I have been asked to share some information on playing on a cruise ship. I have not played on one myself but most of my friends in Branson do it regularly so from what they have told me, I will try to share this information with you. The good side of cruise ship playing. 1. For a single person, it is a lot of fun. 2. The pay isn’t bad and the scenery is fantastic. 3. Living conditions on the boat are cramped. 4. The food is wonderful. 5. The shows are OK and lean towards the commercial…
When asking a symphony player to single out the most important transposition for a trumpet, I am sure you would get many suggestions. Transposing trumpet parts in a symphony is a way of life. Some transpositions are easy and some are extremely difficult. Transposing in a show usually begins with…
Our first post went online November 24, 2010, and has added Trumpet related information continuously from that date until now. I have been very pleased with the content as well as the periodic comments our readers have sent in. It was my original intent to share some of my limited…
Does your hair stand on end when you are faced with a part which requires transposition? Until you become familiar with playing notes that are not there, you will be uncomfortable. I will try to give you some helpful tips on how to reading transpositions at sight. Learning to transpose…
Download exercise sheet- Shake exercise sheet Download audio instructions- Shakes The similarity between the lip (tongue) trill and the shake are remarkable. Everything that we had practiced to produce a tongue trill will now be applied to the technique of playing shakes. The only difference between the two is that in…
After several decades of working with this great cup mute, it may be time to retire him (her), for newer and more improved models are now available. Your corks have been replaced at least a dozen times. Your bottom has been epoxied at least twice and you colors have faded.…
This completes my 50th year as a TM meditator. Thank you, Maharishi
Know your enemy- 1. Excessive mouthpiece pressure One element which can limit your playing in the upper register is excessive mouthpiece pressure. The lip needs to continuously vibrate when playing and an excess of mouthpiece pressure can limit and even stop the lips vibration when playing high notes. One trick…
This is the most often question trumpet teachers are asked. Why is this such a problem? Seldom are students concerned on how fast they can play or how they can improve their tone. It always comes back to high-range playing. To answer this question, we must first step back and…
You might wonder why these three techniques are grouped together. The reason I am discussing them as a group is because they are all three related. The shake is just an extension of a vibrato and the proper use of lip trills (tongue trills) is the bridge between an applied…
I contacted my AI source (openai.com) to establish the top twenty most popular mouthpiece manufactures at that time. From the list of twenty manufacturers, I was able to locate nineteen who are listed below- Bach Yamaha Schilke Warburton Monette Denis Wick Curry GR Mouthpieces Marcinkiewicz Pickett Brass Stork Custom Mouthpieces…
No one ever said that I was fast. After decades of teaching the same 20-minute warm-up, I have recently found something even better to add to my practice routine. I now play the same recording as before but have found added benefits to this routine by changing the tempo (doubling…
