High Springs Community School 

Band and Chorus

Whole Note Music

The simplest suggestion may make a big difference! Read the suggestions below and see if there is something that you might have overlooked or forgotten. Do not be afraid to try something new!

Flute

1. Flute parallel with lips

2. Flute to head, not head to flute

3. Relaxed embouchure, slight frown

4. Flat fingers, do not over reach!

5. Open mouth and throat. Create a full tone

6. To raise pitch, adjust jaw forward, or roll flute out

7. To lower pitch, drop jaw, or roll in flute

8. Tuning problem? Double check position of head cork.

Clarinet

1. Head up

2. Chin down flat, corners back

3. Do not overwrap bottom lip

4. Fingers flat, angled down

5. Tongue light, quick

6. Teeth on mouthpiece

7. Embouchure firm, clarinet in center of mouth

8. Squeaks? Try less mouthpiece, check reed for chips, cracks, warped

Saxophone

1. Lower jaw, somewhat relaxed

2. Tongue lightly

3. Fill horn with air, practice extreme dynamics

4. Sax to mouth, not mouth to sax-adjust sax strap to bring the horn to correct position

5. Sit up straight, head up, not sideways

Oboe

1. Reed placed between lips which are slightly rolled in over the teeth

2. Lips close around the reed, no leaks

3. Lips firm, do not pinch, allow the reed to vibrate

4. Tip of the tongue touches reed when tonguing

Bassoon

1. Lips are pushed forward, not rolled over teeth

2. Do not pinch!

3. Allow lower jaw to recede, upper teeth forward-overbite position

4. Sit upright, bring bassoon to mouth

5. Use strap that works best for you-Seat strap or neck strap

Trumpet/Cornet

1. Head up

2. Position mouthpiece 50/50 (half upper lip, half lower)

3. Light pressure, do not pinch

4. Chin flat

5. Tongue lightly

6. Open throat, horn parallel with floor

7. Fill horn with air, do not overblow!

8. Trumpet supported by the left hand

9. Finger tips on valve buttons for best fingering technique

French Horn

1. Two thirds, upper lip, one third, lower

2. Pressure more on lower lip

3. Do not suck in lower lip

4. Head up, BLOW!

5. Sit forward in the chair, face director

6. Back of right hand against bell

7. Use right hand to help regulate pitch (intermediate/advanced level)

Trombone/Tuba/Baritone

1. Open lips-Space between

2. Blow!

3. Trombone-relaxed wrist, quick

4. Do not puff cheeks!

5. Open throat

Excellent Suggestions for Everyone

1. Be patient! Success takes time

2. Practice, Practice, Practice

3. Due diligence-if something doesn't come right away, move on and come back to it later

4. Experiment-if something doesn't work for you, try a new technique, position, mouthpiece, reed, instrument, vocal

5. Question experts-can't figure it out? Consult a recognized professional

6. Practice dynamics regularly (softs & louds) The best musicians can play any selection at any volume with ease

7. Take lessons! One lesson is better than none. Get someone who can help you start correctly.  Bad habits will limit your success, and they are hard to break!

8. Practice all tempos. Many people can play notes quickly. A professional can also play it slowly with expression

9. Practice different styles of music. Jazz, classical, rock, pop, folk, religious. It will make you a better, well-rounded musician and improve your technique.

10. Proficiency with scales will improve your technique

BEATS and MEASURES

Rhythm refers to the lengths of the notes you play.  We will discuss rhythms in terms of their length in BEATS.

When you tap your foot repeatedly at an even rate, each tap is a BEAT.  Think of a BEAT as having two parts: DOWN (when your foot hits the floor) and UP (when your foot returns back up).

A MEASURE is a group of BEATS.  A BAR LINE ( a vertical line through the staff) marks the end of each MEASURE.  We will be discussing the very common grouping of 4 BEATS to a MEASURE.

Put on a recording of any music you like and see if you can TAP a steady BEAT to it with your FOOT.  Have your mom or dad check to see if you are keeping an even pulse.

WHOLE NOTE

 The plain, hollow notehead is called a WHOLE NOTE because it lasts for 4 beats, which is the WHOLE measure!  Four beats is four taps of your foot, which would be: Down-Up, Down-Up, Down-Up, Down-Up.

Normally, musicians keep count in their head so they know if they've played the correct length.  For the DOWN beats they say the beat number (such as 1, 2, 3, or 4); for the UP beats they just say the word "AND" (shown by a plus sign below).

Try counting along, saying "1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4-and," as you tap your foot.

HALF NOTE

 The plain, hollow notehead with a stem is called a HALF NOTE because it lasts for 2 beats, which is HALF of a 4-beat measure!  Two beats is two taps of your foot, which would be: Down-Up, Down-Up.  Of course, it takes two half notes to complete a 4-beat measure.

Count saying "1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4-and," as you tap your foot.

QUARTER NOTE

 The solid (black) notehead with a stem is called a QUARTER NOTE because it lasts for 1 beats, which is ONE QUARTER of a 4-beat measure!  One beat is tone complete tap of your foot, which would be: Down-Up.  It takes four quarter notes to complete a 4-beat measure.

Count saying "1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4-and," as you tap your foot.

EIGHTH NOTES

 Like quarter notes, EIGHTH NOTES have a solid (black) notehead with a stem; however, they usually occur in groups of two or four and are joined by thick, black horizontal beams.  A single EIGHTH NOTE lasts just half a beat (either just the DOWN or just the UP), which is ONE EIGHTH of a 4-beat measure!  It takes eight eighth notes to complete a 4-beat measure.

Click on the measure below to hear a measure of eighth notes played (you'll hear four clicks before the measure starts).  Count along, saying "1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4-and," as you tap your foot.

Look for songs using eighth notes in your lesson book.  When you find a song you like, write the counts in above a measure or two with a pencil and bring it in for your band director to check.
 

QUARTERS and EIGHTHS

 Here's a measure with both quarter notes and eighth notes.  See if you can figure out the counts first, then click on the measure to hear it played.  Count and tap along.

Look for songs using quarter notes and eighth notes in your lesson book.  When you find a song you like, write the counts in above a measure or two with a pencil and bring it in for your band director to check.
 

DOTTED QUARTER NOTE and SINGLE EIGHTH NOTE

 A DOTTED QUARTER NOTE is 1 1/2 beats long.  1 1/2 beats is 1 1/2 taps of your foot, which is: Down-Up, Down.  To count a DOTTED QUARTER NOTE at the start of a measure, you would say, "1-and, Two."  (A lot of young players think that "1-and, Two" sounds like TWO beats, but it's NOT!  TWO BEATS would be "1-and, Two-AND.")

As discussed above, an EIGHTH NOTE is a 1/2 beat long.  However, the eighth notes above were connected by beams to OTHER eighth notes in pairs.  Here, we see a SINGLE EIGHTH NOTE with a FLAG instead of a beam.  Since it follows a DOTTED QUARTER NOTE, it occurs on the UP part of the 2nd beat (and then again on the UP part of the 4th beat).

This rhythm is tricky.  Click on the measure below and first try to tap a steady beat while the rhythm is being played.  Then try to clap the rhythm while tapping your foot.

Look for songs using the dotted quarter and single eighth notes in your lesson book.  When you find a song you like, write the counts in above a measure or two with a pencil and bring it in for your band director to check.