Trumpet Tips – Page 19

Let Condensation Be Your Guide

written by Bruce Chidester on February 21, 2019

I was reminded of something I observed several decades ago, but unfortunately I forgot it until this past week. “The more condensation you generate, the better you are playing”. To many of you this statement makes no sense at all. To some, this statement will generate some questions and to the very few who know what I am saying, “ain’t it interesting”. When warm air is forced through your instrument, condensation collects and the more condensation, the better you’re playing. Warm air generates more condensation than does cool air. Cool air generally is produced with a more restricted air flow.…

The Best 19:20 Exercise Every Written For Trumpet…..Period!

written by Bruce Chidester on February 17, 2019

You might ask why I was so bold to make that statement and I will defend my words with this observation which began more than three decades ago in Cedar Falls, Iowa. 1. Chromatic scales are the most gradual intervals on any instrument. 2. Equal amounts of playing and resting is the most productive form of practicing. 3. Daily practicing to your “comfortable” high range will increase embouchure strength. 4. Equal amounts of playing and resting insures that you will not “tear down” your lip muscles. 5. Listening to the exercise before you actually play it helps build confidence in…

Ear Training Through Meditation Background Music- Part 1

written by Bruce Chidester on February 6, 2019

As a Transcendental Meditation practitioner, I ran across something very helpful while trying to improve your musical ear training. Hearing, recognizing and duplicating a pitch on your instrument is what we will be demonstrating. Step 1. Bring up this YouTube site-tep 1.

Have You Ever Considered Playing A Medium Bore Trumpet/Cornet?

written by Bruce Chidester on December 21, 2018

Now that is a question that I am sure you have never been asked! Most selections of bore size are limited to either large bore or extra-large bore and an option of a small bore or even a medium bore never enters the picture. Here is a quote from the Bundy instrument manufacture ring company. “The Bundy trumpet’s large bore makes it easy for a beginner to blow”. And here is a quote from the well-known music store Musicians Friend. “For new, and especially young players, a horn with a small bore is more appropriate because the small bore makes…

“Clocking” Your Mouthpiece Part #2

written by Bruce Chidester on November 17, 2018

Some may remember my first post (How to place your mouthpiece in your horn) which was written to disprove a practice which stresses the importance of placing your mouthpiece in the proper position to benefit your consistency in playing. This practice is called “Clocking” and the reference to positioning your mouthpiece in the best rotation in your mouthpiece receiver turn out to be true. What I started out to disprove, I ended up totally agreeing with. The reason for this second post on the same subject is again to verify the importance of the correct rotation of your mouthpiece in…

Accuracy Study

written by Bruce Chidester on November 14, 2018

One of the more difficult requirements of trumpet players is coming in on a note with very little reference points. To become more accurate, I have found that isolating notes and playing them short tends to make the player more conscious of where the note must be played. In this recording you are expected to listen to the passage the first time through and then on the repeat, play the same notes as you heard. When a note is centered properly, it has a very distinctive sound which can be describes as “fat” and when the player is a little…

So, You Want To Play A Shofar?

written by Bruce Chidester on October 25, 2018

Now that question does not come up often but if and when it does, you need to be prepared. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia- “A shofar (pron. pronounced (Sho-far) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a rams’s horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying the player’s embouchure. The shofar is blown in synagogue services on Rash Hashanah and at the very end of Yom Kippur, and is also blown every weekday morning in the month of Elul running up to Rosh Hashanah. Shofars come in a…

Shocking Discovery While Playing Pedal Tones!

written by Bruce Chidester on October 2, 2018

Many of us have dabbled with Pedal Tones during our stint as trumpet players so this post may be an eye opener for many of you. It was for me when I discovered this anomaly. During a return to Claude Gordon’s wonderful collection of trumpet lessons, Systematic Approach to Daily Practice”, I came across a shocking realization; the notes I thought I was playing were in fact one full octave above where I should have been playing. To fully explain how this came about, let me start from the beginning. When practicing notes which include pitches above our normal range,…

“I Want To Play Just Like I Did 40 years Ago” ….you can’t and you never will!

written by Bruce Chidester on September 23, 2018

Trumpet Tips

I don’t mean to discourage anyone from trying to improve their playing, but some things are not possible. How many times have you heard lately “If you try hard enough, you can do anything”. That is a crock and it is time to let our kids know that you will improve with hard work but sometimes your bar is set too high to be reached. The same is true with improving your trumpet playing ability when the number of years have reached the six decades or plus range. A very good friend passionately told me that his goal was to…

Never play with your elbows resting on the arm rest of your desk chair…..unless!

written by Bruce Chidester on September 2, 2018

For years I have taught to always have your arms free to move while playing your trumpet. My thinking was that with the added freedom of your arm movement, you would not restrict the natural movement of the horn as you pivot from high to low and back again. The idea of the pivot as promoted by Donald S. Reinhardt’s Pivot System has been taught for as long as I can remember. If you are not familiar with this concept, check out an outstanding introduction to this concept by David Wilken at An Introduction to Donald S. Reinhardt’s Pivot System. Now…