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Re: A beginning Band (long)

There seems to be some controversy about this. First off, the book that
Henry Howey is refering to is ARNOLD JACOBS: SONG AND WIND.  I am the
author of this book and Mr. Jacobs' assistant.

Now for what Henry has written with all the responses:

--------------------------

Henry Howey wrote:

> The book about Arnold Jacobs and his techniques is a real eye-opener.
I
> have heard a clinic given by the brothers Childs, and all I can say is
that
> their physiology is about 50 years behind what is here in the US.
They are
> extremely fine players in their own rights; however, the terminology
they
> use will mislead all but the most talented players.

> As a minor historian of the history of the pedagogy of brass
instruments, I
> must tell you that (in the past) several years of solfege training
were
> required before starting on any wind instrument.  In fact, some of
today's
> best players (continental, that is) did not start playing until their
teens
> after YEARS of solfege training.

--------------------------

Mike Jackson wrote:

> I would stay away from Henry's advice.

> The Childs Brothers are two of the finest players in the world.  How
can you argue
> with their success.  Don't worry Henry your terminology isn't very
misleading.

> Mark, just get some instruction and practice your butt off.  The idea
behind brass
> banding is to enjoy making music.  Don't worry about how old you are
(or your
> level of solfege training?) do it and have a great time.

--------------------------

Nigel Wears wrote:

> Henry - Can you please clarify something about this?  Is the Solfege
system the
> one where C is always referred to as "Doh" no matter what key you are
in?  I
> know there is a difference between Solfege and Solfah, and I think
that this is
> it.  How does Solfege work when the key contains a great number of
sharps and
> flats?  What exactly were the benefits of people learning in this way?

--------------------------

Sergio Marshall wrote:

> Hear hear, and what is solfege training anyway??  Sorry Henry, but I
> have to disagree slightly on this one.
> Basically get a good teacher and do hours of practice.  Get as much
> advice as you can, try new ideas and work out what works best for you.

> But above all have fun doing it!!

--------------------------

Paul Rothery wrote:

> Wow, If you can criticize the Childs Brothers you must be brilliant.
Please
> let me know if you ever perform in Denver, I'd love to see it.

> I am not a historian, have never studied the theory of music and
couldn't
> even tell you what pedagogy means. However I can say that playing in a
brass
> band is a great experience. Get yourself sorted with a tutor and take
the
> plunge. I have lived in Britain, Belgium and the US and everywhere
bands are
> friendly and welcoming. Don't be put off by musical snobbery, practice
hard
> and prepare yourself for a few beers and a lot of good times.

--------------------------

For many on this list, knowlege of Arnold Jacobs is limited. A tubist,
he is internationally recognized as the authority on the respiratory
aspects of playing wind instruments. In addition, he has developed a
reputation as a world-class performer, primarily during a
forty-four-year career with the famous brass section of the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra.  The late Sir Georg Solti said about Jacobs,
"Through his unstinting support and encouragement of generations of
brass players the world over, he has justifiably become a legend in his
own lifetime."

Mr Jacobs'  teaching is based on the concept "Song and Wind." During his
lecture at the 1995 International Brassfest in Bloomington, Indiana, he
explained:

	    "My approach to music is  expressed as Song and Wind. This
is very important
to communicate a  musical message to the audience.
	    "This approach is one of  simplicity as the structure and
function of the human
being is very  complex, but we function in a  simple manner. When we
bring it to the art
form it becomes very  simple.
	    "Song, to me, involves about 85 percent of the intellectual
concentration of playing
an instrument, based on what you want the audience to hear.
	    "You cannot get anywhere without wind.  If you think of a
car, the wheels will not
turn without an energy sourcethe engine. Brass players must have a
source of energy as
there must be a vibrating column of air for the instrument to amplify
and resonate. The
musical engine is the vibration of the lips. However, the lips cannot
vibrate without wind.
	    "When we combine Song and Wind, the musical message, song,
is the principal
element comprising 85 percent of the consciousness. The remaining 15
percent is the
application of the breath, wind, to fuel the vibration of the lips."


Here Mr. Jacobs is saying that 85% of the consciencesness is into the
mental aspect of playing an instrument. He always says that he plays two
tubas at once, a tuba in the mind and a tuba in the hand. The tuba in
his hand is the mirror image of his thought. It plays a pitch a split
second after the proper signal is sent from the tuba in the mindthe
brain. He will commonly tell students if  they send the proper signal
from the brain, the body will naturally respond. Here is where solfege
comes in.

Nigel asked "Is the Solfege system the one where C is always referred to
as "Doh" no matter what key you are in?"

Yes, this is it. Past generations of musicians were required to learn
solfege in college but it is not emphasized as much in recent years.
This is a form of ear training where you assign a sylable (do, re, mi,
fa, etc:) to a pitch. Mr. Jacobs is a master of solfege (as is other
former colleagues of the Chicago Symphony, Adolph Herseth and Dale
Clevenger) and it is an important element he uses with the "tuba in the
mind" concept.  Here he sends the proper signal from his brain and the
body will respond naturally. Playing a brass instrument is more than
blowing air, pushing a valve, and going out for a beer afterwards!

About Henry's statement about the Child's Brothers. I was in the
Illinois Brass Band when they came and played with us (I am still hung
over from drinking with them!). I have also heard one of their lectures.
While they are fabulous players that I respect very much, their knowlege
of physiology is not up to their playing ability. For example, during a
lecture, they refered to the diaphragm being on the lower part of the
torso, beneath the navel. This is a misconception that has been going
around the brass world for over 100 years and is the foundation for the
ill-fated "tight-gut" meathod incorrectly taught to generations of
players.  The diaphragm is located in the front at the base of the
sternum and in the back at the base of the ribs. By tensing up the
musculature of the lower torso, the up/down movememt of the diaphragm is
restricted causing less air to be inhaled diminishing the fuel supply.
With a vast medical knowlage about human phisiology, Mr. Jacobs has
helped bring the tight-gut meathod to an end.

Are the Childs Brothers any less players because they do not have a vast
knowlage of physiology? No. Very few musicians have the knowlege that
Mr. Jacobs has and Mr. Jacobs admits that he was a fine player before he
started studying human anatomy. A case can be made that Bob and Nick
might be a little behind the times - we all are in one thing or another
(I'm behind the times running a 166 mhz computer).


A few responses were like what Paul Rothery wrote: "Don't be put off by
musical snobbery, practice hard and prepare yourself for a few beers and
a lot of good times."

Personally, I have played in various bands, orchestras, brass ensembles
and have performed solos on several occassions. I have also played with
both professionals and non-professionals. There are some "professional"
players who I wouldn't give two cents for their playing and would rather
have non-professionals. Why? If they are happy maintaining their present
playing level without improving, what good are they? In his 70's Aldoph
Herseth is still improving his skills even though he has the reputation
of being the finest orchestral Pricipal Trumpet around.

The nature of Brass Bandsmen not being professional does not mean that
they just play for the fun of it - there is a lot of work that must be
done. They should always be open to improving their skills or someday
they might find themselves in a position of holding their colleagues
back. I played with someone who admitted to the band that they did not
know how to double tounge and furthermore had no intention of learning
how. You guessed it - a major passage came around that required double
tounging and the band's progress was held back because of one player.

Like all great players, Bob and Nick Childs are open to improving their
skills. I had many a discussion with them about Mr. Jacobs and were
eager to meet with him. Of course there is a small pond between Chicago
and London - maybe someday. The moral of the story is that great players
stay great by being open to improve their skills!

Brian Frederiksen

--
Brian Frederiksen
WindSong Press - PO Box 146 - Gurnee, Il 60031
Phone 847 223-4586 - Fax 847 223-4580
brianf@xxxxxxx
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/WindSong_Press


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