Please welcome Victor Haskins

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When I first listened to Mr. Haskins play, I was instantly reminded of the great rock guitar player Jimi Hendrix. You might wonder what the two musicians could have in common. Both musicians impressed me as being able to instantly move from mental creation to artistic technique. Both players, even though using different instruments and styles of music are/were able to perform whatever comes/came to mind without any technical difficulty. When listening to most musicians, I hear the same licks and worn out patterns but in Mr. Haskins case, he seems to be free to reach down into his deepest…

Join HI-YR-BY-A-THIRD today! Lesson 2 Review

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This completes the first full week on Lesson #2 of the Claude Gordon book and most of you have been finding some improvement. What have we learned? Some have reported that they have gained more range than they expected in one week. Some have reported that their range has remained the same but their original high note has improved both in consistency and sound. And some have found that their range had actually gone down. All of these reports are common and I will explain each as we go through this post. “After one week of regular practice on the…

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Join HI-YR-BY-A-THIRD today! Lesson 2

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I have included two recorded samples with this lesson for two reasons. Most players who begin these exercises, have a difficult time keeping their notes in tune when playing pedal tones and when playing in the upper register, struggle with hearing the higher notes. For those reasons I have recorded these samples for you to practice with. Another advantage of playing along with a recorded example is that it will dictate the amount of time to play as well as rest during your practice time. This is very important for many players actually overdo the playing and underdo the resting.…

Join HI-YR-BY-A-THIRD today! Lesson 1 (Part #3)

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We have spent a large amount of time explaining some of the ideas in the Claude Gordon “Systematic Approach To Daily Practice” and now it is time to start our weekly assignments. Please note that I am still making reference to “OUR” lessons for I am on this journey as well. My goal is to break the range barrier I am faced with. As you heard on the last recording, my range is passable up to an F# but the G is still not my friend. Some of you are working to gain access to the “G” below and others…

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Join HI-YR-BY-A-THIRD today! Lesson 1 (Part #2)

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Those that have been with us from the beginning of this project should be able now to play down into the pedal range with ease, at least down to the notes that make your lips a little puffy after you are finished. The reason you should not start playing right away after the pedal tones is that your lips are susceptible to damage because of the extreme relaxation they have gone through. It is very important to rest the suggested 15 minutes before you begin the higher or part two of this exercise. Those who have just found us and…

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How Much Improvement Have We Made in Our First Week?

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Now that we have our material, downloaded our practice sheet, marked our highest note with the date and have begun to play and improve our pedal tones, it’s time now to see if we have made any improvement. I posted a recording which took us down from C, third space to some very low pedal tones. By playing the recording and repeating the note in the spaces provided, you should now have some control of these notes. Some of you may have been able to reach the second level of pedal tones which is more easily played and some of…

Join HI-YR-BY-A-THIRD today! Material on page 12 only

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Now that you have tried playing pedal tones for the first time or continued to play them, some may have questions as to how they can be played more easily. This post will cover the art of playing pedal tones and by our next post, you should be able to play with the best pedal players in the nation, or at least improve in this area. To make sure you are playing pedal tones correctly, we first need to check to see if your lips are in the correct position. To do this, place the mouthpiece to your lips and…

Join HI-YR-BY-A-THIRD today! Lesson 1

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Now that you have your own Claude Gordon “Systematic Approach to Daily Practice” in front of you. Oh, you didn’t get yours yet? Well that’s why I posted the first lesson on my site. Some have ordered it and have not received it and some think they can take my class without getting the text. Thirty years teaching in a university has taught me that there are always those that try to cut corners and if you happen to be one, I’m going to keep an eye on you. We will begin the class by taking a look at Lesson…

Join HI-YR-BY-A-THIRD today!

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What is HI-R-BY-A-THIRD? HI-R-BY-A-THIRD stands for How to Increase Your Range By A Third This is a new support group just for high note wimps like me and it begins Today! • If you are tired of having other trumpet players laugh at you when you miss the high note at the end of your solo, join our group. • If you have lost jobs because of your limited range and want to play in a higher chair in your section, join our club. • If you are envious of the other players who are able to perform a full…

No One Is An Island

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No one can succeed as a trumpet player without help from others. No matter how accomplished you have become, or how great you anticipate your future accomplishments, you will not become successful without the help of others. You may be spending countless hours in a small practice room practicing every etude known to man, yet you may be spending energy and time on the wrong exercises. Without help from others, your ability to play triple high “C’s” at tempi far beyond the speed of sound means nothing without help and guidance from others. I have listed below some of the…