Diatonics Band 1 (Volume 1) - a new approach to scale practice

Diatonics Band 1 (Volume 1) - a new approach to scale practice Diese Sammlung von Übungen soll Blechbläsern jeder Könnensstufe erlauben, ihre technischen Fertigkeiten kontinuierlich und systematisch zu entwickeln. Vom Anfänger bis zum Profi wird jeder Material finden, das seinen momentanen Fähigkeiten entspricht, und auf diese Weise immer mehr Routine und Sicherheit im Umgang mit den Grundelementen unserer Musik erlangen. Sinn und Zweck des Ganzen: Fast jedes Musikstück basiert auf diatonischen Skalen und deren Akkorden. Auch wenn wir improvisieren, verwenden wir normalerweise diese Tonleitern, die auch als Kirchentonleitern oder Modi bezeichnet werden. Jeder Blechbläser, der sich ernsthaft mit Musik beschäftigt, wird deswegen diese Tonleitern fleißig üben. Dabei treten aber immer wieder dieselben zwei Probleme auf: -Man hat zwar die Tonleitern alle ausreichend geübt, aber dummerweise sind die Töne in dem Musikstück, das wir spielen wollen, ganz anders sortiert. Es gibt Sprünge, Akkordbrechungen, ungewohnte Wendungen. -Als Blechbläser muss man seine Bewegungsabläufe und Fingersätze sehr oft wiederholen, damit das Ganze wirklich ins unbewusste Bewegungsrepertoire einfließt. Leider macht einem dabei die Ermüdung der beteiligten Muskulatur Basic principles This collection of exercises allows brass players of every level to improve their technical skills in a continuous and systematic approach. Beginners and professionals alike will find material that suits their current abilities, and in this way will be able to achieve more routine and certainty in dealing with the basic elements of our music. However, the Diatonic Cosmos is not tailored to solve fundamental brass playing problems, such as poor endurance, insufficient range or unsatisfying tone quality. If you have difficulties with one or more of these issues then let me refer you to Malte Burbas method (Brass Master Class, published by Schott). There you will find strategies with which every brass player can effectively improve his or her playing. You will only be able to truly and fully benefit from the exercises in the 4 volumes of the oft einen Strich durch die Rechnung. Wünschenswert wären also Übungen, die möglichst viele unterschiedliche Intervallfolgen möglichst oft wiederholen, dabei aber sowohl von der Länge, der Tessitur und vom Tonumfang her in einem Bereich bleiben, der häufiges und fehlerfreies Wiederholen problemlos ermöglicht. Ein Trick, um dies zu erreichen, sind sogenannte Permutationen. Dabei wird die Übung bei jedem Durchgang um einen Taktschlag versetzt begonnen und der fehlende Teil hinten wieder angehängt. Außerdem wird jede Skala immer nur abschnittsweise behandelt, also z.B. vom Grundton aufwärts bis zur 5. Stufe, oder abwärts zur 4. Stufe. Diatonic Cosmos when your tone production on the instrument works in a satisfying manner! The purpose of all of this Almost every piece of music is based on diatonic scales and their chords. Even when we improvise, we usually use these scales, also known as church modes, or modes. Every brass player who is serious about music will therefore practice these scales diligently. In doing so, two problems keep coming up: The scales have been practiced well, but unfortunately the notes of the piece we want to play are arranged differently. There are leaps, arpeggios and unfamiliar turns. As brass players, we have to repeat our courses of movement and fingerings very often so that these can become a part of our subconscious repertoire of movements. Unfortunately our involved muscles tire out and become fatigued too quickly! It would therefore be desirable to have exercises that repeat different interval orders as often as possible. At the same time, they should stay in a comfortable range and tessitura without being too long, so that many repetitions are possible flawlessly and effortlessly. One trick to achieve are so-called permutations. Every time you play the exercise, you begin one beat later and then add the missing part of the exercise at the end. In addition, each scale is only played partially, for example from the tonic up to the 5th degree, or down to the 4 th degree. The structure of the volumes Volume 1 contains 27 different exercises that are based on five subsequent pitches and are notated in the ionian, mixolydian and dorian modes. The structures built around these five pitches gradually become more difficult. Hence the level of difficulty increases slowly and continuously. Part E corresponds to part A, only that here the notes on every beat are repeated as triplets or sixteenth notes. The maximum range of the exercises is a ninth, the biggest interval between two notes being a fifth. This group of exercises is then repeated beginning from three more tonics (transposed). The other 8 tonics are dealt with in volumes 2 and 3, without the exercises changing. Volume 4 has 4 parts which include more difficult exercises. The more difficult exercises are notated as oneliners in the ionian mode. You should be able to independently transpose and play the exercises as permutations at this stage. How to practice? Keep in mind the 4 Ss: Safe range: always practice in the range that works best! Soft dynamic: practice as loud as necessary and as soft as possible. When practicing softly, the chance of bad sound quality and side noises is higher. Therefore you should only reduce the dynamics so far that you can still play in a satisfying and uninterrupted way. Slow tempo: If you practice slowly, you have much better chances to develop new courses of motion in a lasting and flawless manner and incorporate them in your subconscious repertoire of movements. Slurred articulation: Slurring notes requires a much better coordination of the exhalation muscles (breath support not dependent on the range), vocal cords, tongue and fingers, especially slow legato/slurred playing (except for part E which deals with tone repetitions, meaning tonguing). If youve mastered one of the exercises with the 4 Ss, then play it tenuto meaning a real soft articulation and as little space between the notes as possible. When that works, too, you can gradually increase the tempo. The exercises of parts A and B are notated as permutations. In parts C to E only exercise number 7 on page 97 of volume 1 has been notated as an example as such. Nevertheless, all other exercises should also be practiced in this way. I limited myself to the ionic, mixolydian and dorian modes. That means that every exercise also includes the key signatures of the next two keys, descending in the circle of fifths. Of course you should also practice the exercises in more distant keys. Keep in mind that the tonic should not be changed (tip: there are always 7 scales that share one note). The more precise and exact you execute the exercises in parts A and B, the more successful you will be with the more difficult exercises of the following parts. Ideally, beginning players should practice one exercise from parts A and B. This exercise should be played from different tonics and with 2-3 different key signatures. The exercises of the following parts can be added time by time. Part E can be practiced with single tonguing as well as multiple tonguing. If in doubt: its better to play fewer exercises and to play these thoroughly and every day!