Building Blocks - a guide to better woodwind sections

Editor's Notes

• #2: \n
• #3: Knowing when to move students to better equipment can be key in furthering their growth as a young musician. The art to this knowing when they’re ready.\n
• #4: In Block one of their studies the student has enough to do with learning how to assemble the instrument consistently (no bent bridge keys or saxophone octave keys), learn basic note values and be able to consistely play three or four notes with a good, even sound.\n
• #5: For Block one you only need the most basic equipment to succeed. A good beginning instrument, mouthpiece and reed will do the trick for about the first six weeks.\n
• #6: Block 2 brings on new challenges. You’re presenting new more complicated rhythms and rests which require the ability to accurately attack and release the notes. You will also be adding other articulation to their repertoire including slurs and staccato notes.\n
• #7: In Block 2 the first significant milepost is reached. Your students have now developed an embouchure that creates a consistent good sound (if they’re practicing!) and they’re able to focus the sound more precisely. They’re now able to get a nice focused sound rather than that broad sound they had at first. The focus of the sound is important to the development of your section sound.\n
• #8: When you reach the point where your students’ intonation does not improve past a certain point and their tone quality is not improving any more, and their articulation sound thick and slow, it’s time to consider an upgrade in equipment. The equipment is now holding back your students from progressing any farther.\n
• #9: At the point where you begin to hear these types of issues, a better reed is needed.\n
• #10: Better reeds with more wood in the heart will immediately improve your students’ tone quality while allowing them to articulate more accurately. Keep in mind that reed strength is not the issue. Harder reeds, if they have no substance in the heart will not produce the type of tone you need to fill your section. The reed strength is really the relationship between the reed and the mouthpiece opening. Some soft reeds on larger mouthpieces can feel very hard. Don’t get hung up on reed progression. You may have students start on a #2 student reed and when you move to a better reed, they may still be on a two. The #2 quality reed is not the same as a #2 student reed.\n
• #11: In Block 3 you’re going to want to play harder, more interesting music. More challenging music means more complex rhythms and more range will be needed. You’ll also be introducing more complex articulation patterns.\n
• #12: In Block three you’ll reach the next benchmark. With students playing in multiple registers and your higher expectation for tone quality to fill your section, you may experience some issues you have to address.\n
• #13: To get the sound an performance you want for this level of repertoire, you may want to evaluate your students’ mouthpiece. If you started your students on a high quality mouthpiece, you may only need to tweak the reed strength to get what you need. If your students are still using stock mouthpieces that came with the instrument, it’s time to get serious about upgrading their mouthpiece.\n
• #14: There are so many mouthpieces out there how do you know what to pick. First lets look at a few terms you need to know when evaluating mouthpieces. The tip opening is the distance from the reed to the tip of the mouthpiece. Larger tip openings require more air, smaller less air, but more control.\n
• #15: The facing length is the distance from where the reed leaves the mouthpiece to the tip (see the blue marks above). The longer the facing the more vibrant the sound. Jazz players, for the most part, like longer facing mouthpieces because they vibrate so fully they can really produce that edgy commercial sound. For the most part for concert band and wind ensemble you probably want to stay in the middle. All of this, of course, is dependent on the student.\n\n
• #16: Because no student is the same, with different jaw lines, overbites, body size, one mouthpiece will not work for every one of your students. A sonorous sound for your section is where all your students have the proper mouthpiece so they can create their quality sound and contribute to your section sound.\n
• #17: You’ll really know when your students will need a new mouthpiece when the above points are present.\n
• #18: At this point with quality reeds and a well matched quality mouthpiece, you will only have to do a little tweaking as you go. If your students participate in solo ensemble, you may want to try a darker reed or a different ligature. If your students are studying privately let the private teacher handle that. If not, you’ll know which student you want to work with.\n
• #19: For more information on this topic, contact us for a free Band Director Handbook that outlines all of these issues and provides you key insight to other issues like improving your marching band section sound.\nYou can also go to www.whyvandoren.com for tons of articles on sound and other key education issues.\n
• #20: \n
• #21: The best way to have your students try different mouthpieces in your band room before they buy them is using our Vandoren mouthpiece tryout kit. Contact us at info@dansr.com for more information. It’s a tool that can make your life easier and make your students sound better.\n
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