Jens Lindemann

5 de febrero de 2014

Below are the answers from Ray Mase and his Tip Tuesday session! Thank him for his speedy response
and great insight! Also, below are two image links to the 10 week routine that one of the questions
refers to, as often people have the study material but not the explanation!

Question 1. I love your articulation and sound. When and what made you decide to use anchor
tonguing? How did you work develop it?

Answer 1. My teacher in college was Armando Ghitalla, who encouraged me to try anchor tonguing. I
liked the way it sounded so I gave it a try. After his explanation of how to do anchor tongue, it wasn't all
that difficult to develop. I don't feel it is for everyone and normally don't expect my students to use it
unless they want to, or they are having articulation issues that might benefit from it.

Question 2. What is the most recurring issue(s)that you've observed in your students during your time at
Julliard?

Answer 2. Young players tend to work too much on the most demanding rep, rather than fundamentals.
Hard to get my students to understand the incredible value in mastering basic playing--good sound, solid
register and endurance, clean articulation. Being able to play consistently well serves difficult rep better
than just practicing that rep over and over. Fundamentals need attention every day.

Question 3. What approach do you have when either you or one of your students is given very large
playing demands in a given day? How do you try to stay fresh and relaxed in spite of this?

Answer 3. Many young players just practice too much. Spend less time but be smarter and get more
done. Practicing something badly over an over is probably not the best use of the time. I want my
students to understand that we're like athletes and can easily get knocked out of the game if we don't
pay attention to our bodies. Hard playing days take a toll and we need to limit how much else we do
accordingly.

Question 4. Can you explain your 10 week routine.

Answer 4. My ten week routine was an attempt to give my students a basic program of summer study to
pursue while not having regular weekly lessons. I felt most of them had trouble with continuity when on
their own. The routine is not an end in itself but simply a varied diet of things to try to keep track of on a
regular, or daily, basis. For many the listed material is unfamiliar and becomes just much more time
consuming than I anticipated. For those players I recommend devising they own routine that has the
same type of variety, but with material more familiar to them. The routine shouldn't be more than 30
minutes--preferably less.

Question 5. What advice do you have for low tonguing?

Answer 5. Keep the mouthpiece pressure firm in the low register if possible.

Question 6. What are some helpful skills that you feel quintet playing develops that can be transferred
to large ensemble playing?
Answer 6. Almost too many to say. All ensemble skills--playing together, balance, intonation, imitation,
style--you name it. All these skills are necessary in big ensemble playing and refined by regular quintet
playing. Also figuring out how to fit in and get along personally--the skills in keeping a quintet
functioning well translate well to orchestras and families.

Question 7. Your "Vocalise" recording is a favorite of mine and is always in or close to my CD player. Any
tips for refinement in a trumpet player's ability to express?

Answer 7. Glad you like it. It was a really fun project to put together and took lots of research. Listening
to singers and fine instrumentalists apart from trumpeters helped me a lot.

Question 8. Now that you have left ABQ do you have any plans to release another solo recording?

Answer 8. Probably not another full cd. I recently recorded a work of Dave Sampson's for trumpet, vibes
and piano that I am excited about. Release next year. But I don't know that I could feel all that confident
of doing another full cd--I'm not as strong as I was twenty years ago.

Question 9. Thank you for your tremendous contributions in both transcriptions of earlier music and
commissions of new music! When creating transcriptions, what do you try to capture from the original
music and what, if anything, do you newly create in the arrangements? Regarding new music, how do
you prepare individually and as an ensemble to perform new works?

Answer 9. I always did editions of music that I liked and thought could be realized effectively by brass.
For all the pieces I did that succeeded, I have many more sitting around that I copied out that for
whatever reasons didn't work so well. But I liked doing it and still enjoy digging around the library for
whatever I might find. But new music is probably where I feel my work actually means more long term.
It takes time and commitment to do new things and I am happy I was around guys my whole career who
were willing to do this as often as I was. Sometimes frustratingly difficult, but I always wanted to make
the effort.

Question 10. What are techniques you use to approach a relaxed, tension-free sound (especially in the
upper register). No magic to offer.

Answer 10. I always think my lips are as loose as possible inside the mouthpiece--that idea has helped
me to maintain a relaxed sound.