Easing Back Into It

This week I have been getting back into regular practice. Due to tendonitis, the last few weeks have been quite sporadic. Trying to keep everything as loose as possible whilst playing - awareness. Following each session I have been massaging my hand and forearm. Doctors orders were to keep sessions brief. Have been doing each thing (singing & mouthpiece ex. aside) for about 5 mins each. Anyway here's a run down:

Monday:
Singing: Billie Holiday's "Sun Showers"
30mins playing:
Starting with air letting held note emerge then fading out to air
5ths against drone
playing/singing D major slowly playing bach inv 1 (D)
mouthpiece only - d major

Tuesday:
Singing: "Sun Showers"
Mouthpieces exercises: D Major signing and playing with drone. Stuck at it longer than normal today.
20mins playing:
Playing with done (D): Long Tones (5ths) D major scale 60 met.
Overtones: "letting it fall" (aka descending octaves without octave key)
Bach Invention 1 - slowly with metronome

Wednesday:
Singing: "Sun Showers"
Mouthpiece Exercises: with drone... felt bottom end open up a bit today
15mins playing: (morning)
Overtones: "Letting it Fall"
Scales/long tones: D Major with drone. Held notes
Tone Tracks: tone matching with recording (I'll probably write more on this later)

Planned on doing more in the afternoon but following a mammoth dish washing effort my shoulder advised me otherwise..... Lesson - don't let the dishes build up/practice before dishes!

Thursday:

Singing: "Sun Showers" - I've been focusing on Billie Holiday's vocal today I finished off singing with Lester Youngs solo too.

Mouthpiece exercises: warmed up a couple of reeds while playing D Major Scale and chord

17 mins playing:

Overtones: Letting it Fall - chromatically F thru Bb. Was feeling good so I worked my way up and ended with chromatically C thru Bb. Doesn't take long and is a great starting place.

Scales: D Major with and without drone. Quarter notes at 40 and 60bpm. Also fooled around a bit with playing 4 over 3.
Packed up (and wrote these notes) listening to Doha.

Had a second session in the afternoon

More Mouthpiece Exercises (great warm up)
Breaking in some reeds
Then moved onto working slowly on Bach's Invention #1 for about 15mins

Friday:
Singing: "Sun Showers"
Mouthpiece Exercises: playing against a drone (breaking in a couple of reeds)
15mins playing
Scales: D Major against drone - 60 bpm alternating quarter notes and 4 over 3

Bach Invention #1 - 60 bpm and then finished off with 100bpm drum metronome cd
Packed up listening to "Sun Showers" on loop

More mouthpiece exercises for a warm up.
15mins playing
Overtones: Letting it Fall and Tone Matching
Étude: worked on one of the Lacour Messiaen Etudes  - I had been working through some of these earlier in the year. Was nice to get back into it.

All in all it has been nice getting back in to some regular work on the horn. The plan now is to slowly increase the time each day.

Recent Work: Sound

Here's any entry dated February 14 2013


Sound work of late has included:
- Quiet Long Tones
I have been mixing it up between Free notes of my choosing and scales. Each note is held out for a natural breath. Sometimes I emphasize a particular part of the horn other times various registers are utilized. For the scales its a simple matter of one note per breath covering the entire range of the horn. Lately its been a diminished scale to tie in the Laquor etude I am working on. Keeping notes stable at low dynamics is a great workout. Focus. As quiet as possible. This is something I have worked into my teachings over the years.

- Overtones
Splitting overtones. Playing the fundamental & the 1st overtone at the same time. I find Bb - C# works better than D and above. When it feels good I have also started playing around with the 2nd overtone.. with less success. Early days, but fun stuff.

- Multiphonics
Choosing one or two fingerings from Daniel Kientzy's multiphonics book. Working on those fingerings and then playing around with similar fingerings to see what I can come up with. I seem to remember things better when I 'discover' them for myself. I won't be surprised if the fingerings I discover appear later on in the book. After struggling away with them when you go back to single notes and the sound really seems to open up.