REX MARTIN MASTERCLASS
November 29, 2004
McCracken Middle School Symphonic Band Brass Section
- Articulation
- There are two kinds of articulations: ? and !
- ! comes at a price: more brain activity and more air
- Play ! especially at softer dynamics
- Mouthpiece Buzzing
- Very important
- Mouthpiece buzzing develops talent, ability and endurance
- Have the section buzz cacophony (everyone buzzes a different tune at once. Even after buzzing nonsense you will play better
- Buzzing trains the brain to connect with the body
- You can’t buzz the right note without thinking
- Balance
- Tuba is the most important instrument in the world.
- Breathing (exercises)
- Hold hand out at arms length looking at your palm
- Breathe in with hand moving towards mouth
- Breathe out with hand moving out
- Breathe in three times with hand motion
- Breathe out three times with hand motion
- Posture
- Bring mouthpiece to you, don’t go to mouthpiece
- Get set before you play, it makes concentrating and breathing much simpler
- Rhythm
- The three most important things in music are: Rhythm, Rhythm (melody), and Rhythm (harmony)
- Rhythm is the skeleton of music
- Musicianship
- There is a big correlation between speaking and playing
- Sometimes phrases end in , . ? or !
- Italics, Bold, etc…
- There are two kinds of music: instrumental and vocal. Related everything back to vocal music
- The most important thing is what you’re doing musically, not what you’re doing physically to get the musical result
- Have a good musical reason for everything you do
- As musicians we are a product of what we play.
- Aural Imaging
- Hear how you want something to go
- Listen to what you want to sound like
- Listen to your imagination, not with your ears
- It’s as if you have a radio station tuned in your head, playing an idealized version of what you want to sound like
- Practice by clapping a rhythm, and hearing the clapping back in your head
- Review
- Posture
- Take deep breaths
- Practice mouthpiece buzzing to train your brain
- Rhythm
- Harmony (slow and listen)
- Articulation - ! and ?
- Sing (play first to get notes in head)