[Trombone-l] Alto 'bone

[Chris Tune]

I listened to your band and enjoy it immensely.  I notice one contributor to 
forum messages compares the sound to Toto with Philip Bailey singing.  I can 
see (hear) why it was said.  Your keyboard playing (or sequences) are 
sometimes the arpeggiated style that you hear in Toto stuff. . .plus the 
guitar approach is similar to Lukather.  I consider that a very big 
complement to a guitarist.  I'm happy to say I knew Steve Lukather back in 
the day (in high school) and he's really a very well researched guy . . .he 
knows all the different styles and has landed upon the one for rock that he 
used in Toto (with the emphasis upon sailing lines and vibrato. . .very 
crunched sound) with a mind toward making it modern but accesible.

As far as the range thing is concerned, I continue to be amazed at what kind 
of range some folk have (Dave Wells, here in L.A. is one that comes to 
mind). Dave says that it comes down to "hearing" the note properly in 
advance of playing.  I'd add that you have to establish exactly which 
position you are going to use for just about everything North of C an octave 
above middle C.  I mention this because my experience has been that the best 
sounding and attacking version of each of these upper notes varies from 
their mates an octave lower on many horns.  On some of my horns the D is 
better in third, and its better in first on others.

I think the key is to be very strong chopped, but hearing the notes exactly 
before going for them, and also not involving any obrstructive extra muscle 
effort (nothing in the throat should be tightened, even though you may have 
to arch your tongue up) that gets in the way.  So you have a focus upon 
embouchure strength with technically very proper sound production for the 
tone (i.e. only using the lung and diaphragm to produce air pressure, and 
the lips and the embouchure muscles to make the buzz. . .with possible 
adjustments to the mouth cavity with the tongue).

Remember it is OK to shift to a different kind of angle of attack for the 
stratosphiere notes (similar to a different shift that may occur in Pedal 
regions).

It doesn't seem odd to me that the Alto won't get you automatically an 
increase in range.  The thing is to get the embouchure to actually produce 
such high pitched buzzes.  The horn is the resonator.  The lips are the 
sound source.  Dick Nash says he was kinda "set up" to have excellent high 
register ability because he got pretty good as a trumpeter before switching 
to trombone.  Wells says he also think Nash has an appropriate embouchure 
setup.  Dave feels that people note that Nash plays with the horn straight 
out as opposed to down, but Wells thinks that's just somone doing it a very 
technically correct way.   I dunno about this stuff about the holding the 
horn one way or another, but I do believe these guys have thought through a 
lot of the same things we have all thought through.  They have worked and 
worked very hard on getting this stuff right.  I try to listen to them and 
then try to apply with a mind to the fact that it is ME, with my particular 
background approaching this thing.

What are the notes you are going for?  I think a tenor player who is going 
to sit lead should have the F an octave and a fourth above Middle C 
available.  The solo in the Artie Shaw Stardust (bone. . not clarinet!) is a 
good little test to see can you jump the octave up to the F.

When everything is coming up roses, I can get good sound up to the Bb above 
that.  But I'm not always in that kind of condition.  It seems to be usually 
after extensive playing or touring, or whatever.  The strength seems to make 
the difference.

Chris



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kenny Carter" <kenny at leaksville.com>
To: <trombone-l at server5.samford.edu>
Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 1:59 PM
Subject: [Trombone-l] Alto 'bone


>I bought one of the infamous Selman alto trombones this week (not to be
> confused with one of the cheap Selman imitations LOL...I always have to
> laugh when I see that in print), and it isn't a bad horn, especially for
> $189...
>
> To my dismay, however, I've found that my range on the alto isn't any 
> higher
> than it is on tenor, in spite of the huge difference in horn size  ( go to
> http://www.pbase.com/image/57775974 to see photo).
> Can anyone suggest exercises for increasing the alto range, or perhaps a
> good alto mouthpiece?
>
> Thanks,
> Kenny Carter
>
>
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