re Tone Improvement

scott gold <mwmgum@xxxxxxx> · Mon, 20 Jan 2003 08:01:11 +1000

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on Sat, 18 Jan 2003 21:18:56 EST 
in his subject: Tone Improvement, 
the Iceman cometh with: 
 
<blockquote type=cite cite>When the player moves his consciousness away
from busywork at the front of 
his mouth (what hole am I on, do I inhale or exhale, how is my tongue
 
supposed to lie?) and focuses towards his lower throat (the
&quot;Yawning&quot; area), 
into his diaphragm, and ultimately down to the soles of his feet (feeling
the 
push of the Earth upward), tone develops/deepens/improves. 
 
Mental imagery also helps. 
 
One Augusta Heritage student in class at Blues Week was a young caucasian
 
girl, very thin, about 105 lb. She had mastered the basics - single
notes, 
bending, rhythm grooves, elementary solos. However; her tone was thin and
 
reedy.&nbsp; I had her stand in the middle of the classroom, close her
eyes and 
imagine herself to be a 300 lb. African American woman. When she had this
 
visualization firmly in her mind, her body language changed. I then asked
her 
to play. What a difference. The whole class was amazed. Big improvement
in 
tone.</blockquote> 
i find that 1.5-ton rhino works for me. 
 
that said, it should be noted that such visualizations 
can become a double-edged sword: 
on the one hand, you can be the great pretender 
and fool some of the people all the time, 
or all the people some of the time; 
on the other hand, if you really hone 
your shamanistic skills, then perhaps, 
you can BE the rhino. 
 
me?&nbsp; i am training my *harp* to Be the Horn 
(trumpet / sax).&nbsp; the harp's soul can be a bit 
flippant, so i advise extreme patience and humility, 
but at the same time address it with crisp authority 
with a pinch of bravado as you plunge forth w/ your:&nbsp; 
MUSIC. 
 
hope this helps, 
 
sg 
tumon bay, guam 
 
 
 
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