BrassThoughts from Joe LeFevre, Principal Tubist, Kansas City Symphony
Do you advocate buzzing? If so, how and why? If not, why?
I definitely advocate buzzing. I like to buzz in patterns, specifically the Jacobs pattern, and other patterns that help to strengthen the lip muscles. I think buzzing is an effective way to practice the basic fundamentals of playing without the horn. Sometimes the horn can complicate things but if we can take that element away from it and just focus on buzzing, things will come easier.
What are some creative ways you practice away from the instrument?
Something I’ve been doing recently is listening back to recordings of my previous lessons. This helps remind me of some important things I still need to work on and some techniques from teachers that can help fix things. I also enjoy listening to recordings of other tuba players and other instruments to see how they approach playing. This really helps with the musicality side of performing and helps to build that strength.
Do you do a daily routine? Is it important in your opinion? Is it the same every day? Why or how does it change?
I have a daily routine, however, only part of that daily routine stays the same. The other half of the routine rotates around to exercises I need for the music I’ll play the rest of the day or something I need to work on. I think having a routine is important, whether it’s one that stays the same or one that rotates to different exercises. I like to think of the morning routine as a fundamentals session where I can work on the fundamentals of tuba playing.
What is a recording (plural if you want) that you think exemplifies great musicianship? A favorite track from your own recordings and why is also favourable!
I very much enjoy listening to piano recordings. Some I’m listening to right now are Dubravka Tomsic performing Liszt’s “Un Sospiro” and Evgeny Kissin performing Chopin’s “Polonaise in Ab Major.” I think there’s so much expression in piano music and so much musicality going on that it’s a wonderful example of how to approach music. Listening to other instruments or vocal music is just as important as listening to music performed on our own instrument. We can learn from everybody!
What is/are some of the pieces of advice/exercises/etude books that you felt were most crucial to your development?
Take lessons and play for everyone that you can. I of course took lessons from tuba players, but also trumpet players, trombone players, horn players, and even did mock auditions with woodwind players and vocalists. Hearing different perspectives from different people is incredibly important to developing as a musician, not just as a tuba player. So often, we are so concerned about improving as a tuba player that we forget to work on our musicianship and becoming a better musician, which is ultimately, what makes the difference in auditions. The more people you can play for whether it’s in the tuba world or out of the tuba world the better!
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