The Brass Tacks

How to Have a Lean, Mean Windows XP Machine!

Speed up your computer by running some basic maintenance procedures on a regular basis. I try to do the following at least once/month.

Defragment the Hard Disk

The Windows Disk Defragmenter utility speeds up your computer by moving files to adjacent locations. To run, go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter. It can be scheduled to run automatically via the Task Scheduler.

Clean Up the Hard Disk

Windows Disk Cleanup frees up space on your computer by deleting temporary files, emptying the Recycle Bin, compressing old files, and so on. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. It can also be scheduled to run automatically via the Task Scheduler.

Check the Hard Disk for Errors

The Windows error-checking utility (formerly known as Scandisk) checks the file systems and clusters on your computer and repairs any errors found.

Go to My Computer, and right-click on Local Disk (probably C:). Select Properties > Tools, and under Error-checking select Check Now. If you want you can select the check boxes for "Automatically fix file system errors" and "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors," then click Start. You might have to restart your computer, depending on the options chosen.

Run Windows Update

Windows Update updates the operating system and certain Microsoft software, patching security vulnerabilities that arise from time to time. You can choose between critical updates that should be performed ASAP, and optional software and hardware updates that might make your computer perform better, or might make it perform worse. I usually don't bother with the optional updates, unless there is a specific issue I am working on.

You can enable Windows Update to run automatically on a schedule of your choosing: visit Start > Control Panel > Automatic Updates. If you are like me and prefer to update manually, just open up Internet Explorer, type windowsupdate in the address bar, and hit Ctrl + Enter.

Remove Unwanted Programs

It's a good idea to use the Windows Add or Remove Programs utility to uninstall any programs you aren't using any more. It lives in Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs.

Take a Peek at the Start Up Folder

Go to Start > All Programs > Startup and see if there is anything scheduled to launch there that you don't want.

Run the System Configuration Utility

Go to Start > Run and type msconfig in the box. Click the Startup Tab, and you will see a list of the programs that feel the need to launch themselves whenever you start Windows. Many of these programs are essential to the operation of your computer, but others are simply using up resources.

You might have bloated programs installed on your system, normally slow to load, which want to "pre-launch" a little piece of themselves to try to distract you from their pokeyness. Microsoft Office, Open Office, and most Adobe products are likely culprits.

Other programs might launch features that they think you want available all the time, but some of these "helpful" programs are borderline Malware. Examples found on my computer were the Quicken Billminder Service, HP Toolbox, MSN Messenger, a utility for changing monitor resolution, and automatic update features of Real Player and Skype.

Be careful using the System Configuration Utility as it is possible to do real damage. However, if you recognize a program and know you don't want it to load, it is probably safe to disable it. It is a good idea to do this one program at a time, so you know what went wrong if something bad does happen.

If you don't recognize a program you can often figure out what it does by Googling the name of the exe file. Look under the Command list for something like "jusched.exe," type it into Google, and see what you can find out (but remember to take anything you read on Google with a big grain of salt).

For example, jusched.exe checks for updates to the Java environment on your computer and is generally harmless, but you can disable it if you want.

You probably won't have much luck disabling MSN Messenger through the System Configuration Utility. It can be disabled though by way of Add or Remove Programs > Add/Remove Windows Components.

Check Task Manager Processes

Not everything that runs with Windows shows up in the System Configuration Utility. You can view other Services that are running by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete on your keyboard to bring up the Task Manager, then clicking on the Processes tab. I wouldn't necessarily recommend ending any Processes here (many of these are required for your computer to run), but you can Google as above, find out what they actually do, and perhaps come up with a way to nuke the bad ones.

For example, I was having a problem with my notebook computer. Every once in a while, for no apparent reason, the the fans would blast on in a desperate bid to cool down the computer. It would happen even when the machine was sitting idle, and sometimes it would shut itself off.

I finally figured out that the Windows Help and Support system was launching a piece of itself called "helpsvc.exe" on startup. It did this even though I rarely use Windows Help and Support. helpsvc.exe is famous for going insane and eating up 100% of a computer's resources. The Microsoft recommended solution was useless, but I solved the problem by going to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services, right clicking on Help and Support, choosing Properties > General, and changing the Startup type to Manual.

Clean Up the Registry and Perform Other Essential Tasks with CCleaner

CCleaner is a nifty little utility, kind of like Disk Cleanup on steroids. Not only does it do a better job of cleaning up your hard drive, but it also cleans the gunk out of your Windows registry. You can use it to tame programs that try to run when your computer starts, or to uninstall unwanted programs. The first time I ran CCleaner my computer sped up considerably. And it's free!

New Consumer Reports Blog

Consumer Reports started a Money Blog this year. I took a quick look and it appears to be a good resource. There is a section devoted to income tax issues.

Dvorak on YouTube

Two video clips of our Halloween performance of Dvorak's The Spectre's Bride made it on to YouTube, and here they are!

 

 

Cross-border Shopping for Christmas

Are you intending to take advantage of the strong Canadian dollar and look for deals south of the border? The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) website has a guide for Canadian residents returning to Canada, which indicates how much you can bring back from the United States duty-free.

Some general rules are:

If you travel with more than $10,000 in cash or other monetary instruments, you have to report it to CBSA when you cross the border.

If you are gone for more than 24 hours, you can bring back up to $50 (CDN) in goods duty-free. If you are gone for more than 48 hours, you can bring back $400 in goods. If gone for more than 7 days, you can bring back $750.

When adding up days of absence from Canada, don't count the day that you leave the country, but count the day you return.

You have to convert your purchases from the foreign currency into Canadian dollars to ensure they are under the exemption amounts. You must have the goods with you when you return to Canada, and you can't combine your amount with another traveler.

There are other rules in the guide that everyone should check out before leaving, especially if you plan to transport unusual items such as alcohol or firearms, or ship gifts from the U.S. to Canada.

Here's something that I found interesting: people always seem to wonder why duty is charged on certain items purchased from the United States, when the two countries are supposed to have a free trade agreement (NAFTA). The guide explains that for goods to qualify as duty-free under NAFTA, they have to be for personal use, and they have to be marked as made in the United States or Canada, or not marked to indicate they were made anywhere other than in the United States or Canada. Who knew?

For Americans willing to pay a premium on the dollar and do their Christmas shopping in Canada, American Consular Services (AMCITS) provides travel tips and information about the duty-free exemption, which is either $200 or $800 (USD). A curious difference with Canada is that family members who live in the same house can combine their exemptions into a joint declaration.

The Kevin Thompson Warm Up

Guest Author: Kevin Thompson

For me, warming-up at the beginning of every day is essential.  Consistency in my playing only started to come when I started being consistent and thorough about warming-up every day.  If for some reason I have to go into a heavy rehearsal without having warmed up, I will feel and sound very uncomfortable, and my embouchure will not be back to normal for at least a week.

Download Kevin's warm up routine here (pdf).

I have heard other musicians say that they can easily play in top form without warming up if they've been playing in the last day or two.  This doesn't work for me, but everyone is different.  I suspect these people are the exception, and most of us, like athletes, need to condition and prepare our muscles daily for the rigors that we put them through in playing a brass instrument.

Here's a basic outline of my warm-up, which I vary somewhat from day to day, to keep it from getting tedious.  As you can see, the main focus is on lip slurs, which I believe to be extremely beneficial for all players.

The patterns for the lip slur exercises can be repeated many times more than written before going to the next position.

By the way, these are not my original exercises.  I've picked them up (and modified some of them) over the years from method and study books by Remington, Stamp, Marsteller, Steiner, and others.  The other main component of my warm-up, which I haven't included here, is playing a couple of Bordogni (Rochut) vocalises every day.

All the lip slur exercises use the usual 1st to 7th or 7th to 1st position patterns.  I won't write the positions on every exercise;  once you've done a few the positions will be obvious. Valve instruments:  you know the corresponding routine with the chromatic descending valve patterns.

Exercise #1

Start with articulated scales, mid to low range, medium dynamic.  Use this sixteenth note pattern to loosen up the tongue.  Breathe only where indicated, but take some extra time (a beat or so) to get a good, relaxed breath.

Exercise #2

Start this slow, easy lip slur exercise on low E, where you finished the scale exercise.

Exercise #3, 4

Getting a bit faster and higher with the lip slurs.

Exercise  #5

Scales - play as written, then from day to day alter the articulations.  Also play melodic minor, and modal scales, sometimes going up, sometimes down.

Exercise  #6

More lip slurs - increasing the range.

Exercise  #7

Play this low slurring exercise quickly, and many times.  It will loosen the lip up nicely in preparation for the higher range exercises to follow.

Exercise  #8

Preparing for high range exercises.

Exercise  #9

Beginning to extend the range.

Exercise  #10

Getting used to the higher notes.  Be flexible with the time, taking your time on the half notes (quasi fermata).  Stop and breathe when you need to.

Exercise  #11

Another, more flexible lip slur exercise going up to high B-flat.

Exercise  #12

Extending the range further.  Breathe only where indicated, and hold the pedal notes for a long time to relax the lip.  Play the tenuto notes quasi fermata.

Exercise  #13

Scales going into the high range.  Breathe only where indicated.  Extend the scales higher if you wish.

Exercise  #14

Time to relax the embouchure, and work on some low notes.

Exercise  #15

An unusual exercise that makes use of contrary motion with the slide.  Tongue only the first note of each group, and be sure to follow the slide positions indicated.

Exercise  #16

Finally, one more high range exercise:  tongued arpeggios going up to high F.  Keep going higher if you can!

Kevin Thompson leads a busy life as a professional trombone and euphonium player. He is the Trombone Section Principal of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, and can be heard as a euphonium soloist on two recordings. Kevin is currently playing Principal Trombone with the Bergen Philharmonic in Norway until July 2008.

My Breathing Exercises

Guest Author: Gabriel Langfur

Make your brass playing easier and more relaxed with this set of daily breathing exercises from bass trombonist Gabriel Langfur.

I wrote this out for a topic at the Online Trombone Journal discussion forum, and thought some readers of The Brass Tacks would appreciate it too! Let's start with a few suggestions for air:

Some Tips from the Masters

First of all, "When you blow, think of blowing directly into the hole of your mouthpiece." - Phil Teele. It's the last point in his long tone routine book. So simple, so effective. So easy to do something other than that.

"Blow through the notes, not at them." - Joe Alessi, attributed to his father, Joe Alessi Sr. Ditto.

Charlie Vernon talks about focusing on the sensation of air passing across your lips. Sorry, no catchy aphorism for this one, but just as effective an idea. He has another aphorism though: "Suck Air." I've considered having this one engraved on my bell, right next to "Subdivide."

Finally, do breathing exercises as part of your daily routine. In fact, do them before you play every single day and you will see a difference very soon.

The best ones I know of in print are in the Charlie Vernon book, originally called Daily Routines for Trombone (editor's note--it's now known as his Singing Approach).

A Daily Breathing Routine

Here is a routine that I often do. These are much better taught in person, but I'll do my best. This routine comes from a student of Sam Pilafian, the great tuba player and teacher at Arizona State.

Start with some simple stretches, particularly focusing on your upper body and maybe your neck. I won't go into the ones I do here, but any simple set of yoga stretches will be good. Then set a metronome at 60 and do the following series of exercises.

1. One Beat In, One Beat Out

Move air across your lips - don't worry about where the air is going inside your body - for the entire duration of the beat, without pausing at either end. Strive for an open "HO" sound in both directions. Do this at least eight times, or until you start to feel dizzy (the dizziness will go away after a few days).

I suggest using some sort of visualization that gets you thinking outside your body, so try sucking in your hand from down by your side and blowing it back out, or looking at a point across the room and imagine sucking in and then filling back up all the air in the room between you and that point. Or come up with your own creative visualization. This exercise is great with a breathing tube.

2. The Dozen Sips

Take a dozen little sips of air, either to triplets or 16ths, and then let the air fall out of your body over the next four beats. Repeat 3-5 times (or whatever feels good to you). This exercise is to explore your total capacity in a relaxed manner.

3. Six In, Six Out

Like the first exercise, only over a longer period of time. Move air across your lips for the entire duration without a pause at the top or bottom - easier said than done. If it doesn't happen the first couple of times, don't worry, just keep doing the exercise.

For this one, I use the following visualization: start with your arms down at your sides. Slowly lift them as you inhale, imagining filling up the circle your arms are describing and measuring the flow so that beat three occurs when your arms are parallel to the floor - at this point you are half full of air. At count six they are over your head and you can start your way down, with half empty at count three again. Repeat three times. Sam also does this exercise with seven and eight counts, three times each. I find one set at six counts to be plenty.

4. Three In, Six Out

This one is different. Inhale for three beats, sucking in your hand from your side. Then, over the next six beats, let the air fall out of your body. Don't measure or control the flow, just let gravity do the work. And when gravity is done and you would have to push to get more air out, stop and rest for the remainder of the six beats. You might stop at beat two or three - that's fine. Leave your hand in front of your mouth for the exhale, and you will feel the air flow. If it's bumpy, your sound will be bumpy - if it's a cool steady stream, so will your sound be. But don't try to control it. This is just feedback.

Keep repeating the exercise, focusing on the sensation of air moving across your lips, and the motion will become more relaxed. To promote a relaxed exhale, it can actually be very effective to introduce a tension-and-release action into this exercise, so I often do a variation where I create resistance at the lips during the inhale (purse them together and suck air through the tiny opening) and then let the air fall out just as before.

This whole exercise is also good with a breathing tube, and the tensio-release action can be done by constricting the end of the tube with your hand. Sam extends this to four & eight and five & 10 beats. I don't find those to be any more helpful, but extending the length of all these exercises is worth trying to see how it benefits you.

Incidentally, this kind of unforced, gravity-doing-the-work air makes for a surprisingly big sound. On trombone, it tends to be a big, warm mf that's great for a vocal style of playing. And this exercise increases your awareness of your particular standing air point in your lungs - the point at which your diaphragm goes into action for a normal inhale when you're not aware of your breathing at all.

5. Three Out, One In

This is the most like most of the playing we do. Imagine a 4/4 bar with a rest on the fourth beat. Take a big breath on the rest, and then completely empty your lungs over the next three beats. Repeat several times. Use a dynamic visualization that gets you thinking beyond your body.

That's my routine. I do it, or some variation on it, or the Vernon routine, every single day.

Related Web Sites

The Online Trombone Journal discussion forum

The revised version of Charlie Vernon's book is available at Hickey's Music

Gabriel Langfur is bass trombonist of the Vermont Symphony and Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestras, and performs frequently with the Boston Symphony and Pops, the Boston Ballet Orchestra, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Opera Boston, and in orchestras and theaters throughout New England. In addition to a busy freelance performing career, he is Managing Director of the Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston and Artist Relations/Marketing Director of the S.E. Shires Company, a leading manufacturer of custom brass instruments. For nearly ten years he worked in the administration of the Boston Early Music Festival, serving in various capacities including Director of Marketing and Exhibition Manager.