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…

Continuing Discussion on “Why do the bands still tune to the tuba”?

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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…

Recent comments on the topic “Why Do Bands Still Tune To The Tuba”?

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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…

Continued Discussion on ““Tuning A Band To A Tuba”

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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…

Why Are We Still Tuning Our Bands To A TUBA?

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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…

Adolph Sylvester (Bud) Herseth- A Legend In His Own Time

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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…