trumpetlessonsonline.com and Claude Gordon- All you need to become a professional trumpet player! Part 2

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Now let’s start first with the Claude Gordon method. Why is this method so helpful when learning to actually play your trumpet? I will list some of its features and discuss the advantages of this total “Systematic Approach to Daily Practice”. Systematic Approach to Daily Practice is complete by itself! Many methods cover a few areas of trumpet playing and leave out other areas which need to be addressed. Mr. Gordon, on page 5 begins with an attitude about your playing and has covered many physical as well as mental topics you need to know. Systematic Approach to Daily Practice…

trumpetlessonsonline.com and Claude Gordon- All you need to become a professional trumpet player! Part 1

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So many try to complicate life with new ideas and “all you need to know” sites. And some may have value while most turn out to be less than helpful. So why do I think the combination of my trumpetlessonsonline.com is any better than the others you might ask? Well I will tell you….. After playing and teaching trumpet for over seven decades, you’ve got to learn something! I have tried many concepts, methods, tricks, routines, patterns and methods which have been interesting and sometimes helpful to my trumpet career. But after a considerable amount of contemplation, I was able…

Two Essentials In Your Trumpet Bag

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Now that you have your instrument and a few of the immediately required accessories, it is time to continue adding to your collection of great toys. The two pieces of equipment which I will address here would be your tuner/metronome and your audio and/or video recorder. The importance of a metronome/tuner It is essential that you own and use a metronome and tuner for these two accessories are vitally important to your success as a musician. If you play out of tune, no one will want to play with you. If you don’t know the tempo of a piece, you…

Simplifying the Trumpet Embouchure- Part 1 Embouchure Muscle Involved When Playing Trumpet

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In order to establish which facial muscles are used during trumpet playing, we need to understand that working muscles generate heat; and temperature studies done by two authorities in this area from Vienna, Austria- Dr.Matthias Bertsch (University for Music and Performing Art) and Dr. Thomas Maca (Department of Medical Angiology (AKH), will aid in our understanding of this topic. I will be quoting from their paper “Visualization of Trumpet Players’ Warm Up by Infrared Thermography” throughout this post. Notice in this thermograph the increase in temperature as illustrated by the color red. This increase in temperature represents an increase in…

Simplifying the Trumpet Embouchure- Introduction

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Now this should be interesting if not challenging! For many years I have been interested in the workings of the embouchure as it functions while playing a brass instrument. I have studied with some very fine teachers through the years and I can sum up everything I learned in about one page single spaced. We all know a few terms which we choose to share just at the right time to make us sound intelligent but after those few words are shared, we run out of anything of importance and then hide in the background of the conversation again. What…

Packing Your Essentials For A Job

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Some gigs require your horn and a mouthpiece while others require planning and forethought. My present job has special requirements which I will address in this post. The “All Hands on Deck Show” is all-new to Branson, fresh off a national tour. Themed as an All-American 1942 Roadshow, audiences are treated to singing, dancing, a 9-piece orchestra, funny skits, and 42 of the greatest American songs ever written. Celebrate the American way of life, and honor our veterans who have made it all possible at this patriotic Branson show. Some of the extra equipment in this show are the following…

Using Technology to Improve Your Trumpet Playing- Using an oscilloscope

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Visualizing Your Sound Many times I am asked , “Who do you think has the best trumpet sound?” Some would say Clifford Brown, some would offer the name Maurice André, Bud Herseth or “Bix” Beiderbecke. Everyone has an opinion but the real question should be, “Why do they have the sound we strive for”? Some say the secret to a good tone quality lies in the equipment used and some believe that the resonating chamber in each person is the reason. Whatever the reason and whoever you are speaking of, one thing is a known fact, through technology, we can…

Brass Players Obsession for “The Sound” Part 3- What Does A Full, Rich Sound Look Like?

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When trying to describe a tone produced by any vibratory agent, one needs to graphically represent its elements in a way everyone can see and compare. To do this, I will record three different trumpet pitches and compared each as it is represented on a computer screen. As some of you may already know, I am a strong advocate for a simple and inexpensive (free) program called Audacity. It is with this software that I have record our examples and if you do not already have Audacity on your computer, why are you waiting? 1. Our first examples will illustrate…

Brass Players Obsession for “The Sound” Part 2

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What Is The Perfect Tone? If you ask a dozen trumpet players this question you will get many different descriptions for each player has been influenced by their past likes and dislikes. To a die-hard cool jazz musician, his/her leanings would be more toward the darker side illustrated by the styling of Miles Davis but to a traditional jazz follower, the tone of Louis Armstrong would be more appealing. Most symphonic trumpet performers would agree that the tone of Mr. “Bud” Herseth would be ideal and yet there are some who would prefer a different principle chair player. It would…

The Perfect Practice, Rehearsal, Recording Studio- Part 2

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Now that we have the basic room and have found it to be sound (pun intended), we will need to fill it with equipment. If you were expecting a long list of the ultimate recording equipment in both hardware/software, let me remind you that I am a retired professor of music and not a wealthier member of society. This studio was done on a budget and for those of you who are in the same financial situation; you may be surprised at what can be done with limited funds. Recording equipment- Analog- Yes, there are people still using tape for…