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Today as we continue our tour the subject of accuracy we have two unrelated topics, air (the use of) and also alternate fingerings (pro and con).
The use of air as it relates to accuracy
For me, the proper use of air has a lot to do with starting notes accurately — that single motion that is the breath/set/play motion. It all happens in time (and at one time), with a consistent feel.
There is a general concept that is going to come up in multiple articles in this series, the concept of the timing of everything. Focusing now on the air part of the equation, if your air lags slightly behind your tonguing or your embouchure set, you will have accuracy issues. Closely related, you can’t bottle up air as part of that motion and expect to play as accurately either.
If you have an issue with this, it can be hard to recognize in yourself, as it all seems normal to you. It is just how you normally play! But there is an issue to address, and this is why you need clear feedback from a teacher.
For some players, I know that there is an underlying, deeper topic related to mental centering of which breathing is a central activity. This one is harder to explain, but there are some concepts in yoga that may relate. Suffice to say that the breath and a consistency of breathing can draw you mentally into playing the note.
In short though, there is a consistent way of doing things that gives you the horn player more confidence when it is going right. The use of air is part of that, and it can contribute to improved accuracy.
Alternate fingerings help accuracy
Conventional wisdom is that alternate fingerings may help your accuracy. And they certainly can, at least in part because your thumb is your least facile digit – staying on the Bb horn can give not only better response but a better fingering pattern. But also —
Alternate fingerings hurt accuracy
What? A plain fact is our sense of pitch is tied up with fingerings. As an example, let’s say that you have to play a D on the fourth line. Even just reading these words, mentally you probably put down the fingering (and certainly you have a mental T12 fingered by now), and with this further suggestion you can sense the tension of the lips and the sound of the pitch. There is a whole package of feelings that are tied up with that note, enhanced by the mind-boggling number of repetitions of that note over a lifetime.
When you use different fingerings than normal it impacts the feel (“taste”) of the note and your sense of pitch. As a result, you may find yourself to be less accurate until the pattern is worked out fully. This is also one of the challenges of stopped horn, the fingerings are “wrong” and it impacts how you feel the note.
Continue in Accuracy Encyclopedia
This is an installment of a series on accuracy, drawn from notes developed for a book on the same topic. The series begins here.
