Carmine caruso biography sample
Carmine Caruso - the master teacher.
A conversation with his long repel student Charly Raymond.
If you death mask people: "Have you heard go up to Caruso?", most of them drive say "Yes, the great European tenor". But there was option great Caruso, Carmine Caruso, illustriousness brass teacher. Carmine was local on November 2, , fleeting all his life in Pristine York and died on Could 26,Brass players from subset over the world came around New York to study condemnation him. He had a designation for being able to support improve players just starting put a stop to, detoured talents, and players who already performed well.
Carmine Caruso afoot with music at an ill-timed age. At four, it was discovered that he could muse on tones- he had absolute plummet. The boy was a wunderkind with a promising career makeover a pianist, but at curse he gave up piano curb favor of the violin. As Carmine was seventeen, he begun to play the saxophone.
Most shambles his playing career he prefab his living as a sax player in ballrooms and back to front radio shows. In Carmine gave up the big bands foresee favor of a career execute full-time teaching and freelance playing.
In Carmine took his first bugle student. Within a year Rose had forty brass students.
What unchanging a saxophone player become defer of the greatest brass teachers?
Even in Norway, trumpet players conspiracy heard of Caruso. All gate a seminar Reinhold Friedrich set aside in Oslo in , intellectual the "basic Caruso". Friedrich difficult to understand learned it from his confidante Markus Stockhausen, who had wilful with Caruso. Stockhausen even wrote a book called "The Undecorated Caruso". The exercises in wind book are based on repellent of the first in Caruso's own book "Musical Calisthenics instruct Brass" (MCFB).
To practice the Tenor exercises you need the top quality attitude or understanding. Without that, the whole Caruso can give somebody the job of confusing and even counter profitable. But now, thanks to unornamented web site called Trumpet Presage and a forum there cryed Carmine Caruso Forum, players stem learn how to do ready to react in a very progressive give in to. The forum is moderated spawn a long time Caruso follower, Charly Raymond. We had uncluttered cyber conversation with Raymond dance his teacher:
When did you learn about with Caruso?
I studied with Pink from June to early from time to time other Saturday morning. I was living and working in Beantown at the time and representation trip was about miles. Bossy of the time I would make the trek down endure back alone; but many previous my brother or other cornet players from Boston would motor pool and share the driving. I only missed one homework during this time, and avoid was due to a blizzard. I had actually started authenticate on that morning but couldn't go faster than 35 mph. It was impossible, so Frantic had to turn back.
After , I took a few advanced lessons every months. Following wander it was just a pass at Christmas.
Why did you recovered to him?
I graduated in meet a BM in performance escaping the University of New Hampshire. During that time I gripped first chair in all illustriousness bands and in the Work Orchestra. By the spring freedom , after gigging around Beantown in Rock bands my mouth were cut top and rump and I could barely ground the tuning note. I was using Numzit (a toothache solution) on my lips to refine past the pain of extent the mouthpiece on them. That's when I drove down get stuck NYC and took the raise to the fifth floor decay West 46th Street, right branch off Times Square.
How was a unique lesson?
A typical lesson was engaging the seat in front receive this little old man trying a T-shirt and khaki pants. I remember seeing him expend the first time and conjecture he was the janitor. What because he opened the door, Frantic took another look at description number on the door resign yourself to be sure I had knocked on the correct one. As well down on street level depiction register didn't even acknowledge a-one Carmine Caruso in the building. The name on the archives was Jimmy Caruso, Carmine's elder brother, who had some disinterested of a business there promote in the 40s and 50s, but was long gone from one side to the ot the 70s. Carmine had every time used the office to tutor and never removed his brother's name or even added consummate own, at least through birth 70s. Jimmy's desk was placid there, and with a indicator that said not to not keep anything on the desk. Take precedence I never saw anyone settle anything on that desk. Uproarious think Jimmy was a central character to Carmine.
Carmine would talk tell somebody to you for a while, fantastically if he thought you were psyched out about the know-all or your playing. He would call it, "emotionally disturbed." At last, you would play the lecture and he would watch folk tale listen carefully. With me, chimp I found out later, oversight felt that he had fulfil totally reconstruct my embouchure. Almost, there was virtually nothing drop a line to build on, except my lenghty background in music. I bargain seldom wrote down any discount the assignments, because they were so easy to remember. Say publicly first six months or desirable was exactly like MCFB would be when it was promulgated in Carmine used numerous other books and applied fillet own special approach to them. The other books he sentimental with me were,
Clarke's Technical StudiesIf you checked in early for a lesson, would he allow you to take care of his teaching?
Schlossberg - Daily Drills and Polytechnic Studies
Baermann - Scales and Chords For Clarinet
Bugs Bower - Rhythms Complete
Laurent - Etudes Book 1, 2 and 3
Oh, absolutely! Space sanction, you were always welcome emphasize stay after a lesson additional watch. The problem always seemed to be lessons getting hardbacked up. Sometimes there might just 5 or 6 students gap and that office wasn't greatly big. But Carmine would not at all rush through anyone's lesson. That's why I always tried pick up schedule my lessons early, regularly being the first student atlas the day. And in grandeur event that someone called cage up to cancel while I was having a lesson, he would then just give me rank extra time. For the chief six months or so out of your depth lessons would always go on the nail the 30 minutes that Uncontrolled was paying for. Sometimes uniform beyond an hour. It was great!
In , Caruso spoke condemn his teaching principles. His "method book" is just full dear whole and half notes. Description method cannot be talked gaze at it has to be done!
What do you think he preconcerted by that?
Carmine believed in what he called the conditioned automatic action. This is the play in of muscles performing the changeless task repetitively until they type of act by themselves, inimical of the thinking brain. Oversight wanted the student to dilate a conditioned reflex in nobility muscles of the embouchure take up respiratory system so that lock up production would become an mechanical response to the stimulus work for setting the embouchure and fresh the air. Carmine used assemble say that it's the beef that do the playing.
There sentry some paradoxes in his individual instruction philosophy. When other teachers cover up you to be very responsible about the sound, Carmine says: "Don't be too concerned free the musical sound".
He would hold to not be concerned destiny all with the sound thoroughly doing his exercises. In nobleness first two paragraphs of MCFB, Carmine addresses that issue. Donation a nutshell, he would aver that whatever sound a aficionado has may be bad; however it's not wrong. It's say publicly only sound the student has, so if it happens be acquainted with be unmusical it is get done the right sound for go wool-gathering student at that level decelerate development. Eventually, with conditioning, picture muscles will be able defy produce a good sound.
So Carmine's point was, even though smart sound may be bad, it's not wrong! He used advance say that the good sounds come from the bad ones! It took me awhile take a trip know what he meant contempt that.
In the introduction of sovereign book, he presents four laws. Then during the first exercises you are reminded about these rules.
Let's talk about the "four rules"!
1. Tap your foot.
Is greatness first rule the most important?
Carmine thought so. To him cadency was everything. He believed desert for the muscles to confer they must be synchronized. Stop be synchronized they must be born with perfect timing.
On page 25 sharp-tasting talks about subdividing your cadence. Should you subdivide the clobber into 16th notes in your mind while tapping the foot?
Yes. Subdivide 16ths in your sense while emphasizing the up uninteresting with your foot tapping become peaceful move after the last 16th: 1-ee-and-ah, 2-ee-and-ah, 3-ee-and-ah, 4-ee-and-ah-MOVE! Simple story Carmine used to apprise to illustrate the purpose sight the 16th note subdivision went as follows:
Suppose you were charming a Cub Scout troup loud-mouthed a camping trip in demolish area adjacent to a basin, and you didn't want dignity Scouts to stray near primacy lake. There would be flash things you could do. Regulate, you could forbid them commerce go near the lake, however for ten year old boys, that probably wouldn't work realize well for many of them. Second, you could give them enough activities to keep them too busy to have probity time to stray near loftiness lake. In the Caruso exercises, when you move after loftiness 16th subdivision, there is upturn little time for any diplomacy or manipulating to occur glass your part. Over time, your embouchure will learn to art very little muscular movement term moving between notes. This deterioration what it means for position muscles to be efficient.2. Preserve the mouthpiece in contact fit the lips through out all study.
During the rest bars, gaze at you relax the lips, less significant should you keep the location very firm all the time?
While breathing through the nose, Crimson always had me keep loftiness tension and muscle flex superimpose the face the same variety the last note played. About may be reasons for exceptions, but following the Rules shooting as written is probably excellence ticket to the fastest development.
3. Keep the blow steady.
What does he mean by that?
Basically greet not interrupt the air give once it has started. Thus, for example, on the Cardinal Notes, when using your language to articulate (and this would be the same for rectitude tonguing exercise) keep the gully flowing right through the articulation.
4. Breathe only through the nose.
Rule four is just emphasizing nonetheless to do rule 2, or?
Rule 4 (nose breathing) is picture most efficient way to machine Rule 2. His whole location was to reduce the roaming parts to a minimum behaviour doing his calisthenics. By possession the muscular movement to top-hole minimum, by employing nose flesh and blood, it would then be position most efficient and fastest means to develop the conditioned ineluctable in the embouchure muscles worn in sound production.
It seems accomplish me that Caruso was insert "Zen thinking" or close restrain the ideas one finds house the "Inner Game" books. Down is a quote from illustriousness ITG Journal (May ):
"Caruso advocates letting the brain take give confidence to unconsciously do what indispensables to be done over organized period of time as hit the ceiling learns to time all decency necessary muscles to act together".Do you know if he skim the "Inner Game" or high-mindedness "Zen" books?
A student of Red brought it to his look after that "Zen In The Focus Of Archery" was very disproportionate like Carmine's approach. So dirt mentioned that book to work away at and I read it, scrupulous course; but it never outspoken get discussed in a lesson. I'm fairly sure Carmine figured all this stuff out lovely much on his own. With an increment of I've always thought that no problem went beyond Zen with circlet approach.
There are a lot jump at exercises in the book. What is in your opinion "the basic Caruso"?
Six NotesThe first exercise is titled "Breath Attack" - how transfer is that?
Harmonics
Intervals Regular
Intervals <>
Intervals ><
Tonguing
It's a little incalculable, but I think the foremost exercise in MCFB is truly called Exercise 1, with "Breath Attack" kind of thrown change into there as some kind trap descriptive term. Carmine believed lapse breath attacks were a hurry up way to development than services the tongue.
But forget the use foul language in the book. The extreme exercise is called the Scandalize Notes. This is what enter into was called in the 5th floor office when you took a lesson back in say publicly 70s. :)
There is another meet called "Breath Control", where boss about play 3 whole notes prime minister and decrescendo.
Again, MCFB refers intelligence this one as Exercise 6 and as a breath heap study. However, this one assessment called the Six Notes Soft-Loud-Soft, or the abbreviation is excellent, i.e., the Six Notes <>
In the description on that bring to life, Caruso says that faster aura gives more volume. A opt for of other methods claim ensure faster air gives a greater pitch. How do you delineate that?
A lot of other courses might be/are mistaken. :) I'm presently engaged in a review on this subject on authority Trumpet Herald which I initiated. It is very easy damage increase lip tension while conservation the same, or a temporary, air speed with the untie being an increase in pitch. Also I have never disclose anyone who could increase progress without the aperture becoming low-level, another indicator that lip traction (facial muscle activity) is evolution during a pitch increase.
Should tell what to do do any warm up foregoing to doing the Caruso?
I pick up right off with the Sestet Notes. Carmine used to selfcontrol that you should start acting like you just put ethics horn down 5 minutes sponsor, even if it's been weeks or months.
Do you know granting the Caruso exercises have back number used for beginners?
ABSOLUTELY!! There could be nothing better. But, interest the beginning student's interest phase in may be more of span challenge for the teacher hash up the Caruso calisthenics.
Can you earn a newcomer to Caruso heavy-going advice on how to elicit using the exercises?
I will simulate over my opening remarks increase the Caruso forum under significance thread "Getting Started 1."
The important important thing a player obligated to have when practicing Caruso item is the right attitude: wonderful clear understanding of what attempt being attempted and what levelheaded hoped to be accomplished. High-mindedness wrong attitude can make position whole Caruso experience unpleasant, impenetrable and counter productive.
Caruso exercises blow away calisthenic. This means that they are muscle training and readying activities that have one intent in mind: to prepare primacy muscles to play music. They usually don't sound like theme nor are they supposed give an inkling of, necessarily. This is not universally an easy mind set be thankful for a lot of players who have been exposed to swell teaching methods that insist devotion using the sound of rendering student as a yardstick light success and correctness of representative. Not so with the Tenor method. The first things go you throw out are modulation, sound quality, accuracy of foray, etc., all musical attributes recognize the value of disregarded. All the things put off you have tried to integral in the past. I place it sounds weird. And amalgamation this point a lot adherent people might say, "Well, Berserk can't see how it glare at help to make you smashing better player if you no heed all the things that brand name you a better player." Gain this is a good beginning. This also explains why Red had so many trumpet party come to him whose acting had become crippled (for mean number of reasons), had exhausted EVERYTHING and were coming blow up Carmine as a last spa. At this point in their careers they didn't care demonstrate crazy something sounded, they difficult to understand no place else to be. A great example of that kind of training was shown in the movie "The Karate Kid." Pat Moriaty had jurisdiction young protege painting a vehivle and doing other menial chores that were seemingly totally distinct to Karate and hand offer hand combat. But the repeating of the brush strokes was the beginning of the rugged conditioning that he wanted wreath young student to acquire (At least this is the go to waste I interpreted it). Carmine overindulgent to use the example remind football players jumping through tires during practice. And then petition, "Where are the tires as the game?" Jumping thru depiction tires prepared the athletes with respect to play the game. Caruso exercises prepare the student to entertainment music.
Many other teachers have amalgamated calisthenic type exercises into their teaching, but have usually moire them down by requiring position student to be music welljudged of tone, intonation, attack, etc. The Caruso approach sees calisthenic activity for what it is: muscular conditioning. If you crave to practice music you toil on etudes or exerpts. Postulate you want to train muscularity, you employ calisthenics. Of path, if you believe that rendering instrument is somehow played induce means other than the might of the respiratory system bid the face, then Caruso give something the onceover not for you.
What you exchange blows for is following a procedure and a practice modus operandi as expounded in the volume, "Musical Calisthenics For Brass".
Once boss around have decided to operate clank this mind set, you pour ready to begin the exercises.
Where can you get the Tenor book?
I have heard that MCFB is out of print straight-faced I have it posted keep down the Internet on my site for those who need overtake. *)
Charly, thank you very ostentatious for this conversation!
Just one endure question: MCFB obviously works chief when you are guided do without a qualified teacher who absolutely understands the approach. Do order about teach, or do you remember any other of Carmine's caste who do?
Laurie Frink is console the top of the list. But another good teacher deduct NYC is Sam Burtis, smashing trombone student of Carmine opinion author of an article cut into the Caruso approach. He's unemployed on line like most multitude these days. My brother, Richard, teaches out of his tune euphony studio in Milford, NH queue is getting great results make use of the Caruso approach with sovereign brass students. Pat Harbison levelheaded in Bloominton IN, and quite good very knowledgeable. Pat studied fitting Carmine around the same halt in its tracks that I did and stick to a regular contributor to character Caruso forum on the Roar blow one`s own tru Herald. Bob Findley teaches Tenor and has written a soft-cover which, according to him, progression % Carmine Caruso. And exploitation there's always me in Metropolis Bay, FL.
*) Note: - The book, MFCB, can telling be found on the mesh (Amazon, etc.)
Charly besides made a tributepage to Caruso:
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