"If you have a horn available to play, then I see little use in mouthpiece buzzing." - Jonathan West
With respect, I would submit that there are some uses for mouthpiece buzzing - particularly for younger and amateur horn players. There is a tendency I have observed, to play somewhat approximately - without having a clear concept of the pitch in mind - letting the horn force the right pitch (more or less) with its harmonic series. While this works passably well in the lower to middle range, it is full of danger in the higher ranges where one will find many pitches close together. This is not from lack of ability, though. It may be laziness, or simply lack of understanding, but when most players listen to a piece, they can identify poor intonation, and if asked to sing the same piece, will be able to do so quite readily and accurately (I'm not talking "Queen of the Night" Aria here). Removing the horn with its harmonic crutch from the equation while buzzing the mouthpiece does a couple things. It will enable the player to focus on the pitch without other technical distractions. If you can hear the pitch, you can play it. If you can't hear it, it will be obvious. Buzzing can also clear up problems with too much pressure or tension. I have seen Bernhard Scully use this in a master class to significantly improve the playing of an already quite talented performer. I have used it myself to help my two sons (one Horn, the other Trumpet) with their playing. When they are having trouble with a particular passage, I will have them stop playing and take a moment to first sing it. If they can't sing it, then they don't know the music and are just guessing. We stop to learn what it should sound like - then, play the piece with just mouthpiece, taking care to keep the pitch as accurate as possible. After that is accomplished, we go back to the instrument. I find that this significantly improves their playing. Timothy A. Johnson -----Original Message----- From: Jonathan West Sent: Monday, August 06, 2007 7:43 AM To: horn@music.memphis.edu Subject: Re: [Hornlist] What should I be doing in the practice room? If you have a horn available to play, then I see little use in mouthpiece buzzing. As far as I'm concerned, mouthpiece buzzing is of limited use, basically to try to keep your lip in where you can't play the horn itself because it would disturb your neighbors, or because you are travelling and cannot take the horn with you. But if those situations don't apply, then I think it better to spend your time actually practicing the horn. Regards Jonathan West _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
