What Are Extended Techniques?

Extended techniques are unconventional methods of sound production that push beyond the traditional boundaries of brass playing. While standard instruction focuses on legato phrasing, clean articulation, and a pure tone, extended techniques invite the performer to explore multiphonics, microtones, percussive sounds, timbral alterations, and vocalization during play. These methods have roots in the avant-garde and contemporary classical movements of the twentieth century, but they have since migrated into jazz, film scoring, and commercial music. Composers such as Luciano Berio, John Cage, and George Lewis wrote scores that demanded these sounds, challenging brass players to rethink the very definition of their instrument. Today, understanding and executing extended techniques is a marker of an advanced brass player who can handle the demands of modern literature and improvisation.

At their core, extended techniques require the musician to manipulate the physical components of the instrument and their own body in new ways. This might involve altering the embouchure until it produces a split tone, using the throat to create a growl, or partially depressing valves to filter the air column. While some techniques sound harsh or alien at first, they can be refined into expressive devices that add depth and color to any performance.

Why Integrate Extended Techniques?

Adding these methods to your arsenal offers tangible benefits that go far than mere novelty.

Enhanced Artistic Expression

Extended techniques give you a wider palette of emotional and textural colors. A flutter-tongued passage can evoke urgency or chaos, while a ghostly multiphonic can suggest an otherworldly presence. When you control these effects, you can shape phrases with nuance that pure tone alone cannot provide.

Expanded Repertoire Opportunities

Contemporary composers actively write works that require extended techniques. If you can master them, you unlock a vast catalog of solo and ensemble pieces that would otherwise be off-limits. For example, works by composers like David Lang, Anna Clyne, and Caroline Shaw often incorporate growls, multiphonics, and slide glissandi. Festivals and new music ensembles frequently seek players skilled in these areas, giving you a competitive edge.

Improved Technical Foundation

Learning to control the air stream, embouchure, and tongue for extended techniques builds muscle memory and endurance that transfer back to traditional playing. Multiphonics, for instance, teaches you to maintain a stable embouchure while singing a separate line – a skill that strengthens breath support and vocal fold coordination. The discipline required to produce a clean flutter tongue at soft dynamics improves your standard single-tongue speed and control.

Greater Versatility Across Styles

From jazz to avant-garde pop, from film scores to electronic collaborations, extended techniques make you an adaptable musician. A session player who can add a subtle growl to a rock riff or a valve-tremolo effect in a horror film cue will be called back again and again.

Let's break down the most important techniques, explaining how they sound, how to produce them, and where you might use them.

Multiphonics

Multiphonics are produced by humming or singing a note while playing a different pitch on the instrument. The resulting sound contains two or more distinct pitches that can create rich chords or spread into complex intervals. To start, choose a comfortable pitch to buzz on the mouthpiece, then sing a descending or ascending interval into the instrument. The overtone series reacts with your sung pitch, producing difference tones and sum tones.

Practical tip: Begin with a simple perfect fifth – play a middle G and sing a D above it. Adjust your mouth shape and vowel position until the sound clarifies. Over time you can work toward more dissonant intervals like a major seventh or a minor second.

Usage: Multiphonics appear frequently in contemporary solo works, such as Sequenza VII by Luciano Berio for trumpet, or in improvisational contexts where a horn functions as both a lead instrument and a drone.

Flutter Tonguing

Flutter tonguing creates a rapid, rippling effect by rolling the tip of the tongue against the roof of the mouth – the same motion used to roll an “r” in Italian or Spanish. The resulting sound adds agitation, speed, and texture. It works particularly well in loud, accented sections, but can be tamed for quieter passages by using less air and a softer tongue roll.

Practical tip: If you cannot roll your tongue naturally, you can simulate the effect with a throat-based flutter (uvular rolling). Practice a continuous “rrrr” sound for five seconds at a time. Once the tongue is fluent, try adding the instrument while maintaining the roll.

Usage: John Williams uses flutter tonguing in the opening fanfare of Star Wars to add brassy aggression. In jazz, players like Freddie Hubbard used it for dramatic solos.

Growling

Growling combines playing with a vocal growl produced in the throat, creating a gritty, distorted tone. It is commonly used in blues, rock, and funk brass sections, but is also effective in contemporary concert music for angry or tense passages.

Practical tip: Hum a low pitch while playing a note. The growl occurs when you constrict the throat slightly, increasing air pressure. Experiment with different vowel shapes to vary the grit. Start at medium loudness and gradually push into fortissimo to find the sweet spot.

Usage: Miles Davis occasionally used growling on his trumpet for a moody effect. In low brass, the technique is often called “growling” or “buzz” and is a staple of soul and R&B horn sections.

Half-Valve Effects

By depressing a valve only partway – about halfway between fully open and fully closed – you create a choked, nasal, or buzzing sound. This effect is used for glissandi, “wah” sounds, or to mimic a muted tone without a mute.

Practical tip: Use your ear to find the point where the pitch becomes unstable but not completely cut off. Combine with a slow slide on the valve to get a rising or falling siren-like effect. Half-valve works best at mezzo-forte or softer; high air volume can destabilize the note entirely.

Usage: Composers like John Adams use half-valve in works such as Short Ride in a Fast Machine for a shimmering, percussive effect. Jazz trumpeter Chet Baker employed half-valve for smooth portamento.

Pedal Tones

Pedal tones are pitches that lie below the normal fundamental range of the instrument. On a trumpet, a pedal C is the C below middle C, which is acoustically the first partial. Producing a pedal tone requires relaxed embouchure, massive breath support, and opening the oral cavity. The sound is dark, airy, and resonant – often used for dramatic emphasis.

Practical tip: To find a pedal tone, drop your jaw, relax your lips, and blow a large, warm column of air. Do not force the pitch; let the instrument respond to your air. Play slowly with a tuner – pitch tends to drift sharp on pedals.

Usage: Pedal tones appear in orchestral excerpts like the opening of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony for horn, or in jazz solos by Maynard Ferguson and Arturo Sandoval for show-stopping low notes.

Glissando

A glissando is a smooth slide between two notes. On brass instruments, it can be achieved by moving a slide (trombone) or by using valves and embouchure adjustments. On a valve instrument, a true pitch sliding is most effective when using half-valve or gradually rolling the finger across the valve combinations.

Practical tip: For a slow glissando on trumpet, start on a high note, then slowly release one valve, then another, while adjusting your embouchure to keep the sound continuous. For a fast gliss, simply slide the finger off the valve quickly. Always practice with a drone to maintain pitch center at the endpoints.

Usage: Glissandi are ubiquitous in film scores for tension and release, and in jazz for expressive melodic lines.

Valve Tremolo

Valve tremolo involves rapidly alternating between two valve combinations a semitone or whole step apart, producing a trembling or beating effect. The result is a rhythmic shimmer rather than a clear pitch change.

Practical tip: Choose two adjacent fingerings, e.g., open and second valve (C and B). Alternate as fast as you can while maintaining a steady air stream. Start with eighth-note alternations, then accelerate to sixteenths. Control the speed to match the desired effect – fast for a trill-like tremble, slower for a warbling sound.

Usage: Contemporary composers often specify “valve tremolo” in scores. It also works as a percussive effect in ensemble passages.

How to Practice Extended Techniques Effectively

Integrating these techniques into your routine requires deliberate, structured practice. Here are steps to make your practice efficient and safe.

Begin with One Technique at a Time

Trying to learn flutter tonguing, multiphonics, and growling simultaneously often leads to frustration. Pick one – for example, flutter tonguing – and dedicate two weeks to mastering it before moving to the next. Use a journal to record your daily progress: which dynamic levels felt comfortable, how long you could sustain the technique, and any physical strain.

Use Visual and Audio Feedback

A mirror is invaluable for observing embouchure changes. For multiphonics, set up a video camera or use your phone to see if your throat is tensing. Record yourself and compare your sound to professional examples. Many players post extended technique demonstrations on YouTube; use those as benchmarks.

Incorporate into Warm-ups

Instead of isolating extended techniques as a separate drill, blend them into your daily warm-up. For example, begin with long tones, then add a flutter tongue on one note for five seconds. After that, play a scale using half-valve glissandi between each note. This trains your brain to treat these sounds as natural extensions of your instrument.

Work on Dynamics

Extended techniques can sound drastically different at varying volume levels. A growl at piano can be subtle and breathy; at forte it turns harsh. Practice each technique at four dynamic levels – pp, mf, f, ff – and note the changes in color and control. Use a decibel meter app or a partner to check consistency.

Record and Analyze

Recording yourself is the most honest critic. After a practice session, listen back for intonation, clarity, and rhythmic precision. Many players find that flutter tonguing is cleaner than they thought, or that their multiphonic intervals are not as pure as desired. Use your phone or a simple USB microphone into a DAW – no complex gear required.

Apply to Real Repertoire

Once you are comfortable, find a short piece that uses that technique. For example, work on Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman by Joan Tower (which calls for flutter tonguing) or Trumpet Concerto by Thomas Adès (multiphonics). Start with the section that contains the technique, loop it slowly, then gradually integrate it into the full phrase. Do not rush; the goal is seamless incorporation.

Seek Expert Feedback

Extended techniques can cause bad habits if practiced incorrectly. Work with a teacher who is experienced in contemporary brass playing. Many universities offer summer workshops or online coaching. For example, the International Brass Symposium or the Kurt Masur Institute often host sessions on extended techniques. If in-person is not an option, consider a virtual lesson with a player like Sarah Willis (horn) or Rex Richardson (trumpet) who have published methods.

How to Weave Extended Techniques into Your Repertoire

Knowing the techniques is one thing; using them musically is another. Here are strategies for integration.

Choose Repertoire That Calls for Them

Look for contemporary pieces by composers such as John Cage, Peter Maxwell Davies, Sofia Gubaidulina, or George Lewis. The American Brass Quintet and Ensemble Modern have extensive catalogs. For trumpet, pieces like Sequenza VII, My Ladye Massa Saide by George Lewis, or Cries by Henry Brant are excellent starting points. For trombone, works by JacobTV (Jacob ter Veldhuis) often incorporate electronics and extended sounds.

Create Contemporary Interpretations of Standard Works

You can add subtle extended effects to traditional pieces to breathe new life into them. For example, in a Bach cello suite arrangement for trombone, use a gentle half-valve glissando on the final note of each phrase to mimic a vibrato effect. In a Mozart horn concerto, add a soft flutter tongue to the development section to suggest tension. Always respect the style – use these techniques sparingly and with clear intent.

Compose Original Etudes or Cadenzas

Many players write their own material to showcase their strengths. Create a four-measure phrase that uses growling, then a multiphonic chord, then a valve tremolo. Record it and adjust. This not only builds your technique but also gives you a unique piece for recitals or auditions.

Blend with Traditional Playing

The most effective use of extended techniques is often the most subtle. Do not overload a passage – one technique per phrase is usually enough. Think of them as seasoning rather than the main course. A single multiphonic attack at the climax of a long melody can be far more powerful than a cascade of special effects.

Collaborate with Living Composers

If you have access to contemporary music programs, reach out to composers in residence at your school or local university. Offer to read through drafts that include extended techniques. Direct collaboration allows you to shape the piece to your strengths and gives the composer real-time feedback on what works physically.

Common Challenges and Solutions

Extended techniques are demanding, but most issues are manageable with targeted practice.

Fatigue and Muscle Strain

Many techniques, especially growling and multiphonics, require extra effort from the throat and embouchure. Build stamina slowly – no more than five minutes per technique per session initially. Take thirty-second breaks between repetitions. If you feel sharp pain, stop and rest a day. Drink water frequently to keep vocal folds lubricated.

Poor Sound Quality or Loss of Core Tone

If your flutter tongue sounds breathy or your multiphonic is unstable, check your air support. Most problems result from insufficient breath pressure or a collapsed embouchure. Practice the technique on just the mouthpiece first. For flute tonguing, buzz the mouthpiece alone with a tongue roll until the buzz is clean, then add the instrument. For multiphonics, sing and buzz separately for a week before combining.

Intonation Inaccuracy

Half-valve effects and pedal tones often drift pitch. Use a tuner set to twelve-tone equal temperament. Play the intended note without the technique, then introduce the added element and adjust your air and jaw. For example, when playing a pedal tone, lower your jaw and relax the corners of your lips; if the pitch goes flat, lift the center of the tongue slightly.

Coordination Between Multiple Techniques at Once

Combining growling with a glissando, or flutter tonguing with multiphonics, is advanced. Break the combination into steps: first learn each technique individually to automaticity, then practice the transitions slowly. For instance, play a growling note, then slowly slide up a fifth while maintaining the growl. Use a metronome at 60 bpm and increment by five beats per minute as it solidifies.

Performance Anxiety Around New Sounds

It is normal to feel vulnerable when making unconventional sounds on stage. To build confidence, perform the extended technique in front of a recording device first. Then play for one trusted colleague. Finally, schedule a mock audition with friends. The more you normalize the sounds in a low-pressure environment, the less intrusive they will feel in concert.

Resources for Further Study

To deepen your knowledge, explore these books, videos, and communities.

  • Books: Brass Beyond the Notes by Richard Lesser (focuses on trumpet and horn extended techniques with exercises). Extended Techniques for Brass by Rex Richardson (includes DVD demonstrations and etudes). The Contemporary Trumpet by John Wallace (part of the Cambridge Handbook series).
  • Online Tutorials: The Trumpet Studio YouTube channel (link) and Horn Matters website offer free video lessons on multiphonics and flutter tongue. Robert Schulz has a series on half-valve and pedal tones.
  • Workshops and Masterclasses: The International Trumpet Guild (ITG) conference and International Trombone Festival host sessions by specialists. Many are now available online. Check ITG website for upcoming events.
  • Sheet Music Collections: Traveller Music Press publishes contemporary works. The Library of Congress digital collection includes many scores by avant-garde composers. For free public domain scores, visit IMSLP and search for “extended techniques brass.”
  • Community Forums: The Trumpet Herald forums (link) have a “Contemporary & Extended Techniques” section. Reddit’s r/brass subreddit is active with advice. The Facebook group “Brass Players – Extended Techniques” is a supportive place to share recordings and ask questions.

Mastering extended techniques is a journey that can fundamentally reshape your identity as a brass player. With consistent, mindful practice, you will not only expand your technical toolkit but also discover new avenues for creative expression that set you apart in an increasingly competitive musical world.