quasi blue
DESCRIPTION
for solo trumpet without mouthpieceTRANSCRIPT
quasi-bluefor trumpet without mouthpiece
ryan fellhauer2013
The disconnect has shifted so completely that it no longer generates any feeling of the sublimeany more since we are now summoned to feel responsible for the quick and irreversible changes of theEarth’s face occasioned in part as a result of the tremendous power we are expending: we are asked to lookagain at the same Niagara Falls but now with the nagging feeling that they might stop falling flowing; weare asked to look again at the same everlasting ice, except that we are led to the sinking feeling that theymight not last long after all; we are mobilized to look again at the same parched desert, except that we come to feel that it expands inexorably because of our disastrous use of the soil! Only galaxies and the Milky Waymight still be available for the old humbling game of wonder, because they are beyond the Earth. How to feel the sublime when guilt is gnawing at your guts? And gnawing in a new unexpected waybecause of course I am not responsible, and neither are you, you, nor you. No one in isolation is responsible.
Bruno Latour
quasi-blue was written to explore the physicality of the trumpet so to remove the instrument from itsidiom into one that is truer to its natural build through notation and performance practice. standard trumpet timbres are filtered through the limitations of performance and physicality, creating disconnect between instrument and sound, though it is truly still only the trumpetin its simplest that is heard. once we pay more attention to the natural (or digital) world we can realize how far we have removed ourselves from it. the work means to evoke that distance,encouraging responsibility while attempting to close the gap, though it opens a new hole elsewhere.
scratch buzzing
buzz into leadpipe with a substiancial amount of air support behind the buzz,creating a very noisy and relativelypitched tone
squeal buzzingbuzz into leadpipe without air support, and a much smaller aperture thanstandard buzzing, creating a squeal-like tone. very hard to control exactly, interpret these sounds more relatively.
normal air
blow air directly into leadpipewithout buzz
jet airblow air directly into leadpipewithout buzz, but using the trumpet’sangle and intensity of air, createa more pitched sound than normal air,in larger, loud sweeps. in the composer’sperformance of this technique for extendedpassages, he would bite the leadpipe so to have substancial control, though this is notrequired for the technique
embouchure techniques
staff
staff designates how “high” the buzzif using a mouthpiece would be. this translates through techniques as a relative pitch, familiar to the standardpractice of the trumpet
high
low
Trumpet
intensity
staffstaff only designates direction (becoming more or lessintense, in terms of both speed and volume of air)changes of air. a crescendo notates an acceleration of air,a dimunendo the decelleration. often, combined withthe other techniques, these ideas do NOT take the form ofdynamics, but make it both easier and harder to achieve.the goal of the intensity staff is to create a stream of sound that is not notated but comes as a result of the combination of notations
notates the absence of air in the system
other notes:
circular breathing - using the cheeks and oral cavitypush the air through the instrument via pressure ratherthan diaphragm support. during this technique, the performeris to breathe in through the nose
the notion on dynamics is only present in theperformers intrepretation of the work. beingexactly accurate with the notated intensity willcreate patterns of dynamic with practice, and thesepatterns are up for interpretation.
tonguing valves
staffall tonguing notation is designated on theembouchure staff by different symbols. arrowsnotate a particular technique to be used until thearrow’s end
note: all use of the tongue is notated: if aa note or phrase begins without a tonguingnotation, the sound is to start with an air attack
horizonatal tonguinginterrupt the stream of air by movingthe tongue left and right in the mouth,brushing the back of the teeth lightly asto create a helicopter-like sound in the air.perform each of these as fast as possible, interms of l-r motion
standard tonguinguse a standard tonguing onlyto interrupt a stream of air. numberof tongues is notated by numberof notes within the stream
tongue raminterrupt air column by completelystopping the leadpipe by speaking“hhht”
spoken tonguespeak the consonant “t” into the trumpet,creating a dry, almost toneless attack
harmonic popcreate a very small popping sound bypusring the lips and allowing a smallbubble of air through the aperture
staffstaff designates which valve(s)to press down and how far
full valvepress valve all the way down
half valvepress valve halfway way down
trilltrill valve
other notes
the valves will often get in the way of tonguingand embouchure elements, creating a veryunpredictable sound.
the valves when used slowly act as a spectralfilter on the sound of the trumpet, notated whenparticularly important as an ossia staff
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