My first introduction to clocking a brass instrument mouthpiece began several decades ago when I was returning home from Willard Elementary School in Moline, Illinois. On the way home I stopped at a local gas station to visit with its owner. That day I happened to be lugging my Olds…
These posts are written by: Bruce Chidester
Substantiating Evidence That All Trumpet Mouthpieces are Not Equal (or consistent).
In a previous post, I addressed the practice of “Clocking” your mouthpiece (“Clocking” Your Mouthpiece Part #2 – Trumpet Blog (thetrumpetblog.com). At the end of my post, I admitted to the possibility that rotating one’s mouthpiece can and did change the sound as well as a resistance factor. In the…
Musician Humor
From time to time I am sent musician jokes from friends and I thought these were worth posting. A seasoned musician will understand clearly what is going on for we have all been there. Enjoy. A very intense, self-absorbed saxophone player is sitting at the bar after playing all night.…
Practicing on the Road
Much discussion has been raise over the noise factor when practicing on the road and for that reason I wanted to give just another suggestion for solving this problem. Next week I will be on one of our vacations and because of the luggage limitations, I will not be able…
The Great American Shoot Out Part 5- String Trio vs. Brass Trio
In our ever-continuing struggle to gain prominence in the world of instrumental performances, I have now posted the 5th in our series entitled “The Great American Shoot Out” which compares music written for various ensembles and solo instruments to the technical ability of the Trumpet. Vivaldi composed this number (La…
The Best Tongue XRay
If you ever wondered what was going on in your mouth while playing your Trumpet….. Check this out …..and Trombone.
Required Listening Assignment
As the interest in Trumpet choirs continues to grow, some ensembles seem to occupy the highest level of professionalism. Such is the case for the San Luis Obispo County Trumpet Alliance and their most accomplished director Warren Balfour. I have had the pleasure of knowing and following this remarkable ensemble…
Possibly The Most Difficult Record Copy Ever Made
One of my all-time favorite Dixieland groups was Kenny Ball And His Jazzmen. A list of their successes in the early 1960s would include the following- Midnight in Moscow, The Green Leaves of Summer, Sukiyaki, Hello Dolly and When I’m Sixty- Four. But the most impressive recording in my opinion,…
How to Play a Low F in Tune
Not often, but enough to learn this trick, we are asked to play a low F. Usually it is required by someone who knows nothing about our instrument or acceptable orchestration practices. Or, in the case recently, where I arranged a number which required the first trumpet to exceed what…
Perfect Pitch and How You Can Develop It
Perfect pitch, also known as absolute pitch, is a rare and highly sought-after ability in the world of music. It refers to the ability to identify and reproduce any musical note without any reference point. This means that someone with perfect pitch can hear a note and immediately know its…