Hack your Double Tongue - Family Secrets exposed!

Need some help getting your double tongue super clean and, most of all, functional!?!?  In this week's vlog, I expose my super effective, blue collar approach to double tongue practice. Check out the video for more!

My view from the other side of the bell - recent audition comments

Recently, I sat on the audition committee for two days worth of auditions for a trombone opening with the U.S. Marine Band in Washington, DC.  73 candidates came to the audition, and as always, it was a very educational experience for me.

First of all, if you are a performing musician, and you can find a place to sit on some sort of audition or competition committee, I highly recommend you do it!  Especially with band and orchestra auditions, where everyone is playing the same short excerpts one after another, you get a vivid sense of what works, and what doesn’t.

I’m not here to poke holes in anyone’s performance the day of the audition.  Auditions are very difficult situations, one of the most difficult you can experience as a performer.  Nerves, environment, bad luck… many, many things affect the outcome of an audition.  To be successful, you must be prepared to take a lot of them!  Auditioning is a skill, and it’s one that gets better the more you do it.  I have colleagues who won their audition on the first try.  Others, like myself, took multiple auditions.  I took 6 auditions for military bands, with three being for the Marine Band alone, before I was hired.  What follows are my observations about things that I feel can be corrected, or at least minimized, by preparation and habits, based on what I heard from a large majority of trombonists at this audition.

First, time and rhythm is critical.  I have written about this before, here.  The very first, and most noticeable thing, to me, is a person’s time.  I’m not talking about playing correct rhythms, but the consistency with which you apply tempo and subdivision to everything you play.  Truly subdividing, and applying that subdivision consistently across the entire span of a round of excerpts, is what gets your foot in the door.  Most people would be surprised at how few players are able to actually do that… It was very evident to me that very few auditionees record themselves, and listen to the recording focussed on their time consistency.  I mean, record everything.  I feel that in the final weeks before an audition that there are only two ways to practice.  Slow practice working on any technical aspects of an excerpt that need work, ingrain pitch relations, and making certain that every note is centered is critical.  Second, you should be performing the excerpt just as you would in the audition, and you should record it and listen back immediately.  99% of players won’t do this, especially the recording part, because it’s tedious and it takes a lot of time.  One very real benefit of this kind of practicing is that you can play for much longer periods.  When practicing alone, the playback time serves as built in rest, and the constant alternating between playing and listening gives you enough rest that you don’t get tired nearly as fast.  

Finally, put yourself into multiple mock audition situations, using all the visualization skills that you possess to develop some stress and nervousness.  Perform the excerpts exactly as you will in the audition either by themselves or as part of a set or “round”.  Immediately listen back and listen for ONE thing.  In this case, time.  If it’s not exactly right, it’s not right.  There is no close enough.  It must be metronomic.  If it’s not, and I’m listening to your audition, I will think that your time is not very good, and I’ll wonder how it will be to play a concert with you in the section and whether you will make my job easier.  Of course, no one is perfect!  Everyone will have inconsistencies, but you have to do everything you can to minimize them.

Let’s talk about pitch.  We opened our first round (and semi-finals) with Mozart Requiem.  The relative intonation of the opening B-flat statement is critical.  If the first 3 measures aren’t in tune, it’s very hard to recover the confidence of the committee.  Again, record and listen.  This applies throughout the round, but especially in the beginning.  Another place there was a lot of “pitchiness” was in the eighth note runs of Hungarian March.  Practice them slow, record, and listen.  Yep, you are gonna get REAL tired of hearing me say that!

Articulation is often a very telling aspect of a candidates abilities as well.  “Breaking up” and “frackiness” are signs that a player may not be centering each note, or that they are playing beyond the point of controlling their sound at higher volumes.  Being able to transition from the more forceful articulations of something like Hungarian March to the lightness of Brahms Academic Festival, or the quiet touch needed for Saint-Saens Organ Symphony is a skill to develop.  Hearing what you want those articulations to sound like in your head is critical.  We play what we hear in our head, and if we aren’t thinking about anything in particular, then we leave to chance what exactly is going to come out of the horn.  Again, listen to your recordings to see if what you THINK you are doing is what’s actually coming out!

Speaking of higher volumes…. volume and tone quality work together to present a total picture of your characteristic sound.  They give the listener a real sense of your musical goal, and your sensibilities.  Everyone has a unique sound, and I know I don’t expect anyone to fit in to a narrow definition of “great sound”.  However, many players play louder than they have to, all the time.  In most cases, it seems to be an awareness issue.  I think we get so used to playing loud in ensembles, that we don’t realize just how loud we are playing when we’re by ourselves.  Many people’s preliminary round sounded like they were simply trying to play too loud.  If it’s a loud excerpt like the Ride, or Heldenleben, then great.  You have to leave yourself some room to show some dynamic contrast, as well as show the committee that you are a conscientious (and conscious) musician.  Pick your places for both loud and soft dynamics, and you will show greater contrasts and sensitivity.

Finally, remember that you are playing for a group of people, not just one individual.  Many people I have sat with on audition committees have different things they are listening for.  We all have our individual biases and dislikes.  Cover as many bases as you can, and do your best to showcase your excellent musicianship within the context of solid fundamentals.  It’s always eye opening to see how far great fundamentals can take someone.  I think we sometimes trick ourselves into thinking we have to offer something unusual, or musically out-of-the-ordinary to set ourselves apart.  Time and again, the thing that gets people noticed is doing the basics exceptionally well.  

I would like to offer my encouragement to the many players that came to this recent audition, and maybe didn’t progress as far as they had hoped.  It is a life-long battle, this art we call music and this piece of plumbing called the trombone.  Persistence is key.  Glenn Dodson told me he auditioned seven times for the Philadelphia Orchestra.  He also used to tell his students, “there’s always room at the top.”  So, so true.  I remember reading somewhere that the late Jerome Ashby took around 30 auditions before he joined the French horn section of the New York Philharmonic.  Among the ranks of the great players, you will find many (all!) that just didn’t give up.  Continue your hard work, know that it never gets easy, and accept that you will have to continue the uphill battle if you want to reach your goals.  Thanks for reading, and happy practicing!

10 Best Pieces of Gear for Musicians

So, who doesn’t love a good gear list???!!!  As with any good gear list, I included things that cover a range of prices, and just had to list one thing that is very difficult to find!  There is so much stuff out there to help us as musicians, it can be hard to zero in on things that actually help us improve.  Read on to see what makes up my favorite brass-nerd-band-geek top 10!

10. K&M trombone stand - $65 - coming in last...the lowly trombone stand...  I know, not terribly exciting, but essential nonetheless… Having recently done some minor damage to my primary instrument by knocking it over on an older Hamilton trombone stand, I decided it was time for something heavier duty.  The knock-over was my own dumb fault, but it wouldn’t have happened on a larger stand with a wider base.  So, problem solved, and K&M stuff is generally pretty good quality.  These stands aren’t super cheap or compact, but they are very stable and sturdy.  

9.  McAdams metronome - $??? - if you grew up in Texas during the 1980s, and you were in marching band, the McAdams metronome was likely a fixture of your high school band life.  Big, loud, indestructible, the Model 10-A was the current model back then.  My dad picked one up for me many years ago when a new model was out and the 10-A was on closeout…love that thing.  They have some new fancier models that are digital and have all kinds of bells and whistles, but I love my old analog McAdams… huge metal switches, a large dial, and a 1/4” output for distribution to your favorite bass-amp-hooked-up-to-an-inverter-powered-by-a-car-battery.  Yes, that is really how we used to get that super loud click out on the marching band field!  Old school, bay-bee!

8.  Logic Pro X - $200 - I should really put Garageband in this slot, but I’m continually amazed at what Logic Pro can do, and for only $200!  Most DAWs are quite pricey for the home user to buy into, and I know for my uses, I am unlikely to outgrow the capabilities of this software.  Logic has a pretty amazing feature that many people don’t know about - that is sheet music/score production.  I have yet to get in to this aspect of the program, but you can produce scores and parts from recorded tracks, as well as import Finale files into Logic.  Pretty powerful stuff.

7.  Rode Video mic pro - $229 - you might look at a shotgun video mic and think, on the surface, it only does one thing.  I have had a Videomic Pro for a few years not, and I’m continually amazed at what they can do.  Obviously, it accels at recording spoken word into a DSLR or other camera.  It does this very well, and with a fuzzy windscreen (dead cat), it can do it just about anywhere.  For Youtube videos, Periscope, and other casual video production, these things are gold.  Where I became really enamored of mine was in recording solo trombone.  I know, go figure.  This mic, when set about 10’ back and aimed at a 45 degree angle to the bell, produces a warm and very complementary sound for me when recording myself playing trombone.  That was a surprise to me.  Usually I run it in to my Zoom H5.  Simple setup, great results.

6.  Foamy earplugs - $0.31 - you are conserving your hearing, right??? Huh?  Honestly, I hate playing with earplugs, but a friend of mine at work has a handy way of using them, where he keeps them basically just sitting in his ear but not pushed in so they’re not blocking any sound, and when he knows a loud part/sound is coming, he can quickly just tap the plug into his ear.  The key is it doesn't have to be shoved down deep into your ear to get some protection.  They make these in skin tones that are subtle for stage use.  😃

5.  Evernote - FREE, or $49.99 for an annual Premium plan - Really???!!! An organizational app as one of the top 10 tech tools for musicians??!!  Well, if you enjoy staying organized like me, and you have a large amount of correspondence, articles, writing, ideas, projects, receipts, and emails to keep track of, this software is simply fantastic.  When I first looked at it, I couldn’t really see the value in it, and I used an app called Notability for quite a while.  Notability is great, but it doesn’t have quite all the bells and whistles that Evernote has.  Here’s a great video (and Youtube Channel) about many of the amazing features of Evernote.  The major things that make it awesome for me:  incredibly robust search function (even searches text inside photos), keyword tagging of notes, web browser clipping extension, and an embedded email address through which you can send things directly to Evernote for saving.  It also records audio natively… cool!

4.  Best Brass practice mute (trombone, trumpet, euphonium) - $129 - These days, who doesn’t use a practice mute?  I love this one.  It’s small and light, and fits in the bell of my horn in my case.  I use it frequently.  It also can be a great practice aid to develop your multiple tonguing.  I’ll have to make another video to show what I mean!  ProTec is now making a much cheaper version of this mute.  The original Best Brass brand was/is about $120… The new ProTec copy is about $35 on Amazon.  I can’t speak for the quality of the ProTec version, so check one out before you commit.

3.  Rode NT1 microphone - $249 - As a straight up large diaphragm condenser mic for brass applications, this mic works great for me.  It sounds great and is priced reasonably.  Maybe not as ideal as some much pricier ribbon mics, tube condensers, and others, but it sounds great and also doubles as an excellent mic for voiceover, audio-for-video, podcasting, and Skype.  It requires 48 volt phantom power, so you’ll need an interface for your computer, or a Zoom recorder with XLR inputs to run it.  

2.  TE tuner - $3.99 (iOS)/$1.99 (Android) - This is probably my favorite iOS app of all time.  It is also available for Android!  This thing does it all.  Priced at $3.99 for iOS and $1.99 for Android, this app features an excellent tuner.  Besides the tuner, it has a waveform analysis function and a built in recorder.  This thing is great for recording your practicing on the go, and listening back.  Includes a good metronome as well.  Excellent value and best of all, I always have it with me.

1.  Zoom H5 (or used H4, or H6) - $270 (H5) - The Zoom family of recorders is quite an amazing piece of technology.  The H4 was the original unit that I was familiar with, and a number of years ago it was the fancy recorder that replaced everyone’s Sony DAT Walkman.  Those were great recorders too, but the ability to record to CompactFlash and transfer to the computer quickly and easily made the Zoom recorders truly a step ahead.  Now, Zoom makes a few different models that will suit just about any needs for the modern musician.  I currently have an H5.  This recorder, in my opinion, should be the cornerstone of any musicians’s audio setup.  You can make stereo recordings via the onboard X/Y microphone pair.  You can plug in two mics via the XLR inputs.  You can plug in a 3.5mm plug equipped mic (like the Rode Videomic Pro).  The H5 can serve as the audio for a DSLR while producing video recordings through its line out, and on and on… The Zoom has a 1/4” tripod mount, a built in tuner and metronome, and a small built in speaker for quick reference playback.  There are a couple of features that are not so obvious, but that come in extremely handy for the self-producing musician…. The unit will record a safety track in parallel to the main recording, but at -12db to the settings on the gain controls.  This is great when you don’t have the time or extra help to get a thorough level check.  With experience, you’ll know about where your levels need to be in most situations (especially when recording solo), but the backup track gives you insurance that you get a usable recording without any clipping.  Finally, the Zoom H5 and H6 can be used as USB audio interfaces with your computer for recording to your favorite DAW.  No need to invest in another audio interface for the computer.  So, for sheer flexibility and options that these recorders give you, they are the top of the list here!  

I hope that gives you some things to think about.  I’d love to hear about any favorite practice or productivity aids in the comments! Do me a favor, if you haven’t subscribed to virtualtrombonist.com, please head over and look for the subscribe box at the bottom of any page.