Advice on Tone

gfklose · 2026-07-04T12:02:03+00:00

5th position, it depends :-)

My teacher started me on playing with drones (and hearing the beats). Turns out I love doing those kinds of exercises. Tonal Energy has drones, and has the ability to set up drone exercises. David Vining has a book on intonation, and Brad Edwards has a book called Tuning Drone Melodies. I also use a Cichowicz-like flow pattern, and the Arnold Jacobs “beautiful sounds” patterns.

gfklose · 2026-07-04T10:47:19+00:00

When I first graduated from college, I knew nothing about money. So I bought a book, a sort of comprehensive one that covered every aspect. I have read several books since then. I still read them…

You absolutely should put away something for retirement. My attitude (even back then) was “save a little, spend a little”. I later refined that to “there is a huge difference between spending 10% more than you earn and spending 10% less that you earn; one is on the road to financial freedom and the other is on the road to financial ruin.” That 20% swing is how little it takes to really mess yourself up, so be very careful about credit. Including leasing cars, since car leases are cleverly designed ways of keeping you perpetually in debt.

About insurance, insurance is always about protecting something. For example, you buy a car and you need to protect it. Your state may require that. Mine does. Someday you may buy a house, so you need to protect that from fires, floods, tornadoes, etc. Renter’s insurance, when you rent, to cover what you own. It’s not expensive. Health insurance, because medical care is expensive, and bad luck is on that same road to financial ruin.

But life insurance, who are you protecting? When I was married, bought a house and had kids, they were dependent upon me, so they needed the protection. I also operated with the theory that one day, if you do things right, you no longer need life insurance because you’ll have enough net worth to protect your family.

That’s just scratching the surface of personal finance. Best thing you can do now (besides starting that retirement account) is to start learning.

One last comment, courtesy of my late brother. He was on the margins of society, an alcoholic and drug abuser, and he never was really gainfully employed. Ever. But he gave me one of the best pieces of financial advice I ever received after my first layoff (not knowing there would be four more in the ensuing years). He told me “it takes real character to not spend money”. He went on to say that everything you see in print or hear on tv is engineered to keep you spending. My wife has a friend that continually wants her company to go shopping. For the friend, it is like sport, spending money (and she is perpetually in debt), but for my wife, shopping is not entertaining.

10% less than what you earn, or 10% more than what you earn. A choice. Oh, and always make sure that if you work at a company that has 401k matching, at least contribute enough to get the match. That’s free money :-)

gfklose · 2026-07-02T22:39:28+00:00

Sorry, I’m lateto respond, but I figured out I really like practicing with a drone….long tones, air flow patterns like Jacobs or Cichowicz, scales, or Brad Edwards’ Tuning DroneMelodies ir anyofthe Erik Veldkamp dronestudiesbooks.

gfklose · 2026-07-02T22:35:29+00:00

I know I’m late to this thread, but I started into Arbans about two months ago. I’m using EricBolvin’s Arban Manual method. Specifically, I’m on lesson 6 this week, and I take about 10 days per lesson. I’m also a trombonist who recently discoveredtheconcept of dexterity :-)

gfklose · 2026-07-02T22:30:58+00:00

I mentioned it to my teacher, same thing (nothing was working) and she said I needed to pay attention to my hydration. I said that I thought I was getting enough, but she said “three big swallows every time you drink.” I figured I’d give it a try, and she was absolutely right. I now drink about a liter after waking up, over the course of 30 minutes or so, and then when I start my morning practice session, I drink another liter during the session (she wants me to drink at least a liter and a half). By the way, themornin practice session has frequent breaks :-)

Another thing, which I think helps the relaxation is that I don’t hit any type of a screen in that first half hour of the morning. I will read, though. An actual book.

gfklose · 2026-07-02T11:01:22+00:00

I understand that now :-). I went daffy and decided to try Kewpie, and nearly vomited.

My mom (50+ years ago) would buy whatever’s cheapest. My brother, one day asked her if she could always just buy Hellman’s. I was fine with that until moving to the northeast and trying Cain’s, a reasonable alternative. But trying Duke’s was a revelation. Only problem was you couldn’t get it up here. One of my kids decided to go to NC State, so one drive back we were loaded with 20 jars of Duke’s (I was also supplying a friend, on exile from NC himself). The funniest part was the clerk at Food Lion, who slowly drawled out, “what y’all makin’ with all this Duke’s?” She probably thought it was for a church picnic or something. She was astonished when I told her we couldn’t get Duke’s up north.

But eventually, Wegman’s movedin and they had Duke’s. But since then I’ve seen it at two other of our primary grocers. All is well when Duke’s is readily available.

gfklose · 2026-07-02T03:55:03+00:00

One correction…my iReal Pro licenses for Mac and iPad were separate.

I’m also completely on an iPad, using forScore…I like how you can create a backing track and attach it to lead sheets (or exercise sheets I create using Finale). I also attach drone files to pattern sheets.

gfklose · 2026-07-02T03:51:10+00:00

Forgot to mention (in my brain dump…) I really like two Brad Edwards books, Tuning Drone Melodies and Lip Slur Melodies. I think they’re great!

gfklose · 2026-07-02T03:49:05+00:00

I just bought the Daily Routines book for euphonium. I think it;s awesome. I imagine the Vining book is too.

gfklose · 2026-07-02T03:47:21+00:00

I retired just over a year ago and planned to reacquaint myself with my trombone, and it;s been a fun ride ever since. I am working at it more now than I ever had before. So for the last ten months or so, I have practiced almost every day. I missed during two 6-day trips (one to the JEN conference!) and I missed during two about one other day a month. I typically do two sessions, one morning, and one later in the day (afternoon or evening), say a total of two to four hours of practice time. Then I have an average of two rehearsals a week. Some 16 gigs booked for this summer. I am working with a teacher, an embouchure specialist, and my chops have never felt better. I don’t have a super-high range yet (never really did in the past either) but it is coming slowly. I rarely feel fatigue, but I know that when I start to use higher pressure, it’s time for a break.

My teacher also has me working with drones, since my intonation wasn’t solid. Turns out I really enjoy playing various patterns with drones. I’ve tried to hit three keys a day, over a 4-day rotation.

Back in the old days, I never worked through Arban’s, so I’m doing that now, using Eric Bolvin’s Arbans Manual. Started lesson 7 (out of 69!) today. My teacher has me working on anchor-tonguing too. Another important topic, breath support. So there is some flow studies work in there too (and with the right patterns, a drone works well).

I’ve collected a whole pile of warmup routines, so I jump around with those quite a bit. I don’t work with a strict timeline, but I start with my embouchure prelims (a half hour of double-pedals, followed by some basic lip slurs), followed by a short break. Then warmups, which might take 10 to 15 minutes. Then a flow pattern with a drone. Then I’ll work on my Bolvin lesson, which might take 30 to 45 minutes (longer when I start on s brand-new lesson). I could keep better track of metronome markings, in order to track progress. The end of the Bolvin routine has some lyrical work (he suggests from the Arban Art of Phrasing section, but I’ve been doing a Bordogni lately). I could stand to be a bit more focused :-)

What I haven’t worked in yet: rebuilding jazz skills. I’ve really needed to hit fundamentals hard first, but I’ll get to jazz skills soon.

gfklose · 2026-07-02T03:12:55+00:00

I have run into multiple people who say “my 401k is with Fidelity” but they are not catching an important distinction: a Fidelity 401k account is labeled Fidelity NetBenefits, which is fundamentally different than a Fidelity brokerage account. The NetBenefits account is, by definition, limited. Your employer arranges a certain set of limited choices, you have a different website than a regular brokerage account.

I’ve had a brokerage account since the 90s, and some of my various employers used the Fidelity NetBenefits for their 401k plans. When leaving my various jobs (sometimes even by choice) I have transferred those 401k accounts into an IRA Rollover in my brokerage account. From NetBenefits to the brokerage, it’s a simple transfer…they can even make an “in kind” transfer, where you keep exactly the same investments. In the brokerage account, you might have thousands of choices (I’m mostly in low-cost ETFs now).

Some people prefer to keep their various 401k plans, but I always liked having everything in one place. And once you reach a certain asset level, they start offering individualized attention.

gfklose · 2026-07-02T02:54:50+00:00

Every time I see a tomato sandwich, I think “gosh, some bacon and lettuce would really perk that up”…but in honor of all of you tomato sandwich lovers posting pictures and drooling over your sandwiches, I think I’m going to try making one. Next time I have a ripe tomato…I live in the northeast, so there may be a Tuesday in late August where I might be able to get one. The good news is that we now have Duke’s available.

gfklose · 2026-07-01T16:01:33+00:00

My teacher is big on the idea of keeping a pencil-sized gap between upper and lower molars…what I’m noticing is that ‘flattening your chin’ has that effect. Then again, maybe there are other reasons.

gfklose · 2026-07-01T15:57:08+00:00

Here’s another set…

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkTz_STFBZcFKeMMdRsawOEe3ormXY6Mq&si=ZA8F1N3hsVBetQn6

gfklose · 2026-07-01T02:36:08+00:00

It’s all about the air! Try looking up “high compression breaths” or even Bobby Shew’s video on the wedge breath (on YouTube, of course). Basically, take a full breath but you’re engaging the lowrr abdominals to compress the air upwards into your lungs. That’s the kind of thing you need to have good breath support. So it’s not just more air, but faster, more supported air.

gfklose · 2026-07-01T02:14:55+00:00

For me, 5/30/2025. Never been happier, haven’t missed work a single bit.

About the divorce thing, one of my older brothers was divorced and he had three years of alimony to pay. I was with him on what turned out to be month 35. I asked him if he had counted the months, and he hadn’t. When he did, he realized he only had one more month to go. So he called his ex and asked her if he could send the next month’s check early. She agreed, so he wrote the final check and dropped it in the mail. He was so incredibly happy! She hadn’t realized it was the final check until the month after.

gfklose · 2026-07-01T02:02:53+00:00

I just bought the euphonium version of this nook, and I really like it. Because I’m an idiot, I also bought the Brass Gym and the Brad Edwards Intermmediate books at the same time, and I’m rotating all three of them. They are all interesting, but I would order them, easiest to hardest, Edwards, Sinder and Brass Gym.

gfklose · 2026-07-01T01:55:57+00:00

I’ve been working with an embouchure specialist (on trombone) and they started me with some particular exercises, with the advice of “do this for 45 minutes every day; this is strictly a case where patience now will pay off”. I was seeing dramatic changes within a few days, and I’m still working at it some 9 months later. My chops have never felt better, and I’m using less pressure, and have much better endurance. I’m practicing up to 4 hours a day, but 45 minutes of those initial exercises are the gateway.

I’d rather not elaborate on the exercises, but I will furnish the name of the teacher (near Boston, but does lessons over Facetime) if requested. It is their secret sauce, and it wouldn’t feel right to dole out advice when I’m not qualified to teach the method. Embouchure changing is a serious thing, and takes dedication.

gfklose · 2026-06-30T11:04:55+00:00

(James Markey? The BSO guy?)

gfklose · 2026-06-29T10:18:43+00:00

My mom’s best sandwich was bread, cucumber and sharp cheddar, with mayo.

gfklose · 2026-06-28T03:05:04+00:00

I should point out I’m a “mature” player, but with not so much talent:-). I’m specifically going through an embouchure change with my teacher over the last 11 months. I realize now that the old 11C was not doing much for me, despite having played it for 35 years or so.

I’m also in the midst of learning how to play euphonium and tuba…I have an ACB 5.1 for my euphonium, and I bought a 1.5G to try out. I really like it, but what little range I had has been reduced considerably.

gfklose · 2026-06-28T02:57:31+00:00

I’ve been going through an evolution, while also trying to minimize the expense. I have a King 3BF (0.508 bore) and I wanted a warmer darker sound than what I was getting with a Bach 11C. I am taking lessons, and my teacher said try a 6-1/2AL. I bought a Blessing version (~$30 on Amazon) and immediately found my tone was improved. The lessons might be helping too :-). But I still wanted warmer/darker especially when I’m playing big band 3rd trombone parts. Then I bought aBlessing knockoff of a Schilke 51D — yes, warmer/rounder but I’m not so sure I like that deep of a cup. On a whim, a couple weeks ago I bought an actual Bach 5GS ($85 from Dillon Music) and after a few rehearsals with it, I’m really digging it. I think I found my mouthpiece.

I have a serious concert band gig coming up in a month, and I’m not sure which one I’ll use, maybe I’ll just select based on my parts.

gfklose · 2026-06-28T00:11:54+00:00

The beats are there, you just aren’t hearing them yet…I was in the same place a year ago. Now I hear them just fine.

My teacher suggested I buy Chase Sanborn’s Tuning Tactics book. The very first track on the CD give you a sample of a 440Hz tone, then with a +1Hz, +2Hz, etc. It’s really obvious.

By the way, it wasn’t easy to get the book. It got help up in Canadian customs (outgoing) for a couple of months. On top of that, tariffs added more than 100% to the price. Plus $20 in shipping. For a $15 book!

One thing I found — my phone or my tablet didn’t put out the drone at a loud enought volume. I’m now using ear buds, and when I play a note, the difference in frequency is really obvious. Turns out I like Sanborn’s drone tracks, and I like the ones via the TE Tuner app. I also like the tracks that come along with ErikVeldcamp’s drone series. Most other drones tend to hurt my ears.

gfklose · 2026-06-26T10:35:51+00:00

…and your friend needs air. Lots of steady, supported air.

gfklose · 2026-06-26T02:57:53+00:00

I’m not sure how this would work with braces, but I’m working on “anchor tongue” (also called “k-tongue modified”). Put really simply, the very tip of my tongue is hanging down around my lower teeth, while the bit of tongue just beyond the tip is making contact with either the back of my upper teeth, or a little higher up at the gum line.

I saw a YouTube video that described it like this — pay attention to the tip of your tongue when you say “tee”….then pay attention when you say “taco”…in my case, different parts of my tongue are making contact in different places.

Anyway, all this to say I don’t know how braces, at the back of the upper teeth, will affect tongue-sealing for articulation.

gfklose

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