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Secrets to Efficient Brass Playing! By Keith Fiala


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Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3

Who Is Keith Fiala? .................................................................................................................. 4

The muscles in your face that we use and abuse!.............................................................. 9

A small aperture is THE key! ................................................................................................11

Warm up sets the tone for your playing day! .................................................................13

We smash “the buzzer” that produces our tone, sound, pitch and range! .................16

We cram our lips together with upward jaw movement, shutting down the hole between our lips allowing little to no air in to the horn!.................................................19

Excessive mouthpiece pressure damages lip tissue and adds to the strain! ...............22

Start practicing the things that scare you!.........................................................................24

Most brass players are on the wrong mouthpiece! (Continued) .........................................27

Maynard preached air! ........................................................................................................29

Ever done pitch bending? .....................................................................................................31

Developing a “clean” pure tone takes focus! ...................................................................32

Maintaining endurance when gigs are low and/or band class is not practicing! .....34

Come-back players and the reasons they quit the first time! .......................................35

Warm up/Gig preparation! ................................................................................................37

Addressing the myths!............................................................................................................38

Fiala Trumpet Exercise #1 ...................................................................................................43

Fiala Exercise #2 (Anna’s Theme).......................................................................................46

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Introduction If you’ve chosen to read this, there’s a high likelihood that you’re a brass player looking for a bit of light in a dark maze of confusion.

I was EXACTLY this for YEARS! Everywhere I turned, I would get vague answers

that would only add to the confusion of how to achieve range, endurance, tone,

consistency and reliability when it came to playing high register notes. I spent years

taking lessons, staring at old videos, pictures, etc, as well as reading what “The

Pros” had to say about this subject. Again, it always seemed vague and unclear.

In NO WAY does this information suggest, hint, or recommend that you “change”

your embouchure from its current form to what is described below. But it does

suggest that if you are a player who tends to feel behind the pack because of range,

or feel defeated because of peers or other influential people in your life, that you

change your mental image of yourself as a player and as a musician. I was once in

these shoes, feeling behind and defeated, so I relate to you my findings, pains and

problematic areas through years of trial, error, hard knocks and a comeback. In

fact, my embouchure has been modified through a more relaxed approach rather

than changing it to suit a momentary need for flash or high note recognition!

As with many books written on this subject, there are countless exercises that have

been written, re-written, “improved” upon, etc, so I will not burden you with

instruction-less exercises because doing great exercises incorrectly is just as

harmful as anything contrary to great exercises. So at the end of the book, you will

find some exercises that MUST be done slowly and with absolute thought! In

time, you will master them and feel a significant difference!

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“Both ‘ability’ and ‘inability’ begin with willingness!”

Keith Fiala

Trumpet Player / Teacher

Who Is Keith Fiala?

I started playing the summer between 4th and 5th grade. My Uncle was a band

director for the Mason City, Iowa, school district and got me my first cornet. I was

extremely excited about playing because as far back as I could remember, I knew

that playing is what I was supposed to do with my life. I wanted it! It’s all I could

think about, talk about and dream about!

Growing up, I spent my summers in Mason City, so I was exposed to my Uncle

and the music community… primarily jazz players. As I matured and got into my

teens, I discovered girls and cars. Music was still a driving force for me and my

choice for a career, but by this time I had been around enough negative influences

that music was a poor career choice for 100’s of reasons. The negativity

surrounding music is immense! I was faced with not only “common sense

reasoning” from adults, but if I couldn’t do something to a professional level or

made a mistake in the presence of my peers, I would be laughed at. I had run up

against the typical stumbling blocks that most young trumpet players hit – range

issues. So much so, that it consumed my attention musically. I stopped growing

because I was “working” so hard on just that ONE aspect. I quickly became stuck!

Instead of working on reading, technique, improvisation and musicality, I focused

on RANGE! I hated being laughed at and refused to advance until they had

nothing to laugh about… more than anything this started my minimalist thinking.

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My senior year of high school, my guidance counselor asked me what I wanted to

do for a career path. He not only didn’t take me seriously when I told him music,

but he all but told me to become a trash collector instead because at least I would

have a realistic career. I was able to get myself through an audition after high

school with Raymond Crissara at The University of Texas at Austin. I was granted

a scholarship in undergraduate performance studies. Just before leaving for

college 1000 miles from home, my Mom and step-dad held a going away party in

my honor. My step-dad pulled me aside with one of his drinking buddies and told

me that I would be home because I wouldn’t last. I was stunned… not because he

knew music, but because family is supposed to be the root of support.

Once at UT, I quickly showed my weaknesses to Mr. Crissara. He assigned things

that would focus on the vast valley of missing necessities in my young playing.

But being 19 and knowing everything, I was sure that he couldn’t help me because

he wasn’t assigning things that improved my range. That quickly put a strain on

our relationship! I was “ejected” from two lessons for swearing (out of complete

and total frustration) and was even told at one point to “go back to the farm.” As

the school year came to a close, I was struggling endlessly. I received a letter in

the mail about three weeks before school got out that I had lost my scholarship due

to a new legislation that involved out of state undergrads paying more and in state

kids getting the “full” rides. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back!

Remembering the comment that my step-dad had made to me, I refused to return

home. Instead, I opted to give up my playing dream and get a job to remain in

Austin. I was miserable. They were right!

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For 2 years, I never opened my case. I knew in the back of my mind that I was

denying myself the real passion and what I loved… but I had been told for so many

years that it was just too hard to make it. You have to have a gift. Becoming

increasingly miserable, I decided to pick up playing again “for fun.” I convinced

myself that I wasn’t ever going to have a career in music, but I could at least have

fun. So, I started practicing… the same stuff I had left off with – but in worse

shape than when I quit! You see, just as a person in a coma loses the ability to

walk with time because of the deterioration of muscles and muscle memory, I had

lost it in my chops. It takes only 10 days to erase muscle memory in the chops!

I was introduced to a “new” project that a local guitarist had started in 1993 called

Memphis Train and he was looking for a trumpet player… I joined up, and that

started the hunger again. But now I was faced with a new challenge… I had a

DAY JOB that kept me from practicing. I bounced and bobbed along for the next

8 years more focused on my day job than my playing. I even opened a business

that led to my filing bankruptcy in 1998. So my focus was far more on how broke

I was than why I wanted to play.

In December of 2000, I was offered a position with Strait Music, a local music

store in Austin. I was to become an outside sales rep for local schools. I figured

that it would at least put me “in the music business” and allow me to surround

myself with musicians. Through this job, I was able to make enough connections

and begin a teaching studio to further help me play daily. Through my teaching

young students, I started working on all of those deficiencies that NEVER got

worked on. Through working with Pops McLauglin, I had gotten my range up to a

fairly reliable G above High C and started tearing in to the real problems such as

rhythm, timing, and technique. In 2002, I recorded my album. Through the

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persistence and rallying support of a great friend, we were able to put “Bedtime

Stories” together in a bedroom studio. Digital technology is wonderful – we were

able to glue and paste half-way decent lines together to make a respectable album.

But I was still taking ego knocks… seems as though that’s the people that I had

attracted into my life. Almost like a curse or a bad twist of fate.

Being completely fed up with my surroundings (Memphis Train), I decided to take

a complete stab in the dark. I had met a couple of guys who had played with

Maynard Ferguson and recommended that I audition. The thought of playing for

Maynard was beyond a wildest dream, but thought I’d send in my material

anyway. About three months after submitting my stuff, I got a call from the music

director for Maynard, asking if I would be interested in the Valet / 3rd trumpet

position. I JUMPED at the chance and joined in March of 2004!

This was a MAJOR turning point – I would now be taken seriously as a pro player

and I would become a force in the trumpet community – so I thought. Once in the

band, I was faced with grave struggles, not only in my playing, but in the

deficiencies that still existed in my playing. I had “somewhat” fixed the high note

thing, but could not improvise or read well at all. Believe me, it was not an easy

ride! But the best thing about this experience was that my super hero became my

friend, teacher, mentor, and like all of the rest of the band members past present

and future, he was a father figure in many ways. Maynard was the kindest man

I’ve ever met! I was fortunate enough to have many chances to be called to his

room for chicken wings and beer so we could sit and talk and watch Larry King

Live. I asked tons of questions and heard tons of stories.

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As the 2004 tour was ending, my step-dad was starting to get pretty ill. My parents

had moved to Texas in 1998 to help me through some extremely rough times and I

felt as though I needed to be there for them. So, I left the tour. Broke (once again)

and battered from the sometimes horrid attitude in the band itself and ready to quit.

I had lost the ability to play G’s above High C. Not only from changing to

Monette mouthpieces, but from being so terribly confused by misinformation, bad

equipment advice and just being mentally worn down. Once home, I called Pops

and my friend Bob Odneal for help! I was in serious trouble with playing again

and near the point of wanting to quit. I had given up my spot in Memphis Train

and my teaching studio to go with Maynard. I lost my range because of multiple

mouthpiece changes and confusing advice. Through Pops, I landed on a smaller

mouthpiece that put me back on the road to recovery. I spent the next 3 years on

that piece until I noticed I was hitting a brick wall with endurance.

During that 3 year period, my Fiancé Anna, had come in to my life and introduced

me to a new way of thinking about things. I discovered that mostly what I was

being told as a young child, adolescent and young adult was opinions from people

who were seeing through the eyes of unknown fear when it came to career choice.

What I had also learned was that aggression with musicians against one another is

usually caused by fears that they still hold onto. Almost in a bullish way they feel

as though they have earned the right to put others down for weaknesses vs. helping

them overcome them. The competitiveness is usually fueled by ego and envy. Not

of the weaker player, but of something they feel as though they have not yet

overcome or achieved themselves, which may not even be musically related. In

this e book, I hope to address many of the technical discoveries that I have made to

help me overcome my obstacles, as well as the psychological things that were the

true hold-backs in my career.

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DISCLAIMER – THIS IS ONLY MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, RESULTS MAY VARY FROM PLAYER TO PLAYER!!

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

Pablo Picasso

The muscles in your face that we use and abuse!

When we play, the smaller the aperture the more efficient our playing becomes.

You end up using less energy to create sound which takes less energy to produce

the core to any musical venture. I give ALL of my brass students a coffee straw

when they come in for their first lesson to help demonstrate precisely what muscles

in your face that control our lips and that are involved to grab a small straw.

The following illustrations (from Grey’s Anatomy) show the muscles around our

mouths… the orbicularis oris (with red markings) muscles are some of the most

important support muscles.

Orbicularis Oris Above: Red dot: Triangularis

Blue dot Quadratus labii - inferioris

Green dot Mentalis

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In comparison to other muscles in our bodies, these are some of the smallest. It is

my belief that understanding even the slightest bit of how important these muscles

are and what role they play in our brass playing, will help us to define the focused

aperture.

Now take a look at these pictures below of straws in the lips…

Notice the outward focus Coffee straw

Notice the Muscles

In no way does this replace or simulate playing exactly, but for most beginners it

starts their minds thinking in line with an activity most of us have been doing since

an early age. For advanced players, it’s a good way to rethink your approach to

your aperture and what we do to our lips as we play.

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For me, I noticed that in the lower and middle registers, I could easily pull my lips

back or push them forward while playing. But once I ascended up into the upper

register, where I was no longer mentally comfortable, I lost all ability to willingly

change my lips because of how “locked” in position they were. That “lock” is

done by stressed muscles – the stress causes fatigue – the fatigue causes loss of

playing control and eventually ability.

“So what do we do? Anything - something. So long as we don't just sit there. If we screw it

up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we've satisfied all the uncertainties, it

may be too late."

Lee Iacocca

Former Chairman of Chrysler Corporation

A small aperture is THE key!

Most brass players complicate playing to the point of absolute and total frustration

by over pinching the lips! When I was at the height of my problems with chops

(that includes range, endurance, tone, control, etc.), I would literally pin my lips

into an “open” position with the mouthpiece and keep them there with pressure…

LOTS of pressure! As I got smarter about the way I was playing I was given the

advice to use a “close lip setting.” This meant NOTHING to me at first – and the

first few times I tried it, I got this horrid, stuffy feeling and would revert back to

my old habits. I got really good at absolutely destroying myself in 20 minutes or

less! What good is that? NONE! Especially if you want to play lead like I did.

What I eventually discovered is that a “close lip setting” really means lips making

extremely light contact and the teeth open. I use the inside of my lips by letting the

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air push my lips out ever so slightly, then use the muscle to pull my lips back

against each other to keep / maintain the resistance needed without causing a

pinched sound or a closed down aperture. This not only gives me more control but

it also helps create the upper register notes, soft notes, controlled interval changes,

shakes and trills.

Once a player can achieve this sensation, your lip is much easier to control because

you will only have to use the muscle around your mouth to prevent the lips from

further being blown open as you ascend vs. using the muscles to force the lips

closed and / or using mouthpiece pressure to achieve the same. This will all but

completely resolve many of the problems brass players face. Endurance issues for

players who are on a regular practice schedule and don’t skip practicing for days

on end usually stem from using muscles to GET a smaller aperture vs. maintain a

smaller aperture.

Try this – hold your mouth in a relaxed normal position… push air through the

center of your lips only and ONLY use enough muscle to prevent your entire

mouth from flapping… feel how light the contact between top and bottom lips are.

EXTREME light contact between top / bottom lips!

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"Each indecision brings its own delays and days are lost lamenting over lost days... What

you can do or think you can do, begin it. For boldness has magic, power, and genius in it."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

1749-1832, Poet, Novelist and Scientist

Warm up sets the tone for your playing day!

What we do initially when we warm up will set up your day… so if you use

extreme amounts of pressure, smash your buzzer, or aren’t in the right frame of

mind, you will set your habits for the remainder of the day. My warm-up routine is

really never 100% consistent every single day. Although I do use much of the

same drills, I don’t necessarily religiously play the same ones for extended

amounts of time each day. I have reached a point where I listen to what my mind

and body need to be able to focus. I’ve found that my warm up time is greatly

lengthened by taking a day or more off! If I am playing every day, I usually spend

no more than 20 minutes doing my usual Clarke routines, octave leaps and

chromatic scale exercises such as -

H.L. Clarke Technical Studies for Cornet (Page 47) Ninth Study

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I am extremely aware of what I’m doing now in the first few minutes of playing

each day now. Mindlessly blowing or being totally consumed with high notes only

got me cut lips, sore and weak endurance! So I make it a point to be in touch with

not straining for ANY notes and allowing the air to do most of the work. I go more

in depth on this in the next section, but I use exercises that are fluid and allow me

to increase my air speed and volume when ascending and decrease both when

descending. Keep in mind that my definition of “straining” is pinching the lips

closed to achieve a smaller / faster airstream. While the airstream DOES need to

be small, it does not need to be near the cut-off point – being this close to cutting

air completely off can cause the head rush effect, passing out effect and seeing

stars or your ex wife running at you with an axe.

It was once said to me – “Never practice for more than 5 to 10 minutes, but never

be more than 5 to 10 minutes away from practicing!” This will ensure that you get

plenty of ample rest between your playing sessions. Before this sank in, I would

sit for hours and mindlessly beat myself silly! My warm up back then consisted of

about 2 minutes of “low” register playing and then all caution was tossed out the

window which led to me screaming at myself for being stupid and unable! You

can imagine where this got me – NOWHERE! I was still buying in to the whole

thought of “maybe I’m not cut out for this – maybe they were right.”

During my warm up session now, I also incorporate rhythm exercises with my

metronome as well. What I have also discovered about most teachers (private or

otherwise) is that there is a certain misconception that the student fully understands

counting and rhythms without truly being clear about how to approach these as a

player. But being able to truly “feel” a rhythm vs. being able to play through it can

be two different things and cause inconsistencies in playing. Many times

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throughout my life, I didn’t count – wasn’t really ever shown how. It wasn’t until I

got in to high school that it became very apparent that I was playing by ear and not

really understanding the rhythm as it was written. I was one of those students that

slipped through the cracks because I could play back what I heard… not read what

I saw. And not having a teacher who really addressed this issue with me early on

only set me up for more hardship.

So what I do now is hold myself 100% accountable to rhythm and timing while

reading difficult passages and sight-reading. As I read more syncopated and poly-

rhythms I improve my reading / feel! This does NOT occur after just a few

practice sessions! For me, I have had to keep up a consistent effort in order to

improve this deficiency in my playing ability.

I also address breathing early on in my warm up as I have found that one of the

BIGGEST mistakes I was making was using more facial muscles than abdominal

muscles to ascend. This became apparent as I started doing octave slurs… starting

on second line G and ascending to G on top of the staff I would close my aperture

down vs. pushing the air speed up. What I do to address this now is make sure that

the outer rim muscles in my face are locked in place, leaving my lips supple

enough to freely vibrate while playing both notes (this is a “feel” and must be

experienced to fully understand – kind of like describing a peach and how it tastes

to someone who’s never eaten one). Bottom line is that you must have several

aspects working to achieve open and relaxed notes – relaxed “buzzer” supported

by muscles that will prevent the lips from blowing open as you push more air

speed through the aperture. As I had stated earlier, I’d be sure to work with my air

speed to change range as well as the actual volume of notes. Shown in the Clarke

Studies as crescendo / decrescendo for each move upward in range and then again

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downward this helps me focus on my air far more than it does on my lip movement

– which I now focus on keeping to a minimum.

“People think I’m disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great

difference”

Luciano Pavarotti

1935 - 2007 Opera Singer

We smash “the buzzer” that produces our tone, sound, pitch and range!

What does this mean? Have you ever sat down and thought about WHAT really

produces the sound? Most people say – the lips. But what no one addresses is

precisely WHAT buzzes and more importantly, WHERE?

It’s NOT the outer part of your lip in most cases! It happens to be the inside of

your lips on the wet pink part. At least for me and most of my students, this seems

to be consistent. Now, I understand that there are MANY embouchures that

people play with… so with whatever your setup may be, think about the most

simplified question – what really does the buzzing when I play? For me, when I

would start approaching the upper register notes, I tended to roll my lips in too far

(to help stiffen them) and thus rolled my buzzers against my teeth as they closed

together too, effectively moving my lips away from the airstream and shutting off

sound. Now apply a healthy amount of mouthpiece pressure, and I was left with

nothing but a head-rush and a trashy sound – if any sound at all! This was one of

the most major “ah-has” for me!

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Two things brought this to light for me and it really didn’t come from looking at

pictures or taking lessons. I was at the height of my frustration with playing and

feeling just completely lost with how to improve my range, increase my endurance,

and become the player that I’ve always wanted to be! I’ve tried many different

method books always hoping that my latest one would have the answers I was

looking for. Blaming a lack of muscle, I would do torturous exercises that only

wore me down. At one point, I lost the ability to hit high “C” after about 10

minutes of playing time because I had fatigued the muscles in my face so badly.

At this point, I started noticing where the soreness was specifically. Attempting to

play would cause total air out and I would become sore – or at least the soreness

would return. I noticed it mostly around my lips. For example, pull your lips back

toward you (like a half-hearted smile). The muscle causing this movement was the

one I had beaten senseless and is the one responsible for pulling my lips away from

the airstream. I decided to jump back to my “Clarke Studies” book (more for my

technique as I believed the front cover) and start doing study #1. I was using a

metronome with increasing speeds and finally started trying to do the dynamics

written in. Now I consider myself an intelligent person, but sometimes the most

obvious things escape my full attention and understanding. These dynamic

markings never really meant much to me other than playing loud and playing soft.

What I didn’t notice for years was the movement required to produce this

successfully. H.L. Clarke did address this in his book in a subtle manner, but it

didn’t GRAB my attention or my understanding. As I started getting more

aggressive with the dynamics, I started moving my airstream more effectively in

conjunction with keeping my lips in the airstream path and my teeth out of the way

– until I started moving up in register and getting nervous! As I gained more

control in the middle register, I started gaining more control and power in my

upper register. As I thumbed to the back of the book, I went to Study #9 – these

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are the full range chromatic exercises that I always hated because at one point or

another I would air out or completely lose quality tone and flexibility. As I read

the headings for this exercise I noticed that it says “You will not need to strain on

the high notes if you keep your lips flexible and avoid playing too loudly.” I’ve

owned a Clarke book for over 20 years and never did this really make sense to me

until I started taking a hard look at what I was doing with my lips. As I taught

lessons, I had the usual students who would get their lip tension right and keep

their teeth open producing good sound, while others would pinch and have terrible

sound. I learned how to “mimic” those with bad sound so I could show them an

easy way to correct it. Through this I was able to recognize what I was doing in

the upper register was essentially the same thing they were doing as a beginner.

More times than I’d like to count, subliminally the student becomes the teacher

because it makes me think of ways to relay information that could very easily

become so subconscious that I wouldn’t know how to explain how I did it.

To a degree, I think this is true for any brass player who has played for an extended

period of time. We go from beginner, where everything is a thought out process,

to playing where we just put the horns up and make our voices come alive. This

could very well be the main cause of smashing the buzzer. We’re not in touch with

that aspect of playing anymore because we haven’t had to think about it – in some

cases like mine, for over 30 years.

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Keith lip buzzing – focusing on pushing the lips out! Notice my jaw is pulling down… teeth are apart comfortably!

“The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is

not to try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it that you can be.”

Debbi Fields

Founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies

We cram our lips together with upward jaw movement, shutting down the hole between our lips allowing little to no air in to the horn!

This is a panic response that most brass players develop out of sheer fear because

we build up a notion that high notes are hard. The truth is they aren’t any more

difficult than any other note you can already play. What makes them hard is the

perception that we are left with after multiple failed attempts. It should also be

noted that this is where most guys get in to big trouble with head-rushes, etc.

There does have to be control over the size of aperture to allow faster or slower air

in to the horn, but there is a fine line between small and smashed! If a player

started with a closer lip setting to begin with and learned to control the air speed,

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this problem would start to be corrected. Working with the air stream is a huge

key that most players miss. It’s a perception that if my lips are pinned apart, I’ll

get a bigger sound. Personally, I NOW work with my airstream… allowing my

lips to be pushed (by the air) into the mouthpiece cup. It removes the chance of

rolling them into my teeth (#1) and it also makes it more difficult to shut down the

hole with jaw movement. This was NOT always the case for me. I struggled with

upward jaw movement for years and only corrected it when I started realizing

where my buzzer was and that I was cramming the aperture shut. It was such an

ingrained habit that this was one of the biggest psychological hurdles I had to

overcome.

What it took was CONSTANT mindful practice – watching myself in a mirror and

trying to utilize the air as much as possible. The key ingredient that helped resolve

this was switching to a smaller (much smaller) mouthpiece rim size. I had started

on a Bach 7C as a kid and stayed on that until I was a freshman in high school. I

switched to a Warburton 5M set up that I thought would fix all my issues. So

pretty much from that point (1984 to 2007) I fought the mouthpiece trap! I have

enough mouthpieces to create another trumpet by melting them down and starting

over! It seems as though ALL of the advice I had ever received about mouthpieces

was that larger rim sizes (5 and larger by Bach standards) were “the best” to go

with. So, I tried everything from a 1C equivalent to a 5 equivalent. That is until I

was sick and tired of getting advice from everyone else. I decided to drop sizes

drastically and try a 10 ½ equivalent. The first note I hit was an E above Double

C. Then – nothing! I couldn’t get a middle C, a low C – nothing! Because I went

in with that old familiar mind set that the mouthpiece was going to solve ALL of

my problems. I decided to try three or four different mouthpiece sizes – including

the 10 ½ A few days after having it at my fingertips but avoiding it, I thought I

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would warm up on it and give it a fair shake. What I noticed was that my jaw

wasn’t moving NEARLY as much because I wasn’t overcompensating. As I

worked more with this piece, I noticed I was relaxing as well. My range was

where I was with the other mouthpiece, but my control, endurance and reliability

shot WAY up! As I got into my first month on this mouthpiece, I was able to

extend my range upward. It DID NOT give me what I didn’t already have, but it

did help me recognize and stop the jaw movement from being so severe and it did

make things feel more like home! All of the bad things I had been warned about

with a small rim size were false! I can now say that I was always playing on a

mouthpiece that for me was too large. I like to tell my students that it’s like middle

school kids joining a basketball team with the coach screaming out to all of the

players that they HAVE to wear size 12 shoes to be on HIS team! Kind of an

exaggerated example – but what’s the difference – other than the brass player

won’t break a leg!

Keith Playing a “Double C”

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“I have found it advisable not to give too much heed to what people say when I am trying

to accomplish something of consequence. Invariably they proclaim it can't be done.”

Calvin Coolidge

Excessive mouthpiece pressure damages lip tissue and adds to the strain!

This is universally the most common problem that brass players revert to. It’s

painful and it only adds to the problems listed above. The best way to curb this is

to practice using very little arm pressure (pulling the horn toward your face) and

more lip pressure toward the mouthpiece. After all, you can’t smash your lips into

the mouthpiece, but you can smash your mouthpiece in to your lips! HA! This is a

habit that is typically started early in our development as players because we learn

that going from middle G to Middle C is much easier by pulling the horn in to our

faces. In fact, here is a direct quote from the Arban’s book (page 37) that talks

about slurring and legato playing – “The main purpose of exercises 1 through 15 of this section is to teach slurring. In order to achieve this properly, swell the lower note slightly and at the moment it reaches its dynamic peak slur it up to the higher note by slight pressure of the mouthpiece on the lips”. Now, enter notes above the

staff in to the scene and we’re talking about extreme pressure to try and achieve

notes. No mouthpiece change in the world ever corrected this for me! What did

help was being mindful of what I was doing to achieve these notes. Our minds are

THE single most powerful things in our lives. We have the power to create and the

power to destroy. Both start with a thought. Whether your habit of excessive

mouthpiece pressure happened because you were left to your own devices to

achieve high notes, or because you created a psychological barrier that sends panic

down your spine and causes you to hold on for dear life when playing upper

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register notes – this habit MUST be addressed. Excessive mouthpiece pressure

against your lips makes your aperture inconsistent and forever changing because as

you add more pressure, you’re causing more swelling.

Do this simple test – have someone else hold your horn for you – try to walk up to

your instrument and play a tuning note (middle C for trumpeters / middle Bb for

low brass). If you cannot ascend beyond this note without the desire to grab the

instrument or lean in to the mouthpiece – or your ascension is extremely limited to

just a couple of notes above… you’ve discovered your limitations.

Sonically, high notes are closer together than are low notes – BUT, they are played

very similarly to low notes. Try jamming the horn in to your face while playing an

extremely LOW note! It just DOES NOT work! Same for the highs. I try to push

the horn away with my lips. We tend to think the opposite because we start getting

nerved up for high register notes. Below are examples of exercises from Arban’s –

Arban’s Slurring Studies (Page 42)

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While doing these exercises can help to create flexibility if done properly they can

also cause more damage because they can increase the use of arm pressure and

cause more psychological insecurities. One aspect of playing that has seemed to

help me is to roll my bottom lip out – like a pout. Sounds strange and feels even

worse at first. But once I got used to this I was able to control my range and my

flexibility. I don’t really practice these types of exercises anymore as I find them

unnecessary. I started rolling my bottom lip out to help offset or counter my bad

habit of pressure. Now that I’ve got a more secure feel for playing these notes by

using air speed and support muscles around my mouth harmonically I no longer

turn to arm pressure for a secure feeling. But I do continue to roll my lip out.

One of the biggest turn-around moments for me was while working heavily with

the Cat Anderson method. Playing extreme soft long tones… in my overzealous

quest to improve I overdid the routine. But it did show me ultimately that we’re

dealing with the control of extremely small muscle movement. Imagine closing

your lips around a straw. These muscles that create this are the ones that as brass

players we are training. Once I achieved control of these muscles, the above

exercises became easy.

“Don’t be afraid if things seem difficult in the beginning. That’s only the initial impression.

The important thing is not to retreat; you have to master yourself.”

Olga Korbut

Gymnast: Four time Olympic Gold Medalist

Start practicing the things that scare you!

Many people don’t realize that we are a learning being from the time we’re born to

the time of our death. We either learn good habits or we learn destructive habits.

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Practicing in the same manner that has proven to be a destructive form either

because of a lack of result or a result of pain and frustration will only further

engrain the negative patterns and thus be harder to correct.

Usually it is the daunting thought of something that we “can’t” do as a whole that

prevents us from taking the steps to move forward and start to chip away at the

unknown.

Most young musicians don’t practice the things they can’t do or can’t do well

because no one likes to sound bad. Whether alone in a room away from everyone

or right in front of others makes no difference because it’s easier to slip back to the

things we already know without growing from practicing the things we don’t

know. If you listen to a pro, they have sat and played things that were extremely

difficult for them until they became easier. Once they felt comfortable with a task,

they most likely moved on and added other difficult tasks. This is one of the

hardest things to bring oneself to do because our minds are set up naturally to

protect you from harm. Failure hurts – so your mind will convince you to not do

something you might fail at. So, we have to retrain our minds that it’s not failure,

its learning… reprogramming if you will. This takes us to a HUGE issue that was

my primary stumbling block for years! SELF CONFIDENCE! Without it, we

tend to seek other people’s approval of us, our playing, our appearance, etc. The

lack of self confidence can raise ones defenses and cause us to quickly point out

other people’s faults, weaknesses or shortcomings. Once I learned this valuable

lesson and worked HARD on my self esteem and confidence, I was able to stop

worrying about other people, their opinion and how it affected me.

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Maynard told me on several occasions that to him, his trumpet was a toy. It was his

favorite toy to play with his whole life! So when he picked it up to play it, it wasn’t

this horrendous task that was taking time away from him, but rather an activity that

helped him define who he was because he loved doing it. I don’t think Maynard

was EVER concerned about what other people thought about his playing – he played

because he absolutely loved it and wanted to share it with his audience! This is the

EXACT approach that takes a student to the stars and beyond!

In many ways, musicians have to endure a lot of variables in order to reach a

professional level. One is obviously practice. If you’re not committed to

practicing to improve, then you’re not committed to playing. One of the most

common questions I get from students and parents alike is “how much should I

practice.” I hate putting a time stamp on it – so I usually tell them 10 minutes 3

times per day… in high school, 1 hour per day in 10 minute sessions. Most

people’s attention spans don’t last more than 10 minutes in a room alone with a

music stand, metronome, music and a horn! You have to be REALLY into what

you are doing for your attention span to maintain. Another one of my grand

mistakes due to misinformation when I was a kid! I had a minute minder timer

that was set for 20 minutes… that was my length of time to practice… so, I

practiced what I knew… hey – I was practicing… but not improving! Had I not

had time on my mind and been less concerned about what my peers thought about

me I would have made massive leaps of improvement. When I first started, I

wasn’t worried about “who was better” at all. I just knew that I liked to play. So I

mimicked what I heard until I could do it. As I got up into higher grades, the

competition mentality kicked in so I would practice only my school music – not

exercises that would improve everything. Like reading, time, finger control,

relaxed and unstrained embouchure, etc.

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The biggest thing that I try to relay to my young students is that when they practice

it’s about them – not about the band director, not about their peers, not about their

parents, and not about a grade. It’s about a commitment to a craft that is not

impossible but does require devotion. So the next time you are feeling hopeless as

a player, ask yourself this – “How would I eat an elephant?” Answer – One bite at

a time!

“When you develop yourself to the point where your belief in yourself is so strong that you

know you can accomplish anything you put your mind to, your future will be unlimited!”

Brian Tracy: Pre-eminent sales and entrepreneurship expert

Most brass players are on the wrong mouthpiece! (Continued)

This is not a universal answer by any stretch and tends to be a very sensitive / tense

subject! DISCLAIMER – AGAIN, This is only my personal experience,

results may vary from player to player! I have been exactly like most all players

– looking for the right mouthpiece and the right horn to let me achieve what I

wanted out of my playing. I have played everything from the equivalent to a 1 ½

C, 3C, 5C, and 7C. From Warburton, Monette, Marcinkiewicz, Curry, Bach,

Schilke, Purviance, etc. nothing seemed to ever “give” me exceptional range. As

for horns, I tried, Yamaha, Bach, Benge, Martin Committee, Wild Things, etc.

What I learned was that NO mouthpiece OR horn gave me range, control, or

consistency! What the mouthpiece did was make things much easier or harder to

reach what I already had. What the horn gave me was the tone that I was after – to

a degree. For years, I was on what I personally believe to be a mouthpiece that

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was too large rim-wise. I had multiple warnings that small cup mouthpieces would

kill my range, damage my sound, weaken my muscles, etc. The list of warnings

was immense… so I avoided them. Until one day I was fed up with great range for

as little as 10 minutes and up to an hour! I started looking at Maynard in his youth.

What was he playing – Cat Anderson’s mouthpiece, Wayne Bergeron, etc. These

guys were all on small diameter cups. But, they also play the same style of music

that I do! The right tool for the job! I switched to a 10 ½ C equivalent… what it

DID give me was greater endurance. What it did NOT give me was better range. I

learned that it would not fix the problems listed above, just make my job of playing

what I already had easier and for longer periods of time if I did it correctly! Since

my switch to the smaller diameter cup I have gone back and tested the larger

mouthpieces… consistently I got worn down much quicker than what I do with my

current mouthpiece. I am seeing this as well with my baritone and trombone

students as well. It is believed that a good beginner mouthpiece for low brass is a

Bach 6 ½ AL. When I have them try a 15C, in most cases the sound improves,

range consistency improves and control becomes more of a joy and less of a

struggle. Remember the whole basketball coach / shoe size thing? I have known

players that can absolutely scream on a 1C trumpet mouthpiece… but I’m not one

of them. If you are struggling with endurance and are on a routine daily practice

regiment and not skipping days, it may be worth your while to look at a smaller

rim. A few things to make a note of and keep in mind about smaller rim

mouthpieces is that they CANNOT be played the same way you would play a 5C /

6 ½ AL or larger rim. With the smaller rim, it will automatically bring your lips

closer together causing an extreme stuffy feeling if you are a player that tends to

play with an open aperture and closed teeth. This will take an adjustment period

and require patience. But remember, the core cause of sound is vibration of lip

tissue by air being pushed into the instrument at various speeds. The stuffy feeling

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usually is caused by pinching and bunching of the lips as well as closed or clinched

teeth. Work to gain efficiency! This will be the sole savior for endurance issues –

not the endless amounts of weight-lifting brass players try to do with their lips.

“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be

ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.”

Abraham Maslow

Maynard preached air!

Every clinic I was a part of, every question I ever asked and everything I’ve ever

read about Maynard’s take on playing involved air velocity! And he was exactly

right. Thinking back to the days of playing and struggling with fatigue, most of

my issues came from not taking in a deep enough breath and relying more on my

facial muscles vs. my abdominal muscles. By the close of my first tour in May of

2004, Maynard had given me a copy of “The Science of Breath.” It dealt a lot with

how most Western people don’t breathe properly.

Maynard Ferguson (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006)

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I can systematically think back to when I was first introduced to high range in my

youth and see the extreme mistakes I was making that would set up a struggle that

lasted far too long and helped stunt my growth not only as a trumpet player but as a

musician. I stopped practicing the fundamentals because I became obsessed with

the excitement of the upper register. Hoping that the next “new” mouthpiece or

horn would solve my problems I would only become more frustrated. I now

understand that a balance with equipment IS important, but it is the player that

actually causes the notes to occur. Controlling the facial muscles and not allowing

them to close down in an over-response type fashion, pushing FASTER air through

the notes and relaxing psychologically was what truly answered all of my prayers!

It took years for me to break bad habits that I had no idea that I had to begin with

and relax enough while playing. Perhaps it was old age setting in that allowed me

to relax more during a performance or the sheer number of times I had played in

front of large and small crowds, but I find that I no longer get frazzled from

performance anxiety.

Maynard made a career out of playing, inspiring, teaching and amazing us! I was

blessed to be on his band and I miss him dearly. I look back at his video from the

1970’s clinic where he talks about air speed and relates it to a weight lifter (he was

using a boxer analogy when I toured with him), and I understand EXACTLY what

he was saying. He no longer concerned himself with his lips – he understood that

they were important, but they were not the key… fast air and a full body breath IS!

Maynard gave me great insight while I toured with him. Maynard was THE most

amazing man I have personally ever met and he continues to astound and inspire

me today!

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“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t

have in life, you’ll never have enough!”

Oprah Winfrey

Television Host, Actress & Producer

Ever done pitch bending?

One of the better exercises I’ve been using is pitch bending. Here’s how I

approach it so that I can practice several things at once. I’ve learned that playing

higher notes (even notes in the staff) tends to cause us to pinch our embouchures

closed vs. using our airstream. This causes tuning issues, tonal issues, and

projection issues. As stated earlier in this book, it is a harmonious relationship

between our lips and our air that produces sounds. So, I push my tuning slide in

completely – upon doing so I grab my tuner and start on either a 1st space F or 2nd

line G… pulling the pitch down until I have it locked in tune. How do I pull the

pitch down? By relaxing my lips INTO the mouthpiece and allowing them to

lighten up on the tension used to normally achieve the note. I DO NOT blow less

air. This defeats the purpose as reducing air can also affect pitch to a degree.

Once I’ve played the note in tune, I’ll continue to pull the pitch as flat as I can go

without falling down on to the next partial below by actually increasing the amount

of air I am pushing slightly (in the case of a G, dropping to low C / Concert F

dropping to a low Bb). The lower notes are relatively easy to start with and give

you a sense of accomplishment, helping drive your desire for control. The only

caveat I’ve found to this is that I started to tend to play a tad flat… I was able to fix

this by holding the pitch “in tune” for long periods of time and by reversing my

method by pulling my slide out in an extreme manner and trying to bend up.

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Upon initially attempting this, I found that the G on top of the staff (concert F for

low brass) was at least 20 cents sharp. It wasn’t until I had practiced this bending

technique for several weeks that I could finally control my upper notes. As I

improved on notes that I specifically targeted, I would move upward and work on

notes a third, fourth or a fifth higher. Moving upward helped me relax on the

lower pitches automatically.

This exercise has helped my ability to play upper register notes more closely in

tune, play with a more relaxed sound in ALL registers and make that nasty little

habit of pinching diminish.

“Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think!”

Benjamin Disraeli

1804-1881, British Statesman & Prime Minister

Developing a “clean” pure tone takes focus!

Whether you are a trumpet player, trombone player or Tuba player your tone

depends and is heavily affected by the harmony you create between your lips and

your air stream. A common misunderstanding that young brass players have is that

the more they blow air and create a blasting sound, the louder sound will be heard

everywhere. Think about sound as a beam. Take a flashlight that has a beam

focus feature (camping flashlight). When you narrow the beam of light, it travels

in a straight line much further than when you open the beam and allow it to spread

out. The beam spreads to the sides but loses focus and fizzles out distance-wise.

Our brass sound is much the same! Ever gotten a strange “double-buzz” sound?

This is usually caused by too much tension in our lips from remaining stiff or tense

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for too long – similar to gripping something extremely tight for long periods of

time. Just like your hands, too much tension in your lips causes that stiffness to

remain for long periods of time, causing a “double-buzz” and reducing flexibility,

and endurance.

The following pictures will show the difference between a focused aperture,

pinched and loose (unfocussed).

Focused lips - Pinched lips - Loose / unfocused lips –

Notice that the focused aperture has an exposed bottom lip. I am almost pulling

my chin down to avoid my bottom lip being tucked under my top lip. I tried that at

one time via suggestions from some “experts” which caused more grief than ever!

The loose unfocussed picture is typically what I see from beginners and extreme

over-thinkers. This will cause a massive drop in control and pitch center that is IF

you get any real notes at all.

I have been asked on many occasions if I practice lip buzzing. My answer is, yes,

but not really. I don’t do it in replacement of my normal practice routine nor do I

do it in addition to either. I think it’s important to develop the ability to be able to

get a good sound lip buzzing, but only to achieve a focused aperture. When you

lip buzz vs. play with a mouthpiece, the resistance changes dramatically because of

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the back pressure the mouthpiece creates. Having young students lip buzz is a

great practice because they have to focus the air stream properly or they will end

up with either a fart sound or a raspberry noise. I demonstrate lip buzzing more

than actually practice these days. Although, if my lips are not fully warmed up yet

and I know I’m not going to have a lot of time coming in to a gig, I will lip buzz to

help start the blood flow in my lips.

Keep in mind – for every player in the world, there are equally as many different

techniques for warming up, muscle development, etc. and probably thousands of

thoughts on mouthpieces and horns. What you must always remember is that we

all produce sound the same way! Lips and air! Focusing your aperture and fine

tuning the muscles that create a small (un-pinched) hole will only benefit you!

“You can conquer almost any fear if you will make up your mind to do so. For remember,

fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind.”

Dale Carnegie

1885 – 1955, Speaker and Author

Maintaining endurance when gigs are low and/or band class is not practicing!

When we hit those all too common lulls in our performance / rehearsals, it’s

important to maintain your skills and strength so that when things pick up you

don’t overly fatigue your chops through the external demands.

What I’ve learned to do over the years to maintain strength from down times (like

summer and holidays) is to treat practicing like a gym session. The way you get

stronger / bigger in a gym routine is to work the muscles and then allow that

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muscle group to rest. Because playing uses the same muscles, I vary my practice

routine with several different exercises. Believe it or not, it does NOT involve

high notes for the most part. What it does involve is keeping the mouthpiece on

my face for extended periods of time. I utilize etude books such as Arbans, St.

Jacombe, Brandt, etc. I also turn to improvisation recordings and books such as

the Jamey Aebersold series. When I start to feel my muscles slightly ache or tingle

(as some have described the feeling as), I push a bit more and then rest. My resting

sessions can be for 15 minutes or for several hours. But my goal is to push my

muscles and then rest them! You’ll notice (at least I do) that within days, you’ll be

slightly improving your endurance. You’re also practicing things that sometimes

gets overlooked!

"Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight of your goal.

Prepare yourself in every way you can by increasing your knowledge and adding to your

experience, so that you can make the most of opportunity when it occurs."

Mario Andretti

Auto Racer

Come-back players and the reasons they quit the first time!

I am, for, all intents and purposes, a “come-back” player. As I stated earlier in this

book, I was at my wits end when I quit playing. I was tired of having unsupportive

family members telling me that this was a dangerous path financially, teachers

telling me I wasn’t talented enough, and peers poking fun of things that they knew

frustrated me to no end! I inevitably proved the “none believers” right by first

believing them myself instead of trudging through and ignoring other opinions.

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Most people fail because of fear and a lack of inner belief. All too often we count

on others opinions’ of us (cool, nerdy, etc.) to define what we do and how we

respond to situations. T. Harv Eker says in his book, Secrets of the Millionaire

Mind, that he’d rather be corny and really rich than really cool and broke!

Most “come-back” players are those that once played (high school, college, etc.)

and quit for one reason or another. If they quit because it really wasn’t their

“thing” and it was more of a social activity – that’s one thing. But if one or more

of the following reasons ring true with you, consider the option of playing again…

it’s only too late when you die!

1) I didn’t want to starve as a musician and decided to have a “real” career.

2) I really never was that good and didn’t have what it takes.

3) I didn’t feel like I could keep up and my teachers weren’t supportive.

4) My family always warned me about a musician’s life (drugs, broke, etc).

5) I felt like a slave to my horn.

There are thousands of reasons that a person “gives up” or quits… usually it stems

from within… a lack of believing in themselves and in their abilities. Maynard said

one thing several times in several different clinics and interviews that has stuck

foremost in my mind. “Growing up, my favorite toy was my trumpet.” Maynard

himself believed that it was a great passion for the instrument that got him to his

playing goals because he loved to play. It is now my belief and my mantra that

constant consistent practice is what helps a person achieve any desire or goal more-

over than “natural ability.” We are all pretty much born with a natural ability to

learn. What I believe now is that we gravitate toward things that interest us.

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If you are reading this and still have that innate desire to start playing again after

months, years or decades, my advice is – DO IT! Start with getting your sound

and tone quality back. Then move toward technique and build from there. But

ALWAYS set good habits and practice only for as long as your attention is focused

on your task! Lastly – ENJOY it! Make it your toy!

“The most significant difference between mediocrity and greatness is devotion!”

Keith Fiala

Trumpet Player / Teacher

Warm up/Gig preparation!

For years I was inconsistent and abusive in my approach to warming up for gigs.

Usually trying to accomplish something in 10 minutes or less, I was rushing to the

finish line before I even ran the race. When I started touring with Maynard, I was

on this very same path… but as I spent more time around Maynard, Carl Fischer,

Patrick Hession, and others, I started noticing how they warmed up and were able

to achieve consistent results. Once I put it in to play (no pun intended) I noticed a

significant change in my playing consistency as well.

• I am primarily addressing this for the benefit of the younger brass

players*

If I am not feeling beaten up from the day / night before, my approach to a warm

up is as follows…

Around seven hours before the gig (this is not exact or deliberate, but merely an

example) I pull the horn out and play primarily low chromatic exercises (Clarke).

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Doing this from anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes… nothing more. I also do not

do anything strenuous or taxing at this point as this will only cause tension. About

two hours later and closer to the time of the gig, I will start to warm up a little bit

more aggressively and extend up to my known full range… not trying to “see what

the highest note I can hit is,” but rather trying to make every note feel even and

consistent. Usually at the gig venue about 20 minutes before downbeat, I will

again play a bit more – looking for even consistency in the feel of my range.

If I am recovering from previous gigs, I will do the same exercise, but emphasize

more of the softening exercises. What we’re usually left with are stiff swollen lips,

so I try to do things that will promote them to return back to a normal feel.

Maynard would spend up to three hours before the gig, buzzing, playing small little

bits and resting a lot. This would go on right up until the show where he would

come out of the side / back stage area and go right into performance mode.

What I also learned was that on those especially brutal “days after” I put some

warm sea salt water in a bowl and soak my lips… then putting ice on them, and

interchanging the two to promote healing, etc. Works great for cuts too!!!! This

advice came from Eric Miyashiro from Maynard… which Eric was kind enough to

share with me as well! Thank you Eric!

Addressing the myths!

It stands to reason that the longer you play a brass instrument, the more you’ll hear

about problems, pitfalls, breaking points, and horror stories. I hope to address at

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least a few that seemed the most disturbing to me with common sense and dispel

the myths.

Gaining / losing weight will make you lose your chops.

This one I’ve heard since I was in High School (23 years ago). It most recently

popped up on a website forum as a question. If a person loses too much weight

fast, it will cause other physiological problems or could indicate other health

related problems. When I am feeling less than great (allergies, cold, flu, etc) it

affects my playing. This IS a physically demanding instrument category! All

brass instruments require air power!

Playing can cause brain aneurisms and kill you!

Okay – I have to admit… I was worried about this one myself. I HAVE passed out

from closing down my aperture too much and pushing air. But – I didn’t die. I’m

not saying it’s not possible, but it would be an EXTREME case to cause this severe

result. At the very least, more reason to learn to play properly!

A smaller mouthpiece is a cheater!

I think every band director I spoke to when I was a kid told me this. You have a

“jazz” mouthpiece for jazz band and a classical mouthpiece for regular band.

There are MANY components to a mouthpieces design these days that actually get

addressed. A smaller diameter rim is NOT a cheater mouthpiece. A shallower cup

will give you a brighter sound. But a different tool for a different job is not a bad

thing – as long as these tools remain consistent and comfortable. Do NOT look for

the mouthpiece to solve range issues. If your “jazz sound” is brighter than what

you’d like, look to a deeper cup of the same rim size. By consulting a

39


knowledgeable mouthpiece professional like the ones at GR, you can avoid a lot of

expense and a mass amount of confusion.

You can’t play high on a big mouthpiece!

This one is just as bad as the previous one. As I had stated previously,

mouthpieces are like shoes. If a large mouthpiece naturally feels like a fit and

doesn’t cause you pain, etc. then you’re on the right one. I’ve seen (and heard)

guys on 1C mouthpieces scream and keep up with guys on the 10’s… mouthpieces

really are a personalized issue and need to be addressed with intelligent thought. I

switched because I was consistently fatiguing quicker than what I wanted / needed.

So I switched down to a smaller size. For me, it was the correct move.

Maynard had various surgical procedures to do what he did!

I went to the forum for more ideas on myths and was amazed how many were

about Maynard and his abilities. Surgery done to his teeth to have them filed

down, a plate surgically implanted into his top lip so he could use extreme

pressure. He ruined several horns from playing the way he did, etc. The list was

long. The biggest thing to remember about Maynard was his love of playing from

childhood to his death. There were no surgeries, no stunt horns, no implants and

no gimmicks! Maynard was a truly passionate musician that developed his

abilities beyond the wildest dreams of brass players!

You HAVE to have talent to be great!

Okay – this one strikes a personal chord with me primarily because this was used

on me as well. When I was young and enjoying playing, I was “talented”… when

I matured into a teenager and became distracted, I didn’t have the “talent” to take

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me the distance. As with ANYTHING involving skill, there are people who are

naturally drawn to certain things. Tiger Woods to golf - Michael Jordan to

basketball - Maynard to trumpet. What each example had was a supportive parent

or role model and had fun doing what they did. Anything that we do with focus

and determination we can achieve. Please don’t fall in to this trap! If playing is

what you TRULY enjoy, then with focus, belief in yourself and consistent effort

you can achieve anything!

Here’s the bottom line – I spent 30+ years with the incorrect information, wrong

equipment, the wrong approach to picking equipment and endless exercises

promising that if I did them I would improve, with little / no success because I

would always do them with the same bad habits that had been setup and created

months – even years beforehand.

What no one explained to me was that most of my battle was psychological vs.

physical… I had to confront fears that had built up from years of panic and

perceived failures, relax mentally and analyze in a very simple form what was

preventing a note from truly forming.

Being the right player and taking a simplistic yet intelligent approach to practicing

will save vast amounts of wasted time and energy! Time and energy that I can

never replace, but rather learn from, teach others with and move forward faster

from here on. I changed my mouthpiece to a smaller size against ALL of the

“advice” I was being given. For me, it has been the correct answer. Again, it DID

NOT give me something that I didn’t already have as I had hoped for so many

years before. But it did make playing much more comfortable – allowing a small

41


triumph in the endurance department and a catalyst to allow me to keep growing

my range.

I am now a full octave and a half above where I was before (triple C on a good

day) and am moving forward with my other problem areas with greater confidence

in myself because I finally killed the beast that kept me from my dream! “You”

are the exact reason you have or haven’t achieved your goals and dreams. Once

this thought is understood and accepted, you can address it and move forward.

Maynard Ferguson & Keith Fiala (May 2004) On Tour

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Fiala Trumpet Exercise #1

The first thing you’ll notice is that these are octave slides. When I first started

these types of intervals, I would throw all common sense to the wind and do what

ever it took to achieve the “top” note. Be sure to hold the top note for at least 4

counts! As you improve, push the top note from soft to loud and back again to

gain more control!

There are 3 major things you need to be aware of when attempting these exercises

for the first few times.

1) DO NOT clinch your teeth or allow your lower jaw to move upward as you

ascend!

2) DO NOT pinch your lips closed as you ascend upward. If you keep your

lips more relaxed and closer together initially you won’t have to pinch them

closed as you ascend.

3) Focus on a relaxed breath in and not holding your breath before playing.

Get in the habit of taking in air into your lower abdomen and stop filling

once your feel your chest inflate (just before you get the urge to lift your

shoulders). Use your air speed through a small aperture to ascend – not a

small aperture that’s pinched to do the work for you with no air support.

Make breathing / playing one smooth motion. Avoid Breathing / holding /

playing!

If you follow these simple but extremely important tips, you’ll find success in time.

How much time? That depends on you and how willing you are to let go of prior

habits that are preventing you from getting to the next level.

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Remember – move slowly… hold the bottom note out to prepare for the upper note

mentally… maintaining a relaxed approach. NOTICE THE DYNAMICS! You

should work to achieve the upper register notes in a mezzo-piano manner as to

avoid pinching, clinching and over blowing.

Make 3 attempts ONLY! As you ascend higher, don’t make the end of the

exercise your main goal. Each practice session, make your main goal the EASE of

performance. Remember that if you are in a comfortable environment struggling,

your performance will only be further hindered by the stress of having an

audience! The more relaxed you can perform this exercise, the more reliable your

performance will become!

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Fiala Exercise #2 (Anna’s Theme)

This is a melodic exercise that will keep the horn to your face and start testing your

ability to think musically while being conscious of your muscles, endurance, range

and flexibility at the same time.

Play this as musically as possible! Taking the same approach as you did from the

previous exercise and be aware of jaw movement, lip placement in relation to one

another and proper breathing to maintain a full open tone in all ranges, volumes

and movement of the lines.

Enjoy this – or Uncle Guido will find you!

Sincerely,

Keith Fiala

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