See What Your Tonguing Looks Like- (Reposted from December 25, 2012)

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Often we are told to listen to our sounds and evaluate our progress. As I demonstrated on an earlier post we were able to see what our tone looks like through recording software. The same is true when trying to improve other areas of our playing, and in this case we will look at single tonguing and multiple tonguing through the eyes of the recording program Audacity. As in our other visual studies, we will be using the free software program Audacity. which can be downloaded at this site. To understand what is happening when you tongue a note, we…

Voldyne 5000-does it work update

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Here is my update from my original article, dated 12/25/2018. It works! “After one month of using this simple device, my vital capacity (amount of forces inhalation) increased from 2,500 ml to 4,000 ml. Read this first- Would you like to increase your air intake? So would I. – Trumpet Blog (thetrumpetblog.com) Voldyne 5000 how does it work The Voldyne 5000 Spirometer Volumetric Exerciser from Hudson RCI is a spirometer used for breathing therapy. It has a clever low-work-of-breathing filter and a high volume measurement. A built-in grip and a compact ergonomic design are included in this spirometer. The Voldyne…

Trumpet Valve Tightness and Compression Issues (Reprinted from Feb. 7, 2013)

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Many times trumpet players will discuss a topic which can be confusing to a beginning student, i.e. valve compression. The term valve compression is usually misused for there is very little compression in any section of a trumpet. Air is free to move through the instrument for there are obviously two openings, one at the mouthpiece and the other at the bell end. What most discussions are centered on are the tolerances or space between parts through the instrument. These areas usual are the gap between the valves and their corresponding valve casings, the first, second and third valve slides…

Brush After Every Practice

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The phrase “be sure to brush after every meal” should be applied to trumpet playing. There are three reasons why this is important to all of us playing brass instruments. Reason #1- It’s healthier. The amount of food, crud and moisture that builds up in our instruments in a short amount of time is impressive. Bacteria begin to develop to a point that germs can be contracted through our many hours of blowing into the instrument. Brushing our teeth after a practice session will help eliminate the possibility of these foreign bodies getting into your system. The exposed brass inside…

Preparing For Your First Gig

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Be sure to visit our sister site…… Trumpet Ensemble Music for all of your solo, ensemble and study material needs. ______________________________________ I distinctly remember my first real paying gig. It was at the Officers Club at the Rock Island Arsenal base and I was in high school. Fortunate for me I was a better player than anyone else on the job. It was a New Year’s Eve dance and the book (music) was easy although hard to read from all the spilled beer and cross outs on the one-hundred year old manuscript. But enough about my first time, let’s see…

Comeback Player Questions

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I received this message this past week and because of the house full of family I am a little behind on my posts. I would like to thank this gentleman for his questions and due to the fact that many have indicated that they were also “comeback” players, I thought I would share with you my thoughts on this big move. As always, my comments are in BOLD type and our reader’s comments are in regular type. Went social security in 2010, and part time on my job. Within a couple months, decided it was time to get back to…

Historically (Hysterically) Important Advice for Cornet/Trumpet Players- Part #2

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This is part #2 from the advice given in the duet collection Celebrated Practice Duets by Arthur Amsden. Don’t fail to pour water through your cornet before beginning the day’s work; never mind WHY, just DO IT and note the benefit of this simple advice. allow yourself to acquire a tremolo in your tone; nothing can be more objectionable than a cheap, shivery, trembling tone “a goat-stop” tone is a performers worst asset. hold your instrument too high or too low, and by all means don’t hold it sideways, that’s an unmistakable sign that you’re a novice. beat time with…

An Old Toy Gets A Look-Over

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To admit that a product of the 60s is still interesting to anyone is a surprise. But after rummaging through my bin of “the old and discarded,” I ran across a friend I had not seen in decades (many, many decades). Let me introduce you to the Vox Octavoice I. I acquired my Octavoice one day while giving a trumpet lesson at our university. The student mention that he had a device that I might be interested in and because of the fact that many people were experimenting with many things (fill in you own thoughts about that comment) at…

Could Meditation Help In Playing the Trumpet? Part 2

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Starting to Meditate Now that you have decided on a mantra to use, we will now begin our crash course in general meditation. I am in no way instructing you to use the Transcendental meditation form for I am not a qualified instructor and to do so would be against my better judgment. What I will share with you is a similar exercise which has been published in magazines and newspapers around the world. This is a very general yet effective exercise which can be used by anyone. 1. Sit comfortably in a chair which is for the time isolated…