Jen Oliverio on Vibrato
Jen Oliverio was fantastic in TBJ219!
One of the things we unpacked with her was her latest album, Enigma, which won her first place in the brass division of The American Prize. It is a fantastic album with truly exquisite playing throughout.
The first thing that jumped out at me (other than the musical storytelling) was Jen’s use of vibrato. It was immediately apparent that this was something she had spent a lot of time thinking about and a lot of time mastering.
She packs a lot into this 3-minute clip!
Sam Pilafian Quotes
The following was posted on the short-lived Boston Brass blog many years ago. I first worked with Sam in a brass quintet at the Empire Brass Seminar at Tanglewood when I was 14 years old. It was special to get to work with him again in the same capacity 20 years later at the 2010 International Tuba Euphonium Conference. Sam was a great player, a gifted communicator, and an amazing teacher who is dearly missed.
Cheers,
Andrew
Last week we had the privilege of being involved with Sam Pilafian’s master class at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference in Tucson, AZ. Sam used both the tuba quartet from the University of Arizona (who won the quartet competition) as well as Boston Brass to show how he coaches chamber music. The class was absolutely riveting for everyone in attendance. The amount of knowledge and first hand experience that Sam has in the medium of chamber music (both playing and coaching) is simply awesome.
The first half of the class featured Sam working with the U of A Tuba Quartet. During this portion, Andrew live tweeted some of the best quotes from Sam before Boston Brass took the stage for the second half of the class. This is just a sampling of the knowledge that Sam shared with everyone that day:
“In Empire Brass we wanted to make sure the first 30 seconds (of a show) were great.”
“Sell every part like it’s the lead.”
“In the Empire Brass we spent more time studying the scores than we did playing them.”
John Swallow to Sam Pilafian right before walking on stage: “Don’t fight the feel. Live for the groove.”
“Your job as a chamber musician is make others sound better.”
“You’ve got to play with so much opinion that 3 or 4 people can play with you.”
“Everyone that listens to pop music learn the melody and next the bass line. So don’t get out of the way.”
“Never repeat yourself more than twice.”
“String quartets, when playing a slow movement, make the 8th notes as long as possible without being late.”
“Chamber playing changes your solo playing.”
“Our best tool for storytelling is dynamics.”
Sam conducted one of the best master classes that any of us have ever seen. Tom McCaslin may have summed it up the best: “I think Sam Pilafian just humbled everyone with his knowledge of chamber music.”
Well said.
Seraph Brass Quotes - 2023 American Trombone Workshop
I was able to catch the masterclass that Seraph Brass did at this year’s American Trombone Workshop and it was fantastic. Lots of insights on a variety of topics.
Here are the quotes that most stood out to me from that class:
Mary Elizabeth Bowden
“I have a list of dreams and goals and I still carry that list with me today.”
“When you dream big, it can feel silly. But it helps put things into motion.”
“We’re the size of a family. Not only are we work colleagues, we are also in close physical proximity to each other… So you have to have a sense of humor.”
“Before rehearsal you have to leave your ego at the door because we all want the highest musical product.”
“We come in one day before a tour starts. We always want rehearsal to go as quickly as possible. Efficiency is key.”
Raquel Samoa
“Representation does matter. I have people come tell me that.”
“I always tell my students to make themselves as marketable as possible. Because I’ve gotten jobs from that.”
“Wherever you go, be a good person - someone that people want to collaborate with.”
“People like confidence - but not too much confidence. Too much self-promotion is not good.”
Rachel Valvikis
“We record every single concert - video included - and listen to them on the regular.”
“We all have to do a lot of score study so that when we get together for our first rehearsal that we are prepared.”
“Making sure you have a good routine is important. You have to make sure you cover everything ever day.”
“Quality practice - not quantity - is what I’ve always been told.”
Victoria Garcia
“Brass quintet raised my level of playing across the board.”
“I lost all confidence during COVID. I didn’t know if I could play with people again.”
“The more and more I trusted playing in a brass quintet, the better my orchestral playing got.”
“Brass quintet teaches you to be incredibly flexible.”
“Don’t brown nose. I’m serious. Show up and you play well. 100% ready every time. When you’re just playing a whole note, make sure you’re ready. Because there’s always someone listening. Always.”
“I practiced really hard so that when that gig came, I knew exactly what to do.”
Christina Cutts-Dougherty
“I really encourage you to not keep those blinders on and to experience all the ways that we can use our instruments in this field.”
“When I advocate for something that I really want, it has a tendency to work out.”
“(When tuning) Don’t be the stubborn one - be the one that moves.”
“Like Mary said, we are a little family. So everything we do is based in respect.”
“If someone has a new idea that not everyone is crazy about, we always try it!”
“You really can’t make good music with some if you are looking down on them or letting some personal feelings seep in.”
John Fedchock on Listening to Find Your Own Personality as a Musician
I really enjoyed this part of TBJ210 with John Fedchock.
One of the first things that strikes me about John's playing is that it is not in any way derivative. It sounds like John Fedchock.
That's not to say that he hasn't been influenced by many musicians along the way - of course he has!
But he sounds like himself and it's in a way that no one else sounds like.
In our conversation he talked about how students need to be curious when learning a musical language like jazz and mentioned that he used to sit with the liner notes as he listened to jazz albums to see which musicians were playing. He would then go to the record store and seek out the musicians who really spoke to him.
That is actually easier today than ever because of Wikipedia. Any time I listen to a jazz album I look it up on Wikipedia and can instantly see every single musician who is playing, even if just for one track. And each name is clickable to get a full list of every single recording that they've ever appeared on.
In this clip, John talks about the importance of digging deeper than just knowing who the star of any given jazz album is because sometimes it is a supporting artist from something you hear that ends up being the one who really speaks to you.
And he ties it all together beautifully at the end of this clip by talking about the imp
John Fedchock in TBJ210 talking about digging deep into the jazz catalog to find the people who inspire you to find your own personality as a musician.
"Because if you try to do something that's not in your emotional wheelhouse it's going to sound dishonest."
That's some sage advice right there.
Dealing With Frustration in the Practice Room - Zenas Kim-Banther
Trombonist Dr. Zenas Kim-Banther shares a strategy for dealing with frustration in the practice room and generously shares that it took her a long time to get good at this strategy - even though you'd think it would be easy!
Watch her full interview here: TBJ211
"What about this passage is giving you the frustration? Is it the consistency? Getting the center of the notes? Is it the rhythm? Is it pitch?
And then just narrowing it down and just keeping it to the most simplest elements.
If it's something super frustrating, just say, 'I'm gonna spend 10 minutes on this, walk away, do something that I really enjoy,' inviting peace of mind, and kind of go at it.
It sounds so stupid, you'd think you'd figure this out earlier on in your playing. But it took me a long time to really just stop myself from just playing it over and over until it magically gets better. And that's what I yell at my students about all the time. But it's really hard when you know what it should sound like but there's a couple of blocks along the way from getting there.—Dr. Zenas Kim-Banther from TBJ211
Joe Alessi Masterclass Quotes - 2008 ABA Convention
Joe Alessi, Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic, gave a masterclass for students and educators at the 2008 American Band Association Convention at the University of Miami.
Boston Brass was there as one of the featured soloists of the convention as was Joe. Luckily our schedule enabled us to attend his class. My fingers could barely keep up with all of the knowledge he shared in that hour.
Here are the quotes that most stood out to me from that class:
"A low sound like Darth Vader when breathing means there's friction. I like low-friction breaths."
"Auditions are all about time and when you reset your embouchure you will come in late a lot."
"Practicing without the instrument, like singing while conducting, is very important. I sing and conduct through a piece with a new accompanist."
"You must have a pulse to conduct and you must sing the right pitches."
"I feel like you're reading the music, not playing the piece."
"It's a whole different part of our brain if we're not just reading the music."
After having the student play from memory to the back wall: "Look at the music but only refer to the music, like a big band. Bell's up, music down low."
"Sometimes we have a good sound and we just don't use it."
"Your back should be convex with a slight arch forward when standing."
"If you stand healthy you will probably play healthy."
"You can tell (in an audition) how someone will play by how they walk into a room and sound."
"The breath is like a pitcher's wind-up. You don't have a wind-up right now."
"Get set up earlier with the face (before an entrance.)"
"I like to watch the belt area when people are playing to see if they are supporting."
"You have a really nice sound but you're not always ready to use it."
After a less than stellar first attempt by a student playing in the master class: "Let's hit the reset button and try again."
"In my lessons at Juilliard, you have to play one note with a great sound or the lesson doesn't start. It's like putting on your seatbelt in the car."
"When you take a breath don't lean into it."
"Really think about the sound you want to play with on the first note of every passage."
He had the student 'mime' the passage by breathing with the slide: "Get everything timed."
"Mime a fast lick very short and slow. Like getting the timing right on your engine."
"Stay in a good stage presence between sections."
"Don't think of a note being suspended in the air and you are playing up to it. Think that you are suspended and the note is below you."
"Brass players blow too fast when nervous and our air columns become narrower."
"Listen to yourself at half speed."
On jaw vibrato: "Move your jaw, not your muscles."
"Remove vibrato at the end of a note to produce a beautiful taper."
"Louder equals more tongue. Softer equals less tongue."
"Air and tongue can be adjusted like the oil/as ratio in a mower."
"Forte is 90% air and 10% tongue."
"You should practice with no tongue."
"Practice playing really softly without any tongue."
"Practice diminuendoing notes down to niente. It will help with the attacks."
"ppp is the essence of your tone right in your face."