Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play.

In 2021 Mark published his first tuba exercise book - 'Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play.'

It is now available in two versions:

Eb Tuba in Bass Clef available: HERE

Tuba and Euphonium in Treble Clef available: HERE

CC in Bass Clef is available: https://www.duncanmusicpress.com/sing-buzz-blow-play/qmv2r30n0aax90e33a3te4edf5a7i2

Both versions have received excellent reviews from some of the worlds greatest tuba, euphonium and brass players and teachers and has had reviews printed in publications such as The British Bandsman.

Here is a selection of those reviews:

A concise and superbly compiled approach to the fundamental techniques of the EEB tuba.

This is the first time I've seen a comprehensive variety of exercises in one place and specific to an EEb bass clef instrument.

Jonathan Gawn - Principal Tuba Scottish Ballet & former principal Royal AIr Force Music Services & Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife'.

Having studied with, started a brass ensemble with, and often played in orchestras together, I have heard Mark warm up a lot!!

He is the kind of player it is lovely to share a warmup room with. I think the book, if you strive for the beauty of sound that Mark has, will help many brass players of all levels.

Christopher Dicken, principal trumpet Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen

As a tuba playing manual it is brilliant and should be on everyone’s music stand.

Tony Swainson. Senior Low Brass lecturer, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

It’s excellent, no nonsense and to the point. I am a big fan of basics so its music to my ears. Thank you very much for writing it.

Lee Tsarmaklis. Principal Tuba London Philharmonic Orchestra. Tuba Professor Royal Academy of Music and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play is a must own for every tubist! The basic approach every player has to build from at first as it touches on many of the key elements needed to become a successful tubist and brass player. This book has my recommendation, and I look forward to seeing the other versions/keys as it should become a part of every aspiring player’s library. Well done, Mark!’

- Aaron Tindall

Principal Tuba - Sarasota Orchestra

Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium - Frost School of Music at the University of Miami

International Yamaha Performing Artist

Denis Wick Mouthpiece Designer and Artist

In “Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play” Mark takes the player through the gamut of fundamentals in a clear, efficient, and measured approach. The brilliance of Mark’s book is the simple progression through each stage, allowing the player to reach heights they may not have been able to achieve otherwise. Mark has created a step-by-step guide to excellence in tuba playing that I would readily recommend to novices and pros alike.

John Whitener

Principal Tuba Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Tuba Tutor High School of Glasgow

Based on tried and tested principles, it covers all the important areas of tuba playing in an approachable way, with interesting studies and exercises that are challenging without being over-complicated. I love the idea of “klangvorstellung” - it’s so important to have a clear idea of what sound you want to make. Open the book at any page and you’ll find an enjoyable workout which can only improve your playing. I’ll be keeping a copy in my tuba case!

Robin Haggart

Principal Tuba Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Tutor Royal Northern College of Music and Drama

In the eternal quest for perfection, I strongly believe it is very important to switch our daily routines. Sometimes it is great to go around the fundamental of our instrument while some other times is better to change that drastically. Mark Reynolds’ book will tremendously help at both directions.

Jose Martínez

National Orchestra of Spain

BrassONEquintet

Duo2Arts

Tutor Higher School of Music of the Basque Country

Mediterranean Music College

A comprehensive collection of warm-ups and technical exercises for advanced players and students alike. I have been using the book for a few months now as part of my own routine and with my students. I`ve found it has strengthened my own playing and is a great method for keeping students in touch with the basics with many interesting concepts of breathing and sound.

Francis Magee

Principal Tuba National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland

Royal Irish Academy of Music

Irish Defence Forces School of Music

Mark Reynolds’ new book ‘Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play’ is an absolute must have for tuba players. Whether you have a quick 10 to 15 minutes to warm up, or a decent 2 hours work out of basics, flexibility, scales, etc, this book has it all! From start to finish Mark has structured this book to cover every single aspect necessary to develop everything a tuba player needs to be successful, even the tiniest details that one does not often think of.

The book contains a mixture of common exercises through to some very complex exercises covering the full range of the tuba and Mark explains how to approach each exercise in perfect detail. I particularly like his approach to supporting air flow throughout each exercise, including the use of the image from the cover of the book to remind the player to think about the way they are blowing and to constantly support with sufficient and appropriate use of air.

Most importantly of all is the fact that this book is useful for all types of player, whether it be a seasoned professional orchestral player, a top brass band player, a student or an amateur player looking to improve on basic techniques.

I can’t recommend this book enough and will be using it as a staple in my warm ups and daily basic exercises.

Ross Knight – Solo Tuba of l’Orchestre de la Suisse

The content of Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play makes for a refreshing read, and does far more than just providing technical exercises for the Tuba player to practice to lead to improvement. It provides a comprehensive practice routine that once adopted, should lead to improved airflow, intonation, stamina, flexibility, and technique.

At only 60 pages long, it’s not too lengthy and will fit easily into instrument cases so that it can be taken to your practice location with ease.

The introduction details the rudimentary activities to practice before you even play a note, which is different to most exercise books. These include breathing exercises to help with airflow, buzzing exercises to help with intonation and production, and warm-up exercises to prepare the embouchure for the various exercises to follow.

The main body of the book contains various exercises aimed at improving technique, range, flexibility, volume, stamina, and then warm down exercises to complete the practice regime.

I particularly enjoyed the exercises below the stave in ledger line territory, which is where tuba players need to be most proficient. Written in both treble and bass clef, it covers both favours of tuba player.

Dean Morley is a BBb Tuba player with over 36 years playing experience with some of the worlds finest brass bands. Bands such as Desford Colliery, Fodens, Grimethorpe and the Brass Band of Battle Creek.

If you want to improve all aspects of your playing, then Mark Reynolds Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play, technical exercises for Tuba and Euphonium is for you.

All in all, the book is laid out very well and if used correctly I think that anyone should benefit from the exercises and explanations you presented. I am delighted to have this and congratulate you on a great addition to our repertoire.

Marty Erikson: Former principal tuba of the United States Navy Band in Washington DC, Eb Tubist with the Brass Band of Battle Creek, Lecturer in Tuba and Euphonium at Lawrence University.

The new book Sing, Buzz, Blow and Play by Mark Reynolds is a great addition for lowbrass students. The book runs you through the best basics with very clear explanations to do everything right from the start in your warm up and routine. I’ll definitely will be recommending this to my students and using in my personal routine!

Dr. Glenn Van Looy

Low brass teacher at the Conservatoire du Valais in Sion and assistant of Thomas Rüedi at the Hochschule in Lucerne.

I enjoyed reading/playing/working on the exercises in your book. I really enjoy the fact that you include the low range of the instrument in your book. This is something that is avoided somehow in a lot of material for our instrument, but for me playing in the low register is very very important for the development of breath control, air flow, air support, sound development and much more.

The whole concept of horizontal playing is great and really suits my vision of playing the euphonium. Air needs to go forward and towards a certain direction. Singing is an important of the approach to get our inner ears to work better and develop the way we want to sound on the instrument too.

Robbert Vos

Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy

Euphonium Professor of Fontys AMPA Tilburg

Besson Euphonium Artist & K&G Mouthpiece Artist

Mark Reynolds’ book ‘Sing Buzz Blow Play’ is a stellar resource for all tuba and euphonium enthusiasts. Some of the most time-tested exercises combined with clear and concise instructions make for a highly efficient daily routine. The pages on rhythmic breathing and tone development (Klangvorstellung) are worth the price of the book alone. Desert island material

Christopher Nery

Principal Bass Trombone, RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Associate Professor of Euphonium, Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play (released in November 2021 both in hard copy and PDF format) is a comprehensive collection of warm ups, technical exercises and accompanying methodology specifically tailored to the daily playing needs of EEb Tuba and Euphonium players, written by professional tubist and educator Mark Reynolds.

With closer examination it is clear that the new (and most welcome!) 60 page/16 chapter offering has been thoughtfully and expertly compiled by a highly experienced and knowledgeable teacher who has worked alongside, collaborated with, researched and been inspired by some of the world’s best brass players and educators.

The whole book is underpinned, as the title suggests, on four key pillars: Sing, Buzz, Blow and Play, this approach is interwoven throughout each chapter and the exercises contained within; inspired no doubt by the likes of Zoltan Kodaly - teaching the sound before the symbol and by Arnold Jacob’s Song and Wind guiding principles.

The series of chapters have been carefully designed to help the user identify and develop the fundamental building blocks necessary for any brass player to progress technically and musically. The content within covers a huge amount of important ground, encompassing all aspects of daily playing within the 16 chapters, some of which include: Rhythmic Breathing, Buzzing, Range, Low Register Articulation, Lip Flexibility, Arpeggio & Flexibility Combinations, Volume and Stamina, and Cool Down and Relaxation. Amongst other key concepts we are also encouraged to think about ‘Klangvorstellung’, a German word meaning ‘the concept of sound’ and to explore the important question, “How can you play well if you are not sure what playing well should sound like?”

Each of the chapters is coupled with a clear and concise description of how to approach the corresponding practical exercises which also helps to encourage efficient and effective practice. The practical exercises in each chapter tackle a broad range of topics with some of these being inspired by tried and trusted exercises and drills by the likes of J.B Arban and Charles Colin amongst others. However, what is quite unique here is the fact that many of the recognisable patterns and progressive exercises have been tailored to support the fundamental needs of tuba and euphonium musicians and pays particular attention to support the development across the working range, but specifically into the lower extremes of the range, this is something that is often lacking in other publications.

There is such a variety of useful material contained within the 60 pages, including: breath control, buzzing, articulation, air flow, long tone exercises, lip flexibilities, scale patterns, range, rhythmic breathing and wind patterns, low register articulation, lip flexibilities and stamina all of which will help to shape and support a more natural and efficient approach to practising and performing.

Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play is a very welcome and necessary comprehensive addition to the tuba/euphonium repertoire. It is a progressive guide to excellence and should be a key component in every tuba/euphonium player’s toolkit, from aspiring students and amateur musicians to top brass band and professional tubists.

Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play. is now available to buy in either hard copy or in PDF format from https://www.duncanmusicpress.com/sing-buzz-blow-play

Matthew Chinn

Associate Head of the Junior Conservatoire (Music)

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Congratulations to your new book! I have looked at it and I think this will be a very good addition to our pedagogical literature.

Øystein Baadsvik

International Tuba Soloist, Composer, Lecturer and Chamber Musician.

As a fan of warm-ups and daily routines for brass instruments, I constantly focus on breathing and buzzing exercises allied to the concept of singing and playing with the best sound you can get from the very beginning of your day.

I strongly believe that a flow of exercises starting with breathing, buzzing, and playing different scales and arpeggios in all ranges, articulations and dynamics, is the way to go for a healthy day of playing.

In his book "Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play", Mark Reynolds achieves exactly that and much more."

Ricardo Carvalhoso

Principal Tuba of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra

Tuba Instructor at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar

The exercises are very good and helpful for everyone! I will be ordering copies for my students!

It’s so good to have the notes in front of you in all the keys with clear explanations. Bravo!!

Hendrik-Jan Rennes

Principal Tuba Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra

Professor at Royal Conservatoire The Hague and Codarts Rotterdam.

An excellent all round book that’s very well explained with great detail. I’d highly recommend this book for tuba players at any level.

Steve Irvine
Principal Tuba Ulster Orchestra, Performance Tutor at Queen’s University Belfast.

As brass players sometimes we forget that “we are the instrument” and not the instrument or mouthpiece itself and “Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play” help students to remember that very easily and with a very good structure.

In an era where the flow of information is very chaotic, “Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play” give the students a clear way to strengthen their basics and so a clear path to a good future!

Patricio Cosentino - Tuba soloist and Professor for euphonium, tuba and chamber music at the Brass Academy Alicante

Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play by Mark Reynolds covers the basic areas of tuba playing in an interesting and practical way. I highly recommend these studies! It will be a must-own for all my students. Bravo Mark!

Daniel Perantoni ( Mr. P)
Provost Professor (Tuba)
Jacobs School of Music
Indiana University

Bloomington, Indiana

“Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play” is amazingly clear and precise to the student as it gets! This is a great tool and resource that can help the player to refine the internal audiation of sound and teach them to transfer that directly to the lips. For those looking for a break down of the Song and Wind pedagogy, this is it. Bravo, and well done, Mark!

Aaron Tindall

Naples Philharmonic, Principal Tuba

Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium

Frost School of Music - University of Miami

"Sing, Buzz, Blow, Play” it is a new book by Scottish renown tubist and educator, Mark Reynolds. A very well organized book with the possibility to use a QR code to access the videos where Mark is explaining and showing his approach to all the book exercises content. This exercise book covers all the important aspects to become a better player in any low brass instrument, by showing the importance of inner ear singing, lip and mouthpiece buzzing, developing proper breathing and finally, focusing on the music performance!
This book is an excellent addition to all low brass player’s libraries!”
~ Sérgio Carolino, principal tuba with the Porto Symphony Orchestra Casa da Música. International Soloist. International Yamaha Artist. Artistic director and founder of the GRAVÍSSIMO! — Alcobaça International Low Brass Festival & Academy.

The books can be purchased: HERE