Pedal Tones

Pedals Tones: Notes below low F#...

There is the saying that always holds true in every situation imaginable, "nothing works for everyone." It too has its truth in this area of study. Pedals have been debating in many ways: wether or not they're beneficial to the player, how to produce them, how often to use them, what to make them sound like, and so forth. I'd just like to clarify my own method and thought toward pedals in this section.
Worth it?:
I firmly believe that pedals, if played correctly, cannot have a negative effect on the person's playing. They help the coordination of the embochure, and allow the player to learn to use the compression needed for all types of playing. The people that argue against the use of pedals, I cannot argue with. If they don't fit in their playing, there's little to nothing that can be done to force them in. I will say though that it's pretty rare to see someone who claims their playing is hindered by pedals, and that a good 99.8% of people will find them only to improve upon their abilities.
Ok, so how do I do this?:
It's simple, absolutely simple, once you get the hang of it. First off, NEVER take huge leaps into the world of pedals, which is to say, if you can't play a clean pedal E, don't try and blast out clear and in tune pedal C's without causing yourself some problems. Take it slowly. Make sure you're full warmed up before trying them for the first time, and be sure that you have clear range and sound down to the low F#. It's important to remember to relax, but keep the minimal focus necessary for this process. The first note we'll try will be pedal F, right below the low F#. Start descending from low C... C-Bb-A-G-Pedal F. Once you get the note, hold it, and try to make it sound clear and full, just as if you'd use it in a performed piece of music. This by all means WON'T happen immediately. It, like most things will take some time to work out and become smooth. Once you get that, try to descend to the pedal E in the same manner... B-A-G#-F# -Pedal E. Repeat this, gradually going low and lower, till you get to somewhere where you weren't before. When you feel comfortable with contering the pitches (it's never easy), try going down on arpeggios to the notes, and using similar methods. After everything feels more secure than before, trying descending on a scale the the notes, then coming back up. It can be tricky to change from the relaxed setting you'll use to produce pedals to the normal one you'll use for everyday playing. Being able to switch between such extreme partials will help greatly in the long run. I must add that it is quite important to the method that you be able to go from the pedal register back into the middle at least. There are players than can easily move from double pedal G's to tripple F's, soaring above the staff, easily as they'd blink, but if you can't imitate that, never kill yourself trying. They've spent an unmeasurable amount of time working it up to that. Don't think that'll you'll get it within 10 minutes of drooling over it.
A note about volume, if you can't do them loud, clearly, don't. Work them up in volume gradually. This entire process of builind these lower octaves on your range will by no means happen over night, or in most cases, even over a good portion of 2-3 weeks. It takes regualrity in the practice routine with this material to get fully used to it. Always get used to things.
When do these apply again?:
I myself use them in my everyday practice routine. I take advantage of them for warmup, excercise, and warmdown purposes. They truly are a sort of penecillin for playing. They can act as to loosen up tense muscle before attempting to sit down to a hard gig or practice session, work toward coordination and power in sound, and relax beat up chops after a hard day's playing. They can only do this, however, if they're done correctly, or at least somewhere close to it. If the player simply blasts out terrible sounding pedals, they're not doing too much for themselves but throwing off coordination they've worked for.
How should they sound?:
Make them sound as clear as you can possible make them. I won't speak a word about making them sound dark or bright, because that's completely up to the player's sound. I've heard orchestral players, playing on big gear, heavy horns, bathtub mouthpieces, weighted caps and such, playing them clear and full, without incredible distortion of the sound, or instability in pitch. I've as well heard the same of people playing on smaller, lighter horns, with those pee-shooter mouthpieces we all hear so much about, playing them just as clearly and beautifully, but with a different sound. There's no specific way for a person to sound, unless it's specific to the music being played by them. For instance, you wont hear Maynard Ferguson playing Mahler #5 solos with a full symphonic orchestra, or Philip Smith playing scream/lead book with James Morrison's band. It's be interesting, but may sound a bit funny.
Following this text are a series of excercises for exploration into the pedal register. Use them to aid you, don't force anything, and just relax. If it feels horribly wrong, it just may be, but at least give it the benefit of a doubt first. Enjoy...