TromboneChat

Why do trombonists always move their eyebrows. Are the muscles linked or something?

because elbows alone sadly just aren't as expressive

the muscles aren't linked, and you're seeing a combination of the influence of a few pretty famous teachers combined with the fact that there's not much else we can do to visually "show our pain and effort in creating such art" in the great classical virtuoso traditions

Read what she says in her description about eyebrows!

Why eyebrows? Why not? No harm in being expressive.

Always? The players I know does not move their eyebrows. The only professional I have noticed to move the eyebrows a lot is J Alessi. I don't mind.

/Tom

I don’t just move eyebrow. I move the entire body. Let’s dance.

Facial expressions abound. Watch guitar players like Joe Bonnamassa, for instance. Other instruments allow for it; we can't do visual expressions with our mouths, wiggling ears and noses is hard and not very visible, so eyebrows are it I guess... Yeah, and sometimes I "dance" on the big band bandstand like sirisohbhakya. Let the music move you, as long as it is appropriate!

Classical players generally seem to have different moves than jazz/pop players. I don't really see jazz/pop players moving as though they were feeling it on the same heady level the way some classical players like to do. When jazz/pop players animate, it seems to me like they are feeling the music in a more visceral kind of way.

In Joe Alessi's case, I think I see a pattern. I think he is trying to use code to signal something. I've seen that movie.

Interesting. I didn't notice that I had Joe Alessi style eyebrows until I started playing in front if a mirror. I can't seem to control it. I guess it's more of a phsycological thing.

Doug Elliott wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:58 pm

It's just what feels natural I guess, a lot of people do this.