Left Coast Horn Playing is a way of practicing and playing that emphasizes training the body and mind to inhale and exhale correctly. Left Coast Horn Playing takes a logical and behavioral approach and develops controlled, repeatable technique. Our techniques are not designed to produce a single unchangeable style, rather they are designed to give you control over your style by developing a wide palette of repeatable techniques.
Main features of Left Coast playing and practice
Main features of Left Coast playing and practice
- We have a daily plan and we follow the plan
- We focus on controlling the air inside the horn and working daily to improve breathing with the goal of controlling the flow of air from as far down in the abdomen and as far forward in the mouth as possible
- Knowing what and where the target is and aiming the air at it
- Getting away from the illusion that concentration and development of the embouchure is more important than focus on air control and emphasizing exercises that develop air strength and control
- Use of exaggeration in teaching. Sffz, long decrescendos and practicing in a wide range of tempi are typical
- Clean tonguing and using the tongue to focus the air
- Working to reduce or eliminate unnecessary movement of the face and tongue by focusing on air control
- Short progressive and leveraged drills designed to hone in on one particular aspect of playing or combining techniques to make learning efficient
- Working to improve ensemble skills as well as individual technique
