LESSON FIVE

The Whole Note

This is a whole note.
It lasts for four beats.
There is one whole note in one bar of * time.

The Lead-in

Sometimes a song does not begin on the first beat of a bar. Any notes which come before the first full bar are called lead-in notes (or pick-up notes). When lead-in notes are used, the last bar is also incomplete. The notes in the lead-in and the notes in the last bar add up to one full bar. In the following exercises, Notice the Bb note written as a key signature reminding you to play all B notes as Bb

When the Saints go Marchin’ in.

This song is an early Jazz standard made popular by brass bands in New Orleans. It contains three lead-in notes.

The Common Time Signature

This symbol is called common time. It means exactly the same as *.

In this example there is only one lead-in note.

The Tie

A tie is a curved line which connects two notes with the same position on the staff. The tie tells you to tongue the first note only, and to hold it for the length of both notes.

Play the G note and hold it for six beats.

A tie may occur either across a bar line, or within one bar. The following example contains ties in bars 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 16. Do not confuse the tie with the slur, which connects notes of different pitches.

12 Bar Blues

This example is what is known as a 12 Bar Blues, which is a progression of chords that repeats every 12 bars. 12 Bar Blues are common in many styles of music including Blues, Jazz and Rock.

Breathing Technique

One of the most important elements of playing any wind instrument is a consistent and relaxed approach to breathing and breath control. A good player always produces a strong, even tone and sounds relaxed regardless of the difficulty of the music being played.

There are some simple breathing exercises which will help you gain more control over the way you breathe when playing and give you a solid consistent approach which will eventually become automatic, enabling you to forget about breathing and concentrate totally on the music you are making.

A good way of developing your breathing technique is the use of visualisation. When you breathe in, think of an inflatable life raft which fills automatically when you pull out the plug. This will help you equate breathing in with relaxation. When you breathe out, think of a tube of toothpaste being slowly squeezed from the end (not the middle). This will help you use your breath economically in a controlled manner.

It is important to develop the habit of controlling your breathing from your diaphragm muscle (as shown in the following diagram). As you breathe in, let the diaphragm relax downwards and allow the lungs to fill with air right to the bottom.

Then breathe out slowly, squeezing gently from the diaphragm (like the tube of toothpaste) and see how long you can sustain your outgoing breath. The more control you have of your diaphragm, the easier you will find breathing when you play.

Breathing Exercise

This example makes frequent use of whole notes. Practicing long notes is an excellent way of developing your tone as well as breath control. Aim for a strong, even tone throughout the piece.

Other Useful Exercises

When playing wind instruments, it is common to use more air, movement and muscle activity than necessary. There are two common exercises which are useful for learning to use less force and less air when playing.

The first of these is to slowly blow up a balloon, using slow sustained breaths controlled from the diaphragm. The idea is to take a comfortable breath using the technique described earlier and then breathe into the balloon using an even sustained amount of air pressure. Repeat this until the balloon is full.

The second exercise is to sing a melody in front of a lighted candle. This requires a more subtle release of air than blowing up a balloon, as the idea is to sing with as little effect on the flame of the candle as possible.

Once you can sustain a note without moving the flame much, try beginning the note softly and gradually increasing the volume, then reverse the process. You could also try singing a whole verse from a song. As with all aspects of musicianship, be patient and you will see great improvement as long as you continue to practice.

Posture

The term "posture" refers to the way the body is held (e.g., straight, slumped, etc) and its position when sitting or standing. For playing wind instruments, it is best to stand rather than sit, as this allows the most open and unrestricted passage of air for both breathing and sustaining notes.

If you are playing in a big band, you may have to sit. In this situation, it is essential to sit up straight but relaxed, as this will produce the best sound.

If you think of a situation where a flute player is performing with a band, it would look fairly dull if all the players stood straight in the one position all the time. Movement is a large part of any stage show. This means it is not always possible to maintain perfect posture.

However, it is possible to keep the pathway from the diaphragm to the mouth open, flexible and relaxed most of the time, which means it is still possible to play and breathe comfortably while moving around. Relaxation and flexibility are keys to good posture regardless of standing or sitting position.

Incorrect

The spine is not straight and the head and pelvis both tilt forward. In this position, it is not possible to move freely or produce the best sound.

Correct

The spine is comfortably straight and in line with the head, legs and pelvis. This position keeps the airways open and makes movement easy and comfortable.