One of the greatest explanations on breath support ever spoken on the internet! I think you broke the internet when you mentioned AND demonstrated Arban's way of breathing and support -- WOW! I will get on the Irons book tonight and also start the Arban's way of instant air support. Thank you for this video and all your other videos! Frank
you all probably dont give a shit but does any of you know of a trick to log back into an instagram account?? I was stupid forgot my password. I would love any help you can give me.
@Ira Christian i really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and im in the hacking process atm. I see it takes quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
John, just wanted to let you know that I've ordered a copy of Earl Irons book. It was currently unavailable on Amazon (UK) but I managed to get a copy from eBay. Great video of yours, as usual. I'm confident that it, and Earl's book, is going to make a difference to my playing. Best wishes, Peter
Thanks for great explanations. I am 69 and rebuilding after some surgeries. I am working on losing tremor in face. I think mouthpiece placement and corner and chin explanation have helped.
"It's not what you play but how you play it", I think sums it up. Control is probably one of the biggest issues we all face. I'm working on the small focused tiny airstream, which Vizutti and Bergeron both are in agreement with. Maybe one issue I'm facing is over breathing which is causing tension in my entire body. Gonna pay closer attention to those first exercises in Irons instead of rushing through them to get to the end of the book. I would be interested in what a weekly "routine" looks like for you. Thank you for following up my question with a video response, your advice is always helpful.
Britt Wright i’m glad you put the quotations on the word routine. What I do is a hodgepodge of different playing. I do scales, I do chords, I do lip flexibility’s I will play things out of different books and I will do some improvisation. Most everything I play, I play through a very full register. I truly don’t have a hard-core “routine”. If there something I need to work on, I work on it. This could be tone, flexibility or even Music for an upcoming performance. it truly is the engagement of how we approach playing her instrument that makes the difference. This will be the focus of my next video. Best, Jon
Thanks Jon. I've watched this video many times but it clicked today. Small airstream and the breath described by Arban were key. I've seen Adam Rapa talk about his Superman posture when he plays. That Arban breath helps get you there.
Great video's. I can relate to you in the sense that I did not have an accident that interfered with my playing but a series of complicated abdominal surgeries. It took a few years to recover and after that it felt like I never played before and had to start over. Thanks for your video's. They are helpful!
Thanks Jon. That's what I was looking for. Your example of the compression used during a cough was perfect. Using the gas pedal as example also makes sense when applied to the ever increasing support needed as we ascend. I know the support is there, even in the lower register, but it's around G above the staff that I'm fully "aware" of its presence. Thanks again! Great information!
I’m having some troubles. I’m trying to practice a solo I have for jazz and I have to jump from an A above the staff to F on top of the staff and every time I hit the F, I end up hitting a D and I keep on replaying to try and get that F but only the D comes out. And sometimes I can’t even get the A above the staff. Is that due to bad breath support?
I know I may be a little late haha, but I hope you are able to answer. So when doing the irons exercises and while using a small airstream, do we also change the aperture to help control it? Or do we leave it more open as we go?
Zackary Carlson I don’t necessarily think about the aperture itself. I concentrate on supporting a good sound. If you’re getting a good sound you’re doing things correct. So try to get the best sound you can at a mezzo piano and that should guide you to what you need to do.
Jon. Tiny air stream at the aperture offers grester resistance. Blowing against paper is not relevant because the instrument resistance is not present. The secret is effective embouchure function. When the resistance is from the instrument tone, air flow need not be excessive and it varies with dynamics. Also. Air cannot be compressed and inhaled at the same time.
Darryl Jones the “concept” of a small air stream is impossible to demonstrate while playing the instrument. You can exaggerate air use but there is no visual that demonstrates the concept. A smaller aperture during exhale creates more resistance than a large aperture. The concept is now demonstrated. Embouchure function is important but a large part of its success is how we introduce air. Without air... no sound. I talk about embouchure mechanics in other videos. The demonstration of what Arban suggests to do upon inhale is simply that; a demonstration. If my description of compression is problematic then my apologies for the confusion. I will describe things we are doing the best way I can and do my best to show them in action. I have always maintained that theses concepts and my presentations are food or thought not the only way to do something . I encourage you to present a video series that offers information about trumpet playing. More information available to players is great. Best, Jon
@@Rufftips my comments also are "food for thought". Thanks for the effort. It is a bit of a quandary for the player. The "action" of creating a smaller aperture is helpful but resistance in the aperture is a detriment to efficiency. That is why effective tone production is crucial to making the instrument tone the primary resistance. Efficiency is then achieved but music is the goal.
Darryl Jones it is impossible to make a single video discussing a particular topic that is presented in a manner that; A. Reaches every player and provides an absolute understanding of what is being presented. B. Provides an explanation that is seen as a perfect explanation by all viewers. C. Utilizes language that is universally excepted as an accurate description of the process. I have worked with many players in the capacity of trying equipment and I have watched them over blow in great numbers. This destroys the embouchure and negates any possibility for efficiency. I typically put my videos together in a manner that demonstrate something that people might need to correct or try. Offering conceptual descriptions and visual aids is about as clear as I can get. All of my information is completely free and there are no ads to swim through. If some of my ramblings help an individual I am ecstatic. I do my best to offer nothing that would hurt a player and at times recommend caution when playing. I have an entire video on overdoing it. My goal is simple; offer Information that might help. Best, Jon
Hi Jon again thank you for these You tube trumpet ideas ...I am working on the support and the cough idea is great and I am also going to try the yelling idea , two questions do you still with the soft breath , do you still have that wide opening that you suggested in your other video where you stick out your tongue to open up your sound. And two when you are double tonguing is breathe support or rather supporting the tounging important. Again thanks for your help.
Anthony Lenzo The openness that I describe in the other video is to keep the teeth separated in the lower register. This gives us a relaxed open sound. A small airstream develops the type of mechanics we need in order to control how to use the air correctly when we ascend. These two concepts can be used at the same time. The small airstream comes from the shape of our mouth both inside and out but the teeth must remain separated instead of closed in order to play in the lower register with an open sound, even while playing soft. none of this is like large block movements. These positions that our mouth forms as we play are not like notches in a car seat adjustment. They are more like an electronic seat that adjusts on a continual movement basis. Best, Jon
Rufftips so the teeth are only open on the low register, not when your going higher I am correct .I am a little confused. Because one of my teachers demonstrated once that you can with the same setting play a very low note and also a high note using the same setting.
Anthony Lenzo None of my videos are an island they’re all interconnected. Here is one that I did on jaw position. ua-cam.com/video/LJXt8SL8VWo/v-deo.html I don’t want to argue with another trumpet player and their assessment of what they’re doing but in my opinion there is motion. You can watch this in several different videos of the great Doc Severinsen. As he plays high to low his head tilts down in the lower register. I can make the subtle adjustments that are happening within my mouth and jaw without any serious visible outside motion. This doesn’t mean that things aren’t re-positioning for different registers. These motions are not drastic nor should they be radical but small adjustments are made. I come from the position of a commercial player not a classical player so I may have a different take on this. It certainly would be debilitating if you are relying on exterior motion to create register changes. In each of my videos I must, to some degree exaggerate the concepts and ideas that I’m offering so they come across and are visible. My videos in no way are meant to substitute for taking lessons and studying with a qualified teacher. These videos are meant as thought-provoking ideas that might open a door to a problem that a particular player has. It is difficult for me in the comment section to have the type of in-depth discussion and demonstration that would normally happen in a one on one lesson. As I answer one question there maybe four more that arise. In this type of back-and-forth it becomes difficult to provide the quality answers that you may be seeking. Best, Jon
Rufftips Jon your videos are really great and ARE thought provoking .I enjoy them and by no means are my comments meant to be a disagreement. Please keep them coming I find them interesting and informative , Sincerity Anthony
Anthony Lenzo I understand that you are looking for greater clarity and not being argumentative. The trumpet world at large can be quite confusing because people may say the same thing about a different approach or something different about the same approach. In the complex task of describing what “I” am doing lies room for debate in my description and hypothesis. This is where I can only offer ideas and descriptions from my perspective. I offer these thoughts and descriptions as a possible way to approach each facet of playing. The needs of the individual watching any particular video are unknown to me. This platform for disseminating information is very impersonal. In the Q and A that follows yet again I do not know the depth of the experience, skill, needs and background of each person that has a question. As simple as some questions may seem the answer might be more complex than yes or no. To understand the complete answer might involve the need to have a face to face discussion with demonstrations and subsequent attempts at the concept. At this point we are talking about a level of individual discovery not available on this platform. Simply put these videos and the Q and A can only provide a conceptual springboard for self discovery. Any thing beyond that demands a level of individual attention that is typically provided through a private teacher. Great deal of what I learned was learned through self discovery. I feel the best teacher is the one that teaches you how to learn. I can describe to you the feeling of riding a bike and how to coast through a corner. My description may not become your experience or you’re feeling but it might get you to the point where you coast through the corner. At this point you may realize that as your coast through the corner you can concentrate more on the corner because you’re not peddling. This is the point where you learn something about how to do this. This is my hope for each of these videos. By trying what is described something was discovered. Best, Jon
Hey Jon, should your throat come into play to aid in compressing the air? I've been having a lot of seasonal allergies which leaves my throat irritated. This has caused me to notice how much I'm using my throat in the upper register, around the high F, which causes a cough. How can I overcome this issue of possibly closing my throat?
This is one of the most difficult aspects of the way we play for me to define and/or describe. As we ascend we create greater pressure with our air. I like to call it; increased support. This helps us think squeeze or flex not more air or greater exhale. There are those that say it is all done in the mid section with the muscular activation exhale process. Some say it is that and activating or manipulating the throat and oral cavity. No matter what side of the argument you may be on there is no doubt air is passing through the throat and as we ascend there is greater pressure buildup in our respiratory system. The unfortunate weak link is our throat. There is no bone structure that surrounds it like our mouth or lungs. The only way I know of to mitigate the tension in the throat is during inhalation. Taking a breath as if we have been under water for 2 minutes is a conceptual way to feel the open inhale. Expel all your air and do not breath in until you can no longer control the urge to breathe. You will find that your throat opens very wide to accommodate the rush of air being taken in. Now duplicate this feeling on your inhale and then close your mouth and immediately play. Do not hesitate; breathe in this way then immediately exhale to play. This should provide the most open position the throat can obtain. Do this at G top of the staff to get the feeling then move upwards a step at a time once this feels comfortable. This is the best way I know to open the throat. There might be other information out there. Try this if it creates any issue please abandon it immediately. Best, Jon
Valery Dov I believe you’re asking about my trumpet mouthpiece. There is no real comparison to Bach. In this video I am playing a Stomvi Flex S14A VR Vs. stomvi-usa.com/shop/s14a-vr-flex-trumpet-mouthpiece-3/ This is much more closely compared to a Schilke 14A4a . Best, Jon
I am VERY confussed... I can find everywhere that air must go out untill breathless state is reached. My teacher says "you gotta take a big breath, your F above high C is airless" because when I put myself my left hand in front of horn I cannot feel a bunch of air coming out. When I see this video it is more like what I do but I do not know if following majority or using this method instead.
Ersten Sessel I believe that these concepts in this particular video do apply to all brass instruments but understanding to varying degrees according to those instruments
One of the greatest explanations on breath support ever spoken on the internet! I think you broke the internet when you mentioned AND demonstrated Arban's way of breathing and support -- WOW! I will get on the Irons book tonight and also start the Arban's way of instant air support. Thank you for this video and all your other videos! Frank
fctrumpet so glad you were able to get something from this stream of madness. Best, Jon
you all probably dont give a shit but does any of you know of a trick to log back into an instagram account??
I was stupid forgot my password. I would love any help you can give me.
@Tatum Blaine instablaster :)
@Ira Christian i really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and im in the hacking process atm.
I see it takes quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Ira Christian It did the trick and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thank you so much you saved my account :D
John, just wanted to let you know that I've ordered a copy of Earl Irons book. It was currently unavailable on Amazon (UK) but I managed to get a copy from eBay. Great video of yours, as usual. I'm confident that it, and Earl's book, is going to make a difference to my playing.
Best wishes, Peter
Thanks John, been practicing the Earl Iron Groups 1-5 and you breaking/comparing down the amount of air needed with the paper is very helpful.
Thanks for great explanations.
I am 69 and rebuilding after some surgeries. I am working on losing tremor in face.
I think mouthpiece placement and corner and chin explanation have helped.
Just love it !!!! That’s THE answer to play High, Energy’s Control (9:20mm). Thanks
good.......! Awasome👍
Great stuff, John!
Great video as always!
"It's not what you play but how you play it", I think sums it up. Control is probably one of the biggest issues we all face. I'm working on the small focused tiny airstream, which Vizutti and Bergeron both are in agreement with. Maybe one issue I'm facing is over breathing which is causing tension in my entire body. Gonna pay closer attention to those first exercises in Irons instead of rushing through them to get to the end of the book. I would be interested in what a weekly "routine" looks like for you. Thank you for following up my question with a video response, your advice is always helpful.
Britt Wright i’m glad you put the quotations on the word routine. What I do is a hodgepodge of different playing. I do scales, I do chords, I do lip flexibility’s I will play things out of different books and I will do some improvisation. Most everything I play, I play through a very full register. I truly don’t have a hard-core “routine”. If there something I need to work on, I work on it. This could be tone, flexibility or even Music for an upcoming performance. it truly is the engagement of how we approach playing her instrument that makes the difference. This will be the focus of my next video. Best, Jon
Thanks Jon. I've watched this video many times but it clicked today. Small airstream and the breath described by Arban were key. I've seen Adam Rapa talk about his Superman posture when he plays. That Arban breath helps get you there.
Bob Roberts wow so glad this info finally made sense
great video
Great video's. I can relate to you in the sense that I did not have an accident that interfered with my playing but a series of complicated abdominal surgeries. It took a few years to recover and after that it felt like I never played before and had to start over. Thanks for your video's. They are helpful!
Haha just read that in Arbans , good video thanks ,,,just a come back player here making up for lost time haha
Thanks for another great video Jon! At what point in your range do you start to feel the breath support coming in?
Thanks Jon. That's what I was looking for. Your example of the compression used during a cough was perfect. Using the gas pedal as example also makes sense when applied to the ever increasing support needed as we ascend. I know the support is there, even in the lower register, but it's around G above the staff that I'm fully "aware" of its presence. Thanks again! Great information!
Parker Johnstone Sounds like you got it. Best, Jon
I’m having some troubles. I’m trying to practice a solo I have for jazz and I have to jump from an A above the staff to F on top of the staff and every time I hit the F, I end up hitting a D and I keep on replaying to try and get that F but only the D comes out. And sometimes I can’t even get the A above the staff. Is that due to bad breath support?
I know I may be a little late haha, but I hope you are able to answer.
So when doing the irons exercises and while using a small airstream, do we also change the aperture to help control it? Or do we leave it more open as we go?
Zackary Carlson I don’t necessarily think about the aperture itself. I concentrate on supporting a good sound. If you’re getting a good sound you’re doing things correct. So try to get the best sound you can at a mezzo piano and that should guide you to what you need to do.
Jon. Tiny air stream at the aperture offers grester resistance. Blowing against paper is not relevant because the instrument resistance is not present. The secret is effective embouchure function. When the resistance is from the instrument tone, air flow need not be excessive and it varies with dynamics. Also. Air cannot be compressed and inhaled at the same time.
Darryl Jones the “concept” of a small air stream is impossible to demonstrate while playing the instrument. You can exaggerate air use but there is no visual that demonstrates the concept. A smaller aperture during exhale creates more resistance than a large aperture. The concept is now demonstrated. Embouchure function is important but a large part of its success is how we introduce air. Without air... no sound. I talk about embouchure mechanics in other videos. The demonstration of what Arban suggests to do upon inhale is simply that; a demonstration. If my description of compression is problematic then my apologies for the confusion. I will describe things we are doing the best way I can and do my best to show them in action. I have always maintained that theses concepts and my presentations are food or thought not the only way to do something . I encourage you to present a video series that offers information about trumpet playing. More information available to players is great. Best, Jon
@@Rufftips my comments also are "food for thought". Thanks for the effort. It is a bit of a quandary for the player. The "action" of creating a smaller aperture is helpful but resistance in the aperture is a detriment to efficiency. That is why effective tone production is crucial to making the instrument tone the primary resistance. Efficiency is then achieved but music is the goal.
Darryl Jones it is impossible to make a single video discussing a particular topic that is presented in a manner that;
A. Reaches every player and provides an absolute understanding of what is being presented.
B. Provides an explanation that is seen as a perfect explanation by all viewers.
C. Utilizes language that is universally excepted as an accurate description of the process.
I have worked with many players in the capacity of trying equipment and I have watched them over blow in great numbers. This destroys the embouchure and negates any possibility for efficiency. I typically put my videos together in a manner that demonstrate something that people might need to correct or try. Offering conceptual descriptions and visual aids is about as clear as I can get. All of my information is completely free and there are no ads to swim through. If some of my ramblings help an individual I am ecstatic. I do my best to offer nothing that would hurt a player and at times recommend caution when playing. I have an entire video on overdoing it. My goal is simple; offer Information that might help.
Best, Jon
Hi Jon again thank you for these You tube trumpet ideas ...I am working on the support and the cough idea is great and I am also going to try the yelling idea , two questions do you still with the soft breath , do you still have that wide opening that you suggested in your other video where you stick out your tongue to open up your sound. And two when you are double tonguing is breathe support or rather supporting the tounging important. Again thanks for your help.
Anthony Lenzo The openness that I describe in the other video is to keep the teeth separated in the lower register. This gives us a relaxed open sound. A small airstream develops the type of mechanics we need in order to control how to use the air correctly when we ascend. These two concepts can be used at the same time. The small airstream comes from the shape of our mouth both inside and out but the teeth must remain separated instead of closed in order to play in the lower register with an open sound, even while playing soft. none of this is like large block movements. These positions that our mouth forms as we play are not like notches in a car seat adjustment. They are more like an electronic seat that adjusts on a continual movement basis. Best, Jon
Rufftips so the teeth are only open on the low register, not when your going higher I am correct .I am a little confused. Because one of my teachers demonstrated once that you can with the same setting play a very low note and also a high note using the same setting.
Anthony Lenzo None of my videos are an island they’re all interconnected. Here is one that I did on jaw position.
ua-cam.com/video/LJXt8SL8VWo/v-deo.html
I don’t want to argue with another trumpet player and their assessment of what they’re doing but in my opinion there is motion. You can watch this in several different videos of the great Doc Severinsen. As he plays high to low his head tilts down in the lower register. I can make the subtle adjustments that are happening within my mouth and jaw without any serious visible outside motion. This doesn’t mean that things aren’t re-positioning for different registers. These motions are not drastic nor should they be radical but small adjustments are made. I come from the position of a commercial player not a classical player so I may have a different take on this. It certainly would be debilitating if you are relying on exterior motion to create register changes. In each of my videos I must, to some degree exaggerate the concepts and ideas that I’m offering so they come across and are visible. My videos in no way are meant to substitute for taking lessons and studying with a qualified teacher. These videos are meant as thought-provoking ideas that might open a door to a problem that a particular player has. It is difficult for me in the comment section to have the type of in-depth discussion and demonstration that would normally happen in a one on one lesson. As I answer one question there maybe four more that arise. In this type of back-and-forth it becomes difficult to provide the quality answers that you may be seeking.
Best, Jon
Rufftips Jon your videos are really great and ARE thought provoking .I enjoy them and by no means are my comments meant to be a disagreement. Please keep them coming I find them interesting and informative , Sincerity Anthony
Anthony Lenzo I understand that you are looking for greater clarity and not being argumentative. The trumpet world at large can be quite confusing because people may say the same thing about a different approach or something different about the same approach. In the complex task of describing what “I” am doing lies room for debate in my description and hypothesis. This is where I can only offer ideas and descriptions from my perspective. I offer these thoughts and descriptions as a possible way to approach each facet of playing. The needs of the individual watching any particular video are unknown to me. This platform for disseminating information is very impersonal. In the Q and A that follows yet again I do not know the depth of the experience, skill, needs and background of each person that has a question. As simple as some questions may seem the answer might be more complex than yes or no. To understand the complete answer might involve the need to have a face to face discussion with demonstrations and subsequent attempts at the concept. At this point we are talking about a level of individual discovery not available on this platform. Simply put these videos and the Q and A can only provide a conceptual springboard for self discovery. Any thing beyond that demands a level of individual attention that is typically provided through a private teacher. Great deal of what I learned was learned through self discovery. I feel the best teacher is the one that teaches you how to learn. I can describe to you the feeling of riding a bike and how to coast through a corner. My description may not become your experience or you’re feeling but it might get you to the point where you coast through the corner. At this point you may realize that as your coast through the corner you can concentrate more on the corner because you’re not peddling. This is the point where you learn something about how to do this. This is my hope for each of these videos. By trying what is described something was discovered.
Best, Jon
Hey Jon, should your throat come into play to aid in compressing the air? I've been having a lot of seasonal allergies which leaves my throat irritated. This has caused me to notice how much I'm using my throat in the upper register, around the high F, which causes a cough. How can I overcome this issue of possibly closing my throat?
This is one of the most difficult aspects of the way we play for me to define and/or describe. As we ascend we create greater pressure with our air. I like to call it; increased support. This helps us think squeeze or flex not more air or greater exhale. There are those that say it is all done in the mid section with the muscular activation exhale process. Some say it is that and activating or manipulating the throat and oral cavity. No matter what side of the argument you may be on there is no doubt air is passing through the throat and as we ascend there is greater pressure buildup in our respiratory system. The unfortunate weak link is our throat. There is no bone structure that surrounds it like our mouth or lungs. The only way I know of to mitigate the tension in the throat is during inhalation. Taking a breath as if we have been under water for 2 minutes is a conceptual way to feel the open inhale. Expel all your air and do not breath in until you can no longer control the urge to breathe. You will find that your throat opens very wide to accommodate the rush of air being taken in. Now duplicate this feeling on your inhale and then close your mouth and immediately play. Do not hesitate; breathe in this way then immediately exhale to play. This should provide the most open position the throat can obtain. Do this at G top of the staff to get the feeling then move upwards a step at a time once this feels comfortable. This is the best way I know to open the throat. There might be other information out there. Try this if it creates any issue please abandon it immediately. Best, Jon
Hi Jon! What size is your m.t.p.,compared to Bach? Thanks!
Valery Dov I believe you’re asking about my trumpet mouthpiece. There is no real comparison to Bach. In this video I am playing a Stomvi Flex S14A VR Vs.
stomvi-usa.com/shop/s14a-vr-flex-trumpet-mouthpiece-3/
This is much more closely compared to a Schilke 14A4a . Best, Jon
I am VERY confussed... I can find everywhere that air must go out untill breathless state is reached. My teacher says "you gotta take a big breath, your F above high C is airless" because when I put myself my left hand in front of horn I cannot feel a bunch of air coming out. When I see this video it is more like what I do but I do not know if following majority or using this method instead.
sergiodelahoz Take a look at this video it may answer some questions you have about air. ua-cam.com/video/NitKKcibj20/v-deo.html
Is this for all brass?or just trumpet.
Ersten Sessel I believe that these concepts in this particular video do apply to all brass instruments but understanding to varying degrees according to those instruments
when I play those kinds of soft slurs, esp up in the staff I feel my lungs tiring before anything else