Modern Times for Brass

This compendium of experimental playing techniques for brass instruments has been written for composers as well as for interpreters. Exploring new areas of technique always means crossing boundaries, since conventional solutions and recipes of standard instrumental methods are seldom satisfactory and can even be counterproductive. The usual judgement of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ ways to produce a tone interferes with the productivity and creativity necessary to go off the beaten path to make new musical and playing experiences possible. During this process, the rapport between composer and interpreter is invaluable, as well as seeing each other's role in the process. (Malte Burba & Paul Hübner)

“Here, from the perspective of the interpreter, essential aspects of sound creation, noise combinations, tonal-space expansion, transformations in terms of mechanics and playing techniques, fragility and nonlinearity, etc., are competently analyzed in an exemplary way. It is as if at the moment of its genesis the interior sound space is enlarged, transported to the outside and explained. Ultimately, this fascinating book is proof that the exploration of the brass instruments with their endless possibilities of sound and noise modeling is far from being complete.” (Adriana Hölszky)