ITH- Jay Friedman 2021-01-09

Jay Friedman started playing with the Chicago Symphony in 1962 and was appointed Principal Trombone in 1965. He is also the conductor of the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest (OPRF) (since 1995). He doesn't need much of an introduction as his contributions to the world of trombone are so profound. He lead us through some concepts in a mock lesson with one of his accomplished students, Hugo Saavedra. Mr. Friedman also spent some time talking about more general concepts of technique and pedagogy after the lesson.
For more information and insight from Jay Friedman, please visit www.jayfriedman.net
For more information about Hugo Saavedra, please visit hugosaavedratrombone.blogspot....
Please visit www.trombonehang.com (which will redirect you to my website- www.jasonsulliman.com) and click on the link for the International Trombone Hang where you can find links to many warm-ups, master classes, and discussions featuring the leading thinkers and practicers of our industry.
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[@terrythompson2886]

Great stuff. Getting reacquainted again with Jay Friedman after many years out of the trombone world. Great guy, great musician.

[@internationaltrombonehang2600]

Totally agreed- glad you were able to get reacquainted!

[@tromboneJTS]

Thanks for this. It would be more helpful with diagrams of where to focus air direction. Also, it would be a great aid to have a means to measure procent "core" sound (fundamental frequency) vs. "dark" or "airy" sound. Why is playing with fundamental + natural overtones a bad sound? Overtones don't necessarily correlate to an "airy" sound. Also, there must be apps for measuring fundamental frequency and overtones on a given bandwidth.

[@tromboneJTS]

At 6:00 nice tone

[@islaantinero1409]

Thank you ❤️

[@internationaltrombonehang2600]

Our pleasure!

[@tromboneJTS]

Overtones are a natural phenomenon which may or may not be affected by the direction or focus of your air stream. He states the fundamental frequency "core" must dominate to a pure "24 carats". I think there is no scientific basis to claim that directing air flow changes overtone/harmonic frequencies. He is trying to qualitatively define "timbre" as "dark", "airy" or "bright" depending on air flow direction. These qualities may be more affected by your instrument, your mouthpiece and lead pipe, the shape of your oral cavity and teeth, your tongue position, the position of your face on your mouthpiece, the stability of your corners, the flexibility of your lip vibration, etc... It may have very little to do with centering air flow into the throat of the mouthpiece. The airy quality he describes is something else. Perhaps centering air flow means separating your teeth more which creates a fuller oral cavity. The "airy" sound may even be due to lips that are too stiff or muscular that are unable to produce a full harmonic spectrum.

[@BrianJohnstonTrombone]

Very nice!

[@philosophicallyspeaking6463]

it is the case that if you sent large numbers of working orchestral trombone players (many of them famous principles I shall not name) to Jay to perform these...revealing exercises...THEY WOULD FAIL IN SOLO EXECUTION! But... Top line studio rhythm players possess the construct of 'group time', wherein it is 'understood', and what is more...'accepted', as a means to an end, that people successfully play, of 'natural proclivity', at the front 'or' back of the beat. Just so does our ear correct for the disparate timing and tuning in a string section, where handfuls of players are dozens of cents high 'and' low on a pitch at the same time when playing in ensemble, while being similarly removed from the beat by the same mechanism. Watch videos of trombone sections (because the gross movement of the slide is easier to 'clock' than the pushing of a valve) to see this while playing...Schumann 3 chorale, and you will see disparate execution in practice. Nothing irritates 'me' more that a principle trombone who lives and 'executes' at the back end of the beat, but their kind is like to be a trombonist as any other. Some of the most celebrated trombonists require phase shifting in address of this. I've found however that in trying to correct this 'innate' orientation to...'latency' in students, by dint of a course of exercises similar in fashion to what Jay does here, one runs the risk of creating articulation problems and trapped tongue. There is, it seems, a natural...synergy between the timing of the tongue and disposition of the slide that is...dangerously unsettled by the intentional displacement of one or the other in pursuit of a clock that is 'foreign' for being too much removed relative to the bodies own. The consequence of the orchestration of an unnatural association with a 'region' of the beat that is 'not' the one you are naturally given to may not manifest problems until later in your career, where unfortunately...it can and does end it! There is suspicion that it may also initiate, facilitate, and exacerbate the condition known as focal dystonia, a condition that ends many brass players careers if only however after tormenting them for years in attempt to hide it. It often starts with a tongue latency, followed by a leaky embouchure.