BOTTLES?!
Reading this, some folks are gonna say, “He’s crazy!”
They're not wrong – but not about this.
They're not wrong – but not about this.
A teacher can talk to a student day in and day out about air flow, pressure, and velocity to the "lizard" that lives in the sub-conscious (not really accurate, but a useful metaphor here) – and not get through. It has been claimed this mythical "lizard" is responsible for reflexive behaviors, regulation of our physical body, primitive drives like thirst and hunger . . . and . . . habitual behavior – like playing musical instruments. This can explain why someone with Alzheimer's can remember how to play the piano, but not someone's name.
It is useful to imagine this lizard is not the smartest part of the brain. However, if you show it (not explain) what to do, it gets it almost immediately and will repeat it without conscious thought. See The Ballad of Bart & Mongo in Slow Practice.
In decades of teaching future band directors, I noticed immediate improvement when they were studying flute as part of their training. Flutes cost money, bottles are almost free, ergo . . . Different bottles produce different pitches and require different airstreams – more, thicker, slower, air – for lower pitches – and the opposite for higher pitches. The airstream for a flute/bottle of a given pitch is pretty much analogous to the airstream for the same pitch on the trombone. As Vincent Cichowicz said, “Do not blow ‘hard’ – blow ‘freely’ – like blowing a flute.”
Interestingly (to me, anyway), a retired flute colleague has credited buzzing the trombone mouthpiece I gave them with reinvigorating their flute embouchure. Go figure.
Blowing bottles does several things in addition to the above. It tangibly demonstrates (rather than talks about) variation of air flow for different pitches. It also put the air activity in front of the lips. In The Instrumentalist in 1991, Arnold Jacobs wrote, “The phenomenon of wind is air on the outside of the lips, not the air inside the body . . . psychologically you should think of blowing from the mouth.” Bottles put the "lizard's" focus on the airstream without a lot of complicated instructions on how to manipulate the jaw, teeth, tongue, throat, etc. (For an illustration of the folly of thinking about manipulating the tongue, read Douglas Yeo’s excellent article on his experiences with an MRI Scanner.)
Get:
So . . .
Blow with a breath attack ("WHuu" – not "hah." "H" is back in the throat, "WH" is in front of the lips. Family Guy fans may remember Stewie’s pronunciation of "Wheat Thins.") Use no tongue – don’t overblow! Blow a full resonant tone on the 8 oz bottle; notice the airstream (speed & diameter, etc.). Play a middle Bb on the trombone (breath attack); notice the airstream – compare.
Blow a tone on the 12 oz bottle; notice the airstream. Play a 4th line F on the trombone; notice the airstream – compare.
Blow a tone on the 32 oz bottle; notice the airstream. Play a low Bb on the trombone; notice the airstream – compare.
Blow a tone on the 8 oz bottle and immediately blow a tone on the 12 oz bottle; compare.
Slur from middle Bb to 4th line F; compare.
Experiment. Observe. Learn.
After breath attack work, repeat adding tonguing. This can be quite revealing!
Most of my students have found a useful analogy between the bottles and the trombone. It has helped many – try it and see. There are two "sins" in low brass playing: 1, not blowing and 2, over-blowing. Bottles can help find the Goldilocks airstream!
Additionally, blowing into/across the small end of your mouthpiece (with your thumb in the cup sealing the throat) will result in some some pretty high pitches; blowing really fast air will produce some really high pitches. This will allow you learn how to "nozzle" fast air (in front of the lips) for higher pitches.
NOTE: the bottle embouchure is not the same as the trombone embouchure – however the airstreams are similar.
It is useful to imagine this lizard is not the smartest part of the brain. However, if you show it (not explain) what to do, it gets it almost immediately and will repeat it without conscious thought. See The Ballad of Bart & Mongo in Slow Practice.
In decades of teaching future band directors, I noticed immediate improvement when they were studying flute as part of their training. Flutes cost money, bottles are almost free, ergo . . . Different bottles produce different pitches and require different airstreams – more, thicker, slower, air – for lower pitches – and the opposite for higher pitches. The airstream for a flute/bottle of a given pitch is pretty much analogous to the airstream for the same pitch on the trombone. As Vincent Cichowicz said, “Do not blow ‘hard’ – blow ‘freely’ – like blowing a flute.”
Interestingly (to me, anyway), a retired flute colleague has credited buzzing the trombone mouthpiece I gave them with reinvigorating their flute embouchure. Go figure.
Blowing bottles does several things in addition to the above. It tangibly demonstrates (rather than talks about) variation of air flow for different pitches. It also put the air activity in front of the lips. In The Instrumentalist in 1991, Arnold Jacobs wrote, “The phenomenon of wind is air on the outside of the lips, not the air inside the body . . . psychologically you should think of blowing from the mouth.” Bottles put the "lizard's" focus on the airstream without a lot of complicated instructions on how to manipulate the jaw, teeth, tongue, throat, etc. (For an illustration of the folly of thinking about manipulating the tongue, read Douglas Yeo’s excellent article on his experiences with an MRI Scanner.)
Get:
- An 8 oz glass Coca Cola bottle resonates approximately a middle Bb – don’t tune to this pitch!
- A 12 oz (355 ml) glass Coca Cola bottle or a 12 oz Corona beer bottle will approximate an 4th line F.
- For an approximate low Bb, a 32 oz Corona beer bottle will suffice.
- [NOTE: if you are a minor (or a teetotaler) get a legal drinker to purchase and drain (an actual drain will do) the beer bottles! You may need to be prepared to explain the bottles.]
- Also, a 5-gallon (glass – not plastic – be careful) water bottle or "carboy" can help demonstrate copious, wide, thick, SLOW, low pressure air for low pedal tones (nothing kills low notes like fast air – see here).
- UPDATE: this 3-gallon bottle works great! You can buy 5-gallon and 6-gallon sizes, but they are heavy and ungainly. I've tried plastic bottles; they don't resonate well. I suspect the edge of opening is not a good "lip plate."
So . . .
Blow with a breath attack ("WHuu" – not "hah." "H" is back in the throat, "WH" is in front of the lips. Family Guy fans may remember Stewie’s pronunciation of "Wheat Thins.") Use no tongue – don’t overblow! Blow a full resonant tone on the 8 oz bottle; notice the airstream (speed & diameter, etc.). Play a middle Bb on the trombone (breath attack); notice the airstream – compare.
Blow a tone on the 12 oz bottle; notice the airstream. Play a 4th line F on the trombone; notice the airstream – compare.
Blow a tone on the 32 oz bottle; notice the airstream. Play a low Bb on the trombone; notice the airstream – compare.
Blow a tone on the 8 oz bottle and immediately blow a tone on the 12 oz bottle; compare.
Slur from middle Bb to 4th line F; compare.
Experiment. Observe. Learn.
After breath attack work, repeat adding tonguing. This can be quite revealing!
Most of my students have found a useful analogy between the bottles and the trombone. It has helped many – try it and see. There are two "sins" in low brass playing: 1, not blowing and 2, over-blowing. Bottles can help find the Goldilocks airstream!
Additionally, blowing into/across the small end of your mouthpiece (with your thumb in the cup sealing the throat) will result in some some pretty high pitches; blowing really fast air will produce some really high pitches. This will allow you learn how to "nozzle" fast air (in front of the lips) for higher pitches.
NOTE: the bottle embouchure is not the same as the trombone embouchure – however the airstreams are similar.
VOWELS
The vowels we use in speech approximate (just like the bottles) the mouth shapes (nozzles) we use when we play. I teach, in ascending order: "AH" – like "water," "O" – like "no,", "U" – like through, "Ü" – "U" with the lips plus "EEE" with the tongue – simultaneously – (sort of like Ü in German). Try not to say "eee" with the corners of the mouth or the back of the tongue – keep the tongue arch forward – like whistling. For very low notes try "augh" like Charlie Brown – or "awe."
For really high notes, try "shh" (Adam Rapa has a good take on this here – note the distinction re low brass). Again, these all approximate how we play – they are metaphors – at best. Keep the air motion in front of the nozzle, not behind. (Also, see Support.)
Experiment. Look for "AHA!" Find ease and good sound.
For really high notes, try "shh" (Adam Rapa has a good take on this here – note the distinction re low brass). Again, these all approximate how we play – they are metaphors – at best. Keep the air motion in front of the nozzle, not behind. (Also, see Support.)
Experiment. Look for "AHA!" Find ease and good sound.