|
April 28th,
2007 04:55
I told Tony
I would post a summary of my lesson with Patrick Hession.
So here goes...
I have been
interested in studying with a professional lead trumpeter
for some time. Had a one time lesson with Wayne Bergeron
in 2005, and realized so much can be gained from a
seasoned pro’s experiences. Discussed this desire
with a local pro jazz player. He knows and recommended
either Roger Ingram or Patrick Hession. Like many of you,
I am familiar with each of these two’s recorded
work. After reviewing both player’s webpages, I
found Patrick’s home is near where I travel for
work occasionally. So, I contacted him regarding a lesson
and made an appointment. The lesson took place in
Patrick’s living room.
I explained
to Patrick that my immediate goals were 1) playing
exactly in time and 2) phrasing. I have enough range for
the gigs I play, so that was not top on my list. Hope
would be to work more on that after addressing the first
two goals. Fortunately, Patrick’s book covers a lot
about breathing and playing in time.
When I
arrived, Patrick had not played yet that day, so he
started his warm-up while I was there. He began with a
mute in, which I thought was due to the close proximity
of his neighbors. But, Patrick told me he liked the
resistance during the first few notes of the day. Since I
brought a copy of his book, we opened it to
“Exercise #1 - Warm-Up / Breathing.” For
those of you who have read or use his book, he describes
how he has used the same warm-up for years. It is great
to discuss with an author of a technique text what is
meant by some of the content.
I have been
trained to breath deeply toward the abdominal muscles,
but keep the shoulders level and relaxed. Patrick raises
his shoulders to allow the lungs to fill all the way to
the top. Similar to Bobby Shew’s method, I was
told. Believe Roger gives Bobby credit for the same.
Before we began the initial breath, Patrick turned on the
metronome and set it to 60 bpm. The inhale of
“Exercise #1” is 7 beats (7 seconds). Always
subdividing the beat into sixteenth notes. This has
helped me already, since I never really planned out when
to breath. Just took a big breath some time before I was
required to play. Patrick knows exactly how many beats
before he plays and where within that beat for each
entrance he begins his breath. This technique should
really aid in my desire to play exactly in time. Also, he
explained air intake to be like “yawning.” I
have used the syllable “ko” for years to keep
my throat open. “Yawning” seems more
open.
Patrick’s breath capacity is amazing!
We would breath at a constant rate for 7 beats. Even
though we were breathing at close to the same rate, I was
completely full before 5 beats. Patrick went all the way
through 7 beats. To give you some idea of the difference
in our sizes, Patrick is about 5’7”
medium-athletic. I am 6’6” large frame. So, I
was shocked at how much more air he could
intake.
Other items
he stressed in the exercises were the breath attacks
versus the tongue attacks. As we worked on the breath
attack, Patrick demonstrated his mastery of
“whisper tones.” I have heard of them, but
have not witnessed a demonstration. Patrick can begin a
note that is so faint it is barely audible. Hence their
name. He begins these notes and crescendos to double
forte and back to whisper. Tremendous control.
We covered
the first half of the book; which contains: breathing,
relaxation, isometrics / develop center, relaxing center,
refocusing center, lip slurs, ride the air stream, and
riding the center. After that, same type of exercises,
but more advanced. After we got through "riding the
center," Patrick said now practice other stuff
daily.
After we
completed the formal lesson using the book I began asking
other questions. One was regarding his students. He has
some high school students who want to have range like
him. He has them work on Arban’s and Clarke’s
methods. After they have those books under their fingers,
he will begin them on range. He plays so many different
styles and gigs that he has many books, charts, and
sheets out in the practice area. He played a difficult
“legit” solo piece for me. He is quite
comfortable in the big band and “legit”
settings.
Before now,
I had heard Patrick about once a year during his 5 years
with Maynard. I had to ask questions about being on the
band. As we talked, Patrick would play different parts
from different charts. One thing I keep noticing was how
my ear seemed to “jump” each time he played G
or high C. Since he hits notes so much in the center now,
his horn resonates more than when I play. He also
explained his horn, Monette MF, “rings like
heck.” My ear was catching all the overtones. His
playing in the note center was really demonstrated during
one of the exercises later in his book. Exercise #17 is
for “glissandos.” One of the patterns is
quarter notes starting at middle C - high C - middle C -
high C - middle C - high C - low C - high C- low C -
double high C - low C - triple high C - low C hold. Tempo
is 60 bpm in cut time! After playing it, Patrick says,
the triple C is really only with his chops; not supported
like it would be in a performance. Each note was on the
money!
Before I
left, I told him my long term dream is to play
Maynard’s solo on “Danny Boy.” Patrick
has recently performed this, so he took out the music and
played it beginning to end. No misses or cracked notes.
What a treat for me.
By the way,
my ears were ringing most of the 3 hour drive home. He
has serious power to use when he chooses.
Patrick’s schedule is full for a few
weeks. So, I will be working on the first half of the
book. After ITG, his schedule will free up a little and
we will set-up another lesson then.
Looking
forward to it!
Mikester
|
