Claude Gordon Brass Camp 1987 - Dave Evans on Practice Routines

Transcript Summary

Overview

This Claude Gordon Brass Camp 1987 session explains how to build trumpet practice routines using Claude Gordon’s systematic approach without treating routines as one-size-fits-all assignments. The speaker emphasizes tailoring work to the student’s level, organizing practice into warm-up, down routines, up routines, technique, literature, advanced flexibility, and warm-down, while maintaining Claude Gordon’s core rule to rest as much as you play. Significant attention is given to Herbert L. Clarke Technical Studies, Arban’s, Claude Gordon books, and the practical method of practicing difficult passages backward until they become automatic.

Key Teaching Points

• Do not be a “ditto master” teacher; routines must be assigned according to the student’s physical, mental, and musical level.
• A routine should be systematic, but not rigidly identical for every player.
• Claude Gordon-style practice includes both down routines and up routines, often separated from later playing by a long break when possible.
• If a student has early school, marching band, or professional work, the heavier down-up range routine can be moved to the end of the day.
• Warm-up work should be light and may include flexibility, scales, Earl Irons, or Charles Colin-type material.
• Down routines come from Claude Gordon’s Systematic Approach and Daily Routines, including pedal work and the long hold.
• Up routines come from Systematic Approach Part Two, later moving into Claude Gordon Velocity Studies and register-oriented work.
• After any up routine or heavy playing, the player must relax the lips and warm down with pedals.
• The warm-down at the end of one day becomes part of the next day’s successful warm-up.
• Resting as much as you play is essential; failure to rest creates stiffness, swelling, and poor response.
• Literature practice is described as the most dangerous part of the routine because students often overplay without rests.
• Etude books often contain unrealistic nonstop playing; students should insert rests at phrase endings and logical points.
• Technique work should be drilled for a week at a time so the mind and body react automatically.
• Clarke Technical Studies should be practiced systematically with single tongue, slur, K tongue, double tongue, and triple tongue patterns as appropriate.
• Arban exercises should also be repeated systematically using different articulations and slurs rather than rushed through once.
• The goal is not merely high notes, fast notes, low notes, or slow notes, but freeing the mind and body so music can come through the instrument.
• Claude Gordon’s teaching is praised because he wrote assignments down clearly and organized the whole day logically.
• Beginners should not be assigned advanced work; they may use simpler routines from Physical Approach to Elementary Brass Playing and basic band method material.
• When rebuilding or correcting bad habits, start with basics and begin slightly too easy rather than too hard.
• Players should aim to have their ability level exceed the difficulty of their performances so they play without fear.

Topics Covered

• Claude Gordon practice routines
• Trumpet warm-up structure
• Down routines
• Up routines
• Pedal tones
• Long hold
• Accordion squeeze method
• Relaxing the lips after range work
• One-hour break after range practice
• Alternate routine for students or working players with early rehearsals or gigs
• Technique practice after a long break
• Herbert L. Clarke Technical Studies practice plan
• Single tonguing
• K tonguing
• Double tonguing
• Triple tonguing
• Slurring
• Arban chromatic scale studies
• Arban major scale studies
• Arban rhythm studies with metronome
• Arban double and triple tonguing studies
• Etudes, solos, transposition, jazz, auditions, and literature practice
• Advanced flexibility studies
• Tongue Level Studies
• Rest as much as you play
• Warm-down after hard practice, gigs, football shows, or loud lead playing
• Practicing difficult passages backward
• Four-times-perfect repetition
• Training automatic reaction instead of overthinking
• Sight-reading as reading when fundamentals are under control
• Beginning student routine design
• Returning to fundamentals for advanced players who need correction

People and Sources Mentioned

• Claude Gordon
• Dave Evans
• Earl Irons
• Charles Colin
• Herbert L. Clarke
• Arban
• Sigmund Hering
• Brandt
• Charlier
• Jamey Aebersold
• Dominic Spera
• Carl Leach
• Tommy Stevens
• Claude Gordon, Systematic Approach
• Claude Gordon, Daily Routines
• Claude Gordon, Velocity Studies
• Claude Gordon, Tongue Level Studies
• Claude Gordon, Physical Approach to Elementary Brass Playing
• Earl Irons, Twenty-Seven Groups of Exercises
• Charles Colin flexibility books
• Herbert L. Clarke, Technical Studies
• Arban method book
• Arban Characteristic Studies
• Band Builder Book One
• Jamey Aebersold records
• Haydn
• Hummel
• San Diego Symphony
• San Diego Opera
• San Diego Brass Quintet
• Hollywood Bowl
• Crystal Records

Student Practice Applications

• Build a daily routine with clear sections: light warm-up, down routine, up routine, rest period, technique, literature, advanced flexibility, and warm-down.
• If a one-hour break is practical, do the down and up routine early, relax the lips, put the horn away for at least an hour, then return to technique and music.
• If school, work, or gigs come early in the day, use a shorter morning routine and move the heavier down-up range work to the end of the day.
• Use Claude Gordon’s Systematic Approach Part One or Daily Routines for down routines, according to the teacher’s assignment and the student’s level.
• Use Systematic Approach Part Two for up routines, spending about a week to ten days on each assigned section when appropriate.
• Do not rush through method books; stay on an exercise long enough for the response, fingers, tongue, and mind to become automatic.
• When practicing Clarke Technical Studies for the first time, work each of the first eight studies for two weeks: one week tongued and one week slurred.
• On later Clarke work, apply single tongue, K tongue, double tongue, triple tongue where appropriate, and slur, using the etudes when ready.
• Practice Arban studies in organized sections rather than randomly: chromatic studies, major scales, triple tongue, double tongue, and rhythm studies with metronome.
• Use the metronome for rhythm studies and aim for absolutely perfect rhythm.
• When practicing literature, solos, jazz, etudes, or audition material, remove the horn from the face often and rest as much as you play.
• Insert rests into long etudes at phrase endings, bar lines, or logical musical points so practice resembles real performance demands.
• After any hard workout, loud playing, lead playing, marching band, or gig, warm down with pedal tones and relaxation before putting the horn away.
• For hard technical passages, practice backward: start with the last few notes, play them perfectly four times, then add the previous notes and continue building backward.
• Use “four times perfectly” as a quality-control rule before expanding a passage.
• For sight-reading improvement, focus on gaining control of the instrument so the mind is free to read the music instead of fighting technique.
• Beginners should use smaller, age-appropriate routines and should not be pushed into advanced pedals, extreme range, or advanced flexibility studies too early.
• Players rebuilding fundamentals should start at the beginning, even if they have professional experience, and let the routine grow gradually.
• Choose assignments that are slightly too easy rather than too hard, then expand ability systematically over time.