Tip From The Top

By Eric Crees

When asked to write this article, I thought to myself, what is the single point that I find myself making over and over again to students? Here it is; it may seem a little complex, but once the principle is grasped, it is the key to authoritative playing.

Before attempting to play any piece, look at it carefully away from the instrument. Familiarise yourself with the style, rhythms, accompaniment and overall shape of the piece totally before you let the trombone touch your lips. Then you will know precisely what you are aiming for musically; the only task then, which may be difficult of course, is representing it technically.

If you find a piece hard to grasp musically, then perhaps you should a yourself seriously whether anyone would want to listen to it. I have sat through many performances of good technique but great musical uncertainty. A listener can grasp good musical author and forgive a technical blemish, I correct playing without musicality worthless. Obviously the ideal is a blend of the two.

Notation must be "seen through" order to find the music lying underneath just as words and sentences are symbols of ideas, not the ideas themselves. This, teachers note, is of inestimable importance from the very beginning of anyone's playing career. Children should be taught to "free" themselves of the notes while still reading them.

If this sounds strange or paradoxical, think of the parallel of the young child who is beginning to speak fluently but who becomes baffled and intimidated by written language; only when the child realises how the words are pronounced and what they mean can it start to speak correctly from the written page.

Music is much the same. As soon a youngster starts an instrument, dots, shoved in front of its face and it is taught to obey the grammatical correctness the written symbols, usually at the expense of the feel or sound of the music. The Suzuki Method of violin playing and the general methods of teaching in the East bring notation in at a very much later stage than we do in the West.

Most music, like language, is divided into phrases - the equivalent of sentences. There are of course the individual notes and ligatures which are the equivalent of letters and words, and on the larger scale, sections and whole movements which might be regarded as the equivalent of paragraphs and chapters. In musical sentences, there is usually a focal point to which the music moves. In longer phrases, there may be two or three which need negotiating. These are often based on harmonic tension and relaxation, and the very movement of these (an amalgam of rhythm, line and harmony) is what gives music its very shape. All notes, whether detached, legato, tenuto or staccato are part of this overall shape and once understood, the music starts to make sense. This feeling of phrasing and style must be part of the fundamentals of teaching.

Musicians of all sorts should adopt inquisitive attitude and attempt to embrace as many styles of music as possible, often ones that rarely involve their own instruments, in order to have the depth to explore and perform widely.

So many of people's so-called 'likes' and 'dislikes' are only a shield for their lack of broadmindedness or indeed, inability to perform or assimilate diverse musical styles. Once this principle of a musical approach is grasped, things begin to fall into place, and different techniques become appropriate to the needs of the music. Music-making is then pursued from the proper end; at the moment most of it is like looking the wrong way down a telescope, with the music having to fit the trombone rather than the other way round.

What I am saying presupposes that the technical side of playing is adequately looked after as musical awareness increases. Much of my work as a teacher in further education is, unfortunately, remedial. Certain ingrained physical problems of breathing and particularly articulation are often very difficult and, in some cases, impossible to eradicate once the body has become sufficiently conditioned to them, much to the frustration and often anger of the student.

How many students of other disciplines arrive at university level to be told that for the last seven years they have been ill-informed in the fundamentals of their subject and must re-learn many principles once again. Not many, I am sure, and yet at music college entrance level, my colleagues and I hear trombonists arrive, often with the blessing of the highest grade available in the instrumental examination system who are woefully inadequate in most areas of technical performance. What are the reasons?

First of all, the main board behind the grade system does not insist on players of each genre of instrument taking the appropriate examinations. For instance, an organist may judge a trombone player and a violinist, an oboe. Also, peripatetic teachers are often obliged to teach all brass instruments and to most valve layers, the trombone with its unique slide, is a mystery. Some of these teachers, especially with appalling cutbacks in education, do a wonderful job, particularly in motivating and enthusing the young, and it is not my intention to condemn them. Perhaps educational videos may be the answer to helping all brass teachers understand the basic mechanical requirements needed for the young trombonist.

Just one further comment that I can't resist, having been given a temporary soap box. The mouthpieces and instruments that we use are indeed the tools of our business. But most players' unique qualities lie in their physical make-up Oust as a singer's voice is unique to him or her), and the extent to which they have worked in maximising their innate talents. Instrument and mouthpiece design is important and we are all grateful to manufacturers for attempting to update technical excellence. No mouthpiece or instrument however, has in itself a sense of rhythm, style, taste or fine sound quality, let alone being able to turn a musical phrase beautifully. A good musician would sound good on virtually anything, and a poor player on the best instrument would remain a poor player, although decent equipment of course make everybody's life easier. If in doubt always look to yourself honestly for any problems that you might be having firsst, before rushing externally to get another new mouthpiece, booster, open-wrap F-section, lacquerless bell, etc., etc.

Eric Crees was born in London in 1952. He studied at Wandsworth School, where, in the famous boys' choir, he worked with many distinguished professional orchestras and conductors. Of particular importance was the school's long association with Benjamin Britten who wrote a solo part for him in the 'Children's Crusade'.

At the age of 15 he became a member of the National Youth Orchestra ofgreat Britain, and whil- at school was awarded a scholarship to study at the Guildhall School of Ahsic and Drama. Whilst still a student, he undertook an extetuive period of work with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and upon graduating from the University of Surrey, where he won the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society's Joyce Dixey Award for composition, he joined the London Symphony Orchestra where he was until recently co-Principal Trombone before moving to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. As well as his orchestral work, Eric is a frequent guest of such chamber groups as London Brass and the London Sinfonietta.

As a conductor and arranger he has worked with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, London Brass, English Brass Ensemble, Caledonian Brass, London Symphony Orchestra Brass, Bergen Philharmonic Brass Ensemble, Trondheim Symphony Brass and in the brass band world both the Black Dvke Mills Band and Desford Colliery Band in concerts, recordings and television and radio broadcasts throughout UK and Europe. Erie Crees' brass arrangements have received great acclaim and haw been played worldwide. Many of these are present on the two albums recorded for Collins Classics, 'American Brass' and 'Cathedral Brass', with the London Symphony Brass. Following excellent reviews they have been featured on BBC Radio 4's 'Kaleidoscope' and appear regularly on Classic FM. He has also made the arrangements for Cala Records' 'The London Trombone Sound' featuring 16 trombonists from London orchestras, as well as a unique recording of '76 Trombones' with 76 trombones.

Eric Crees is also an internationally renowned teacher. He is Professor of Trombone, conductor of Wind, Brass and Percussion, and tutor for both the 1st year BMus course and the Department of Performance and Communications Skills at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Many of his students now hold important orchestral and teaching positions through out the world. ln 1999 he was made a Fellow of the School.

He is also in great demand as a coach, and works with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the Ulster Youth Orchestra and the Young Musicians' Symphony Orchestra. Masterclasses and teaching seminars have taken him to the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music, Trinity College of Music, the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Northern College of Music as well as to Japan, United States, Mexico, Austria, Denmark and Norway. He recently sat on juries for the Leonard Bernstein Jerusalem International Conducting Competition in London and Jerusalem, the 1994 Narbonne International Brass Quintet competition and the All England Masters Brass Band Championships.

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