Mark Inouye Practice Suggestions

Mark Inouye

Practice Suggestions

Mark Inouye is a student of :

Wynton Marsalis
Vince Pinzarella
William Vacchiano
Phil Smith
Chris Gekker
Michael Sachse
Mel Broiles
Mark Gould
Ray Mase
(Masters Degree:Juilliard)

Equipment:

Bach Stradivarius (Bb Trumpet, 3rd valve heavy weight cap) #37
Yamaha Xeno C trumpet (no lacquer)
Schilke E3L D/Eb Trumpet (tuneable bell)
Schilke P5-4 Piccolo Trumpet
Bach C (Standard leadpipe 229 bell)-previous
Bach C (Herseth leadpipe, 239 bell, 3rd valve heavy weight cap)-previous
Bach D/Eb Trumpet (longbell)-previous
Bach 1C mouthpiece (#23 throat, #24 backbore)-for Bb
Bach 1 1/4 C mouthpiece (#23 throat #24 backbore)-for Eb
Reeves (Bach 7C equivilent) mouthpiece-for piccolo

Fundamentals:

a Warm-up is 5-15 minutes
Mouthpiece Buzzing (using a mouthpiece with the cup cut out or buzzarella)
Slow Flexibilities (Schlossberg)
Scales (gently-across the range of the horn)
Expanding Flexibility (Colin Advanced Lip Flexibilities)
Fast Flexibilities ("How Brass Players Do It")
Ray Mase 10 Week Program (which includes 1-3 minutes on each item-1 key a day?)
Clarke Technical Studies (fingers, articulation)
Schlossberg Daily Drills and Exercises (flexibilities across the register, scales)
Schuebruk Graded Lip Trainers (Vol. 2, 3) (accuracy, intervals, dynamics)
Arbans Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet (tonguing, articulation, scales)
Nagle Speed Studies (fingers)

Suggested Etudes:

Snedecor Lyrical Studies
Snedecor Low Note Etudes
Goldman Practical Studies
Charlier Etudes Transendentes
Julian Falk Atonus
Arbans Art of Phrasing
Lyrical Studies (of any type)

Fundamental Suggestions:

Keep 2 things running while practicing at all times-a metronome and a tuner.
Don't move (over-adjust) the embouchure once you begin to play.
Rely on the lungs (they don't get tired and don't know you've been resting a long time before an entrance.
Write a list of your weaknesses (subcategorize) and get to work on them (there is your practice routine).
Stick to the Ray Mase practice routine for 2 years then change the weekly rotation to a daily rotation.
Don't be afraid to alter the practice routine to suit your needs.
Squeeze as much music (dynamics, vibrato, etc.) as you can out of the lyrical studies.
Exaggerate dynamics.
If you practice nothing else that day, be sure to follow the routine with at least a lyrical study.
Work on the extremes of your playing (that is where the progress will be).
Find your breaking point (in the low register for example) and work in that area (that is where the progress will be.
Use the metronome to chart your progress.
Slur everything first, then add articulations
Use minimum tongue movement (no more than needed).
When practicing, make sure the rhythm begins on the first beat (not after).
When slurring down think of the same (upper) note twice.
When slurring up blow into the lower note before moving.
When you miss, it is usually due to the fact that you moved (embouchure) just before you missed.
When you miss, the problem is not with the "kacked" note but the one just before it.
Exaggerate dynamics etc. to the point of absurdity (to reach the desired result and capture the listener).
You should be making progress in the first 10 minutes of playing.
Create subdivisions for rhythms and play them with the metronome to improve rhythmic accuracy.
The character of a piece is reflected in how the player interprets 8th notes.
It is not necessary to breathe during every rest (if breath is not needed simply stop air for that period).
Hold the embouchure in place during a rest to avoid shifting and possibly missing the next entrance.
To check intonation of the low Db, play the note an 8ve above and match it to the 123 fingering (with slide).
Use the 1st valve slide on F (on top of the staff).
Slow pieces require slow ornaments and slow vibrato (visa versa).
Practice passages without vibrato and the add it in.
Consider holding back a bit on tempo when dynamics become louder (visa versa).
Hold dynamics one note beyond where a decrescendo is marked before reducing volume.
Decrescendo as evenly as you crescendo (visa versa). Take care not to decrescendo too rapidly
Listen to releases of notes. Be rhythmically precise on releases.
If you are altering page markings for the sake of personal interpretation, give your interpretation twice and the written version the 3rd time.
In a cadenza, keep dynamics and accelerandos even (no drastic changes). Follow through your established idea to its logical conclusion.
Interpretation within a cadenza should mirror the interpretation of the opening statements.
In trills, blow the higher note all the way through. Crescendo towards the downbeat (through a trill).
Blow through notes that precede ornaments.
Consider using the upper neighbor tone only at a cadence point (not in the middle of a phrase).
Time trills so that they stop on a convenient 8th note and the grace notes out of a trill are measured 32nds (in time).
Consider performing the Neruda and Haydn on Eb trumpet. The sound is lighter (more appropriate to the style) and the fingerings for ornaments are much easier.
Even when performing these works on Bb strive to play with the Eb sound (lighter and more focused).
Drive 16th notes toward the downbeat.
Baroque solos need to be on the bright side tempo wise.
When practicing transposition, finger through the material at least twice as much as you play (while resting).
Find urtext versions of solos whenever possible and work from them when developing phrasing, articulation, dynamics, and ornaments.
Be efficient in your practice. Isolate problems and work only on them.
Rhythm should remain constant (even when you chip a note).
On C trumpet, always use 23 for Eb and 12 for E
Do not use 13 for D or high G
(Always opt for a higher pitch and use slides to move it down.)
A single valve should be in tune with itself.
Problems arise when more than 1 valve is put down simultaneously
The tubing then becomes an improper length and must be corrected with slides
Use the range exercise 12345-135135 or 12345 (8va)-54321 (8vb) to open up the upper register
Do not let off on air when climbing higher
No dips in the air even on small intervals
Practice mouthpiece buzzing into and out of the low register
Use the nose breath to avoid unseating the embouchure
practice varying tempo with the metronome running (divorce yourself temporarily from tempo and rejoin at the barline)-rubato transfer this idea to the application of long trills
practice centering notes on Eb (listen to tone quality-hear it)
pre-hear (sing in your head) the first few measures before playing-you are just joining in
rely on the other parts in the orchestra (imagine you are playing along)
squeeze the maximum amount of expression out of each phrase and note
don't get stuck in a narrow range of expression box
listen/play/listen to the Phil Smith excerpts cd
imitate exactly-record this imitation-don't be satisfied until it sounds the same

on "Promenade":

on "Lenore #2"

on "Lenore #3"

on Petroushka (ballerina's dance):

on Pines of Rome (lyrical solo)

on Carmen

on Mahler #3

on Mahler #5 (opening)

on Tchaikowski #5

on Albinoni in Bb (for piccolo)