´ Low range ± ³WKR´ and ³JR´
Your Ultimate Goal!
/HW¶VIDFHLW± NONE of the exercises in this manual will mean ANYTHING if WKHPXVLF\RXSOD\GRHVQ¶WJHWHDVLHUVRWKDW\RX48,7XVLQJPRXWKSLHFH pressure forever!
So, here is the ULTIMATE GOAL that you should have for your playing --- it can be summed up in one question:
³&DQ\RXBUZZ all of the music you are playing in your various ensembles on your lips alone ± no horn and no mouthpiece"´
If you can actually BUZZ the entire piece of music WITHOUT the aid of the horn or mouthpiece, then you have mastered something truly special!!
Until that day, you MUST keep working on these exercises until that becomes a reality.
Remember this statement at the beginning of the manual? ----
If you master buzzing on just your
lips, you can master playing your
instrument ---
It is TRULY that simple.
If you are able to buzz all the correct pitches for your music, including upper and lower register notes, on just your lips --- it will be incredibly easy to add the horn and mouthpiece and let the instrument just act as a megaphone for your POWER BRASS CHOPS you have developed! It is DZHVRPHZKHQWKLVKDSSHQV'RQ¶WJLYHXSXQWLO\RXKDYHKLWWKLVJRDO
Your Next Steps
2.VRLW¶VWLPHWRZUDSWKLVXSDQGSXWLWDOOLQSHUVSHFWLYH I
have thrown a lot of information at you in this book, and to some
it may seem too simplistic. To others it may seem too radical
and different. $JDLQ,¶PQRWSURSRVLQJWKDW\RXGRRQO\WKHVH
exercises and quit practicing all the other techniques you have.
These are a FOUNDATION, just like learning to run faster can
help you in all sports.
Remember that anyone who ever achieved anything great
did NOT follow the herd and do things the same way as
PRVWSHRSOH7KDW¶V:+<WKH\MXPSHGWRDGLfferent
level.
³'RQ¶WIROORZWKHKHUG± \RX¶OOHQGXSDYHUDJH´
With that in mind, I have ONE question for you:
³'R\RX5($//<ZDQWWRbe a good or even a GREAT Brass
3OD\HU"´
Do you want to play really high and loud, for a long time ---- and
NEVER get tired? I mean it seriously, do you REALLY want that?
Then here is your next step -----
Spend MOST of your practice time doing
these buzzing fundamentals WITHOUT
your horn for at least a month.
*Yes, you will still need to practice the music you need to learn,
scales, arpeggios, and other technique exercises, and you will
need to be on your instrument while you do those exercises, but I
will say it again ----
Spend MOST of your practice time doing
these buzzing fundamentals WITHOUT
your horn for at least a month.
Do these exercises until you feel like you are really getting tired of
WKHP,W¶VDWWKDWSRLQWWKDW\RXDUHSUREDEO\PDNLQJ\RXUELJJHVW
jump in playing ability.
If you will commit to at least 30 days of very serious focus on
learning how to control your buzzing technique, you will see a
MASSIVE jump in your playing ability. If you do it for 60 days, I
will guarantee your results OR give your money back ± no
questions asked. Just send me an e-mail and we will gladly
refund your money.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to be
part of your musical journey! Have fun as you see your chops
improving dramatically! I would love to hear from you! See the
next page for some great bonus information.
Take care!
Allen Sanders
RED ALERT: IMPORTANT ADDITION
90 Day Challenge
There are going to be those of you that REALLY go for it with this information and get FAST, IMMEDIATE results!
We want to hear your success stories!
I welcome your comments at my Power Brass ChopsTM site ± click here ----
http://www.powerbrasschops.com
Post a testimonial about what this system has done for you during the next 90 days from your purchase date.
