Tone Production On Any Brass Instrument
Because the brain can really only focus well on one particular process at a time, we need to have a very clear idea of what we do when we "play the trumpet" or "get these notes out of a Tuba", or "play French Horn in Band". None of those concepts remotely help us to actually play correctly. There are two players at work when we play, one is the physical player who blows air, buzzes his lips, pushes valves or moves a slide, and tongues. Then there is the musician player, who concentrates on an imagined sound represented by the notes, and motivates the body (physical player) to move air, buzz sounds, tongue, crescendo, etc.
To connect the two players requires much concentration and imagination. This fact accounts for a large part of the problems inherent in playing a brass instrument, namely we have to overcome the laziness of our brain in concentrating and imagining, and our body in blowing large amounts of air, while keeping our face relaxed. It is hard work to play beautifully, we have to work hard at making it sound and feel easy. If it required little or no work you would already be doing it great not reading this.
To get these two players ( the physical player who awaits orders, and the musician player who hears beautiful, easy sounds ) to work together, is the focus of everything we do. Our brain motivating our body is what's needed and I believe a clear, concise phrase that we focus on while playing is the secret. The phrase I like the most is "blow every sound", because this takes care of all the motivating we need. "Blow" is the energy that we use to physically create our sound by making our lips buzz. "Every" is the degree of concentration and commitment at the smallest level of "one sound at a time". "Sound" is our imagination creating a sound for each note that is easy, beautiful, in tune and has feeling. So "Blow Every Sound" is the one focus that will motivate the sound out of the instrument that we imagine and blow into it.
