[Dixielandjazz] Lots of Flats or Sharps

[mcclernan1 at comcast.net]

One last thought I forgot to say, in my teaching experience and for me personally, those students who first learned piano before a brass instrument, generally have less difficulty with sharp keys; probably a reading advantage. The mental picture of a keyboard has been recognized as an advantage for a long time. Also, most piano teachers balance the flat-key lessons and sharp-key lessons. 
My $.02 
Cheers, 
John 




----- Original Message ----- 
From: mcclernan1 at comcast.net 
To: "John McClernan" <mcclernan1 at comcast.net> 
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com> 
Sent: Sunday, December 6, 2009 2:36:36 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern 
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Lots of Flats or Sharps 

I agree with Dave. As a brass player and teacher of brass for 25 years to students ages 9-17, I have studied the problem. 


Besides the obvious difficulty in remembering a multiple sharp key signature as you play, or reading them as accidentals, the more fingerings that involve the weakest finger on the hand, the ring finger (not the pinky), the more difficult the fingering pattern. 


Try this, even without a valve instrument in your hand: place your right hand fingers near the edge of a table in a curved position (as if you are holding a ball in your palm), with only the tips touching the table; don't let your palm rest on the table. It's okay to hook your thumb under the edge of the table. This is the natural position for the right hand when playing trumpet, other brass, except French horn are similar. 


Pretend that you are pressing firmly on valves 1 and 3, so the middle finger is raised. Now, raise the 1st and 3rd and "depress" the 2nd valve at the same time, synchronization is key. Rapidly change from one fingering to the other: 1-3 / 2 / 1-3 / 2 / 1-3 / 2 etc. Unless you have been a brass player for quite some time, it will be difficult to do it very fast. We have trained our ring fingers to be stronger and more agile, but they will always remain weaker than the others. I have been told that the reason is the ring finger and the pinky are controlled by the same tendon in the arm, whereas, the other fingers each have an independent tendon controlling them. Not being a person of science or medicine, I cannot verify that. The second hardest fingering change for the students, which comes into play more often in sharp keys, is 1st & 2nd to 1st & 3rd. 


When a young student immobilizes the pinky by using it to grab the pinky hook on the trumpet, I think he is hampering the movement of the ring finger. Therefore, I teach my students that it is a "pinky rest" and to place the pinky on top of the hook. 


Well, I guess non-brass players eyes have glazed over by now, so I'll end this. Thanks for reading. 
Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate it and joyous Hanukkah to those who celebrate that holiday. 
Peace & good will to all. 
John 
(NJ tuba/bass) 





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Stoddard" <dhs2 at peoplepc.com> 
To: "John McClernan" <mcclernan1 at comcast.net> 
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com> 
Sent: Sunday, December 6, 2009 12:23:36 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern 
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Lots of Flats or Sharps 

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As a lifetime brass valve player (cornet/trumpet.flugelhorn, tuba, euphonium, valve trombone), I can state that valved brass instruments are harder to play in sharp keys than they are in flat keys. When you only have three or four valves to press down, no individual note is harder to play than any other. The problem lies in the combinations of valve fingerings to play a phrase. They are more difficult in the sharp keys. It's strictly in the fingerings, not in the embouchure changes. 

As Charlie Hull observes, practice can help overcome this. However, anything sharper than G is going to be a challenge for all but the best players. It's easier to play the flat keys because the combinations are easier. For a Bb instrument, the easiest keys of Bb, F and Eb often involve pushing down one valve at a time. 

I play tuba in a symphony orchestra, and have become better at playing sharp keys because much string music is pitched in sharp keys. I can play reasonably well in D, but hope that anything sharper than that has a relatively simple bass part. 

Regards, 
Dave Stoddard 
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