To all the drum & bugle corps enthusiasts out there, DCI has announced the six shows that will be shown for “The Countdown” on May 13 in theaters across the country.

On a related note, some corps are selling their used brass instruments. Most have only been used for one season.

• The Cavaliers
• The Blue Stars (who also have an old 2-valve G soprano bugle)
• The Santa Clara Vanguard
• The Bluecoats

Comment if I left anyone out.

Problem areas:

• Lip slurring from F in the staff to F above the staff in the fifth line can be a challenge to those who have difficulty with lip slurs.
• Tied triplet notes in the first measure of the sixth line are sometimes played too slowly.
• Big leap from C to A-flat in the eighth line.

Performance suggestions:

• Crescendo slightly through the half notes that immediately precede a triplet.
• Subdivide during quarter notes, as they usually tie into the first note of a triplet.
• The etude is relatively slow (quarter note=60) and should be played softly (as it is marked anyway) to ensure that long, slurred passages can be played in a single breath.

If you have anything to add, feel free to comment.

For those of you who are fortunate enough to never encounter this problem, playing in the pink is when the mouthpiece rests on the red part of the lip. It’s more common with trumpet and french horn players, but I’ve seen one or two trombonists play like this.

These days, I play euphonium and once in awhile, trombone though I should have started on a low brass instrument because I have thicker lips. When I was forced to change my trumpet embouchure in college, I had a hellish time. After a couple years, I decided to seriously pursue the euphonium and it’s worked out for the most part. Still, I wonder what may have been had I been coerced into switching to baritone/euphonium in, say, middle school or high school.

Something needs to be done when a band director sees a trumpet player playing with such an horrendous embouchure. One can try to fix the embouchure, but usually that takes time and a great deal of patience. If the band director isn’t a brass player, then the situation worsens.

What I would suggest is moving the player with the troublesome trumpet embouchure to a low brass instrument. Most groups are in dire need of euphoniumists and tubists, and not so much trumpeters. What’s more, the student can transfer fingerings while getting used to reading bass clef. The former trumpet player benefits and the group benefits.

It doesn’t work that way.

While exercises, such as lip slurs, are beneficial, there’s a misconception among many younger brass players that working one’s lips to exhaustion is the only way to play longer, higher and louder.

My answer (and a lot of other players’ answers) is that endurance should be a product of playing correctly. Relying too much on “lip power” can only lead to frustration. Making the lips work as little as possible ensures that they will not need to be called on to save the day. In other words, use AIR!

Lip slurs, corner strengthening exercises, etc. do help. They just won’t remedy incorrect playing.

I once worked in a music store that sold two types of student trombones: Yamaha YSL-354 trombones and those made by a relatively obscure company. Most of my students played one or the other which gave me opportunities to compare both brands.

The difference was unmistakable. The Yamaha trombones had a much more resonant sound. Even with beginners, the instrument could really “sing.”

The other brand (I’ll just call it “brand x”) didn’t match up at all. I had a student who had a brand x trombone but left it at school one day, so the store let him borrow one of the Yamaha loaner trombones. This fifth-grade beginner’s eyes popped open in surprise when he started playing on the Yamaha. I didn’t even need to tell him that his sound was better — he could hear it himself.

Other characteristics that really impressed me were how freely the slide moved and the ease of playing the higher notes. This trombone does not feel like a student instrument at all. To be completely honest, I would rather play one of these than Yamaha’s intermediate model.

The YSL-354 is a great student trombone and definitely worth the extra monthly rent.

I think it’s great when music schools/departments hold joint performances. Both KU and UMKC have decent-sized low brass studios headed by professors whom I’ve heard nothing but great things about. I’ve been to several recitals at Swarthout Recital Hall which is more than large enough to seat an audience for a solo or small ensemble performance, but small enough to maintain that “intimate” atmosphere.

Details were taken directly from the University of Kansas School of Fine Arts Web site.

For inquiring minds, here’s my Schlossberg routine with what I try to keep in mind for every exercise:

Exercise #1
Focus: Tonguing with a “toh” syllable to begin each note for a good, consistent attack.

Exercise #5
Focus: Moving fingers quickly and playing with an even sound throughout each group of notes.

Exercise #15
Focus: Relying on air, not face, to play lip slurs correctly.

Exercise #18
Focus: Increasing flexibility with triplet lip slurs.

Exercise #31
Focus: Extending the range while still working on flexibility with eighth-note lip slurs spanning more than an octave and a half.

Exercises #34 and #35
Focus: Getting the air really flowing by “spitting” out the marcato notes.

Yes, I left out most of exercises in the book. I will do some of these from time to time, but this is my core warm-up routine that is done every practice session.

I like to keep an open mind though, so if anyone uses a different method book for warming up with, let me know what you use and why.

Arban’s #1 is a great piece for those of us who don’t have a superb higher register as the highest note in the study is a sixteenth-note A-flat (or B-flat for you trumpet players).

My favorite part is the second section with the sixteenth-note triplet runs. My least favorite part is the measure with the turns between eighth-notes after the first key change.

1) Smashing the mouthpiece against the face

Young players especially need to be taught that the mouthpiece should not be applied with more pressure than is needed to create an airtight seal. I always tell them to not think of the mouthpiece as an extension of their face, but rather as something that just happens to be on their lips as they form their embouchure. Too much mouthpiece pressure can cut off blood flow to the lips and can also cause dental pain. This isn’t the most common problem, but it’s No. 1 on my list because it may be the most overlooked.

2) Lips are pinched too tightly together

This problem prevents air from going past the lips and results in a strained sound. It is perhaps the most common embouchure problem among beginning brass players, but not as overlooked as excessive mouthpiece pressure (see above). Excessive tension should never be present in brass playing.

3) Puckering too much

Try to buzz your lips while puckering your lips like a fish. You can’t do it, can you? Neither can your students. Tell them to pull those corners back!

4) Curling one lip over/under the other

Not sure why some kids do this. Maybe because it’s the only way they can get a buzz going at first. Whatever the reason, curling lips is not the way to get a beautiful sound.

5) Corners are too relaxed

The corners of the mouth are the only areas that should not be totally relaxed. This doesn’t mean they should be tight, either. If air is escaping through the corners of the mouth, you can bet that a buzz isn’t happening.