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The Modern Trombone

T he Modern Trom bone A Definition of Its Idioms NlU

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ST U A R T DEM PSTER

l,’li)iA 'JA U \'S V E f;5 ;7 /

SCHCCLOF^USiO U BRARy

Bi.OOf®GrcsV, IN47405 INDIANA U N I\T R S n Y LIBRARIES BLOOMINGTON

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Accura Music, Inc. A th e n s, O h io

To m y wife, Renko

Clonicnis

List o f Recordeii E x a m p le s.................................................................. xi A c k n o w le d g m e n ts .................................................................................xv F o re w o rd ....................................................................................................

1

I. Voice and M u ltip h o n ic s .........................................................................

5

The Voice, 5 Voice and Buzzed Lip, 6 The Scream , 8 High Register Close Double Stopping, 8 Spht Tone, 9 Buzzed Lip and Muted Vowel Harmonics, 9 A uxiliary Double or Single Reed, 12

II.

Vowels and C o n s o n a n ts ........................................................................ 13 Buzzed Vowels, 13 Vowel H arm onics, 14 Vocal Vowels, 14 Tonguings, 15 C onsonants, 16

HI. G l i s s a n d o s .................................................................................................18 Normal Glissando, 18 Bent T one, 19 H arm onic Glissando, 20

IV.

M ic r o to n e s .................................................................................................24 Just Tuning, 25 Sixth Tones, 26 Q uarter Tones and Eighth Tones, M icrotones, 27 Leaps o r Skips, 27 R everberation, 28 D oppler, 28

V.

26

V ibratos and T r i l l s ...................................................................................29 Slide V ibrato, 29 Lip or Jaw V ibrato, 31 Tongue or Vowel V ibrato, 32 Diaphragm or G ut V ibrato, 33 Trill and Shake, 34 T rem olos, 35 V oice V ibratos, 35 Mute V ibratos, 35

vn

( O N / I N JS VIII

V I,

VII.

V III.

O th e r H o d y .............................................................................................................................................. ...... f)u//.e(l I-lp, * lonKKC-Hu//, 4I m Sh.pl.;nK-*c, l-lNtf/, -«■'< IridlHofial Mu((crloriK'J«, 1'/ Voicc, 3‘/ l-.iop»iaj(fal Spccdi amf f ’lowd .S ound!, '♦I Throal Sound*, 42 nitk » an d Iliuckt, 41 Air Sound*, 4 3 Inhaled .Sound*, 44 Circular Hreaflijn*, 44 Slide and Hell l)i'>:iHScmt>iy........................................................................... Mouthpiet-c, 46 Slide Section, 47 BeJI Section, 4 "I-” Attathment or "Triiwr," 4V Valve Trcmolo, 50 P e r c u s s i v e I Je v ic e < > a n d A c c m o r i c * ............................................................................... 5 1

Two Moufhpiecc*. 53 Palm on Moulhpiecc, 53 Bell F-djfe Ifittin*, 54 Vacuum, 54 Mutei, 54 Sfickn, 55 Circular Breathinj; Beater*, 55 Extra Percui«ion, 56 Scraping, 57 Water, 58 Kazoo, 58 Mouthpiece Beater, 59 IX.

M u t e s ................................................................................................................... fiO Wa-wa, 61 Buzz, 6] Plunger,

62

Hat, 63 Felt, Bucket, and Hand, 63 Cup, 64 Mute Nucleui, 65 Mute Effectiveneii, 65 Mute Harmonici, 66 X. M eans o f E x te n s io n ............................................................................................ 67 Piano Reionance, 67 KJectronici, 6ll, 42 (|, A lirin, A l r. V c ljit(’llt k. 4< %, f'onllniiniiH V rliu , >] t I. Noii-pllt'hcd I'pcldl Tniirn, 4 t II. KimhliiK A ir, A » V. I)(>K I’linl, WIilHllliiK AllriMiilliiK wllli HI(.w|ii(j. A \ w. Vocal Itilialc, 44 X. Hu/./,cil Infiiilo, 44 C h ap ter VII a. l,ip Uuzz, 4ri I), I,lp Muzz Into M o iitlip irip , Al» D dtir wllli I'liillc ilo n u m ’. 4ri c. Moullipiccc 'I'alk. W oikinK IlitiulN In I'Voiil ol' M(»iillipliHc. 4(i (I. PliiyinK on Inside (O u te r Sllile ()(T) Sluit’ S ecllon Alone (W ith M onthpieiT ). 47 c. Playinn on Slide Sciilion w ith O nly (he 'I'op Tiihr I'.iiKaKcd. 4K f. V acuum Sm ack (Crcatirifi S ucllon and h illin g O u ter Slide O ff), 4H «. Blowing over Slide 'l uheN, A» over a H ottie, 4H h. Slide S cctio n A lone, M outh on M outhpiece and 'I'huinb ( ‘overinn l.ow cr T uIhv C reating S uction and PrcNHure A ltcrn a lciy by Moving Slide Hack and I-orth, 4K i. Valve Slide R em oved and K eplaced, 49 j. Valve Slide O ff: Cuivr6 liffect, 50 k, Valve 7 rc rn o lo ; Playlnit witli One Valve I'u Ijc (InKaned, 50 I, Slow Valve T re m o lo (M alf Valve liffect Included), 51

C h ap ter VIII a. Beating T w o M o uthpieces T o g eth er, 5.1 b. S trik in g M o u th p iece w ith Palm , Leaving Palm On, 53 c. S trikinx M o u th p iece w ith Palm , HrinKlnK Palm O ff Q uickly, 54 d. A* in b. and c. B ut MovinK the Slide fo r Pitch V ariation, 54 c- H ittin g Bell hdgc with King, 54 f, Platitic-handled P ercustion Stick in (Jrip Area, 55 K- Snare fJrum Brush on Hell, 55 h, Supcrball B eater on Bell: R ubhing S ounds, 55 i. P roducing R h y th m i by V ariation* in C ircular Breathing (Sec Also IV .d.), 55 j. Scraping Bell on P loor, 57 k. Scraping Bell on Piano Strings and Piano F ram e (See Also IV .h.), 57 1. Playing w ith Bell near o r U nder W ater, 5f
. « l . « t a l in,

I............................... . ....... .......................

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............... .. ...... ..... ................ ............. I ll.i..« l. I..I I....... .

........... .

........... I. II

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tiody u,c, | ,r .» l,.c lL .ii ..I l o i i c n r w if i, , , w , l i l y t h a n « « .

I'm I, I l,»|,li*i l« « mill mt'l I' I o\\M\ laxt v'\'nv\'uaut a\a»labU \ >v»t1\o\’ »t to sa> th at sonio rvvnt n»v)st be left for the imagir.aU\‘n

sS ts\N '^ /‘ u'viuuuDi v'a«vt\»l anaK sis o t'th o m aton.il discussed above and nf\juinng

,itu 'tu i\'n to uio u 'diblo d otail. is v'uK a < vm t o f dopaituro I'his c h a p tc r can only em phasize :h a t p o in t.

Soo tho n o \t ohaptoi to i a tVill vlisvussivMt o f " I 'c n t" toties. and also lov'k up " p n \'.!e g e d " and "fj^Not" tv'uox undoi , Vr,*.>or. s X , . t - . .r .. . I'ln .riv n orCahloim a IV v , I'’ 'J '. I'l' . v t t t r " * ' •!« ?f.sn,'n. „p ^ ** If

UA RM O N IC C .ilSSA NDO The harm onic glissando is like a b en t tone ex cep t th a t the p e r to n n o r " b u m p s ” over severiii pnr, This cffect is generally term ed a “ d ro p ” in jazz, but in d icates a ra th e r siH'cified use o f the In,,, glissando and is pro b ab ly the oldest forin. It m ight sim ply look like this: E xam ple 2: Drops

n

f"

Exam ple 2b exhibits a less com m on b u t occasionally seen version o f tliis phen

Exam ple 3c w ould n o t be as likely on tro m b o n e as on tm m p e t. This has also been tenned the “scoiH'“ yet this term can apply also to Exam ple 3a o r 3b. T he term “ rip ” is m ore likely to be undorsfooil. T he confusion w ith rips and dro p s is really in th at any o r all three - bent to n es, h alf valve, or liiinnouK glissando - m ight be used. T he term “ sm ear,” by the w ay. generally applies to the "n o n n at" gliSNiiiiilo b u t will probably m ost o ften apply to E xam ple 3a o r 3b. T here is m u ch co n fu sio n w ith ail thcsi' Ifrniv b u t, in any case, all o f these effects have been in use in jazz for m any years. W hat is new ab o u t harm onic glissandos is the e x ten d e d u.se now m ade o f them and the ditlereni form s they have taken. This increased use d ates roughly from the tim e o f the com position ol by Jan Bark and Folke R abe, p u t together" in the early sixties. It was. for instance, a very inniu'nn.il w ork for E rickson’s Ricercare a 5, and served as an inspiration fo r b o th I’rickson and me to work on pp. 135-137, for the com plete w ritten o u t solo th a t Phil Wilson played in ‘• n ig h t o f the Sackbiii from the album The United States A ir Force Presents “Serenade in (Program No. Side A), See a fte r letter L for the buzzed glissando and b en t to n e , as well as m ultiplionies. "" Tud-UI tongue, and m uch m ore. 7. See the discussion in C h ap ter II ab o u t “ fa k e" trigger notes used in th e Erickson (.Vh' extensive piece on microtuning, just as C hapter V will be. B oth ghssandos and vibratos are. in fact, made up almost entirely o f some kind o f non-half-step tuning. The slide, being unique to the trombone, makes any kind o f unusual tunings or internal structures easy because .t can be placed anywhere. Thus the title Microtones for this chapter does no t tell the whole story, since definite interval structures such as quarter or sixth tones are not really “ m icro” in concept. Though this one word best describes what this chapter is about, its real title ought to be Quarter Tones, Other

Smaller than Half Step Intervals, Special Tunings, and Microtones. The trom bone is unique in being the only buzzed lip in stalm en t th at can conveniently resonate any pitch. The key word here is conveniently, because o th er brass can do these things, but doing so is

not convenient. Furtherm ore, if a trom bone does not have a slide but is ra th e r a valve trom bone, then it is not really a trom bone at all, because the basic principle which sets the tro m b o n e apart from the other brass has been rem oved.’ To me, the use o f the word “ tro m b o n e” means th at a slide is present, so a valve trom bone is really a cylindrical bore baritone. Jn the entire orchestra, the trom bone is one o f only a very few instrum ents th at can handle micro­ tones with real convenience, the others being the cello, the contrabass, and tym pani. Others, o f course, can do them but it is, again, relatively /nconvenient; e.g., the harp has to pick up a tuning key, valve and key instrum ents have to plan out their fingerings, on the violin o r viola the distance betw een half steps is small, and so on. It is significant, too, th at all easily m icrotoned in stru m en ts are bass clef instrum ents; Like the contrabass and cello, the trom bone has a great d istance betw een h a lf steps. This distance is actually about three or more^ inches along the slide, w ith p le n ty o f room for pitch

I. “ The simple mechanism o f the lengthening-slide is, indeed, so co m p lete and p erfec t th at it seems to be incapable o f further im provem ent, and it is quite arguable th at a tro m b o n e ceases to be one when the slide mechanism is replaced by any o th e r device” (A dam Carse, Musical Wind Instru­ ments [New York. Da Capo Press, 1965], p. 251). fa rth er a p a rt the m ore the h e c n m /™ f ^^pect o f a tube IS lengthened ail aspects are lengthened). M ost players become aware o f this in using an F attach m en t but, oddly enough, the variability betw een half 24

IV

M K K O Ionhs

25

, , t e r i a l at any p o in t a lo n , the way,^ Q u a rte r tones, for .nstance. w.,1 be .h o u t one and . half inches a p a rt, w hereas six th to n es will be a b o u t an ,nch apart, F i.h th tones wHl s i .p l y ..v u le the q u arter to n e in ha . t K re b y being ab o u t three q u arters o f an inch apart. These are not Jifr.c i.lt to learn, especially w hen o n e realizes th a t the w hole step has been divided in to half steps for cen tu n cs. Very co m p lex in to n a tio n stru c tu re s are accom plished w ith relative ease.

JU ST TUNING A n um ber o f pieccs v an o u sly em ploy these phenom ena, and it w ould be well to exam ine som e o f the n o tatio n s involved. O f th e m ore o u tstan d m g o f these so far is Ben Jo h n sto n ’s One Mar, * The use o f m icrotones is ex ten siv e, even exhaustive. Jo h n sto n ’s idea is to convey a ju stly tem pered scalc. par­ ticularly em p h asizing th e seventh partial. The n o tatio n used is fairly clear except th at it does not relate visually to th e slide p attern s. In m astering this w ork. I related to the traditional seven slide positions and used such designations as bV to indicate a slightly lowered fifth position or bbV to indi­ cate a m ore th an slightly low ered fifth position.

was low er yet, this tim e raising the sixth position,

and #V I was still tow er, being only a slightly raised sixth position. While not (juite as accurate as the original d esignations, these altered p ositions w orked as a functional guide to the notation and lent them selves b e tte r to eye-hand co o rd in a tio n . A fter this had been achieved, then, using the ear allowed the fine tu n in g necessary to p ro d u ce as the com poser desired. The only fru stra tin g draw b ack I n o ticed was th at after a few successive perform ances, where it was not possible to p ra ctice in b etw een , the tuning gradually w orked its way tow ard equal tem peram ent. Only experience can tell w h e th e r this is a syndrom e th at will m anifest itself in other situations requiring m icrotones. 1 th in k n o t, and w ould ra th e r believe th at this problem is caused by the perform er’s mind focusing strongly o n n o t on ly “ n o rm al” problem s, such as high range, but also thm e o f th eater and percussion as well. A b rie f exam ple (1 ) below will serve to indicate the problem s involved, but it is strongly recom m ended th at th e read er co n su lt the score in its en tire ty , for its interesting notation and copious annotation', will be m ost h elp fu l to any co m p o ser o r tro m b o n ist. steps is o ften o verlooked on the te n o r trom bo ne. “ T he R elationship o f the Slide to P itch." C hapter 6 in G eorge M ax ted ’s b o o k Talking A b o u t the Trombone (L ondon: John Baker Ltd , pp provides an in tere stin g discussion o f this phenom enon. 3 “ T he tro m b o n e stands alone am ongst the family o f brass instrum ents in that it is by n ature chrom atic, and has never been any th in g else. Its tube is not limUed to a tixed length, nor to certain fixed lengths calculated to sound sem itones apart, bu t can be adjusted to all possible leng hs w uh.n the lim its o f its sh o rte st w hen the slide is draw n up, and its longest when .. cylindrical p o rtio n o f its tu b e (over tw o thirds o f the w hole) can be increased by a l m o s n ^ degrees to nearly d o u b le its original length, and is absolutely straight except for one L-bond. Its ucgrees to nearly u u u i ic b . perfect, w hether m easured by a tem pered or by chrom aticism is co m p lete and its in to n atio n can oe pci , an u n tem p ered scale" (A dam C aise, M m c a l Wmd p, .5 1 y 4^ M uch is to be n o te d aboi.1 th is piece, particularly its use o f accessor,- percussion .n str^m cn ts and th e use o f th e a te r (see C hapters V III and XI, respective y

IV. M I C R O T O N E S 26 Hxample 1: Jo h n sto n One Man, page 6, bars 47-50

K (D____ ( g )

® {§)

- - 4 -------- ^--------

Ijt

r 7 r ^ ------^-------------- *”

---------^ Used by p erm ission, M edia Press, B ox 6 9 5 , C ham paign. Illinois 61820.

S f XT H TONES Example 2, from Barney ChilAs's Music, is m uch m ore clear-cut. Involving six th to n es, th e notation is unique and, although difficult to grasp at first, visually represents th e actu al sound. Exam ple 2: Childs Music, page 8, line 3

© 1 9 6 6 Barney Childs. All rights reserved. R e p rin ted by perm ission o f A m erican C o m p o sers A lliance, N ew Y ork.

Each line indicates a half step (instead o f the norm al w hole step ), and this causes som e confusion. The sixth tones are placed visually closer to the ap p ro p riate lines. A m ore easily assim ilable n o tatio n could be used, relating to the norm al staff, bu t would u n fo rtu n a te ly take up d o u b le o r m ore space in the music; for the purposes at hand, the above is a very elegant exam ple. As desirable as this n o tatio n is for clarity, it has a lim ited range usage; how , for instance, can o n e express m icro to n es w ith this kind o f clarity in a passage full o f leaps over an octave?®

QUARTER TONES AN D EIGHTH TONES A b e tte r idea m ight be the n o tatio n seen in the T on D eLeeuw Music. In th e in stru c tio n s, he writes of dividing the half step in to “ ca 4 com m as,” fu rth e r statin g th a t “ tw o com m as equals a q u a rte rto n e .” The result in the music is a play betw een q u a rte r and eighth to n es, the n o ta tio n in th e piece indicating these commas. One useful aspect o f this n o ta tio n is its relationship to the tra d itio n a l staff, and it is therefore easier to assim ilate. Had the sym bols them selves been w ritte n clearly , th e passage would be virtually sight readable. His sym bols, fo r exam ple, are r

, m eaning a sharp raised by one com m a (an

eighth to n e), and i , m eaning a flat low ered by tw o com m as (a q u a rte r to n e ). A n exam ple (3) below will serve to indicate the ease with w hich one can understand and p erfo rm it. 5. This m ight never be a problem . See later in this c h a p te r u n d e r “ Leaps o r sk ip s.”

JV.

m ic r o t o n e s

27

E xam p le 3: De Leeuw Music, page 4, line 1

(7 )

m

© 1 9 7 4 b y D O N E M U S -A m stetdam . All rights reserved. R eprinted by Permission of C. F. Peters C orporation, sole selling agents for the Western Hemisphere.

m ic r o t o n e s

The m ost elegant exam ple o f the best “ m icrotones” is seen in the Robert Erickson General Speech, o n t can observe m icro tonal playing from beginning to end {see Appendix I for the entire score). The m icrotonal fluidity o f speech itself is intended here, and the notation used represents this adm irably. The notation is w ithin a trad itio n al fram ew ork, and that advantage cannot be overemphasized because it enables a p erfo rm er to assim ilate the piece more quickly. The true m eaning o f m icrotones is evident in this piece through the very fine gradations o f pitch change taking place. T he last h alf o f line 7 going into the first half o f line 8 seems particularly illus­ trative (see A ppendix I). N otice how the pitch creeps up, drops back, and then creeps up again. It is this m ovem ent coupled w ith traditional pitches that give the work a sort o f “ sing-song” effect, a type of “ sprechstim m e,” w hich is appropriate since hum an speech provided the material for the piece. Microtonal gradations are in evidence during the vibratos, glissandos, “ fake” trigger, and half valve; see the ap p ropriate ch ap ters (V, III, II, and VII) for further inform ation.

LEAPS OR SKIPS For a w orkable n o ta tio n involving leaps (all the o ther works cited have a very limited range), one should consult L arry A ustin’s CHANGES,^ in which he uses partially fllled-in notes to indicate q u arte r tones (

* u p and ^

dow n). This is w orkable for the purpose he has assigned, but how would one

notate eighth o r six th tones? I prefer the De Leeuw system even though it leaves a question as to how sixth tones m ight be indicated. Also, I assume th at any m icrotonal passage will generally be o f lim ited range and large skips will b e avoided. Skipping w ith m icrotones conveys simply an ou t o f tune feeling, whereas it is th e ju x ta p o sitio n o f adjacent half and quarter steps, for instance, th at m akes the use o f m icrotones interesting. A n o tatio n such as Barney Childs uses, if it were expanded to a traditional staff

(using lots o f paper), or such as Robert Erickson uses, would provide the most useful

all-encom-

passlng n o tatio n while at the same time retaining the relaliomhip to the traditional staff. It is possible, Ihen, to perforra virtually any kind o f microtonal passage. -n.e examples above demonstrate that even the notation need not be a limiting factor if thought through clearly.

6- See page 7 (and elsew here) in the score.

IV

m i c r o t o n e s

.'S

K t \ I K U t K \ /7N I M .,

uonUHMu-

„ o ,n b o n e h k o in s tru m e n ts ) in a r e v e rb e ra n t r o o m , o r ev e n in to a p ia n o w .th j,,

N o A o a . oiu' oan p io v lu a ' all k in J s o f m ic ro to n a l h a r m o n ie s t h a t a re o f m t e r e s t (se e m y Jen

u,xm J H.Ku-fv i in .1 oirolo o w r the head ^see rc c o rd c d e x a m p le s). T h e o t h e r m e th o d is t o h a v e in s tr u m e n t and

iva

pl;t\ci ro ta te as one unit tsoe th e DiJieridervish p a rt o f Ten G rand H osery in A p p e n d ix II). In I'onclusion, the tro m b o n e is th e m ic ro to n a l b rass in s tr u m e n t p a r e x c e lle n c e . V ir tu a lly a n y kind ot pitv it s tru c tu re can be set u p fo r use w ith a su rp risin g lack o f lim ita tio n s . H a v in g a c o m p le te ly variable pipe len.cth co n v e n ie n tly at h a n d is sim ila r to th e a b ility o f a c e llo o r c o n tr a b a s s to v a ry th e stn n n lenjjth. V rom bone and c o n tra b a ss in p a rtic u la r seem t o w o rk w e ll to g e t h e r , ju d g in g fro m th e appcarancc o f several rv'cent c o m p o sitio n s fo r th is c o m b m a tio n . T h e m ic r o to n a l p r o p e r tie s o f th e tro m b o n e um d o th e r in stru m e n ts as w ell, fo r th a t m a tte r ) h av e b a r e ly b e e n ta p p e d . 7. Also see C h a p te r X, n o te 11. fo r a b rie f d isc u ssio n o f iriy S ta n d in g Waves. N. See bar 2 . on page 13 o f th e score.

Chapter V: Vibratos and I rills

The tro m b o n e p ro d u c e s v ib ra to in a t least th ree ways, as well as in o th e r ways th a t are m ore o r less vibratolike in th e ir fu n c tio n . A m ong th e la tte r are th e trill and the shake, which will be discussed at the end o f th e c h a p te r. O f th e p rim a ry vibratos, th e variables o f frequency, am plitude, and tim bre, m ost instrum ents have a ch o ice o f o n ly tw o , o r choose to use elem ents o f only two. Strings, fo r instance, use elements o f freq u en c y and slight tim b re changes. F lautists and som e double reed playere use m ostly an am p h tu d e variable. The tro m b o n ist seldom ch ooses to use a variable am plitude vibrato - the fam iliar “ diaphragm ” o r “gut” v ib rato - alth o u g h it is read ily available. The tw o variable tim bre vibratos are accom plished by changing to n g u e sh apes o r b y m o v em en ts o f th e jaw . The form er has n o com m on nam e and is rarely used, b u t th e la tte r is k n o w n as e ith e r th e “ lip ” o r th e “ja w ” vibrato and is used quite frequently. Also often used is th e fre q u e n c y variable k n o w n co m m o n ly as th e “ slide” vibrato. In jazz it is q u ite possible to find the slide an d lip (o r ja w ) v ib ra to interm ingled o r exchanged. Here are the three prim ary vibratos, w ith po ssib le n o ta tio n s, in th e ir norm al (fast and narrow ) param eters: Va

Exam ple 1; T h e T h re e P rim ary V ib rato s, N orm al P aram eters

u

la : SliJe

i.

Vvvvvvvvvvvw

I t : L i p (Jaw) Jc: Diaphragm C M

ruw w w vxrL

s l /d e v i b r a t o

The slide v ib rato varies th e p itc h b y th e m ovem ent o f the slide,* and is heard m ost often m jazz. Example 1a suggests a p o ssib le n o ta tio n fo r use in a song o r a ballad. Tl.ere is a large choice, how ever, T T T ------: ----------------- J m nre than once by people w ho have ap p aren tly studied th l i co rn ere d a f te r le c tu r predom inantly an am plitude variable he shde v ib rato in fro n t o f an oscilloscope no d o u b t, to the fact th a t in and not as m u ch o f a p itch variable as o n e n o t change significantly b u t ra th e r becom es the norm al slide v ib ra to p a ra m e te r th e ® the tonal center. W hatever th e p o in t a ‘b e n t” to n e (an d th e re b y loses a m p litu d e ) on each sjde o t the tonai 29

V

V VI HK A r o s A N D I R I I . I . S

»n I'Wi l\ \

.inJ \pooil In vijiiuljinl iMojiortiotiiil no(;itiotiiil dcviccs, one ce n tim eter will equal ot inno I'lio .ihovi' o\i» ii|'lo 1 1a), (lion, woulil show nbout fo u r vibrato cycles per second

Hu' ov.Mnplo 1 M bolow \lu'\vs wliiit tniKiil 1x’ tionc when varyiii)! this vibrato: \»>

(

Slitlv' VibiiUo, W m ablo Spcod a n d /o r W idth

I— —I---- 1------1----- r " - r --- T----- 1----- r—

—I

(WiJtr) Hus v oiiM bo w ritten on a stalT witli pitctics indicated (p aren th etically ) if desired, bu t one could also vunpiv asMnno (hat (ho posidon o f the vibrato on the s ta ff would be the pitch: IAiuuplo

Slide V it'ra(o. Mon' Detlnito Pitch Indication r > r Jw t ' C v

H\c ipiestion at this point, then, becontcs: "W hen does a slide vibrato cease to be a vibrato and become a jilissando *" The answer is sim ply that (lie tw o can merge o r divide at any tim e (cf. C hapter III), since the slide vibrato is a ulissando. \ special use o f this glissando vibrato is seen in the Erickson

K ii'm ,itr li

whetv (he note is attacked loudly and a quick dim inuendo executed during a fast,

wide vibrato. What is actually done might look like the following exam ple (4): \\t

Fxaniple 4: Slide V ibrato, Fast and Wide w ith Diminishing W idth

A nother use is the "v ib rato " betw een the first and seventh positions in the beginning o f Bolos by Rabe and Hark, a now classic exam ple o f how the slide vibrato merges in and o u t o f glissandos. Shortly after tl>e bi'Hinning o f the piece, a wa-wa m ute is “ vibratoing" at the sam e tim e (see pp. 35-36 b elo w l o f view, any trom bonist who tries to play a slide vibrato w ith an am plitude variable m entality is in (txMible! I'lie point o f departua* should be one o f varying the p itch; one m ust be able to blend into the norm al ulissando. It is perhaps significant that the slide vibrato can stop by use o f the horizontal line and becom e confused w ith the “ g u t" vibrato (see Exam ple 12). In Andrew Im brie’s Thrrc Skclchcx, there is a slide vibrato requested for the “ d o lce” section at the beitiiuiiitiii o f the third m ovem ent. In the louder sections it seems easy to m ake th e slide vibrato Urotesque. In (he sof(er sections it is difficult to even hear the vibrato. In o th e r w ords, the softer one plays, (ho m ore c)ne m ust overdo the slide vibrato action; conversely, the lo u d er one plays, the less slide action is desirable. Iliis all probably has to d o w ith the am plitude factor in the slide vibrato, since Ihe “ rate o f ciTectiveness" o f this so-called pitch variable is apparently changed by the at which It is played. 2, See paut*s

10. and I I o f the score.

V V I H K A I O S A N D r R II t S

II

lirofi fAWVniHATO iTie lip ‘’f jrion

*'

in iiwKc to the ulidc vihrato, 7^11% in cxccutcd w ith an crn b o u ch u rc vari-

m ovrm cnl of e ith e r Ihc lip, (aw. o r boKi However, the term “jaw " vibrato b c\t -

" ; I r t ^ r !ih n ,.o ,

1

ir ^ c h o .h er .o u „ d s a,

.KM . . . n y vibn.,0* a, . . . .nc, wU. in d « c . appoar under o , h « chap.e,

,^ c ^r.v.Jor -l..1m ,ion o f w,.a> a vibrato I. (or n„gh. be) n m st he c o n sid er e d ;,. is s,mp.y a .„ o « o .'o r « n .„ io n o f one o f .h .ec .>asio func.ions in music: fre.,uenoy. am plitude, and timbre. Rhythm « m « to be the onl> clement that cannot be -vibratoed": l.o » ev e r . n o tice the rhythn.ic c W « in a.1 t ie evamrlos. For the ^ .le o f a.m p.eteness, then, the fol.ow in s phenom ena are descn b ed (remember, the

v'r ^o\vcI vibr.jto h.»s alR'.uiy been liiscussedV

TRllL A S n S H A K F ITie trill ar.d d u k e .ire b o th t'n.'miency variables. a n J as such d ese rv e m e n tio n a lo n g w ith v ib rato Nrv'duse ot‘ th e cKve relationshir- Basically, a trill is a ra p id c h a n g e o f p itc h . M o st o rc h e s tra tio n books m ention trills enousih so th at th e y will be dism issed here e.xcept to re c o m m e n d t h a t (1 ) lip trills smaller th an a m 4.ior second be avoided an d (>) th e p o sitio n s o f th e tr o m b o n e be c h e c k e d to see that the pitches desired are w ithin a position o f each o th e r. E .xtrem ely w'ide trills c a n b e c o m e h arm o n ic jdissandv^ and should be th o u g h t o f as such (cf. C h a p te r III), W ide trills o v e r a f o u r th o r fifth are iwnenilly the only choices in th e low er register and th e re fo re are n o t u su a lly d e sire d . Hovvever. a good take trill o t a m^^ior second in th e m iddle to lo w er re g ister can b e a c c o m p lish e d b y sin g in g th e required pitch aboNe the played (.buzzed) p itch (cf. C h a p te r I).” The shake is a n o th e r m eth o d (m o re co m m o n to th e tn im p e t b u t still u sed o c c a sio n a lly o n th e trom ­ bone) to o b tain trills. It is done ju s t as th e term im plies: so m e sh a k e th e h e a d , o th e r s sh ak e th e instru­ m ent, and still o th ers shake b o th . These ac tio n s can be ob serv ed f r e q u e n tly a m o n g ja z z p lay ers. I teel th at a properly e.xecuied variable-by-buzzing trill is far s u p e rio r to th e sh a k e . J a z z u se o f th e shake, how eve,. especially » ith th e occasional co u p .in g o f b e n t to n e s a n d o th e r d e ric e s , o f te n ca n b e im por­ tan t. The m il. how ever, is a m eth o d th a t can usually be m o re ea sily c o n tro lle d a n d v arie d - assuming the perto rm er is adept at it.*

7. \ o t e the tro m b o n e parts in bars 4 3 -^ 4 78-79 and see how. as fake trills, thev lit in nicelv w ith recorded on New World R econis (NW '*54)

Ricercarvd,^ on A couTtk M assachusetts

AQ n .

a a i . A n d re w I m b n e s Tftree S ketch es, te x tu re o f th e piece. T liis w o rk is

m u ltip le layere, o n e sh o u ld h e a r th e E rick so n ^ ni.». plain pedal n o te as being flu tte rto n g u e d . G enerally, a com poser writes a fluttertorir-Jt

*o

i

louder or m ore rau co u s so und. N e ith er o f these things happens when the flu tterto r.^u ' n iv/'. or notes; indeed, th e e ffe c t will b e to actu ally reduce the very loudness and raucousne^s *ith

f /t ' H

notes are already blessed. F o r exam ples o f this problem , see the scores of Sequenza V by U c .a r .', b rrv . and Ton De L eeuw ’s Music. F o r th e flu tterto n g u ed pedals contained in these works, or any o th tr works for th a t m a tte r, m y re c o m m en d atio n is to ignore the fluttertongue com pletely and a.=.x v . i of the plain pedal n o te s as m u c h am p litu d e and crassness as possible.

VOICE ’ I- Although th e TOice h a s b een discussed extensively in C hapters I, II, and V, much h a , t e n ;«tl * o u l it. F or in s u n c e , th e voice can sim ply spealc through

t h e

in s tr u m e n t

and the a u d ie n ^ . ,n u r^ e t-

------------------------------j viilftriouslv funny. T hi. a 'to r .p t n :n 7.1 find th e a tte m p t to p erfo rm th e flu tte rto n y a e p ^ dedicated. I am therefore v /m t ‘he best spirit o f th e clow n C ro c k , to w hom B eno ^^equenz ^"decided a b o u t w h at to d o w ith th e flu tte rto n g u e p y even funnier than the « m p k 'gnore and play th e flu tte rto n g u e at th e sam e tim e. This contl.ci "uttertongue a tte m p t a n d , p erh ap s, all the m ore tragi

40

VI . O T H E R B O D Y S O U N D S

stand everything th at is said; it is a very useful lecture device. It is like using ii incKiiphdtir to the fam ous R udy Vallee use for a certain kind o f voice projection (not to im-nlion tinil)rt. ( h theatrical gesture), the use o f the voice through a trom bone docs not nccessnrily irtcKn Duti (i,,. is louder. Presum ably, the extensive length o f small tubing before the throat o f Ihc be!) keep* j| being am plified very much, for on the tuba the m egaphone am plification cffect In (initc pr(}nanri the Rabr/lJ;irk Huht'-. :irr. tant trom bone ensem ble w orks. It is rccom m cncied that they be ^ludiwl in rlcpth for rrciny r w o tit besides the incredible a m o u n t o f m aterial suitable for “ trom bone pcrciiMion."

TWO MOUTHPIECES „„

m

first item exam ined in th is c h a p te r m ight have heen indude,I in the ,.,e .,.,.„ .,h ,„ lc r 7 1....... .. used in m arked by a W . in which the instruction p « e direct, ,1» p e , . h e . .

effect

two m outhpieces against each o th e r ” T h „ requires the m r,uthpiece to he removed

.he .rond-one

(a disassembly) and an au x iliary m o u th p ie ce (a percussion beater, to 1* taken up .see l.xa.nple Chapter VII).

PALM ON MOUTHPIECE ^ s o in . 0, 0. is a d ire c .i.e to •'b eat m ou th p iece w ith palm «

. ,n th e R o b ert E tickson Ricercare . 5. it is described as a

palm of the hand on th e face o f th e m ou th p iece '

.............. .. ™

'

.,:„uld t,e

Both the “ sm ack" and th e “ p o p " are indicative o f some basic taken into co n sid eration.

♦ riM thi4 cffcct, hK 'ft 1. see m y a n n o t a t i o n o n page 2 " J ' ^ e ' S t h p i e c e in the receive, »' the d a n g e rs i n v o l v e d . T h e m ain risk IS t ^ . t “ p u l l e r ” w h i c h i n s t r u m e n t r e p a i r M or« , ),j to make removal im possible w ith o u t a J " f ; t h e r than allowing .t to be \ caution is, th en , to tig h tly nee d.d way. This m akes rem oval possible been ob seijcd where to,j'A^r'i very hard to ju st pu/I it o u t. O nly one c thinned out where tonvd ■ « Vlllf

f

“ “ “ f p ^ ' u ^ o n sticks. An i„ « ,„ c |io „ .ailed "Rikitiki"* d e " 'f t V f o f he R.k,..k, is ,o ai,„w ,he plas.ic handle

■ '' ^ '- V -

are. of Ihe trom bone. T he p .tc h and th e rate o f bounce o f this can he varied considerably hy how lai i***“

me uric

beautiful ding.” ' This stick has a ru b b e r m iddle core, som ething like a soft mallet stick, allowing one

,0 play anywhere on the bell and achieve a variety o f interesting timbres. The reverse end o f such a stick ,jso ideal for perform ing the beginning o f the fifth m ovem ent o f Krenek’s Five Pieces and is also the stick intended for the percussion p art in Barney C hilds’s Music. In the Ricercare, there is also call for

vlllg

a snare drum brush, w hich is very nice when used on the bell. Much use is made of “ delicate percussion” or "delicate single dings” w hich “ can be hitting the tip o f the m outhpiece, bell rim, etc., with the ‘wrong end’ of the above m en tioned stick (s).” ^

Vlllh

Another beater th at w arrants a tte n tio n is the “ superball” beater, which is made simply by drilling a hole in the ball and inserting a stick. The effects th at can be achieved are mostly “ rubbing” sounds simi­ lar to the tam bourine roll done w ith the thum b. A nother aspect o f “ beaters” is the trom bone slide itself. Whether a ru b b er tip is on the end o r n o t, the knob on the end o f the slide can be used to sound various instrum ents, p articularly a gong o r tam -tam . The piano frame (with pedal down) is good too. One should not do this to o heavily, o f course, for it m ight damage the slide, but the sound can be quite good and the visual effect is astonishing. All kinds o f o th er m aterials are certainly worth experimenting with, but at least th e essentials have been presented here.

CIRCULAR BREA THING BEA T E R S villi Circular breathing, discussed in C h ap ter VI and A ppendix III, provides yet another set o f “ drum beaters. The diaphragm can be used to slap th e n o te o u t. The tongue, tongue-buzz,’ and voice also act more like dmm beaters in the c o n te x t o f circular breathing. This assumes a droning note, usually o f low pitch, which these “ beaters” in te rru p t o r alter. A n o th er “ beater,” allowing w ater to collect in the bottom of the slide, thereby p ro d u cin g a “ bu b b le blow ing” effect, can proceed sim ultaneously with the circular breathing drum m ing; how ever, it need n o t be confined exclusively to that. It can be used at any time and can be brought in an d o u t o f use sim ply by raising the instrum ent level, thereby allowing the water

m u l e s t o s e t h e r in a p p r o p r i a t e r h y t h m s . I fe e l t h a t it

‘he sound factor th a t m akes this o f in te re st. In any case, it is easy to damage m utes excess. See page 3 o f th e score (see also “ R ik itik i” instructions on the same page). page 5 o f th e Ricercare. See page 3 o f th e Ricercare. See C hapter VI fo r an ex p la n a tio n o f th e “ tongue-buzz.”

56

VI I I . P E R C U S S I V E D E V I C E S A N D A C C E S S O R I E S

to sp re a d o u t e v e n ly a lo n g t h e slide tu b es . T h is “ b u b b l e b l o w in g ” a n d th e resulting “ po ps” are

s u b s ta n ti a l ( f u r t h e r “ w a t e r ” s o u n d s will be t a k e n u p la t e r in this c h a p te r ) .

quite

l-X T R A Pf-RCU SSIO N T h is s e c t io n o f th e c h a p t e r deals w ith w h a t I h av e t e r m e d “ e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r ” p ercussio n Most of th' has little t o d o w ith th e t r o m b o n e p e r se, b u t it is p o ssib le w h ile p la y in g p ra c tic a lly any instrume T h e sim p listic use o f reg u lar f o o t ta p s in Elegy fo r M ippy II fo r Solo Trombone ( 1950) by Leonard B ern stein , o r t h e m o r e c o m p l e x a n d h u m o r o u s f o o t w o r k a lo n g w ith d r o p p e d m u te s in Consecuen:

fo r Trom bone Solo, O p. 1 7 ( 1 9 6 6 ) b y C arlos R o q u e A lsina are c e r t a in l y percussive devices to be noted S pe cializ ed use, h o w e v e r , h a s b een m a d e o f “ e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r ” p e rc u s s io n b y Ben Jo h n s to n in One Man

fo r Trom bonist and Percussion Cnote th e use o f th e w o rd “ t r o m b o n / j / ” ). It is a tr em endously complex p iec e re q u i r in g a fail n u m b e r o f a d d itio n a l p erc u s sio n in s tr u m e n ts . T h e sco re itself is a compendium of t h o u g h t f o r a t r o m b o n i s t in c o p in g w ith u n u s u a l tu n i n g (cf. C h a p t e r IV ) a n d m a n y o t h e r problems, but it also s h o w s h o w t o h a n d le e x t r a n e o u s e q u i p m e n t a n d th e a t r i c a l c o n s i d e r a t io n s (cf. Chapter XI). The e n ti r e .score i.s well w o r t h s t u d y fo r several reasons. E x a m p l e 1 in C h a p t e r IV c o n ta in s w hat is perhaps th e m o s t d r a m a t i c use o f pe rcu s sio n , since it involves th e b e t t e r p a r t o f a d r u m trap set. This excerpt f r o m t h e th i r d m o v e m e n t re q u ire s th e rem ov al o f th e rig h t h a n d fr o m th e tr o m b o n e slide from time to t i m e in o r d e r t o p la y th e c y m b a l. E x a m p l e I beJow , fro m b a rs 15 a nd 16 in th e first m o v e m e n t , is p e r f o r m e d w ith the tambourine, s t r a p p e d to th e rig h t leg, e i t h e r k ic k e d w ith th e left f o o t (first b a r) o r v ib r a te d w ith the right leg (second

huT). N o t i c e t h e h a r m o n i c glissando, trill, c o m p l e x i n t o n a t i o n , a n d b o d y tu r n in g going on at the same tim e (circle d R o m a n n u m e r a l s m e a n " F ” a t t a c h m e n t p o sitio n s). E x a m p l e I : J o h n s t o n One Man, page 4, b ars 15 a n d 16

■to tW lU

Lted by pe/m inion. Media Prejs. Box 895, Champaign, Illinois 61820.

—

vill. PERCUSSIVE DEVICES AND ACCESSORIES

eX3niP’^’

below, trom bars 23 and 24, is trom the second movem ent Notice how the fH-rlonner

-rbaUnce on one foot while circling the o th e r foot to the side. U te r on, the sici.ch boils and ta.n-tatn % ram pl« 2: Johnston One ^tan. page 5. bars 23 and 24

S

••i'U

IS ' i , t :.t

V

sfr

m8

— Vvw

’I'M i ' *-1 M

L’std hy pfrmission. M«lu Press, Box S'*?, (,'hinipaiiin. Ill'.ni'n M S'O

scraping \TIli The bell of the trom bone can be scraped on several different m aterials w ithout hurting it at all.* Scrap­

ing on wood, such as a floor o r wall, is very good, the best being a w ooden riser. This is no doubt duo to the air space under the riser acting like a sounding box. Glass or chalkboanis a rt tine, also. Sheet metal can be very good, particularly if it is in the form o f duct pipes. ,\lso metal and very usel'ul

are

both piano strings (pedal dow n) and gong (or tam -tam ). Simply scrape the edge o f the bell along the surface chosen to produce the desired sounds, holding the bell at an angle to co ntrol the preferred pitches. D ifferent pitches are obtained, depending upon whether the bell is pushed or pulled and at what angle the bell is held. This will vary extensively with the instalment used; tru m pet, horn, o r tuba will each give quite different responses. When scraped on 'lirt

piano strings, all produce startling glissando effects. Because o f the “ give" o f the piano strings, it is possible to “h it” the bell on the strings lightly. Rolling the bell on the strings can give a nice ethereal effect made up o f m icrotones (cf. C hapter IV). O ther resonators can include gongs and tyinpani. Also, ^lo\\ing the trom bone at these instrum ents can produce all sorts o f harmonics and o th er ettects. Large and bottles can som etim es be o f value (cf. C hapter VII). and the most useful o f all these is most ‘‘I'ely a bucket o f water. done (rath done about exercised

discovered, fm allv, a small flat spot on the bell rim where most of the scraping has been years to achieve this, there would be at least seventy years o f scraping before m iich dam age could be noticed. This would assume that the scraping was tlifferent places on the bell rim. The point here is to simply say that one need not w orry of w ithout a curled edge. Discretion should always be '''hen executing an effect such as this.

Vlll

PERCUSSIVE DEVICES AND ACCESSORIES

U'A TFR viili

1 have fomul that a bucket or wastebasket of water set upon a chair or table just to the left 1'ornier is most satisfactory. This is a tricky setup because one m ust be able to get the bell in the water easily.’ Some of the sounds available include getting the bell; (1) square and close touchinn, b u t not on or in the water) to obtain a high shimmery effect; (2) partially in the wate angle so as to get the watcrgong effect o f pitch change obtained by dipping in and out of the wat^^ (3) all the way in so bubbles are produced. A nother variation (on 3) is to inhale air through the ‘ ment while the bell is submerged, so that some water is taken into the bell, then to play out with force A soft sound is heard glissandoing down as the w ater leaves the bell, then an explosive bubbli retch, or continuous bubbling if desired. Raising the dripping instrum ent out o f the bucket is a wonder ful climax. Two kinds o f water sounds have been m entioned before; (1) water collecting in the slide (earlier in this chaptcr under “ Circular Breathing Beaters” ); and (2) w ater in a ja r with the disconnected slide tube inserted (cf. Chapter VII). The final w ater sound to be m entioned comes from a trombone in a swim­ ming pool."' The trom bone is perhaps the only instrum ent that can successfully be taken into a pool without damage, and this, perhaps more than anything else, attests to the simplicity of trombone design. There is simply nothing on a trom bone to be hurt by w ater; other brass instrum ents have pads in the valves that would need to be dried out or replaced, and the w ater would affect the valve oil. Most trom bonists, indeed, use water already (in conjunction with cold cream or something similar) in their slide lubrication.

KAZOO Still another resonator requires special m ention; the kazoo m em brane." Normally designed for hum­ ming, some buzzed lip kazoos were encountered in 1969-70. They were designed and executed by Kay Aiko Sato and Ronald Heglin and were made of ceramic. The possibilities for trom bone (and other brass) are incredible; the m embranes are not unlike the aluminum pie plates in the bell (cf. Chapter

I

Musical dictionaries refer to “ Bigotphones” designed by the Frenchm an Bigot in 1880.'^ These kazoos 9. With a trum pet, o f course, it is very easy. The tuba and horn player have to exercise more care and agility in getting the bell close to water. 10. Perhaps it is the gesture more than the: isound, bu t I clearly rem em ber the sound iking ((as well as I could) around the pool at the Oa Water Music on a trom bone while breast stroking (California) Sym phony Party in 1964. The sound was highly distinctive. 11. Related to this is the use o f an electric fan. David Baker, Contemporary Trombone, p. 303, suggests th at one can “ play into a fan set at different speeds.” This will no be o f a “ buzzy” quality but will cause the pitch to fluctuate. 12. There were gatherings o f “ Bigotphonists" in Paris in 1910, apparently indicating a ^ i es interest, according to The Oxford Companion to Music, 10th Ed. (London; in Press, 1970), p. 108. Inform ation about Bigot and his bigotphones is earnestly s o lic ite d , for a centennial celebration in 1980 in honor o f this great Frenchm an, then in time fo ra c gathering in Paris o f “ Bigotphonists” in 2010.

j

Vlll

IM R C ' I I S S I V E H E V I C E S A N D A C C E S S O R I E S

59

I'liulc to rcscinblo tru n ip o ts and trom bones, etc. But there is no reference to th eir being .(I in'if'*'” '''’*'’' *

iiKiltcr. there is no reference to them being hum m ed, as is norm al w ith

•llu* “ lUi/./’* section in C h ap ter IX on Mutes).

'* p e r c u s s io n is t

piano fram e or rolled on the strings. It can also be used as

might use a m etal bar on piano strings to produce howls and squeals, etc. It is b e tte r to

I,those things with an auxiliary m outhpiece, however, since a good one might be damaged. Keep in m ind that in

words o f Lou H arrison and others, any sound is idiom atic as long as it does n o t h u rt or

lestroy instrum ents. Care, then, should be taken o f the piano used in executing these sounds. T h e p ro b ­ lem of b e a ti n g on or with a tro m b o n e is no different from th at concerning a string player in producing

col

'’owing. Som etim es secondary instrum ents m ust be considered for use, and the conscientious

brass player should n o t feel guilty if he o r she m ust use auxiliary m outhpieces, trom bones, o r o th er cquipmi:nt.

After all, th at is w hat the bulk o f this chapter has been about.

Chapter IX: Mutes

T h e d a y s o f m a r k i n g j u s t “ m u t e ” in t h e s c o r e a re , o r s h o u l d b e , o v e r . T h e r e is n o e x c u s e fo r this kind of c a s u a ln e s s a b o u t m u t e s a n d m u t e t i m b r e , f o r m o s t m u t e s h a v e b e e n a r o u n d a l o n g ti m e n o w , and much h a s b e e n w r i t t e n a b o u t t h e m . T h e s t a n d a r d m u t e s a re a d e q u a t e l y c o v e r e d in t h e b o o k s b y Fink, Gregory, K l e i n h a m m e r , a n d W ic k , ‘ n o t t o m e n t i o n m a n y o r c h e s t r a t i o n b o o k s a n d s o m e i n s t r u c t io n a l methods. V ir t u a ll y ail t h e m u t e s e x c e p t t h e s t r a i g h t m u t e h a v e c o m e t o u s b y w a y o f j a z z , a n d o n e can imagine the t u r n - o f - t h e - c e n t u r y e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n b y ja z z t r o m b o n i s t s . A n y t h i n g , it s e e m s , w a s t r i e d - m o s t notably glass tu m b le r s ,^ s u g a r tin s , b o t t l e s , t o i l e t p l u n g e r s , a n d t h e lik e .^ T h e p l u n g e r h a s since b e c o m e a stan­ d a r d m u t e , as h a v e t h e c u p , c le a r - t o n e , h a t , w a -w a , a n d o t h e r s c o n c e i v e d i n j a z z t o p r o d u c e a unique ti m b r e . R a t h e r t h a n d e t a i l th e t r a d i t i o n a l u s e s o f t h e v a r i o u s m u t e s , t h i s c h a p t e r will d e a l mainly with s p e c ia liz e d a n d / o r u n u s u a l u ses o f t h e m . H o w e v e r , k e e p in m i n d t h a t n o w o r d s o r r e c o r d e d examples c a n s u p p l a n t t h e e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n t h a t c o m p o s e r a n d p e r f o r m e r s h o u l d e x e r c i s e in o r d e r to learn about v a r i o u s t i m b r e c h o ic e s. N o real d i f f ic u l ti e s will b e e n c o u n t e r e d b y a n y c o m p o s e r as lo n g as th e basic f u n c t i o n o f m u t e s - t h a t o f d a m p i n g o r a l t e r i n g t o n e q u a l i t y - is u n d e r s t o o d , a n d as lo n g as he or she realizes t h a t , in d e a lin g w i t h m u t e s , t h e r e is m u c h s u b t l e v a r i a t i o n e v e n in t h e u se o f o n e m u te , let alone a g r o u p o f th e m .

1. F i n k , The T ro m b o n ist’s H andbook, p p . 4 9 - 5 3 ; G r e g o r y , The T rom bone, p p . 5 2 -5 4 ; Klein­ h a m m e r , TTie A r t o f Trom bone Playing, p p . 1 2 -1 4 ; W ick , T rom bone Technique, p p . I'i-'IS.

2. B e r t r a m T u r e t z k y , in D e c e m b e r 1 9 7 4 , re c a l le d t h a t h e “ sa w a n d h e a r d J a c k T e a g a rd e n in H a r t f o r d ( C o n n . ) in t h e 1 9 5 0 s p la y i n g ( p r o b a b l y ) St. Jam es Infirm ary Blues. [ H e ] d id so m e serious a n d ex p re s siv e p la y i n g w i t h t h e t r o m b o n e [ a p p a r e n t l y p a r t i a l l y d i s a s s e m b l e d ] a n d a w h isk ey glassIt c o u l d b e p r e s u m e d t o h a v e b e e n t h e s lid e s e c t i o n a l o n e w i t h t h e glass h e l d o v e r t h e pip e, o r el®^ h e ld o v e r t h e p ip e w h e r e t h e t u n i n g slid e w o u l d n o r m a l l y b e. S e e a ls o B a k e r ’s c o m m e n t on Charles Irvis in C h a p t e r V I, n o t e 11, ab o v e . 3. G e r r y S lo a n p o i n t e d o u t t o m e t h a t m u c h m a t e r i a l c a n b e n o t e d in t h e a r t ic l e “ M u te d Brass b y K e i t h N ic h o ls , in S to ryville N o . 3 0 ( A u g u s t - S e p t e m b e r , 1 9 7 0 ) , p p . 2 0 3 - 2 0 6 . N ic h o ls p o in ts oui o n e o f t h e p r i m a r y u se s o f t h e m u t e s , p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e s t r a i g h t m u t e , w a s t o c o p e w ith t h e fact t a e a rl y r e c o r d i n g t e c h n i q u e s w e r e g e n e ra lly u n a b l e t o d e a l w i t h t h e o p e n h o r n s o u n d d u e t o the amp tu d e . T h e w h o l e s t y le t r e n d o f c o m m e r c i a l b a n d s u s i n g c o n t i n u a l m u t i n g m a y h a v e h a d its ongi d e a li n g w i t h t h i s r e c o r d i n g p r o b l e m .

60

I X. M U T E S

61

jjtle d iffe re n c e s in one m u te can be absolutely astounding. To convey the idea, the m ute m ost ^ to arouse this kind o f curiosity will be discussed, and th a t is the wa-wa, otherw ise know n as the

likely

com pany th a t m an u factu res them . It is called a wa-wa from its ability to m ake th at ah) vowel sound discussed in C h ap ter II ; the uauaua th at is so fam iliar can be seen in m ore detail ^

vibrato. T he left hand is placed over the stem for the ‘ u ’ and opened up for the

this generally assum ing th a t the stem o f the m ute is pushed in all the way (although this can be ^

with it pulled o u t any distance: see recorded exam ples). The term “ stem o u t” does no t m ean to

remove

the stem (though this can also be done), b u t rath er to pull the stem to its full length.** Fink

describes the wa-wa m u te stem as being w ith and w ith o u t the “ cookie c u tte r,” depending upon w hat

era the music is from. T he earlier th e m usic, the m ore likely the “ cookie c u tte r” is left on the stem o f the mute. Since 1950 this seem s n o t to be th e case, according to Fink. However, in co n tem p o rary avant garde music it is the ua effect th a t is desired, and this w ould m ean th at the “ cookie c u tte r” is left on the stem, even since 1950, at least fo r the so-called avant garde style.

BUZZ Each mute is practically a separate in stru m en t, and perhaps the wa-wa is the best vehicle to em phasize this point. When, in 1964, I first en c o u n tered the Cage Solo, 1 was confronted with the term “ b u zz” iXe mute. The “ buzziest” sound th a t was to be found was the wa-wa m ute held backw ards gently against the bell, which produced a terrific rattling. Sim ilar effects, since discovered, can be achieved w ith aluminum pie plates held over th e bell. T hey can even be controlled by p utting a finger in various places on the plate - like p roducing harm onics on cym bals - and these “ harm onics” can be changed quickly by putting d iffe ren t fingers dow n. Q uite a variation can be achieved by using d ifferen t sizes of plates (see the n e x t section on “ P lunger” and also the section on “ K azoo” in C hapter V III). F o r that matter, one can sim ply buzz w ith the lips through the wa-wa.® 4. A muting problem had to be solved w ith the T on De Leeuw Music. With ab o u t ten days to learn the piece for its prem iere (5 Ju n e 1974 at P eabody College fo r Teachers in Nashville, T ennessee, ™ring the fourth annual In te rn a tio n a l T ro m b o n e W orkshop), and no tim e for questions to th e com ­ poser, an answer had to be found for, am ong o th e r things, the directive o f “ sharp m u te ” on page 6 o f ne score. Two hours o f th o u g h t and ex p e rim en tatio n determ ined (w rongly, perhaps) th a t (1) by e composer’s use o f th e term “ sh a rp ” he m ean t “ edgy” o r “ harsh” o r “ b rittle ” o r any c o m b in a tio n e that (2) the wa-wa w ith m axim ally ex tended stem w ould best convey this. This is an direT tro m b o n ist m u st be co n stan tly ready to experim ent; w rong o r in co m p lete m u te to th grossest oversights o f com position, seem to be the norm . This is d ue, n o d o u b t, in an^ sensitivity to m ute tim bre differences u n til very re c e n tly ; b u t y I Was h ap p y to have received even as m uch inform ation in th at score as I did. ings^' C hapter V III, n o te 11, regarding use o f an electric fan. Also, in listening to jug band recordshowed^ buzzing over th e to p o f jugs, the jug serving sim ply as a reso n ato r. G erry Sloan holes in '"^"ous p ictu res o f D ickie Wells using his “ p ep p e r-p o t” m ute - a straight m u te w ith m any fMjR 8 , , e?"® the o n e on th e album by Dickie Wells All Stars called Bone Four-in-Hand " « ) shows him using it (p o ssib ly ) inserted backw ards. This w ould be sim ilar to th e wa-wa

IX. MU r t : s

f.;

ri iw c i K ........................................ ........................... . ........ ..................... ...

".'I II..-

...... I,, ..................

...............

^

,,i mk-

T

™ ; '»

" ’'

«
rebtivcly iiew plunger, since old ones get stiff and do„„, (Irx . s wHI. T l.r l.r ilu -r in it is pressed, the m o r e p r o m i n e n t anmhotnst to inunipiiliitc !>y htiiul iinywnv (IIiun It dncN tiol iipiu'ni " '" '‘‘‘I'^l^rrttochaptcrV" HaviiiM tho left hnml frt't' to inniiipuhitc' tiu' " V " iilliidiiiinit utn l.r nl hm-iiI "

i.jf

1.

..iitci'

situi»tions have '

a r i s i ’U

in whioli the li'lt hmul was tnnnlpiilatiii^ n wa wn

oi

pliiuKci wliilr

ul

triiiRcr n o to s w ero CJilloil fo r. T h is is un oasy m ista k f to m iikr, anil n>iinn)>t‘iH -(hotild h r i h f s a n i f ^ ,« irto fth is a 'la tiv c ly tu'w p ro b k 'm .

felt , b v c k f t , a n d h a n d Asomewliat simihir ciTect to t h e hut can h e iichievetl hy plaoint! a piccc o f felt over t h e h e l l c h a m o is

DriipitiK ii

over tlie bell, o r even usinn th e c c n te r from an oUl felt h a t. cun acliieve n unelul daiiipiiiK e lle c t

,Xi iimdi like the velvetone o r " b u c k e t " m u te (w h ich is o fte n ilubhed a "can-o'-ranN ").”

I'vcn the haixl

over the bell can u p p ro x in u ite th is, h u t it is hiirtl to net th e haiul in th e hell far enonnh to Kel a c o n ip le lc ly covered s o u n d and still play! F in k has good d esc rip tio n s c o m p le te w ith p h o to n ra p h s o f w hat to d o w ith

the hand. His m ention o f th e term " q u a s i h o r n .’* ii ty p ical directive founil in ja /z or •.Indio icore^i, In d i­ cates the effect desired. Hie d.imping effect m ay bo h o tte r acliieved hy use o f a to ile t p ap e r core inserted in to the hell. Hcritsma uses this e f feet, w hich is th e first use so far as I k n o w , in his

lilafanf lly p n th c sfs fo r T rom hnnv atul Per-

aisskm (1977), In the sccond m o v e m e n t, he w a n te d an ex tre m e ly st)ft and d elicate Hounil, and he likeil the idea o f t h e covered effec t th a t th e to ile t p a p e r co re ttave to th e tro m b o n e tone. Herusma (u rtlie r heightened the in terest by th e o ccasio n al use o f the pUinKcr ulonn w ith the to ilet p ap e r core.

A toilet paper core in serted in to th e bell p ro d u c es th e e ffe c t o f a c u t-o ff hell, m uch like tlie so und •hat the very early tro m b o n e s (sa c k b u ts) m u st have hud. F o r this reas.31, a n d is called th e " F in c h ” m u te . It is stu rd y . litthtw eiK ht, an d can be inulallcd N l tracing c a u tio n c d to sp ecify In stru m e n t m ake and m o d el an d nubm it a to receivc th e p ro p e r si/.e.

64

I X. M U T E S

instrum ent. F or that m atter, the use o f any m ute creates tuning problem s th at any expe player is used to solving.

CUP Unless one is firm ly ensconced in dance and studio work o r playing in pops orchestras an ’ in a cup m ute for trom bone m ay no t be necessarily w orthw hile. The cup, while a standard is perhaps the m ost finicky o f all the trom bone m utes, m ostly because ju st any cup does not any trom bone. A lthough supposedly a standard, the cup m ute provides m ore complications wa-wa, b u t, fortunately, contem porary com posers find the latter m ore to their liking. The cup sim i does n ot have the convenience or the wide range o f effects, rxj

Cup m utes generally have an open, half open, or “ tight cu p ” (closed) option. “Tight cup” is a di rective o ften found in dance band music, and it is presum ed th at the m ute was made to fit tight and no o th e r way unless tw o m utes were carried around.'^ The tight cup effect, however, can perhaps be ju st as easily done on a “ whisper” mute,*^ a m ute m ade for practicing and one more likely to fit different bells. Also, a m ic-a-m ute‘® can be considered, but it is shaped like the cup and has the same fitting problem . It can also be im itated by a bucket o r felt. In a piece calling for several trom bones with cup m utes, problem s result even assuming that all players have these m utes (w hich they m ight not). The cups never fit the same way in the different sized bells, and any approxim ation would be a m ajor undertaking. One com pany'* is now making mute; w ith adjustable (sliding) cups, b u t those cups th at are m ore com m only available are made of many dif­ feren t m aterials. In contrast, wa-wa m utes are alm ost all m etal and, if they need to be adapted fora bigger bell size, need only a larger cork. There is no risk o f sound change. It is hoped that, with the retu rn o f the sliding cup m ute, the beautiful sound variation possible with cup m utes can become part o f th e m ute nucleus - or, at least, a recom m ended accessory to it.

13. It is m y good fo rtu n e to be blessed w ith an old cup m ute especially m ade by the late Frank DePoIis o f Philadelphia in ab o u t 1956 on w hich the cup p art can slide along the s t r a i g h t shank. sum ably it was designed to adjust to different bell sizes, b u t I found the option o f “ tight” or ope cup to be possible in an instant (see recorded exam ples).

14. A ctually this is a “ W hispa-m ute” m ade b y C harlie S p iv a k . This is one to e x p e rim e n t w ith for ex tre m ely q u iet sounds. 15. M anufactured b y H um es and Berg. 16. See n o te 13 above.

I X. M U T E S

65

the directive “ m u te ” is alw ays assum ed to be a straight m ute; bu t since these m utes are many

different straights o f fibre, m etal, w ood, etc., are advised in order to adjust to ^Q^iposer requests. A tro m b o n ist, th en , should ow n a plunger (o r several plungers), several straight m utes as a basic nucleus. Even in contem porary music, ninety percent

^(va-wa,

will call for m utes am ong these four. The expensive m utes am ong them are the d all the s tra ig h t m utes; how ever, one w ould be expected to ow n straight m utes anyw ay for

ii/a-W3 «

, playing. . _‘XT*u-he right^ straight m u te can be really. ;__ ___4._A A i nton II/ -W L_ebern, - r_ im portant. for_

nv- kind 0

con ceived o f the tro m b o n e as

being no o th e r way b u t w ith a straight m ute; one need only

instance

u' ,.,nrks However, realizing w hat a sensitive m an Webern was w ith regard to tim bre, I examine rus wuiiv:>. j wndi. sound from all th e straig h ts available he really w a n te d .’’

The four mutes m entioned — th e straig h t, plunger, felt, and wa-wa - are a recom m ended nucleus bc-

of their consistency; th a t is, if a co m p o ser asks fo r any one o f these four, there is usually no question in the mind o f either th e co m p o ser or th e p erfo rm er as to the sound desired. When it com cs to cups bucket, hat, clear-tone (so lo -to n e), etc., m ore confusion exists, even though som e m u tes may be consistent enough or som e o f th em m ay be used extensively in certain circles ’, but only the nucleus

mutes are used in all circles while a t the same tim e rem aining consistent. It m ay seem surprising to som e people for me to recom m end the wa-wa here, b u t even this m ute appears in sym phonic m usic as early as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.^^ T he key w ord is consistency; certainly any active p erfo rm er will have available other m utes besides this recom m ended nucleus, depending upon individual needs.

MUTE EFFECTIVENESS Muting on the trom bone generally does n o t w ork nearly so well as it does on the tru m p et. On th e tru m p e t the bell is closer to the b o d y , and th e m u tes them selves are sm aller, lighter, and cheaper. T hey are for the most part consistent. T ru m p e t bells d o n o t vary to such a degree th a t m ute fitting is a p ro b lem ; therefore, much m ore v ariety can be ex p e cted from virtually an y tru m p e t player. C onversely, d o n o t expect this same kind o f flex ib ility from th e tro m b o n ist, as it is ju st n o t possible. It is possible to com e '^•ose, with the exceptional player, b u t it is n o t, n o r is it ever likely to be, th e norm as it is on tru m p e t, ft'impet player can even e n te rta in th e lu x u rio u s n o tio n o f o b tain in g a high-quality m u te , such as the °Pper rather than th e alu m inum w a-w a, w hereas th e expense w ould be proh ib itiv e fo r a tro m b o n ist if quality m utes did exist, w hich fo r th e m o st p a rt th ey d o n o t. F o r a tro m b o n ist to a p p ro a c h the

Not Only h jg ^ but

p ro je c t, ju s t w aiting fo r som eone, is to find o u t th e m ute{s) used on o r p e rfo rm a n c e s o f his w orks in w hich he e ith e r c o n d u c te d o r a tte n d e d , players w ould be e n lig h ten ed b y th e resu lts o f such a stu d y . actu ally co m m issio n ed b y an d in ten d ed fo r Paul W hitem an’s d an ce o rc h e stra in Since becom e v irtu ally a sta n d a rd w ork in the sy m p h o n ic rep erto ire.

t>t,

I X. M U I E S

lli'\il> ility o f ii I n i i n p i 't p l a y e r iv)iariiiinj m u t i n y , lie o r s h e m u s t h a v e a c a r e f u l l y f itte d l o s t l y nuiU ".. S lu n i M t h e t r o m b o t i i s t s w ite li i n s t n i m c n t s , o r s w i t c h t o b a s s t r o m b o n e the entir •

imi'it be ilone over again.

Reasonable tlexibilily can be achieved with careful practice, and the most important th' place nuites where ti\e left hand can easily reach them . There

w ill

always be

o c c a s io n s when

remove a nnito while still playing.’’ This situation requires careful attention to the position of i n s t r u m e n t : r i g h t h a n d o n t h e slid e w h i l e m a i n t a i n i n g p o o d b a l a n c e o f the instrument T h ■ * ne ^nstrurnent

may be held with the right hand alone in first through fourth positions while sustaining a note changing nuites. Although these tricks are certainly not encouraged, trom bonists should know them.

neverthele

*

M irn : HARMONICS One special category o f mute souiids remains, and that is what I have termed “ mute harmonics.” These are o f two types. The first is a breakdown o f the wa-wa vibrato to u -

a - - u — a— done

so slowly

that different m ultiphonics emerge depending upon which partial o f the harmonic series is present (cf. Chapters 1 and V ).“ When this is clearly understood, it is possible to “ vibrato” the tone between the different partials (the examples recorded give the idea). A similar sound can be produced

vocally while

subtly altering the m outh cavity and tongue placement. Composers doing so will have a better chance to com e to terms with this idea w ithout wasting a lot o f perform er time, so the practice is heartily recommended for all concerned. The second o f these m ute harmonics involves blowing over the top o f straight or cup mutes much IXk

as one would blow over a beer or soft drink bottle. Some variation is found among mutes (and among blowers), so it is best not to specify definite pitches but to realize that there is a relatively soft mental located somewhere in the middle o f the staff. There are also two (or more) very loud the first at about two and one half octaves and the second just a little over three octaves.

funda­

overtones,

Both must be

used with discretion. This is practical only for trum pet or trom bone, the trum pet ones being consider ably higher; the horn and tuba m ute openings are too large. O f course, each mute must be

examined

individually, and the reader is encouraged to experim ent further regarding all aspects of these sometii" baffling and m ysterious extensions called mutes. 19. A now classic example o f the way it might have been done in the past is seen in bar third o f the Berg Three Orchestra Pieces Op. 6 (1929), Vienna, Universal Edition, 1954, w second trom bonist is directed to “ remove third trom bonist’s m ute.” He o r she must j°jg^ature do this while the third continues playing. There are several examples in the contemporary * players removing o r inserting m utes while playing. , . 20. There is a hint o f this on the plunger, bu t it is not very clear; it is a device that is margi enough on the wa-wa, let alone anything else. 21. F or interesting com m entary on m uting by jazz artists, one is encouraged MeTna^' “ The Talking Trom bone in Jazz” by Gerald Sloan, which appears in XYiq Journal o f the Trombone Association, Vol. VI (January, 1978), pp. 12-15.

C hapter X: M eans of E xtension

TTiere are four m eth o d s b y w hich o n e can e x te n d th e tro m b o n e in to the su rro u n d in g en v iro n m e n t. Three principal ones will be ta k e n u p in th is c h a p te r: (1 ) p ian o resonance, (2) electronic e q u ip m e n t, and (3) a lo n g

perform ance space itself. A fo u rth w ay, b y w ater, has already been discussed in C h a p te r V III

with other seco n d ary w ays, su ch as re so n atin g gongs, ty m p an i, etc., w hich are m ore o r less p e r­

cussive by nature. T he garden h o se is y e t a n o th e r m eans o f e x ten sio n , th e difference in this case being

that the body is ex ten d ed ra th e r th a n th e tro m b o n e . T h e first o f th ese, pian o resonance (along w ith the garden hose), has alw ays h ad a special m ean in g fo r m e, since I have alw ays w anted to m ove th e tro m b o n e sound through th e p e rfo rm an c e space w ith o u t th e assistance o f electronics. T his dream was finally realized in 1972 at th e U niversity o f Illin o is’ K ra n n e rt C e n te r w ith th e p erform ance o f m y m ixed m edia ballet Ten Grand Hosery ( “ T en G ra n d ” refers to pianos, w hereas “ H osery” should be obvious). T his woric has great m eaning fo r th is c h a p te r as w ell as th e n e x t o n th e a te r (see A ppendix II).

PIANO RESONANCE Xa The fact that each brass in s tru m e n t is a se p a ra te e n tity can be n o m ore ap p a re n t th a n w hen w o rk in g with a piano as a re so n ato r; th a t is, w ith th e rig h t-h an d pedal held in place in a norm al m a n n e r b y th e foot or by a pedal b lo c k .' E ach in s tru m e n t th a t m ig h t be used fo r blow ing in to th e p ian o will give a different sound; th e re fo re , th e p ia n o ceases to b e a p ia n o and beco m es an ex ten sio n o f th e re so n atin g pipe blown into it. T he full range o f th e tro m b o n e w orks w ell, th o u g h th e m iddle to high range is particularly favorable. One of the b est w ays to b lo w in to th e p ia n o is to p la y lo u d w ith a d im in u e n d o . T h e feeling is as the strings o f th e p ia n o are c resce n d o in g in th e ir reso n an ce to “ tak e o v er” th e so u n d fro m th e mig|[: t These e f ? that one mation loudness

pedal b lo ck co u ld b e a c lo th e sp in in serted u n d e r th e b ack o f th e p ed al. O th e r m ateria ls w h a te v e r is u se d , care sh o u ld be ta k e n n o t to jam o r fo rce th e m ech an ism , are b est o n a g ra n d p ia n o , b u t m u c h can b e d o n e w ith an u p rig h t as well. It is im p era tiv e w ith this. B arn e y C h ild s co n v ey ed to m e, in 1966, th e fascin atin g b it o f in fo rdepresses b o th th e rig h t-h an d p e d a l and th e m id d le (su stain in g ) p ed al, d u ra tio n an d p e rc e p tib ly . T h is is im p o r ta n t fo r p ro b le m s su ch as th e bell rolling in th e K re n ek Which is e x tre m e ly q u ie t.

67

68

X. M E A N S O F E X T E N S I O N

trom bone. If done carefully and thoughtfully, one is n o t sure which instrum ent is makin any given point; in o th e r words, the technique o f “ playing in and o u t o f the sound” e

^

piano is desirable here. It is also interesting to “ play in and o u t o f the tuning” or pitch

^

the piano; th a t is, it is possible to play one note to set up a resonance and then nlav S6cond to but a q u arter tone (o r some o th er tone) away from it. Playing the second tone more softly c balance w ith the sound th at is com ing out o f the piano, and the tw o can be heard equally Gli away slowly, again getting softer from the first established no te, will set up very prominent beats (see later in this chapter for suggested exercises in this regard). One fine exam ple o f harm onic glissandos on the same note (cf. C hapter III) into the resonating piano appears at the end o f the second m ovem ent o f the Im brie Three Sketches. It adds a whole ne dim ension to the trom bone-piano relationship, bringing ab o u t a clim actic m om ent that would other wise be rather routine. The bridge into the third m ovem ent is this resonance, and as it dies away the piano starts the aria. O ther works m aking use o f this resonance include Neely Bruce’s Grand Duo R o b ert S uderburg’s Chamber Music III, and o f course K renek’s Five Pieces. As was m entioned before, several percussive devices such as hitting and scraping are possible in a piano. Scraping, rolling, or hitting the bell or m outhpiece are all appropriate sounds from this category (cf. C h ap ter V III) because these m eans create resonances th at will “ move o u t into the room.” A succes­ sion o f tones can be played in to the piano, and together they can create chords. The performer will do well to experim ent a great deal to find o u t how best to m ake this resonance work.*

ELECTRO NICS T he reason fo r m y in terest in new sounds was due, in part, to hearing the sounds o f electronic music; th ey acted as a catalyst. D uring the early sixties, I found th a t som e electronic sounds were repugnant and I w anted to find o u t why. I concluded th a t (1) the sounds were u nnatural (synthetic) and that (2) I could im itate a great m any o f them on the trom bone. M ost im p o rtan t, I felt I could do them a bit b e tte r; th a t is to say, m y ow n tro m b o n e im itations o f electronic m usic were less than perfect. I finely believe th a t it is th e little im perfections th a t m ake musical sound, or sound in general, so interestingC onversely, m uch electronic sound is to o “p e rfe c t.” T h ere are notable exceptions, b u t even these bring hom e th e p o in t. T hree w orks for tro m b o n e and tap e com e to m ind: CH ANG ES by L arry A ustin, A nim us I b y Jac o b D ruckm an, and D o n ald Erb s . . , a n d then, toward the e n d . . . . T he first tw o consist o f tro m b o n e sound sources woven into, a tap .t* w hich includes synthesized sounds as well. The results are at least good pieces, even if the pe ® so u n d fa c to r is there. T he E rb piece is to tally d iffe ren t in its tap e co n cep tio n , appearing as a p erfo rm an c e” ra th e r th a n a sy n th etic tape. As I recorded th e source m aterial, th e c o m p o se r perf®

2. A resonating p ian o w orks well w ith a garden hose, and it can be tu ck ed right in un strings. G arden hoses will b e exam ined fu rth e r in C h ap ter XI on th e a te r (see also Appen '

r X. M E A N S O F E X T E N S I O N ■I

69

o s i n g r e g i s t r a t i o n s as th e w o rk p ro g ressed . T lie first " ta k e s ” w ere o fte n “ re h e a rsa ls,"

, - t 5ik es” h ad to b e iiiade u n til th e p ro p e r “ p e rfo rm a n c e " was achieved T he resull Ji’

■

^ tir illv if n o t p ra c tic a lly , c o u ld be p e rfo n n e d “ live" by five tro m b o n is ts, fo u r I i t theorei'^-**"^’ j,y s y n t h e s i z e r s - a real e l e c t r o n i c c h a m b e r piece. It has the s p o n ta n e ity so lacking b ecau se th is w o rk is in p a rt in s tm m e n ta l ra th e r th an solely e lec tro n ic.

^

I -tronic m u s i t ,

coiTifi ^ . t-nt* su ch as P au lin e O liv e ro s’s Theater Piece o r R o b e rt E ric k so n ’s Ricercare a 5, 1" * -rks using tap e, m. ded so u nd th a t tu rn e d o u t t o he p o ssib le “ live.” In d e ed , it was fo u n d th a t th e jffsinip'y

jQ p r a c t i c a l “ liv e” th a t p e rfo rm a n c e s o f

Ricercare are p re ferred th a t w ay. A ta p e

^ s u b s t i t u t e fo r s o m e th in g th a t m ig h t so u n d b e t t e r acco m p lish ed by a n o th e r pftenis

Q t h e r m eth o d m ig h t, h o w e v er, b e p ro h ib itiv e ly co stly o r p ro b lem a tica l. U sually th e audi-

^ethod. t

a c o u stic a l c o m p ro m is e , o r a s y n th e tic d iet o f pure elec tro n ic s w h ich can rse * With these th o u g h ts in m in d , c o n s id e ra tio n o f th e e q u ip m e n t will be b r i e f . T im e d o cs d i s c u s s i o n , sin ce o b so le sc e n c e is c o n sta n tly at h an d . T he s o u n d s th a t w ork best

Ijeeveti

m o re im p o rta n t fo r c o n s id e ra tio n th a n m erely th e e q u ip m e n t.

^ot

1 vers are c o n te n t w ith a n o rm a l p ic k u p sy stem . Ja z z tro m b o n is t U rbie G reen, how ever. Most pi^y

a c o m m o n l y available m o u th p ie c e p ic k u p to w h ich can be ad d ed o ctav e dividers, fu z / to n e s , an d soon' and S w e d i s h jazz a rtist Eje T h e lin uses a m ik e p ic k u p fasten ed to th e bell* (n o t a c o n ta c t m icrophone),

which fu n c tio n s like a n o rm a l m ic ro p h o n e . T he adv an tag e o f b o th o f these o v er th e

normal m i c r o p h o n e is th a t th e p e rfo rm e r can m ove a ro u n d w hile playing. T he m o u th p ie c e p ic k u p re­ quires a h o le drilled in th e side o f th e m o u th p ie c e fo r th e p ic k u p to be in se rte d ; an au x iliary m o u th p ie c e

is best for this purpose. T he ad v a n ta g e is th e e x c lu sio n o f fe ed b ac k an d th e re fo re th e c o m p a ra tiv e ease with which e x tra n eo u s so u n d m o d ific a tio n s (fu zz, e tc .) m ay b e added. T he so u n d s o b ta in e d d o not seem particularly sig n ifican t w h e n c o m p a re d w ith th e “ b o d y ” so u n d s th a t can be a m p lifie d , and therefore may not be w o rth th e e x p e n d itu re . I w o u ld re c o m m e n d w aitin g fo r fu tu re d e v e lo p m e n ts before mshing o u t to p u rc h ase devices;* th e tim e will be b e tte r sp e n t ex a m in in g w h a t s o u n d s g en erally

wll work best into am p lificatio n sy stem s.

•

is the M oog S y n th e siz e r a t th e C leveland In s titu te o f M usic. com m ents d o n o t ap p ly to su ch p e o p le as David B eh rm an , G o rd o n M u m m a, o r David "*2nce ^o ^isn iad e e le c tro n ic b o x e s a re in a n d o f th em selv es c o m p o s itio n s a n d re q u ire p e rfo r*onnan ‘^o^’n ien ts w o u ld n o t a p p ly to T e rry R iley e ith e r, since his ta p e d e la y m u sic is so per°^®nted. S im ilarly, w h e n L o re n R u sh uses a ta p e re c o rd e r, it b ec o m e s an in s tru m e n t fo r ‘•le OHveros sh o u ld b e m e n tio n e d h e re also as o n e w h o h as b e e n k n o w n to seek o u t ^gment of sy n th esizers a n d use th ese im p e rfe c tio n s co m p o sitio n a lly . A m o n g a c e rta in or both artists, a t le a st, th e tre n d is to w a rd m o re creativ e c irc u itry , p e rfo rm a n c e o rie n ta Tudo .

g

by Caldironi Meazzi, o f Milan. ® d a te d 11 M arch 1 9 7 5 , sta te s th a t “ to d a y , e le c tro m a g n e tic slides and are t i f *"®^™"^ents a n d e le c tro n ic a lly a m p lifie d in s tru m e n ts w ith re a d ju sta b le to n a l "e c u rre n t in te re s t.” (C f. C h a p te r V II, n o te s 14 an d 15.)

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X. M E A N S O F E X T E N S I O N

RECOMMENDED SOUNDS FOR AMPLIFICA TION By far the single best category o f sounds to amplify are those discussed in Chapter V I (O th er

Sounds). Practically everything from that chapter can be used successfully; however, “ closed”

i

^

esophageal speech, and related material are the areas most open to senous research. These relative’ quiet and unusual sounds, when amplified, seem to become new effects rather than just being loudtjNo doubt this is partly due to the sound emanating through the speaker instead o f the tromt)o„j partly due to the fact that the speaker would usually be at a different location than the trombonm When louder sounds are amplified, one will hear them through the trom bone as well as the speak“t There is, however, something very special about amplified stom ach, belching, and retching sounds Without amplification these sounds seem matter-of-fact; when amplified, they seem to take or. a grotesque quality that is very moving indeed, bringing about a dimension I like to think of as “:h» trom bone.” Because these sounds for the most part are not too loud by themselves, little sound com« * from the trombone when they are amplified (see under “ Musical Ventriloquism ” in Chapter XI}. Tric>. Xb

fore, it is very easy to convey a feeling that an electronic tape is being played; that is, the sound car.

seem synthetic, especially if the performer does not make much visual m otion at the tin e. A rscc^d^-‘ example demonstrates this clearly; it conveys a “ musique concrete” feeling ~ the altering of nonsynthetic sound sources. The sounds certainly will not be accepted as a trom bone’s, even though these same sounds are all idiomatic - the key word - to the trom bone. Consult the “ Amplification and Electronic Effects” chapter (7), w ritten by Arnold Lazaras. in Turetzky’s The Contemporary Contrabass. ’ Much useful inform ation is contained therein, ever tho=j^. it is designed for a different instrument. The intent of this short section on electronics is to leave the reader with a few notions o f what to do with am plification once the electronic hookup has been otiare:

PERFORMANCE SPA CE RESONANCE Performance space is part o f the trom bone, and, like trom bones and players, every space is different. TTiese spaces are extensions o f the trom bone, just as the trom bone is an extension o f the body ■*ithir which the vocal or lip buzzed sound functions. The perform er must “ play” the space just as much as one would the trom bone or body cavity. The trom bone has perhaps more control over its acoustical en­ vironment than any other instrum ent because o f its dynamic range and directional quality. It is. like the trum pet, an instrum ent that can be literally “ aim ed,” and this allows for trem endous control of acoustics. Performance space resonance can allow for imaginative thinking in term s of the creative process; it also can cause trem endous problems if this resonance is not clearly understood. Xc

The awareness o f resonance is best begun in a room with a long reverberation time. A cath e d ral will serve this purpose, or a cement stairwell. Whatever the place, first practice chords.* Star: the 7 . Bertram Turetzky. The Contemporary Contrabass (Los Angeles; University 1974), pp. 84-99. This chapter contains an excellent bibliography.

o f

California Pre«-

8. Here the term “ chords” does not mean “ m ultiphonics” (which are also useful) but rather of normal (buzzed) tones.

•y

X

MEANS OF EXTENSION

7,

nd long, and progress by stepped-down dynamics and length to the last note, which is not«

example (1) follows o f what might be played: D ynam ics and Length in Chord Building

----------------k m f

tnp p

hould be an echoed sound o f all the pitches in equal balance and perfect intonation. The ^^^mistake will be heard immediately and will bother the player in a way that cannot be duplichord construction can be done throughout the range, and chords of up to eight, ten, or

notes can be considered. It is wise to start at the top and work down, as well as the up gven more

d in the e x a m p le . Next, try the chord again, but start in the middle range and go in either

nitpmate directions. This is one o f the best ways to learn to blow true’ and to train the direction or aiieinai listen Do not get carried away with the beautiful sound quality that this resonance may produce; onant room is generally complimentary to the sound. Practice also in “dead” rooms to learn how

^ work with resonance, to make a “dead” room seem at least slightly resonant. This is not a method of \)!&\cstudy

material but rather o f basic acoustical material, if a distinction needs to be made.

The question of using the performance space creatively is an area worthy of development, not unlike the piano resonance where chords can also be set up. Indeed, it is possible to practice the exercises mentioned (see Example 1) into a piano with its pedal down and gain much insight into the technique and into the ear, although a resonant room is actually better. A tape delay system can also be useful for this purpose (cf. note 4 above). One should also play outdoors to study resonance; particularly recommended are canyon and mountain landscapes. There is something very special about playing the trombone outside, and it must be a feeling that didjeridu players take for granted; Resonance is very important to aboriginals even though they are outside (see Appendix III). The trick in using this reso­ nance creatively is to learn to “play into one’s own sound,” *® or to build, construct, play around with, 4nd improvise against the resonance in order to become completely familiar with the trombone and ■ts new environment, while at the same time creating ideas for com position.” The key word, again, is ^Perimentation.

No amount o f material in this chapter can substitute for that kind o f activity.

"true” means blowing with a properly centered tone. The point, in this case, is that " ear clearly what is wrong if one will listen to the echo carefully. ^Pic interesting to examine a flute recording, Paul Horn Inside the Taj Mahal (1968, lar attend 26466), which gives a taste o f what can be done with a 28-second echo. Pay particu'^oice-troinK vocal material for its marvelous microtonal fluctuations, keeping in mind the t h i c T ^ relationship discussed in Chapter II. Also see the more recent recording Paw/ Horn

1 Xurt

............................, was on a Lunnmgham and Dance Company. While I was working with David Behrman at the Pope’s Palace in Avignon, a “Great Abbey” (built during the time o f Clement

72

X. M E A N S O F E X T E N S I O N

VI in ab o u t 1360) was discovered just beyond o u r perform ance space, which overlook h below where the dancers and the audience were located. With the kind assistance o f Jnh sound technician, I n o t only perform ed from this “ G reat A bbey” bu t I also made several ings in this chapel dealing w ith its 14-second echo. The trom bone sounded beautiful in perhaps due to the irregular surface o f the sandstone, and m uch com positional material w'* I have titled these w orks and sketches Standing Waves to reflect the actual acoustic proceM place. Tw o o f these tapes have been recently released on 1750 Arch Records (S- 1775 ) Stu in the Great A bbey o f O em ent VI. The com positions have been titled “ Standing Waves “ Didjeridervish — 1976.”

a

" ’ and

C^liaptcr XI: T h ea trica l Im p licatio n s

on an n ro ach th e th e a tric a l im p lica tio n s o f the tro m b o n e : even w hen it is . -*ruiTicnts can tiyi fj# other inf m oves a t least th re e in ch es fo r on ly a h a lf step. Musical sight-sound relationplgyed jj,jp is

j^Qj-e obvious th a n in th e tro m b o n e glissando; everyone know s this visual cliche.

- ifistrunicnt

. ex ten d th e th ro a t as well as th e arm , th e tro m b o n e is a m uch m ore logical

” than o th e r in stru m e n ts. It is u n iq u e am o n g in stru m en ts, and is the only in stru m e n t

jy extender tna

' ator o f b o d y so u n d s) having a co m p le te ly variable re so n a to r length. This has im plicaTthe body (rcsonai b o t h acoustically a n d visually; th e la tte r is d e a lt w ith in this f in a l ch a p te r,

garden HOSE Various references have been m ade th ro u g h o u t th is b o o k to g ard en hose in stru m en ts. As sta te d b e fo re , Bj a garden hose the trombone

fitted w ith a tro m b o n e m o u th p ie c e is really a tro m b o n e o f nonadjustable len g th , ju s t as may be considered an adjustable-X^ngXh g ard en hose. T h e first c o m p o s itio n ' th a t ever

considered this idea was P auline O liv ero s’s T heater Piece fo r T rom bone Player and Tape (n o te use o f the word

“player”). N o tro m b o n e p e r se is u sed in th is w o rk b u t ra th e r th e aco u stical a n d visual

abstractions of it; how ever, th is does n o t m a k e it an y less a tro m b o n e piece. If th is piece w ere to be for a player of another brass in s tru m e n t, it w o u ld be necessary to use d iffe re n t size hoses and m o u th ­ pieces,

which would m ake it an e n tire ly d iffe re n t v e n tu re . T h e hoses are sim p ly re so n a to rs a n d , as su ch ,

are no different from any brass o f sim ilar le n g th a n d b o re. These hoses in the Oliveros w o rk w e re o rig in a lly “ w o v e n ” in to tw o sc u lp tu re s b y th e c h o re o g ra p h e r ^ St Harris. One, a “ candle tr u m p e t,” h as fu n n e l bells o n th e en d w here ca n d le s are p la c e d . A n form

’’ite'T elatio nship b e tw e e n sig h t a n d s o u n d is achieved b ecau se th e b re a th o f th e p er-

^'^^'^^^J^control the a m o u n t a n d ty p e o f lig h t th a t th e ca n d le gives. T h e o th e r s c u lp tu re , a “ s p rin k le r for^me g a rd e n h o se so lo o f e x te n d e d le n g th w as b y R o b e rt H u g h es, of?^’ PP-12-15 Th A nagnorisis, a b a lle t fo r so lo d a n c e r, tro m b o n e , a n d p e rc u s sio n and!?!"*'®" th e d a n M ^ l'l b ro u g h t u p th e in te re s tin g p ro b le m o f w a n tin g to p la y a b o u t n in e fe et any ^ splint arrange^*^^^*^ n ee d ed a b o u t f ifty fe et! Q u ite a large h o le w as c u t a t th e n in e f o o t p o in t observing vuXm*?/ ^®vised, w ra p p e d in m a tc h in g ta p e , so th a t it w o u ld n o t b e n d a n d so th a t th in k th e e n tire h o se w as s o u n d in g .

73

74

XI . T H E A T R I C A L I M F’ L 1C A H O N S

h o rn ,” ^ allow s fo r lawn sprinklers to ro tate , spew ing lo r th baby pow iler, stnokc, or wlntev m ight have been loaded in them .^ M any vocal sounds im itating anim als are used (cf. C hapter My m ixed m edia ballet en title d Ten Grand Hosery was inspired largely through niy collab Pauhne Oliveros and E lizabeth Harris on th e Theater Piece, and I will alw ays be in d eb ted to th sustaining pedals o f ten pianos are blocked (cf. C hapter X), the idea being to “ send sound through from one p ian o to another. T he same score calls fo r didjeridu (see A ppendix III), or yn abstraction it, to be used in the pianos (fo r the resonance). A t one p o in t, th e p erfo rm er is expcctcd to dervish while playing th e didjeridu. Also em ployed is a “ scu lp to rch e stra” - th at is, sculptured instruments in stru m en tal scu lp tures (fo r a detailed description o f this w ork see A ppendix II).

M U SICAL VENTRILOQ UISM T he n o tio n th a t th e sound o f the in stru m en t always em anates from (o r near) the perform er is ques­ tio n ed in Ten Grand Hosery. U sually, sound com es from the perform er, though a n o ta b le exception is th e pipe organ; the pipes m ay be som e distance from the player. This idea o f the sound leaving the p erfo rm e r is very easily do n e w ith garden hoses, as is seen above, bu t it is also possible to reverse the process w ith a tro m b o n e in conjunction w ith a hose and an auxiliary rem ote player. I remember the K u ltu rk v a rte tte n (a tro m b o n e q u a rte t com posed o f F olke R abe, Jan Bark, R uno Ericksson, and Jorgen Jo h an n so n ) d u rin g th e ir perform ance w ith m e in C openhagen in 1968. O ne player on stage held a trom­ bo n e th a t played w h e th e r he had it to his lips o r n o t, A clear hose hidden from view had been affixed to th e “ F ” a tta c h m e n t slide tube, and the player had only to engage th e valve to have the offstage p e rfo rm e r’s sound com e through.** The tro m b o n e w ould appear to play by itself - a grand sight indeed!* (See also u n d e r “ R ecom m ended Sounds for A m plification” in C h ap ter X for fu rth e r information on “ m usical v en trilo q u ism .” )

2. This is in no way to be confused w ith the “ trin k ler.” See G erard H offnung, The Hoffnung

S y m p h o n y Orchestra (L o n d o n : D ennis D obson, 1955), p. 38. 3. A very old idea is to blow cigarette sm oke th ro u g h an in stru m en t while playing. Special lighting can m ake it lo o k as th o u g h th e in stru m en t is on fire, presum ably a “ h o t tu n e ” being played. 4 .1 can n o w ap p reciate th e fru stratio n o f th e offstage player. R ecently (sum m er, 1975) I had the o p p o rtu n ity to p erfo rm on th e “ d id jere u n io n ,” a didjeridu-like in stru m en t designed by Phil Carlsen. It is a scu lp tu re in stru m e n t m ade o f PVC pipe, and th ree people can play it at once. The acoustical re su lt is very w orth w hile even th o u g h th e changes th a t one p erfo rm e r’s b reathing does to another ar ab so lu tely baffling. 5. H arold B etters’s R eprise recording (N o. 6 2 0 8 ) O ut o f Sight and Sound contains notes th e reco rd in g sessions: . . th e h o m seems on occasion to know w hat to d o w ith o u t being told, u s give y o u an in stan ce: It seem s th a t during th e final set o f one exh au stin g late-hours and ragged-out B etters neglected to lift his tro m b o n e in to playing position fo r the n ext tune. ^ w eary H arold co uld m anage to do was p u c k e r up. A nd lying right th ere in his lap, th at old trom ju s t to o k o f f a-w ailin’ all b y itself.”

75

XI . T H E A T R I C A L I M P L I C A T I O N S

r c O S S a O U S N E S S AN D HUMOR atrical trom bone probably goes back no fu rth e r than New Orleans jazz, m instrel shows, an d /o r '""lie It is had to play

“ tailgaters” o f the early 1900s tailgate o f the wagon in order to have room for the slide. Real theatrical

'‘'^^^'^usness for trom bone players probably took hold in the New Orleans era, com ing down via and the Spike Jones era. directly to contem porary music. One very old idea* was to hold I

hr.ne with the bell and slide disconnected, yet close enough to still play; this allowed for the

.ug

, fWOn3^

of the in strum ent to be moved around in all directions. A fter learning o f this, I prepared

mall rubber tube th at could be stretched over bo th parts to m ake a b etter connection for playing,

^sallow ed the trom bone to flop all around and yet still get a good sound. It was even possible to the bell section crossways in fro n t o f the face with the m outhpiece coming in between the braces. Should it ac c id e n ta lly ( o r purposely) com e ap art, it m ight then be desirable to pull the o uter slide off, suddenly ending up w ith m any disconnected parts. I often used such shenanigans in shows and other performances during m y high school and college days. The idea, apparently, stems from the eariy

nineteen hu n d red s. Seeing the Spike Jones b a n d in the fifties, there is one sight I will never forget. This w as

a trom bone th at had its bell section divided in h alf so th at, apparently, a coupling was constructed

in the m iddle of the curve in the tuning slide. This allowed the bell to drop down behind the player and to dangle and swing about. U n fo rtu n ately , few early trom bonists are famous for hum or,’ although it is known that a few o f the great band soloists o f th at tim e, such as Leo Zimmerman, liked to play pranks or otherwise engage in hum orous activity n o t related to playing.®

LAUGH The trombone laugh appears th ro u g h o u t the early p art o f this century.^ It was often done w ith the Xlb wa-wa mute, sometimes coupled w ith an a tte m p t at the same “ u a” vowel sounds by the lip (cf. C hapter 6. This was told to me in the early fifties by m y first trom bone teacher, the late A. B. “ Chic

Moore.

7. Glenn Bridges, in a le tte r dated 27 A ugust 1974 (small changes have been m ade for the sake o f brevity and clarity): “ Jim M iller was a H olton d em o n strato r back in the tw enties and before. He used to do a stunt like faking a bagpipe in the low er register — and good. TTiat fellow really had a fantastic •■snge... , Xhe trom bone laugh was p robably originally done by Fred Innes back in the 1880s, for private audiences, n o t in concert. A lthough a concert artist, Innes did all o f the so-called stunts. The fim laugh I ever heard on a record was H arry R aderm an’s Make That Trombone Laugh on an old tdison disc made in 1920. Yes, I heard th e stu n t o f dism antling the trom bone and playing through the j*PPer tuning slide only. I rem em ber a Larry Conley doing this in an orchestra pit in 1923 playing p e n Hearts Are Young w ith R o d em ich ’s O rchestra in St. Louis. Many did these things even before, and) I heard all kinds o f tro m b o n e stu n ts as far back as I can rem em ber. I began . . . on tro m b o n e in ’ vaudeville artists w ere then in th e “sw ing” as they say today. Fellows like Eddie Coe, etc,” from f?® "" Bridges, Pioneers in Brass (D e tro it: Slierwood Publications, 1965), p. 111 (book available e author, 15626 Callahan, F raser, Michigan 48026). Cf. note 7 above.

XI. T H E A T R I C A L I M P L I C A T I O N S ”

, .0

„

e rte n d e d e x a m p le appears in Robert Sucierburg’s a . m b e , Mu>tc

II) to reinforce the ettec .

tr o m b o n is t uses th e wa-wa w hile th e pianist m ak„

oth er

i„ ,he -B ro th er

o f laughing are heard when a trom bonu,

Staccato” or “ Flight o f the Bum blebee" while a crowd

,o cal "Ha-ha soun s attem pts to play sue

k in d s

am

^

trom bone seem s to take to this kind of

l o » T t h a t the ItL T L a ss instmments. perhaps because o f the apparently awkward slide work th,, most people assume mirron the trombonist. Whatever the reasons, th ey are cause for many people to take the instniment seriously - as seriously as the cello or piano, for instance.

THEATER PIECES O ther than the type o f incidental th e a te r th a t o cc u rs in C age’s S o lo , th e firs t real th e a te r piece for trom bone solo to achieve in tern a tio n al fam e w as th e B erio S e q u e n za V. O f c o u rs e , all m usic is theatrical; th at is, the perform ance o f any piece is o f in te re st visually as w ell as a c o u s tic a lly . T h e B erio is one of two works to arrive on the m usic scene sim u ltan e o u sly , each w ith a d is tin c t fla v o r o f its ow n in this genre o f m usic theater. T he Oliveros Theater Piece an d th e B erio w o rk w e re p ro g ra m e d o n m y premiere concerts o f 21 and 22 M arch 1966 at th e San F ra n c isc o T a p e M usic C e n te r. N o d o u b t th e re are other earlier th eate r pieces, b u t none, so far as is k n o w n , received su c h a w id e d is trib u tio n .^ ^ Perhaps the Erickson Ricercare d 5 sh o u ld be in c lu d e d as a m u sic th e a t e r p ie c e , b u t th e only actions observed are th o se necessary to p erfo rm th e w o rk . As in th e C age p ie c e , it is im p o s sib le to m ake the trom bone n o t theatrical. These Cage and E rick so n w o rk s are w h a t m ig h t b e te rm e d “ im p lied theater” ; th at is, th ey seem to be th e a te r pieces in all re sp ects e x c e p t t h a t n o th in g h a s b e e n a d d e d to th e move­ m ents necessary to execute the w ork aco u stically . G ra n te d , th e C age w o rk c o u ld h av e a specific theatri­ cal option exercised by a p erfo rm er, b u t th is o p tio n n e e d n o t b e ta k e n .

P E R SO N A L IT Y P O R T R A YA L U il

t r o m b o n e , d o e s w a rra n t som e discussion. sto ry

a b o u t t h e f a m o u s E u ro p e an C lo w n C r o c k , -

a n d th e t r o m b o n i s t ’s a c tio n s acoustically

once a month or si*tL Sow 1ng"rem S']^^^^^^ ^^ties when about Dithers, Dagwood’s boss. He would s a v ‘‘Bumst hm m uted trom b on e, cam e from Mr. „ Currently, the role o f the schoolteacher in th T ^ rJ ioffice!! (uauauaua£/i*-ua)wa-wa muted trombone. Brown” cartoons on television is played by a 11. See pages 19-21 o f the score. r r

Laughing R ecord” recorded by the Spike

14. Stage name for Charles A d ^ r w l i k e 'c r o '^ r w S m r ’

trombone*-

'^ ^ s h is s p e a W n ^ i f

ex p lain th e “ w h y ” o f th e p l e c l

^

XI . T H E A I R I C A L I M P L I C A T I O N S

77

isually a tte m p t to p o r tr a y th is s to ry . In th e b eg in n in g , th e p lay er “ s h o o ts” so m eth in g in th e air a p p e a r to b e high o r low . T h is b ec o m e s faster, m o re fre t|u c n t, and m o re d isjo in te d , finally th e w h o le s itu a tio n b e c o m e s so fra n tic an d h y sterica l th a t the p e rfo rm e r can o n ly u tte r a ‘’"" idered

(a t th e e n d o f lin e 3 o f th e sco re). F rom th a t p o in t nn, the p la y e r m ust b re a th e in

^.le pijying (cf. C h a p te r V I), in te rje c t lo u d n o te s in to a so ft te x tu re , w ork th e slide vigorously, and thervi^is® niaintain a level o f h y s te ria th a t re p re se n ts Clrock and how he m ight have p e rfo rm e d had he been a trom bone p lay er. T h e h y s te ria co n v c y ed is n o t falsely im posed; it is also the result o f p e rfo rm in g

the piece! One need n o t try to b e th e a tric a l e x c e p t at th e beginning and at the sp o k en w ord. O n the other hand, th e p la y e r c o n s ta n tly m u s t have in m ind th e m essage th a t is to be conveyed, and to k eep that level up. T he h allm ark o f th e tru e clo w n is th e m ix tu re o f the com ic and tragic, and this m u st be Icept in mind. Special lig h tin g sets th e m o o d fo r th e piece. S tretch in g role-playing fu r th e r, I, in o n e sense, never appeared at all in m y Life Begins at F orty concert.** T. P eter T o m ita ’s review m ay p artia lly ex p lain w hy:

One creepy green s p o tlig h t d im ly fo cu sed on stage left. E n te r th e C arnivore o f U ranus exploring “ an alien e n v iro n m e n t a c co m p an ied by vague sensations o f an alm ost fo rg o tte n previous ex isten ce w h erein h e was fro lick ed in th e canals ’n ea th su n n y skies in search o f Corvo” (from p ro g ram n o te s b y th e co m p o ser). I t ’s S tu a rt D em pster! C ostum ed in green tights, green ru b b e r fe e t and h a n d s, a m assive h eadpiece covered w ith green and clear celluiose dangling, o b scu rin g w h a t lo o k to be o rd in a ry m o to rcy c le goggles on w hat should be his head (but n o t quite sure). He ( I t) is sco o tin g a b o u t the flo o r on a small caster. The tro m ­ bone, also dressed in green a n d c le a r cellulose, is playing the Carnival o f Venice in h arm o n y with the elec tro n ic tape. T h e carnivore sto p s to c o n tem p late, th en scoots in and a ro u n d the audience w hen we realize m o re so u n d s are em an atin g from this being than tro m b o n e. Yes! rhe Carnivore is w ired w ith h a lf a d o zen speakers co n n e cted to th e tape. Hi-Lites fro m the Carnivore o f Uranus fo r Trom bone and Tape by Edw in L ondon was the opening n u m b e r o f a c o n c e r t . . . [w h ich ] also included Bom bardm ents No. 4 by R o b e rt Moran in w hich D e m p ster fu tilely fights his way o u t o f a gigantic b u rlap bag, W hatzit No. 6 by R aym ond W ilding-W hite in w hich he p erfo rm s th ro u g h a card b o ard refrig erato r packing crate, and his now fam o u s General Speech b y R o b ert E ric k s o n .. . .'* In all these w orks I n ev er ap p e are d as a “ tro m b o n is t” b u t ra th e r as an outer-space being, a larva, a speech giver, and a m ech an ized ro b o t. In W ilding-W hite’s W hatzit No. 6 (1 9 7 0 ). I p o p u p and d o w n like a jack-in-the-box, q u o tin g , like spliced tap e, m any ex cerp ts from the tro m b o n e lite ratu re . O ne sh o u ld also be aware o f W ilding-W hite’s Encores fo r Stu (1 9 7 0 ), fo u rteen little pieces suitable fo r th e en d o f a concert, which involve every im aginable activ ity th a t one m ight do w ith a tro m b o n e. My favorites include “ N o ctu rn e” (N o. 10) w here b u b b les are blow n th ro u g h th e “ F ” a tta c h m e n t, an d “ A e ro d y n a m ic s” ^ 0 - 11) where a b allo o n is in stalled o n th e “ F ” a tta c h m e n t so th a t w hen the trigger is engaged the *’alIoon blows up. Pedagogical p ro b lem s a b o u n d w hen one begins to learn R o b ert M oran’s Bom bard-

^entsNo. 4 (1 9 6 4 and 1968), an in cred ib le piece because it m ust be perform ed in a large b u rlap b a g .’^ ^'^entually learned to fall, roll, and tu m b le w hile still playing the tro m b o n e, bu t n o t b efo re p ra cticin g This co ncert was in S ea ttle at i\\t and/or on 8 Ju ly 1976. Stu D em pster at a n d /o r,” in Ear, Vol. 4, No. 7, Fall 1976. “ co stu m e” was designed b y R enko Ishida and the com poser.

78

XI

T H E A T R IC A L IM P L IC A T IO N S

m o re elem e n ta ry p ro ced u res. T h is p ractice en tailed ( ! ) learning to fall w ithout the th e bag, (2 ) learning to fall w ith th e tro m b o n e w hile n o t in th e bag, and (3 ) leamingT*^^*^"*^ I th e n co m b in ed th e first tw o p ro ced u res, finally adding th e last one. T he result is a w ith seem ingly m an y legs - th e tro m b o n e c o n trib u te s its share — and the tro m b o n e (a d seem to be a larva in a c o c o o n d u rin g th e p u p a stage. T he Bom bardm ents is a trombon'^t’ S p rin g .” ^

of

S om e o f th e b est th e a te r in m usic is th a t w hich is linked to a high degree w ith the sound B erio o r th e O liveros. T he candles in th e Oliveros w ork are affected by the blow ing or by th e hose p ro d u c in g th e D o p p ler e ffec t in th e sound, th e la tte r relating in som e strange way w ith th e d id jerid u . T his spinning is d o n e ju s t as well w ith th e tro m b o n e. Also, w ith the Ben

One M an, discussed in C hapters IV and V III, th e gestures u n d e rta k e n are sim ply those which alsoV"t e x e c u te th e so und desired, even th o u g h the w ork seem s to be a th e a te r piece. In Johnston’s work th w ind ch im es o ver th e face are th e a tric a l, to be sure, but do create a w onderful sound. The rolling'up of th p a n ts legs to reveal th e finger cym bals is certain ly th eatrical b u t nonetheless necessary in the acoustical ^ p e rfo rm a n c e o f th e w ork.'* N otice th e d ifferen ce in R o b e rt E rick so n ’s General Speech where “hard sta re s,” a c tio n s w ith a glass o f w ater, and so on form on ly a sm all p a rt o f th e to tal theatrical picture (see A p p e n d ix I). T h e g reat success o f General Speech is d u e, n o d o u b t, to its careful ex ten sio n o f the trombone bell as th e th ro a t, an d th e slide as the arm . It is a p aro d y o f a real speech w ith as m any theatrical gestures as p ractical to p o rtra y th e person beh in d th is speech. In this w ay it is n o t unlike Sequenza V, a story about a specific in d iv idual, th e m ain m eaning being beh in d his p u b lic image. A lthough the actions are desiped to p o rtra y th e p erso n a t h an d as G eneral M acArthur,** it is freely recognized th a t the person could be a n y o n e . It is n o t w hat is being said, it is how \ O ne m ig h t w ell im agine an o p era being carried on b y several tro m b o n e s.“

Indeed, understanding of

m an y o p e ra p lo ts w ould n o t b e any th e less en h an ced . O nly w hen opera is com posed with all the parts cre a te d fo r tro m b o n e s in stead o f voices, w ith great tro m b o n e opera choruses “ vocalizing” the refrains, can th e tro m b o n e tru ly b e said to have arrived a t th e fo y er o f m ainstream w estern music. 18. A w o rd a b o u t dress: W hen such ac tio n s are d o n e in, say, full dress (tails), the im pact is altogether d iffe re n t th a n if o n e is in je a n s o r even a d a rk su it. T he stric t fo rm ality o f th e concert setup as rep ^ se n te d b y th e form al c lo th e s is m o re a p p a re n t w hen th e deviations o f p a n t leg rolling, p a n ts , e tc ., are m ade. T h is ju x ta p o s itio n in g o f various sym bols o f th e trad itio n al and the new is im p o rta n t and sh o u ld be c o n s ta n tly in m ind w hen p erfo rm in g new w orks requiring theater. 19. P e rh a p s th e tro m b o n e is th e u ltim a te co rn co b pipe. 2 0 . T h e original tro m b o n e o p era p lo t cam e to m y m ind in th e fall o f 1973 u p o n returning A u stralia. T h e “ W atergate H earings” on th e in fam o u s W atergate H otel B reak-In, 1 ' jh e voices b eg u n several m o n th s ea rlier and w ere o c c u p y in g television tim e m orning, n o o n , and n d ro n e d o n , an d th e p a rtic ip a n ts seem ed to sp eak slow ly and otherw ise ap p ear ^ad fo u r m o n th s , an d re tu rn in g to h e a r th e sam e H earings grinding aw ay, it was as thoug ^gterga*® A t th is p o in t th e re alizatio n cam e th a t, b y ex ten d in g th e General Speech idea, the en A ffair is o n e o f th e w o rld ’s g re at (1 ) d ro n e pieces, (2 ) th e a te r pieces, and (3 ) potential

--------------------------------- —e-: -

«

>^..- -x.v. - ■

Backword

The trom bone is a sym bol o f long life. It is the instrum ent which remains unchanged, ju st as it is an instrument only rarely used until the tw en tieth century. F or five hundred years it has co n tin u ed w ith only small changes, while the rest o f w estern instrum ents have undergone drastic changes o r have been invented. The trom bone, th en , is a sleeping giant ju st beginning to awaken. This book o f elem entary ideas can provide only th e m aterial for the giant’s first breakfast. Readers m ust realize th at this book is in the form o f a first word — a foundation - upon which m uch can be built. This cannot be a b o o k o f com bined elem ents, and although various hints tow ard com bining elem ents have been m ade from tim e to tim e, they are given with the idea o f helping the tro m b o n ist o r com poser to experim ent fu rth er. T o spend any real tim e on “ elem ent com bining” would take several volum es, be too pedantic, and stifle the reader’s (and my ow n) Im agination. If the reader has read this far, it is time for him o r her to experim ent (and this will be true w hether reading from the back o f th e book o r from the front). Those readers w ho have begun at this end o f the book will have already discovered the recording. T he discs are organized w ith exam ples from th ro u g h o u t the book. In reading from this end, one will be going from the outsid e in; th a t is, from the theatrical gesture, to perform ance space, through the tro m ­ bone, and in to th e body. Even th e m iscellanea chapter turns ou t to be in the m iddle. When the appendices are read first, they will lend a background perspective to the book th a t can be helpful. On the o th e r hand, in reading from the fro n t, the reader will find the appendices useful in the order they are m en tio ned in th e chapters (see F orew ord). From the front, the reader starts w ith the b o d y and works through th e tro m b o n e and o u t in to the space surrounding. T here is really no d ifference whether one is in o r o u t o f the body, n eith er being b e tte r than the other. It is all the sam e, th e end *^eing the beginning and the beginning being the end. Welcome or farewell, then, depending u p o n the route traveled!

79

A ppendix I: ( t ( ‘H e r a I S / y r r c h

G e n e ra l

Speech by R o b ert E rickson is one o f Ihc m ost amazing and thought-provoking works ever com ­

posed for the tro m b o n e. This w ork is reproduced in its entirety on the following pages becausc o f its importance for stu d y and its relationship to this book.

HI

General Specch

a conyx>sition by Robert Erickson fo r Trombone Solo (1969) Co««issioneecch te x ts , and other information helpful to tiie prospective performer.

Setup

The setup should include the most opulent lo c te m one can nustcr.

On i t stnuld be s itu a te d a b la c k lite , and two red lig h ts on a diinner, placed so as to lig lit the medals and the h a t.

TVio sm allish American

flag s should grace tlic hi);hcst |X)int of the Ic c tc m thus '■ M

.

To the r i i ’ht side o f th e le c te rn , or b e tte r y e t, on an a u x iliary ta b le , a g lass and a p itc lK t o f water slxxild be placed.

Behind the le c te rn

a se rie s of steps vnr>'ing in two-inch heights should be placed out o f audiencc view,

llw dinmcT for the red lig h ts should be conveniently

placed on the Ic c te n i so i t can be used when staivding a t f u ll Iteight, whereas tnc b la c k lite sw itch should be located near the flo o r tor sc rie s of stops) to be operated wliile bent down (see lig h tin g cue sh eet).

Performance

Walk on brusquely in a m ilita ry fashion and mount next to liighest step witJi bent knees so as to appear standing on the flo o r.

The

trombone should then be brought up suddenly followed by a hard sta re

1. L isten to th e MIX recording E 424S CCTeral o f the Anny Uouglas ttacArthur - the L ife and Legend o f tlie Old SoIZTTer - a Jocumentary compiled f'roiii itearst Metrotone Newsreels. 2.

JfccArthur. D o u g l a s , R e a i n i s c e n e s (MrCraw-Hill, N ew ^ork, 1 9 M ) .

J a l ;v i:ite c ,'jfc. M

1^1

A fter to e f i r s t s u t e a e c t , jx-«rvxiu:^ j« * i t tin s w cri sacx*;i ir e e a r ; - s t

4 S it ICC liT s« . toe i i j f t , too

e t .; .) .

As b e st »s p c s s ic le . one is to p e rfc rn ta e rcw eli ind ^ o rja n ac ts i s seen i t th e *oru i b s t r i c t i o c s in v ie l i r ^ e le t te r in g ■.“■* soeecr. IS given only i s an i i d ) . t.i r o i t u i

111

T ^ s neans STjpuig the -ncuth. tcr.j?je, a.-x:

d if f e r e n t Banners in o rd e r to ac.iie-.-e the ic s ir e d e f f e c t,

and i t w ill no doubt be fsxnd th a t a c o ^ re h e n s iv e an a ly sis o f each sound «>ill have to be nade. T his p iec e re q u ire s an •'P' a tto ch n en t tronbone.

I t w ill be

n o tic e d , however, th a t th e only use of th e valve naJc is fo r the n a if valve e f f e c t.

Where th e re is c a l l fo r p itc h e s below the low E they

a re desiipiated as "fake" meaning "fake tr ig g e r" notes; th a t i s , they should be performed as bent tones or as wiiat Robin Gregory in h is book 00

on The Tranbone^ re f e rs to as "priveleged” n otes.

Do not cnuanc the

tr ig g e r fo r any low note except a t the very end o f lin e 13 about where the word "Pedal F" is w ritte n .

The " e tc ." a t th a t point should be

morembent tr ig g e r pedals down to as low as p o ssib le. All v ib ra to s can be assimed to be the "diaphragm" (or "gut") v ib ra to w ith occasio n ally a s n a il h in t o f a jaw v ib rato when appropriate. Pauses The f i r s t long pause in the middle o f lin e 6 should be takoi very m atter o f - f a c tly .

3.

S tick out the chest to show o f f the medals.

Pra*ger, New York, 1973.

Bring

utrra-p JA--. cougn"' la t e r jc. 5.Tn>...: be i s^-rpTise, c a r^ fu lly the lip s * iT JtrJiier.t.

:e

W ■ x .t.^ iic c io

At V-e iou5le -» r -

-»

r:: j« i-

; : iC«-« larrxj^s t.-« -iau: 2v e r

ae-^T ' -

b e ll (as a le c tu re r mx-Ia do covering u e a x x .-:).

I t i^ioLlJ. se « r -

h u rrie d - the JtLtji o f n a te r is jr?er.t.' - fo r the f i r s t zai zr r - e l / e >eco«l5.

Then slow Jonn the pace g ra iu a ily acvisg la to

oocy

quiver a t the beginnuig o f lir>e K , the bod>- quiver beiog of an o l i nan regaining h is ccmposure. Surprise Eniing At the eml o f the piece bring ln s tn « e n t dowi sjd d e n l/ Ctaiong care to allow medals to sluw).

A fter stage {and house] lig h ts are

blacked count two seconds and d in red lig h ts o ff .

In j u s t the

b la c k lite slowly "fade away" as gradually and slowly as p o ssib le behind the podiun by bending the knees, e tc .

When c n f)le te d , turn

o ff b la c k lite , «nve away from le c te rn in to a bow, and stay th ere u n til house lig h ts come on. u n til bows are conpiete.

Then walk on and o ff in n i l i u r y fashion

I f a th ird or fourth bow is c a lle d fo r, a

wave o f the hat is d e sira b le , but n ain tain the ch aracter o f the personage rig h t through the fin a l e x it.

Lighting Cue Sheet The piece is perforncd in it s en tirety in It IS a t the end of the piece its e lf that ariier to know when tlic comcs one only trambone is brought down three (J) times, the end.

iwrnul su g e lighting. th is changes. In need know that tlie the th ird tin e being

Mien the Instrunent is brought down: (a) the f i r s t tin e , about 1/3 into the piece, a water glass is used. (b) tlic second ti» e , about 2/J into the piece, a water glass and pitcher are used. (c) the th irJ time narks THE EKD of the piece and the Lighting person w ill: **co»ait Z seconds a fte r end of piece and black the s t a ^ ojjd house lights suddenly (Uo not dim). g

The performer w ill tiicn count 2 seconds .-mil din red lights. rcnaining in b lacklitc. While disapjicarin^ behind podium perfonner w ill tuni o ff blacklitc (the performer rust be aware that the b lacklitc w ill appear off to the lightiiiK person once performer lias disappeared out of black litc, even i f i t is not yet switched o ff!) **coijit 8 seconds a fte r b lack lite goes o ff and bring up st.igc and Iwusc lig h ts sud^nly. (Applause will then s ta rt and piece is over.)

For performer on stage; Prepare 2 red lights dinned low facing up from podiun on chest and head, etc. Prepare b lack lite on podium to pick up medals, etc. Both systems remain on during entire playing of the piece, then; Follow performer directions above.

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A ppendix II: ! '( '} }

(n a n (I

tio s c r y

a composition by STUART DEMPSTER

fo r Musician. Dancer. Sculplorcheslra. Supplem entary Dancers, and Audience Composed with the assistance o f A l lliiang and Dedicated to Pauline Oliveros Prem iered F ebruary 9 th and lO th, 1972 Festival T h eater - K rannert C enter, U niversity o f Illinois, U rbana S tu art D em pster, assisted by Al H uang and his Tai Chi classes, and b y graduate sculpture stu d en ts o f F rank Gallo. Lighting b y Ray C ato n . P ro d u ctio n by G o rd o n S m ith. T itle con­ trib u te d by Ben Jo h n sto n . S culptures: B lo w d o ze r h y W ayne F orbes, Human S e rp e n to id by C hip W ulff, P ot bailers V II and I X and L ift to T op a n d L e t D rop b y Mike H oeft.

STAG E The stage should be as open as possible, w ith all curtains including the cycloram a raised up out of sight. Place ten grand pianos on the stage w ith the Hds raised and sustaining pedals blocked so that the strings will be free to resonate. A rrangem ent should be casual, yet spread around the stage to cover the area generally w ith a semicircle leaving the dow nstage center open. Ten garden hoses w ith as many trombone m o u th p ieces should be stretched, one from each piano, to the cen ter o f the stage, the ends o f the hoses being hooked in the sounding board holes so th at they will not slip out. All hoses should be of a length so th a t the m usician can stand up and have al! hoses rise evenly. Each hall encountered will, o f necessity, require small changes in the conception, including the num ber o f pianos used. The title rem ains th e same no m a tte r how m any pianos are used. It is never to be done w ith less than three pianos, and all th a t are used should be grands.

LIGHTING Lighting should be sim ple even if m any lights are hung fo r the occasion. C oncentration should be on washes o f blue and gold, these being the best choices w ith green or clear plastic garden hoses. Specials 90

a p p e n d i x I I . r£AT C

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can be hung fo r do w nstage ce n te r, stage ccnter, and as desired elsewhere. No specific lighting is necessary fo r an y o f th e follow ing num bers o th e r than a general increase from no light to a lot o f light, and th e n back to n o th in g again. An elem ent o f im provisation is desired for all elem ents in this piece, including th e lighting.

PERFORM ANCE I. Grand Overture and Didjeridervish Musician will co m e o u t on stage w ith a didjeridu or, preferably, an abstraction o f it such as a PVC sewer pipe o f a b o u t one and a h a lf inches in diam eter and about three and a half to four feet long. Move slow ly at first to each pian o , m aking soft sounds m ost o f w hich are vocal. G radually add occa­ sional buzzed so u n d s as th e sound w orks up a bit louder and busier. Go round and round to all the pianos m oving q u ie tly here, staying and blow ing longer there, as m uch as practical having didjeridu (o r sewer p ipe) p o in ted in to p iano to pick up resonance. It should seem as though you are “ testing” pianos and th a t th e piece has n o t really begun yet. G radually m ove to each piano faster, going around faster u n til finally w orking way to ce n te r dow n stage in a full dervish at the rate o f one ro ta tio n for every tw o seconds. By this tim e co n tin u o u s droning by the m ethod o f circular breathing should be going on w hich will, by th e w ay, create a D oppler effect o f m icrotones because o f the rotating. Keep this up th ree to eig ht m in u tes, th en gradually slow dow n and finally stop, sink to knees slow ly and bring didjeridu u p overhead while going dow n on back in a yoga “ fish” or “ diam ond” asana w ith back o ff th e flo o r and to p o f head touching floor in such a way th at the didjeridu reaches floor and can still be played. C o n tin u e circular b reathing gradually getting so fter and fading out. D ancer starts far upstage ju st m oving casually w ith perhaps a few traditional type w arm ups o r w hat­ ever else seem s a p p ro p riate. W ork way finally to pianos, n eith er avoiding nor seeking o u t m usician. An occasional sh o u t o r g ru n t in to a piano is ap p ro p riate, thereby m aking dancer a m usician ju s t as m usician becom es dancer. In clude occasional spins a n d /o r short three to four second dervishes. As m usician finally reaches c e n te r stage an d dervishes, m ake no m ore sounds b u t co n cen trate on dancing round and round th e m usician, som etim es the sam e speed o r faster or slower. Change directions freq u en tly , or w hatever seem s a p p ro p riate. T hrough all this rem em ber to be m editative, com fortable, relaxed, and happy! G radually end up lying on the stage at a b o u t the sam e tim e or ju st a fte r th e m usician lies o n the stage. When so u n d sto p s, lie m otionless, II. Ten Grand Hosery — Part One Musician, w hile stage is blacked, m oves to ccn ter stage w here the " b o u q u e t o f m o u th p ieces” is, and sits crossleggcd w ith m o u th p ie ces to his m o u th . As lights com e u p , gradually m ake a few vocal sounds, then a few buzzed sounds, in to th e favorite garden hose-piano instrum ents th at are at hand. G radually w ork up to using all hoses, th e idea being to “ send” sound from one piano to the o ther. Lots o f long tones, v ib rato Cm icrotonal wavers), bending notes, etc., are ap propriate so th at m icro to n al chord stru ctu res arc set u p in th e piano strings. It is also n o t a bad idea to have an eleventh hose going to “ no w h ere” so th a t th e d an cer can occasionally play (on the far end). Stand up once, at a dram atic

92

A P P E N D I X 11 T E N G R A N D H O S t : R Y

m o m en t, so the hoses can all rise together. Bang m outhpieces to g eth er occasionally. M usi ' to “ d an ce” occasionally just as dancer will w ant to m ake sound, and this m ust be c-irt^fi.n

V t u i c i u i l y Worker!

betw een th e tw o. G radually fade o u t to silence and lie on back. T otal tim e: 8-15 minutes D ancer will begin at the spot where the last piece was ended. G radually m ake some activity p ro p riate, but give m usician a head start. Dancer will eventually w ant to dance “ through” hose. and co n trib u te a few sounds from tim e to time. A hose can be brought loose from a piano

•'

'

can m ove, and m ovem ents with hose, dancer, and musician can be im provised as desired Dancer no d o u b t w ant to dance with and becom e entangled in one o r m ore hoses. Banging hoses on floo useful, ju s t as m usician will bang m outhpieces occasionally, b u t this should not be excessive fOptio If m ore th an one dancer is used for this section - com bining Parts I and II - the solo dancer should still begin first, perhaps for four or five m inutes, before bringing in the supplem entary dancers lying on stage am ongst the pianos.) G radually slow dow n m otions, ending up silent and m otionless as sound sto p s and lights fade.

in . D ivertim ento fo r Sculptorchestra V arious scu lp tu re in stru m en ts m ay be used. These m ay be instrum ents th at have been made especially in tere stin g to view, o r else sculptures th at have the ability to m ake sound o r th a t can be played. No re stric tio n s are im posed o th e r than th at they ouglit to be (b u t d o n o t necessarily have to be) of tubes o r tu b u lar. In th e first perform ance, for instance, tubes w ith little balls running through them were used, th e balls d ro p p in g in to various containers and on drum s, etc. Som e w ere buzzed lip “ instrum ents” w ith tro m b o n e m outhpieces. It is assum ed th a t successive perform ances will see a larger sculptorchestra o f new in stru m e n ts plus som e o f those co n stru cted fo r previous perform ances th a t will, one day, be o f a n u m b e r an d variety to be an en tire “ piece” o r program in and o f them selves. It is a nice touch if the sc u lp tu re artists them selves play th eir ow n in stru m en ts; how ever, this is n o t necessary. IV. Grand Grand Fanfare and Ten Grand Hosery - Part Two T h e fa n fare is p layed using a sh o rt garden hose in stru m e n t played in to th e sew er pipe for resonance. An a n n o u n c e m e n t is m ade, e ith e r by m usician o r dancer, th a t th e audience is invited to lie on the floor am o n g st th e pianos. A re p e a t o f II th en takes place, b u t m usician co n c e n tra te s m ainly on washing the a u d ie n c e w ith so u n d . A fte r a period o f tim e, d an cer can rise slow ly and eventually invite audience to d an c e to o . It is nice if eight o r ten o th e r dancers can be b ro u g h t in first by th e dancer, and then have th em assist in leading th e audience. V. G rand Grand Grand Finale C o n tin u e as in IV , b u t have p ian o s m oved back o f f stage o u t o f th e way. S cu lp tu re instrum ents can re­ jo in , esp e cially if a n y are stu rd y en o u g h to be h an d led and p layed b y th e audience. Have dancing dissolve in to a social g e t-to g e th e r in such a w ay as to cloud ju s t w hen th e piece ends. All this is en a if w ine a n d /o r co ffe e can be served w ith things to eat. T o m ove o u tsid e to a grand festival o f some w ith p icn ic o r b a rb e c u e , w ould be an ideal finale. A sc u lp to rc h e stra stre e t p arad e w ould not be in a p p ro p ria te .

^

A i ) | ) ( ‘n ( l i x I I I :

I lu‘ Didjci idu

Anyone casually aw are o f the fact th at the only musical instnim ent (apart Iroin thi- iibir|uitous bullroarer and sim ple percussive deviccs such as sticks, boonicranf’s and, rarely, a hollow log drum ) used by the Aborigines is the ilidjcridu may well wonder what there is to study, in strum entally speaking, in Australian Aboriginal music. On listening carefully to a large am o u n t o f didjeridu music, however, one becomes aware of two things: first, that there is extrao rd in ary variety and ingenuity behind the apparent m onotony o f its drtMic, and, second, th at a rem arkable virtuosity o f technique is displayed hy expert players o f the instrum ent. A lthough a fairly full appreciation o f the form er can he achieved by c(jncentrated listening, transcription into musical notation, and painstaking analysis, the latter can be thoroughly u n d ersto o d only by attem pting to m aster the instrum ent oneself in as au th en ­ tic a m anner as possible. This statem ent opens the pap er entitled “The D idjeridu” by Trevor A. Jones in Studies in Music, Vol. 1.’ A. P. Elkin provides fu rth e r com m ent in his book The Australian Ahori^ines:'^^ The m ost interesting Aboriginal musical instrum ent is the didjeridu, but it is only know n in Eastern Kim berley and the northern third o f the N orthern Territory. It is an un-stoppeil hollow piece o f bam boo o r w ood, usually the latter, about four or five feet long, and two inches or even m ore in internal diam eter, w ith a m outh-piece made o f wax or hardened gum. The player blows in to the instrum ent in trum pet fashion. Tlie precision and variety o f rhythm produced on the didjeridu are very striking. Sometimes it sounds like a deep bour­ don organ stop being played continuously, at o th er times like a drum beaten in three-four time, and so o n, varying according to the type o f song and dance which it is accom panying, and indeed, “ carrying.” The tongue lies nat, with the lip at times projecting into the m o u th ­ piece. TTie co n tin u o u s nature o f the sound is m ost remarkable. The diaphragm rises as breath is taken, and the next over a second later, but some o f the incoming air is kept in the m outh to be blow n in to the instrum ent while a quick intake is being made. Glass-blowers may understand. The technique o f playing the didjeridu is, indeed, incredible. One m ust begin with the relatively simple “ circular” o r “ c o n tin u o u s” breathing, a technique which m ost brass players find difficult. On top of this are the use o f the voice hum m ing the ten th (or some o ther interval) above the fundam ental 1. Perth: U niversity o f W estern Australia Press, 1967, pp. 23-55. 2. Sydney: Angus and R obertson, 1964, 4 th ed., pp. 247-248.

93

a p p e n d ix

f

III. T H E D I D J E R I D U

to n au e in jected in the tu b e , th e use o f th e first ov erto n e either ^ ^

to m ak e double stops t e u st o “ h o o te d ” like a steam oa w is c o y o t e

yell

f d m g o

h o w l) ,

a n d

th e

a lte ra tio n o f the m outh u se

or

and .h ro a , cavi.y. All o f these, including .h e circular b rc a .h in g , can be used co n .b ln a.io n s .o cre a .e rhy.K m p a ..e m s , nrany o f ^ H,.iic thP ct'nses o f drone o f th e c o n tin u o u s sound dulls th e senses oi well), 1. is ,h e co™ plexi.y o f .h e rh y th m ic fa c.o rs

o r m various

w hich are .rc m e n d o u s .y „n , „ c „ „ ,i„ „ e .h i, resc-arch, for i. i, f c , ,h ., .he .^ o rig in al p,„p,e have a sre a . d eal to .each .h e w estern world a h „ u , wind playing i„ general and lip reeds in p articu la r. The tro m b o n e n a y seem old w hen com pared lo western orchestral instrum ents, bnt it is

„„|y a nve-hundred-year-old baby w hen eompare.1 to the possible two- to fou,-.hot,sand-year-old tradi­ tion o f th« d id jerid u . T h e tim e has com e to exam ine the didjeridu in d ep th , for the aboriginals hold answers to q u estio n s th a t tro m b o n ists and o th e r brass players arc ju st beBinning to learn how lo ask.

A}){>eiiclix IV: John C:age and F'lank Rchak

The Solo fo r Sliding Trombone by John Cage has becom e a classic in its ow n tim e. T he Solo may be the first tn .ly avant garde picce for tro m b o n e; certainly it is th e Hrst piece fo r tro m b o n e o f an avant garde n ature to receive any sort o f fame. The Solo is actually pages 173-184 o f th e orchestral parts of the Concert fo r Piano and Orchestra (1 9 5 7 -5 8 ),' a:id the first paragraph o f th e relatively copious in stru ctio n s tell a great deal about the w ork; The follow ing 1 2 pages for a tro m b o n e p layer m ay be played w ith o r w ith o u t o th e r parts for o th er players. It is therefore a tro m b o n e solo o r a p a rt in an ensem ble, sy m p h o n y , or concerto for piano with orchestra. T hough there are 12 pages, a n y am o u n t o f them m ay be played (including none). The piece dem ands m uch from the perform er. Tlie p e rfo rm e r m ay take the role o f com poser or im^ provisor as well as the role o f m usic reader, silence m ust also be d ea lt w ith. T hese choices m ust be made, and then w ithin th at m ore choices will be necessary. T he m ost am azing asp ect ab o u t the Solo is its u n canny ability to always be a John Cage w ork and no t the w ork o f so m eo n e else. It should go without saying th at the Solo is one o f the m ost im p o rta n t tro m b o n e w orks o f o u r tim e, an d should be acquired for careful study. My own personal ap p ro ach to this piece is n o t unlike a jazz p la y e r’s tre a tm e n t o f a “ lead sheet” (a lead sheet is sim ply a m elody w ith the chord sym bols). A jazz p lay er takes a “ lead s h e e t” o r “ tune” and builds eith er sim ple elaborations o r perhaps an en tire tw e n ty - o r th irty -m in u te piece. The Cage Solo is sim ilar; one can choose to m ake it sim ple o r elab o rate, and in m y a p p ro a c h I te n d to m ake a rather involved philosophical sta te m e n t coupled w ith lig h th earted b u o y an c y . T o m e th e Solo is a m editation w ith p artic u la r a tte n tio n to b reathing p attern s and th eatric al c o n sid eratio n s. It is a c o n s ta n t source of food for th o u g h t, and every tim e I w ork w ith th e piece it seem s to say so m e th in g new . It is this factor th a t m akes the Solo one o f the m ost d ifficu lt w orks I have ever p e rfo rm e d . W hen one realizes that I recom m end a b o u t 2 0 0 ho u rs o f p ractice fo r Ben J o h n s to n ’s One Man o r th a t I have sp en t ab o u t 300 h o u rs on General Speech by R o b ert E rickson, o n e m ight be able to a p p re c ia te th e kind o f dem ands the Cage Solo m akes - o r can m ake. Here again, this m ay be a ch o ice o f th e p e rfo rm e r; one does no t have to o p t fo r a big p ro d u c tio n , b u t in m y ow n view it is necessary. 1. New Y ork: H enm ar Press, sole d is trib u to rs C. F. P eters, 1960.

96

OHN CAGE AND f r a n k REHAK

97

B e c a u s e o f t h e jazz lead s h e e t i d e a . I w a s o f c n h a d b e e n w r i t t e n f o r Frank Rehak . a n y o f t h e g r e a t b a n d s o f t h e ’40s

Rehak d k f

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Cage t o l d me t h a t the p i e c e

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, .e ll,s. and p ia n .s,. an d .h is c o .b .n a .'.o n o f c u l ^ l T for C ag. .0 . o r k » ,th . Cage fe l, ,h a , F ran k 's

H' “ f ” '" '

a ,o o d one. T ^e s t o o ' o f F ran k R ehak is c a p s u L d "" . .. P 'f’t^rv'iew in f/ou7i/> ear‘ where Frank explains, among other things, his teaching at Synanor Fo.inH ^t;^„ . . , , no^tion. which has now become his whole lite. I cona c te d F ran k .o find o u t w h at he eould tell me about John Cage and h.s and 1 ,en t h.m a copv o f the score. Here follow s a b ea u tifu l acco u n t o f the story o f this work, in Frank R ehak's own words. from a letter he w rote to me on 17 December 1 9 7 7 : 1ju s t received th e score o f the tro m b o n e piece, and it certainlv broiicht back memories, Jo h n Cage cam e to m y house in m id-tow n M anhattan one a fte rn o o n ^ fte r having called me to ask it I w ere able to play the sliding trom bone w ithout having the notes w ritten out in fro n t o f m e. I m ore o r less assum ed th at he was referring to the articulation o f a jazz solo w ith a chorda! reference and assured him th at th at was part o f the business I was in and asked for a few m o re details. I had never heard o f him at this time. A bout 10 m inutes later, my d o o rb ell rang and I m et Jo h n for the first tim e. VSe sp en t m uch o f th e a fte rn o o n discussing m any aspects o f music, with my being cntical of som e o f his th eo ries and enthusiastic o f others. I have long since learned that I had spent th at a fte rn o o n wisely. I re m e m b er th a t we sp en t a long tim e w ith the instrum ent, taking it apart, playing w ithout slide, w ith o u t m o u th p ie c e , adding various m utes, glass on the slide section, minus tuning slide, w ith sp it valve op en , and any o th e r possibilities o f producing a sound by either inhaling o r e.xhaling air th ro u g h a piece o f m etal tubing. We also discussed double stops, circular breathing, p lay in g w ith o u t m oving slides, and on and on. I recall having m ixed feelings as to w hether 1 was working with a genius or som eone of a slightly d iffe re n t b en t. From th ese ideas we g athered together, we p u t forth a part that would be playable as a solo o r in c o n ju n c tio n w ith a g roup o f o th e r players. I recall n o tin g th a t th e in stru c tio n s said, “ any part o f these pages may be played, including none ” T h at app ealed to m y sense o f hu m o r, and John and I becam e friends quickly. The piece was p erfo rm ed at New York Tow n Hall with las I recalD a band o f about 1,1 people, in clu d ing so m e o f th e best classical and avant players in tow n. We had a standins room only audience w ith long lines o f p eople being turned away . i j t ,, I believe if was re co rd e d th a t night by George .Avakian (I don t recall the com panyl.> Tlie p e r f o r m a n c e th a t evening was good, b u t I personally f « l ' w e r e having fro u b le realizing som e o f J o h n ’s co n c ep ts ab o u t sound We d.d 2 mc,re perform ances later n th e m o n th s to com e and th e p la y e i,' response was absolutely thnlling. The idea o f breakm g w ith th T tm d itio n a l drill an d beginning to m ake som e h ith erto unheard o f sounds on the inw im m e irau u iu iid i u ^ rem em ber runn ng up to John after the 3rd perform ance stru m en ts was v e r y appealing so m uch b etter than the first, and lam en tin g th e ^ years o f John Cage in retrospect M ay“l " " h ,'? 95?

l l n

H ' r N e X k ) , I did several o th e r pieces w ith John, one o f them

being T h e a te r Piece. o n ? y ° l S i ? “' T

i n f i u e n c e

in m y thinking th ro u g h o u t my life . . . not

t ‘b e t u s e m any o f his co n cep ts directly overlap in to everyday life

processes. . . . 2, May 5. 1977, pp. 36-37. 3. 25 Year R etrospective Concert, Avakian JCS- .

A ppendix V: Range

There is m uch confusion regarding just w hat a com poser should consider as the tro m b o n e range. This not only has to do with the equipm ent used b u t also the player. 1 am n o t m uch help, really, having been on the ten o r trom bone/bass trom bone seesaw for a good p a rt o f my hfe.

HIGH RANGE The extrem e range o f the trom bone, for instance, in m ost o rch estratio n b o o k s is said to go from , say, pedal G to th e F above the tenor clef staff (see Exam ple 1); Exam ple 1; O rchestration Book Extrem e Range

However, m any bass trom bonists will say th a t th e G or Ab below th e high F should be th e lim it, realizing th at the Bb o r C above th at is m ore typical as an extrem e (see E xam ple 2); Exam ple 2; Extrem e High Range for Bass T rom bone

My bass trom bone teacher, the late John Klock, insisted th a t th e first th in g to d o in learning bass trom­ bone is to thoroughly m aster the ten o r trom bone, and m any co n cu r w ith this (including myself)- Of course, this includes the high F. T enor trom bone technique, at least at one tim e, included learning the privileged

(o r

falset ) notes th at I have com e to know as “ fake trigger” n o tes betw een the pedals

and the low E just below the staff. One should consult R obin G regory’s The Trombone^ for a full dis-

1. New York; Praeger, 1973. 98

a p p e n d ix

V

RANCJE

cussion o f this. In an y case, in learning the bass fm m hnn . these “ fake trigger n o tes) rem ains while the Dcrfnrm,.r ic

i

99

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