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RE: Projection and Tone

Author: Kevin Bowman
Date: 1999-08-12 20:38

Paul,
I must disagree with your opinion of projection. Projection has nothing to do with being "dead center" on the tuner. Projection is the instrumentalists equivalent of a stage actor "throwing" his/her voice. It has a lot to do with breath support but, in my personal experience (and from what I have witnesses with my students) projection has more to do with a mental concept. I don't know *how* I project, I just do. I introduce the idea of projection to my students very early (in the first year) and, once they get the idea of "playing to the upper balcony" from the stage, their breath support, tone, intonation, etc. all seem to improve. I think it's more of a "style" than a "technique".

I remember my high school band director showing the wind ensemble that how you think about music effects how it sounds. He would have every member simply choose a note to play at random (total cacaphony!) then play the note as he "directed" with his baton. He would then direct a series of notes with a different style - short and snappy, soft and tender, loud and raucus, etc. - just by the motion of the baton. I was amazed that he could start a long note (still the random "chord") starting very delicately then let the note grow in intensity just by his subtle body language. This was all done to prove that you needed to do more than just play the notes on the page and you needed to really watch the conductor for stylistic cues.

This same concept translates to individual playing and projection. I show my students that I can whisper right next to them, then step accross the room and whisper again and still be heard, because I am projecting my voice. It takes breath support but it also takes a mental idea.

Kevin Bowman

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