Flexibility for Band

This exercise becomes progressively more difficult. Fingerings or slide positions are provided for the brass section, since in the longer finger combinations the students must use alternate fingerings to perform the notes as a lip slur, i.e., to stay within a single harmonic series. Some brass players may need assurance that the notes called for are in fact possible using the fingerings/positions specified. Fingerings are not provided for the French horns, due to the difference in fingerings between single horns in F and double horns in F/Bb, both of which are widely used. However, students holding a double horn could utilize the same fingerings as the trumpets, if they play all the exercises while holding down the thumb (Bb) valve. Otherwise, horn players can simply finger the exercise. For the first three segments, the brass perform arpeggios using lip slurs while the woodwinds play descending chromatic passages, based on the starting note of each lip slur in the brass. Starting with the fourth segment, woodwinds and brass are scored in unison. Although the rhythmic values indicate rapid velocity, in fact slow tempos will be more appropriate for most ensembles. Until a smooth lip slur is achieved by the brass at a slow tempo, going faster will not develop the appropriate skills in the players. In fact, going too quickly will invite bad habits, such as excessive jaw shifts or large movements of the instrument. Once they have mastered the required fingerings, the woodwind section can provide the brass with an ideal sonic model for this exercise: smooth slurs, performed without accents, supported by a constant airstream at a moderate dynamic level.