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 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…
More on our continuing discussion on “Why do the bands still tune to the tuba”? Sound as if only one person has an opinion on how a band should be tuned. Or maybe he/she is the only one with the courage to voice his/her view? Again, my comments are in bold type and the comments are in regular type. “Oh yes, a couple more things”… “The tuba is the foundation of most chords in band music”, The tuba has usually the lowest note of the band but when trying to get a chord in tune, my focus first goes to…
More on our continuing discussion on “Why do the bands still tune to the tuba”? My friend has returned to voice his/her opinion on this topic and I applaud him/her. Seldom have I seen so much passion for a cause as this person exhibits. It is refreshing to exchange ideas in a civil manner and I do hope others will join in on this topic as my new friend has. And now to the continuance of our discussion on our topic- “Why do the bands still tune to the tuba”? Our visitor’s comments are in normal type and my response…
Thank you for responding to our post and I will try to answer each of your concerns. Your comments are in “”. My comments are in bold type. “Firstly, your point 2&3 is pretty much the same” Due to the fact you have not specified which two comments were “pretty much the same”, I will have to respond with an explanation for both comments marked 2 & 3. 2. The clarinet note lies more in the middle range of the human ear which makes it more recognizable by the majority of the players. The main focus of this statement is…
Many years ago, someone came up with the stupid idea that bands should stop tuning to a clarinet and start tuning to a TUBA. How ridicules! I thought it to be a fad started by some band hating string player as a joke but soon it caught on and it now seems that the majority of band directors are still continuing this unproductive and silly practice. As I listen to more and more bands continuing the time wasting exercise of tuning to the tuba, I shake my head in wonder. I have been shaking my head now for a long…
When speaking of greatness, merely the first name or nick name is sufficient. The name Pops, Diz, Bird, Duke, Count, Wynton instantly brings to mind these gifted musicians and when the name “Bub” is offered, only one person comes to mind; Bud Herseth. To the less aware, Mr. Herseth has been the shining star in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra sence he was first hired in 1948. His astonishing record of accomplishments in this ensemble is legendary and to the younger players, he should be their inspiration for perfect consistency, dependability and overall musical example. This radio interview is again one…
Finally there is assistance for troubled trumpet instructors. We all have been faced with this situation from time to time; the student comes to his/her lesson ill prepared and begins with pleading excuses for not having their lesson learned. One such student actually sat down and pretended to cry. He was defiantly my least favorite student. Some give stories such as “I lost my music yesterday after practicing” when in reality I found their music still on my music stand where they had left it the previous week. In honor of all of us who have been bombarded with creative,…
Our good friend John Hess is back and the amount of work put into this video is only matched by his ability to play his horns. I wonder if this gentleman ever sleeps. Thanks again John and may you live forever!
Many commented on my first American Pride post and I thank you all for your support. There was one reader who missed my true intent for he interpreted my comments as being anti-America in nature. I can assure you that I have as much pride in our country as the next person and that was the reason that I wrote my article. I am proud of the USA and wish it to regain its place in the world market. My use of the video in the first post was to draw attention to the efforts in music of other nations…