The Symphony of the Mountains is kicking off their 2010 – 2011 Season on August 28th, 2010 @ 8:00pm.  The concert will be held in the Toy F. Reid Employee Center – Eastman – Kingsport, TN.

Dress up as your favorite movie character and win a great prize!  Here is the current press release for the opening concert…

Symphony of the Mountains
“A Night at the Movies”
August 28, 2010, 8pm
Toy F. Reid Employee Center, Eastman, Kingsport

Hollywood is coming to Kingsport on Saturday August 28!  Come and enjoy “A Night at the Movies”, the opening concert of the Symphony of the Mountains 2010-11 season. Saturday, August 28, 8:00pm at the Toy F. Reid Employee Center, Eastman, in Kingsport. You will have a memorable experience!

The Symphony of the Mountains under the direction of Cornelia Laemmli will take you on a journey through the biggest blockbuster films;  2001: A Space Odyssey, The Godfather, James Bond, Titanic, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Pink Panther and many more. A special treat will be a piece written by the concertmaster of our Youth Orchestra, Benjamin Parks Dawson.

For a truly star-studded evening, come dressed as your favorite movie character for our costume contest. The first prize, donated by KNETIC, is a three day trip for two to Universal Studios in Orlando, including flights from the Tri-Cities airport, three nights at the All Star Resort in Orlando and three day passes to Universal Studios!
Join us after the concert at the Bus Pit (240 E Main St, Kingsport), where celebrity judges will present the prizes for the best costumes at 10:45pm.  The increcible local band, Wolf Creek will keep the music playing into the wee hours.  Present your Symphony ticket stub at the door of the Bus Pit for free admission.

For tickets and more information visit our website www.smphonyofthemountains.org or call the symphony box office at 423 392 8423 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              423 392 8423      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Tickets can also be purchased at the door the night of the performance.

If you’re up for a night of good music then take a drive up to Kingsport.   The Symphony of the Mountains is  a great local Orchestra.

I promised to keep everyone updated on our trip to Oneonta for our concert at the New York Summer Music Festival (NYSMF), but I did not.

Don’t hold it against me… I am only a Horn player after all.  We are a well meaning breed.  But, sometimes, events conspire to bring us down.  Sometimes,  we see something shiny and … SQUIRREL!

What was I saying??   Oh never mind…  Here’s a brief recap of our adventure into the Northern lands of this fine United States.  Our adventure, to the small picturesque town Oneonta, NY , the home of the NYSMF, started off with a bang.  Sean, rented us a fine “snot green” Jeep Patriot for our drive.  In the beginning this looked like it would be plenty big.  That was before we added the Tuba, French Horn, and Joel’s Trumpets.  That pretty much filled the entire storage compartment of the vehicle.  Now we had to add our luggage.   Needless to say, backing was a major hazard for us in that vehicle.   Thankfully, Sarah and Sam were already up at the Festival else, we would have had to rent a Hummer.

The drive was a pretty uneventful 13 hours of car riding bliss.  Joel taught us a VERY exciting game for the trip.  One that I won’t repeat here.  Because, once you start this game, it ALL goes down hill from there.  Happily, it provided us with countless hours of entertainment.  Once we arrived in Oneonta we unpacked and went to eat at the Neptune Diner. If you are ever in Oneonta, you need to visit this place.  They have EVERYTHING!!  After dinner we returned to the NYSMF campus and … rehearsed.  Yes, at 11:30 we met Sam and rehearsed until about 1:00am.

Before you ask, there is NO video of that rehearsal.  Joel, Sean and I were brain dead from 13 hours of driving and it was LATE!  You don’t want to hear it.  We only rehearsed in the first place because we hadn’t played as a group with Sam for about a month.

Our first morning started off with a reading of a Gabrieli Double quintet with the Festival’s Brass Faculty. Those guys were incredible!  I did get a video of the rehearsal reading but not the actual performance.  The camera ended up in a bad spot during the rehearsal.  Except for the jackhammer going off in the middle it sounded great but, the angle was bad and most of the people were cut out.  If any would like to hear/see that, leave a comment below and I will post it.

The remaining time was taken up with by working with some small ensembles and rehearsals for our Concert.   I still  need to go through all the pictures before I post them.  I have managed to get the concert off the camera and trimmed. Below you will find a Youtube playlist of the entire concert.  The tunes are in the order they were on the concert.  So,  if you turn up the sound and turn down the lights it will be ALMOST like you are there.  Total concert length comes in just a hair over an hour so, get yourself a drink and some popcorn and ENJOY!

Sean also taught the Brass Warm-up class one morning… I have video and pictures of that as well but, those all require Sean’s executive approval before I will post them.  The warm up class was quite interesting so, as soon as I get the A-OK, I’ll post up some of the highlights.  In the mean time, I hope you enjoy the show!

Short answer: THE SOUND!

Long, rambling stream-of-consciousness answer: See below.

To begin, I should explain that there are two main types of tubas: 1)Contrabass tubas (BBb and CC) and 2)Bass tubas (F and Eb). In very general terms, contrabass tubas have a deep, broad sound and bass tubas have a lighter, tighter sound, though there can be some variation on those characterizations, depending on the size of the instrument, etc….. But for now, I will discuss the uses of the four main keys of tubas below.

I should point out that the BBb tuba is the most popular key of tuba in public schools in the United States. The BBb tuba rose to popularity in the last 100 years from the school band movement boom (!)  and the stars of that movement were manufactured in influential factories in places like Elkhorn, Elkhart, Cleveland and Grand Rapids. Millions of dollars have been spent on advertising for school instruments targeting public schools, the BIGGEST market for instrument manufacturers.   All beginning band texts published in the last 20 years include instructions for BBb contrabass tuba. (You will find older methods that include Eb tuba books) Who was responsible for deciding that BBb would be THE tuba that we teach in the US schools? I dunno. That is for someone else’s dissertation. But, when you think of a characteristic ‘band’ brass bass sound or “tubby the tuba” oom-pah music, you are probably hearing a BBb tuba or sousaphone in your head.

The BBb tuba is also the contrabass tuba of choice for professionals in Germany, Great Britain and many other parts of the world. The BBb tuba is less popular among professional musicians in the United States, though there are relatively few orchestra, commercial and band players who use a BBb as their main contrabass instrument.

Among many professionals around the world, however, the BBb tuba has gotten a bad rap. The BBb tuba can be characterized as a sluggish, “tubby” instrument with a broad sound and a slow response. With every rule, thought, there is an exception. Listen to some of the things Nat McIntosh has done with a BBb sousaphone with the Youngblood Brass Band and you’ll be too busy picking your jaw off the floor to care what key his tuba is in.

Ahem. In very general terms, the response of a BBb tuba is slower compared to that of a CC, F or Eb tuba, since there is more tubing to fill up with air. Some people like this sound better than those made by other instruments. In Germany, the F tuba is used for most everything and the BBb tuba is reserved for only the ‘biggest’ orchestral literature that requires a big, broad sound like a Bruckner or Mahler symphony. Also, since the “tuba explosion” of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, the aspiring tuba player has been looking for equipment that will allow the easiest performance of the most challenging solo and chamber literature. Recordings by people like Roger Bobo, William Bell, Harvey Phillips and John Fletcher inspired us to push the accepted limits of the tuba and, coincidentally, none of these artists used a BBb tuba in their recordings.

The CC is the most popular key among professionals and college students in the United States. The response is quicker than that of the BBb tuba and is generally a more agile instrument. All tubas come in different sizes, from 3/4 size to 6/4 size. The size of the instrument generally dictates the amount of sound and projection and the breadth/quality of the sound. Many players use a 3/4 size instrument for chamber ensembles and 6/4 size instruments for large orchestras and bands.

The F tuba is the main orchestral horn for countless tubists in Europe. The sound of the F tuba is tight, compact, light and has a singing quality. Most F tubas are used for solos, chamber music and orchestral literature that requires a comparatively lighter sound. Though pitched a P5 higher than the BBb tuba, F tubas do not necessarily help a player play higher notes, but it is a more compact sound and an F tuba can provide agility that a contrabass tuba lacks. Also, some professional orchestral players like playing F tuba because to them,  it provides a better timbrel link between the trombones and the Double Basses than the contrabass tuba.

The sound of the Eb tuba is somewhere between an F tuba and a CC tuba. Eb were once quite popular in the US and are gaining popularity as a viable option for players seeking a great solo instrument with the depth and breadth of sound characteristic of a contrabass tuba.

Instrument technicians and other ‘mad scientists’ have made instruments in different keys like D & G, giving us choices much like the variety of keys available to trumpet players. They create these ‘alternative’ keyed horns because they say that different keyed tubas lend themselves to different keys or different composers’ music. I would tend to agree.

First, there is an unwritten (maybe, maybe not) rule of diplomacy whenever you rehearse. When making suggestions, try your best not to single any one person’s playing out for being “God-awful”. Instead, make a constructive comment that can be applied to everyone in the group. Instead of “Joe, you’re really stinking it up at 32.” you can say, “Can we all be extra sensitive to counting at measure 32, especially around beat three?” Everyone has an ego, feelings and sense of musicality- And we all play better when we feel like ours are respected. Be flexible and be willing to try things a different way. Be open to other ideas of musical interpretation. Be willing to make compromises and keep the lines of communication open. Always remember: It’s not about you, it’s about the music.

A second habit (a biggie) of successful chamber music groups is they really know the score. Know everyone else’s part as well as you know your own. Play from the score when you’re learning a new piece. Write other people’s rhythms into your part to remind yourself what else is going on while you’re playing. Know what member of the chord you are playing at all times and adjust intonation accordingly. If you don’t have the melody, get out of the way. Build a solid sense of time. Subdivide, subdivide, subdivide and count like crazy. Listen, listen, listen. Match articulations, pitch, dynamics. Play everything on the page and then some.

Habit #3: Record everything you rehearse and listen back to the recording. Set up a microphone or video camera in the corner of your rehearsal space and forget about it. Go back and watch/listen to how things REALLY went. The tape never lies…..dun-dun-DUUUUN.

Habit #4: Start and stop together and know who’s responsible for giving the entrance/cutoff. It sounds simple enough, but you would be surprised how difficult a concept starting together is for some groups to master. The key is for whoever starts the group to take a good breath in time (the tempo of the music) and with the energy that particular passage of music requires. It is also important, though slightly less so, to give a visual cue to the group to visually reinforce the tempo indicated with the breath. The other members of the group need some sense of the tempo in order to come in together and a solid breath, taken in tempo is the key to togetherness. Cutoffs require more of a visual cue. Just an up/down motion will suffice. Making a circle in the air with your horn as a conductor would is often a wasted motion since most people in the group will only be able to see you from one side instead of from the front. Oh, and listen, listen, listen.

Habit #5: If possible, never sight-read the first rehearsal of anything. This shows respect for your colleagues, and let’s face it- It saves rehearsal time. Also, come to rehearsal warmed up and ready to play. I know, this seems simple, but it makes a huge difference. If you do have to sight-read something, make sure you play the right rhythms. Nothing ever comes to a screeching halt when you miss notes, but if you guess at a rhythm- Train wreck city.

Habit #6: Always have a pencil at rehearsal.

Habit #7: Most all successful brass groups generate their own music. Everyone in the group should get into the habit of arranging, composing, commissioning, etc new music for the group and bring it into rehearsal. An advantage to writing your own music is it gives you the ability to tailor your charts to the group’s strengths and tastes and it gets you thinking about music from the composer’s point of view. Audiences will enjoy hearing fresh repertoire, too. If you think you’re no good at composing or arranging, think again. Just do it. It’s just like anything else. The more you do it, the better you will get. Everyone has to start somewhere. All composers and arrangers turn out some pretty bad music in the beginning. It’s okay. I’m sure you were responsible for a pretty raunchy Bb scale at some early point in your development, too….. Have fun and make music.

Ideally, I would really like to be able to spend about an hour on a good, methodical warmup,  but let’s face it- We don’t always have time for that. When you can’t spend that much time, find a few good exercises that get your air flowing, your ears listening and your face feeling limber again.

I like to warmup first thing in the morning, as early as possible. If I do this, I know that if  I get called to do some other task during the day- I will have at least touched the horn and done my routine. Nothing is worse that the feeling you get when it’s 10pm and  you realize you haven’t touched the horn all day. Do it early and it’s done.

When you sit down to warm up, what should your goals be? A-HA! Goals are good. Have them. Work towards them. Never sit down to practice without having a clear goal of what you wish to accomplish. That’s just logging time for the sake of logging time…And that’s not getting you anywhere.

When I sit down to warm up, I want to: 1)Get my breathing apparatus moving huge amounts of slow, warm air, 2) Get my fingers and chops coordinated with my breathing, 3)Touch on every type of music I’m likely to encounter. I want to play through every key, every articulation, every dynamic across the entire range of my instrument.

A typical warmup session for me will begin with stretching. The tuba is a particularly physical instrument to play, so to avoid sore muscles in my back, shoulders and elsewhere, I typically do some sort of stretching. If you’re new to stretching, or haven’t done it since middle school gym class, I would recommend Bob Anderson’s Stretching Book or a series of yoga DVD’s by Rodney Yee. I would do this for no more than five or ten minutes. You want to be in a relaxed state before you begin to play. Being physically relaxed will help many aspects of your playing when you pick up the horn.

After stretching, I like to do about five minutes of breathing exercises. I do not recommend any more time spent on this activity, because there is a risk of working towards “being a good breather” instead of becoming a great musician. My main breathing exercise consists of three sets of multiple-rep “blows” through the horn, with and without valves depressed. Each set is at a different tempo. The first set is at quarter note = 60. The second set is identical to the first, but at quarter note =120. The third set is at quarter note=35. There are many pauses throughout this routine, for both reflection as well as regaining consciousness. All breathing should be as relaxed as possible and breathe to absolute capacity (and then some) every time you take a breath.

As tuba players, our ultimate goal should be to move huge amounts of slow, warm air while making great music. That should be on the top of the idea pile while you do the breathing exercise.

After breathing, I like to do a little mouthpiece buzzing. Again, not too much, since buzzing the mouthpiece is so much more efficient than playing the instrument- it also places more stress on your facial muscles. You should rest your chops one minute for every thirty seconds of buzzing you do. Also, try to always buzz at a piano or some other pitch source. Buzzing while using the piano as a pitch reference will help you engage your ears to match pitch and provide a reference for “where the heck you are” range-wise.

After buzzing, I go into a long-tone routine. The focus should be to produce a beautiful sound, taking in as much air as possible every time you breathe. It’s during the variations on the long-tone exercise that I like to add different articulations to my routine.

Articulations…..When you think about it, brass players are capable of many more different types of articulations than we actually practice or even think about every day. Of course, we have marcato and legato…But what about pure legato, legato tongue, marcato sostenuto, forte-piano, sforzando, orchestral accent, staccattissimo and breath articulations? I think that incorporating these articulations into your daily routine will help you master each of them while breaking up the monotony of your long-tones and “Remington”-type exercises.

I like to go through all the keys and finger patterns in my warmup. One of my favorite exercises is what I call the “diatonic scale exercise”….You play a major scale up and down in one octave- then you start on the supertonic, going up and down in one octave, but you keep the same key signature as tonic. Go all the way up to tonic again and arpeggiate back down to the first tonic.

I like to work on intonation with a series of arpeggios in all the keys. At the same time, I’m listening to my sound and keeping my breathing slow and relaxed. I do, from time to time, play along with a drone during my practice time to work on listening and putting notes right where they need to be, pitch-wise.

Also, we have too many technological resources at our disposal for anyone to have an excuse to not record themselves on a regular basis. Record yourself. Listen to the recording. Repeat. Listen. Improve. Repeat.

I have typed out a few exercises from my daily warmup routine in bass clef for tuba and trombone/euphonium those of you who would like to try it out. There are many more exercises than I’ve mentioned here. I can’t claim to be the originator of the exercises I do- I’ve just collected many exercises and concepts that were introduced to me by some of the fantastic teachers I’ve had along my journey: John Stevens, Andrew Oppenheim, Roger Bobo and Sande MacMorran. I also highly recommend the James Stamp Trumpet Warm Up Book, Roger Bobo’s Mastering the Tuba Book and The Brass Gym.

The KnoX Brass Worx Co. would like to take a moment and thank all military, police, and firefighters who have served or are serving our country.

Thank You!

Today started our “grand push” toward our July performance at the New York Summer Music Festival.   Our “grand push” is, lets just say, ambitious.  But don’t worry we will be recording some random events from these rehearsals as the mood strikes us.  With that in mind, here is a run through of a Duke Ellington tune called “In a Sentimental Mood“.

We’re not a 100% sure who the arranger is as these parts appear hand written and only one mentions the arranger as Jack Gale.  So, for all practical purposes this arrangement is by Jack Gale.

We Hope you enjoy!

It is possible we will be giving a pre-trip performance of our July show.  I will update the site as soon as we find a suitable location.

Here are a few random pictures from our last few gigs.  No videos or recordings from these just plain old “static” pictures. But here you go anyway, enjoy!

Onward we go!   Next on the agenda is the Hooding ceremony for the University of Tennessee Law School.    Now, unless you or a friend or family member is graduating from the Law School, most of you wont be able to attend this one.   Although,  they probably wouldn’t throw you out if you wanted to crash the event to hear us.  In fact, I recommend it!!!  Crash away, then leave before the boring stuff gets started.  We are planning a lovely program of fast, raucous, rip-roaring tunes.  At any rate, here is a sample… This one was recorded last so forgive the decrease in tempo… I think we were getting a little bleary eyed.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here… something a little crazy.  I’m gonna try and get some of the other peoples in the group to post from time to time… Any thoughts?  Too crazy?

Anyway… Amidst all our rehearsing (between all the bad puns from Joel) we decided to break things up a bit and read another new piece.  This one came to us again from Warren Clark.  If you’ll remember Warren stopped by one of our rehearsal a while back and gave us a couple of new charts.  This is an arrangement of “Hello Young Lovers” from the Musical “The King and I” … (Which as far as musicals go, isn’t all that bad …)  I think we may add this tune to our Program for the Rossini Festival.

What do you think?

Our Tubist, Sean Greene will perform John Williams’  Tuba Concerto with the Orange County Symphony Orchestra this Sunday, March 28 at 7pm at Servite High School in Anaheim, CA.  Also on the program are Mendelssohn’s 5th Symphony and Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis.  Anthony Parnther is conducting.   Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students/seniors.

Sean hopes to see some of you there!