Connecting pedal register
- Bassbonechandler
- Posts: 211
- Joined: Jul 07, 2018
I'm looking for some tips on connecting my pedal register to the rest of my range. A good example of a challenge for me is the das rheingold excerpt, specifically the pedal A flat to F in the third to last measure.
Thanks!
Thanks!
- BGuttman
- Posts: 7368
- Joined: Mar 22, 2018
Lip slurs into and out of the pedal register. F-Bb pedal-F, E-A pedal-E, Eb-Ab pedal-Eb, etc.
- baileyman
- Posts: 1169
- Joined: Mar 24, 2018
Lots of standard advice:
Let me add one:
To explore this, do two partial flexies on 1st and 2nd partials focusing on the tongue driving the pitch change. (And remember whatever exercise seems to be working for you, also do it exactly upside down. Funny how that gets weird.). Add 3 2 1 partials for more interest.
Now, it will not be only the tongue that makes things go. In a mirror you would likely see all kinds of muscles tagging along, and breath, and abs, and other stuff. But the tongue seems to be the one you can concentrate on and just let the rest grab on.
I suggest if you're interested in making things pop at volume, work on that part second. Just get it working first.
- drop your jaw
pout your lips
Let me add one:
- move your tongue to the rear like a piston. Not down, but back.
To explore this, do two partial flexies on 1st and 2nd partials focusing on the tongue driving the pitch change. (And remember whatever exercise seems to be working for you, also do it exactly upside down. Funny how that gets weird.). Add 3 2 1 partials for more interest.
Now, it will not be only the tongue that makes things go. In a mirror you would likely see all kinds of muscles tagging along, and breath, and abs, and other stuff. But the tongue seems to be the one you can concentrate on and just let the rest grab on.
I suggest if you're interested in making things pop at volume, work on that part second. Just get it working first.
- GBP
- Posts: 270
- Joined: Jun 05, 2018
Do scales the full range of your horn. Use different patterns and articulations.
- Carolus
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Mar 26, 2018
I have found that etudes in the "Low tuba etudes" book by Phil Snedecor do the trick. Slurs obviously work too, but the etudes will challenge you to make music in the pedal register.
- hsparks1
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Nov 09, 2019
[quote="baileyman"]Lots of standard advice:
Let me add one:
To explore this, do two partial flexies on 1st and 2nd partials focusing on the tongue driving the pitch change. (And remember whatever exercise seems to be working for you, also do it exactly upside down. Funny how that gets weird.). Add 3 2 1 partials for more interest.
Now, it will not be only the tongue that makes things go. In a mirror you would likely see all kinds of muscles tagging along, and breath, and abs, and other stuff. But the tongue seems to be the one you can concentrate on and just let the rest grab on.
I suggest if you're interested in making things pop at volume, work on that part second. Just get it working first.[/quote]
Thanks for this advice! Very useful.
- drop your jaw
pout your lips
Let me add one:
- move your tongue to the rear like a piston. Not down, but back.
To explore this, do two partial flexies on 1st and 2nd partials focusing on the tongue driving the pitch change. (And remember whatever exercise seems to be working for you, also do it exactly upside down. Funny how that gets weird.). Add 3 2 1 partials for more interest.
Now, it will not be only the tongue that makes things go. In a mirror you would likely see all kinds of muscles tagging along, and breath, and abs, and other stuff. But the tongue seems to be the one you can concentrate on and just let the rest grab on.
I suggest if you're interested in making things pop at volume, work on that part second. Just get it working first.[/quote]
Thanks for this advice! Very useful.
- harrisonreed
- Posts: 6479
- Joined: Aug 17, 2018
A lot of it for me had to do with minimizing shifts between partials, and a huge part of that was finding a mouthpiece that was efficient and the right size for my face. I bet you'd find that you'd barely need to shift at all between pedal Bb and Bb an octave higher on a bass mouthpiece. Then you could ask yourself why that might be.
Also, yes. The tongue controls the register.
Also, yes. The tongue controls the register.
- GabrielRice
- Posts: 1496
- Joined: Mar 23, 2018
I'd have to work with you in person to help most effectively, but generally speaking, you probably need to look at how the slurs connect above the pedal register. If you slur down from F-Bb in the staff, do your corners stay engaged, or is there a hitch or interruption of some kind? How about Bb-lowEb with both notes on the F valve (as a lip slur)? Are you able to do these slurs with the air support engaged all the way through? Or do you need to let up the air for the notes to change?
- bigbandbone
- Posts: 602
- Joined: Jan 17, 2019
"Let's Play Bass Tombone" by George Roberts will get you there. Somebody posted a PDF of the whole book a little while ago here. I'm sure a search will find it. Helped me immensely!
- tbonesullivan
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Jul 02, 2019
I'm currently having to expand my pedal register, as I now have some more "modern" bass trombone parts, that actually call for isolated pedal F notes. Previously i'd only been playing orchestral bass trombone, which in many ways is barely bass trombone. I've gotta print out that George Roberts book. I need loud pedal range for a "Mr Grinch" arrangement in a month.
- bigbandbone
- Posts: 602
- Joined: Jan 17, 2019
[quote="tbonesullivan"]I'm currently having to expand my pedal register, as I now have some more "modern" bass trombone parts, that actually call for isolated pedal F notes. Previously i'd only been playing orchestral bass trombone, which in many ways is barely bass trombone. I've gotta print out that George Roberts book. I need loud pedal range for a "Mr Grinch" arrangement in a month.[/quote]
Since working all the way through the GR book I've got a solid pedal F. And since I'm playing a single rotor 72H I've become very confident with the E pull. Also feeling good about ghosting low C & B when they are passing tones. Good luck!
Since working all the way through the GR book I've got a solid pedal F. And since I'm playing a single rotor 72H I've become very confident with the E pull. Also feeling good about ghosting low C & B when they are passing tones. Good luck!
- tbonesullivan
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Jul 02, 2019
[quote="bigbandbone"]Since working all the way through the GR book I've got a solid pedal F. And since I'm playing a single rotor 72H I've become very confident with the E pull. Also feeling good about ghosting low C & B when they are passing tones. Good luck![/quote] Thanks!!! It's an arrangement of some Christmas toons by Julie Giroux.
<SPOTIFY id="album/4MCWwe5RFc2PdWfaFk9QOK">https://open.spotify.com/album/4MCWwe5RFc2PdWfaFk9QOK</SPOTIFY>
Last song, Christmas Toons. about 4:30. It's the on the staff D right to pedal G SPLAT that is just so hard... currently. It really calls for that modern film score bass trombone pedal tone blast.
<SPOTIFY id="album/4MCWwe5RFc2PdWfaFk9QOK">https://open.spotify.com/album/4MCWwe5RFc2PdWfaFk9QOK</SPOTIFY>
Last song, Christmas Toons. about 4:30. It's the on the staff D right to pedal G SPLAT that is just so hard... currently. It really calls for that modern film score bass trombone pedal tone blast.
- Backbone
- Posts: 150
- Joined: Apr 08, 2018
[quote="bigbandbone"]"Let's Play Bass Tombone" by George Roberts will get you there. Somebody posted a PDF of the whole book a little while ago here. I'm sure a search will find it. Helped me immensely![/quote]
Here is the thread:
https://trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9765
Here is the thread:
https://trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9765