[Trombone-l] Free-buzzing opinions

[Jeff Albert]

So Jacobs said not to free buzz, and Sam and others have championed
freebuzzing, and you  (and me) and others have experienced some benefit from
it.

Unlike arithmetic, embouchure pedagogy does not have only one truth.  It is
possible for seemingly contradictory approaches to both yield success (and
failure).

I think Jacobs was a little bit older school and they weren't fans of the
freebuzz.  I imagine he was originally pretty cutting edge with the whole
cut away rim buzzing idea.  Thought continues to develop.  Even Sam proposes
free buzzing in limited amounts.

I use free buzzing more as an embouchure check up than as an exercise.
That's not that far away from how Jacobs used the rim buzzing.  I don't see
it as an earth shaking contradiction, as much as the gradual progression of
thought on the topic.

Jeff

On 2/7/07, Joshua Hauser <jhauser at tntech.edu> wrote:
>
> I have been doing a lot of free buzzing over the last few months since Sam
> Burtis posted his pictures of the evidence of free buzzing on his
> embouchure
> and have found it to be very useful.  I also have been looking at other
> pictures of trombone players Œin action¹ and have been trying to use those
> as a model for embouchure efficiency.  It took about a month or so before
> I
> began to see any lasting effects, but after doing 5-10 minutes of free
> buzzing per day for several months, I have developed a much more efficient
> embouchure and have found that my breathing is more effective as well.  I
> noticed this in quintet rehearsal a few weeks ago when I realized that I
> was
> making phrases that were several bars longer than I would have been able
> to
> last semester.
>
> That brings me to my question and a topic that I hope you will comment on
> (especially Sam).  While surfing on youtube the other day, I came across
> this video clip of Arnold Jacobs.  Not to dismiss any of his wisdom
> regarding breathing, but this seems to be totally contradictory to my
> recent
> experience both for myself and my students regarding free buzzing vs.
> mouthpiece buzzing.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqTUwX0OVpM
>
> Comments?
>
> Josh
>
>
> ***************************************
> Joshua Hauser, Associate Professor of Trombone
> Box 5045
> Department of Music and Art
> Tennessee Technological University
> Cookeville, TN 38505
> 931/372-6086
> jhauser at tntech.edu
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/jhauser
> http://www.tntech.edu/brass/trombone
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> http://www.tntech.edu/publicaffairs/rel/2006/dec06/music.html
>
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