Such an perceptive and cogent insight. Thank you, Phil! Ensemble is communal creativity. So in ensemble (or solo for that matter) playing, we always need to know and play our “part” (as in a contributing role), in such a way to create an experience greater than any individually could. Knowing and understanding what others are playing, what our and their line or note contributes to the composition and performance in that moment, and adjusting/accommodating our part/role to the highest musical/creative outcome is what ALL being a musician is about!
The greatest recordings and performances in brass playing (that I have ever heard) were American brass players, Austrian brass players and Swedish brass players. Maybe I am too subjective, but whatever. If you don't have mastery of judicious use of tounge-stopping and "thing-in-the-sound" sound core... well fart on ya.
Brits LOVE too much vibrato... which is not a sign of good playing. For those who disagree, I suggest playing with NO vibrato for a while and see which is more difficult. Also, one never knows what the note truly is when the vibrato is being applied too freely. For many pieces, it's outright disturbing.
If you were going to go deeper into it, there would be an argument to say the British Brass Band came directly out the industrial work floor, be it mining, machinery or textile production. Those communities, that work force only had each other. Workplace representation followed by political representation came later (now being gradually being undermined) Communities worked together, lived together, socialised together, worshipped together and when they played music together, they perhaps naturally did so as one. Unity is strength. Perhaps there would be a similar argument to say The US is institutionally more individualistic. Think of the mantras. "Fake it til you make it" etc. The whole mind set around the once uniformly espoused and believed "American Dream". Maybe our musical styles just hold a tiny reflection of our society. Or maybe this thesis is total hogwash!!!
The GREAT American brass players have the same thing in common with the GREAT Austrian brass players... COMPACT, FOCUSED, SERIOUS "thing in the sound" CORE, and... TOUNGUE-STOPPING. British? Not so much.
Such an perceptive and cogent insight. Thank you, Phil! Ensemble is communal creativity.
So in ensemble (or solo for that matter) playing, we always need to know and play our “part” (as in a contributing role), in such a way to create an experience greater than any individually could. Knowing and understanding what others are playing, what our and their line or note contributes to the composition and performance in that moment, and adjusting/accommodating our part/role to the highest musical/creative outcome is what ALL being a musician is about!
True, we Americans have to think about it.
The greatest recordings and performances in brass playing (that I have ever heard) were American brass players, Austrian brass players and Swedish brass players. Maybe I am too subjective, but whatever.
If you don't have mastery of judicious use of tounge-stopping and "thing-in-the-sound" sound core...
well fart on ya.
Brits LOVE too much vibrato... which is not a sign of good playing. For those who disagree, I suggest playing with NO vibrato for a while and see which is more difficult. Also, one never knows what the note truly is when the vibrato is being applied too freely. For many pieces, it's outright disturbing.
If you were going to go deeper into it, there would be an argument to say the British Brass Band came directly out the industrial work floor, be it mining, machinery or textile production. Those communities, that work force only had each other. Workplace representation followed by political representation came later (now being gradually being undermined) Communities worked together, lived together, socialised together, worshipped together and when they played music together, they perhaps naturally did so as one. Unity is strength.
Perhaps there would be a similar argument to say The US is institutionally more individualistic. Think of the mantras. "Fake it til you make it" etc. The whole mind set around the once uniformly espoused and believed "American Dream". Maybe our musical styles just hold a tiny reflection of our society. Or maybe this thesis is total hogwash!!!
The GREAT American brass players have the same thing in common with the GREAT Austrian brass players...
COMPACT, FOCUSED, SERIOUS "thing in the sound" CORE, and...
TOUNGUE-STOPPING.
British? Not so much.