[TPIN] Jacobs & Farkas & wind

[David Arndt]

Chaos theorist have a concept: "Sensitive dependence on initial conditions".

This refers to the phenomina in which *very* small deviations at the outset
make a *huge* difference in the outcome.  They use it to explain anomolies
in oscillators, among other things.  A more down to earth example is
pointing a rifle:  The farther away the target, the bigger the difference
your aim makes.  Up close, you can be off by an inch or more and still hit
the target.  But farther away, millimeters make or break you.

I believe the efficiency we're talking about with brass playing is a lot
like this.  When I'm producing a beautiful sound - one that has resonance,
color and center - and doing it easily, I will play easier and longer, in
all registers - and in all styles.  The more natural and easy the sound
production, the longer ('farther out') everything lasts, because the
'initial conditions' in producing the sound were right.

I can *never* remember a time when I "felt good" endurance-wise and
range-wise, when the sound wasn't also good, and easy to produce.  

I think that on Malcomb McNabs' web site, there is a QA section in which he
is asked about practicing (pretty sure that's where it is).  His response
was simple:  He just said he spends 'a lot of time just working on sound
production and efficiency' (I'm paraphrasing here).  I believe that the
players we most admire harness this concept and extend it across everything
they do - these are the players that we marvel at and say "Man s/he plays so
easily - so strong".  They play this way because they work their "machine"
efficiently. (And practice diligently and intelligently).  

This doesn't mean that you don't need to practice endurance - I personally
agree that you *have* to be able to apply some pressure to get a truly
beautiful sound - and that to work professionally, you had *better* be able
to *take* some mouthpiece pressure - because it does happen often -
especially in 'commercial' playing (for lack of a better adjective). 

But I really think analogies to weight lifting as an illustration for what
is required in brass playing  miss the mark, and is a detrimental way of
thinking. 

Well, this is my post for the day.  Gotta discipline myself to get some work
done here!

- da

PS...
SIDEBAR STORY: A clarinet player room mate of mine in college who attended
Curtis used to spend hours working on reeds.  I made fun of him once: "Man,
you just want to hold that thing in the wind and have it pop out the cadenza
from Cappriccio Espanole all by itself".  His reply:  "Yes.  That's
*exactly* what I want".  Our chops are our reeds.  Making the reeds
efficient should be a primary goal in every practice session.



[
[      Maybe we've exhausted the arguments on either side of 
[gthe efficiency/strength(Chops)  topic.  I believe that you 
[have to have both to play at that level of volume and range.   
[ 
[glenn