Product Review- Hawk Flugelhorn with Case

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In order to keep our readers up to date on new products and new ideas, we try to get our hands on products for review and evaluation and this is one of those cases. A good friend and fellow musician recently purchased a new Hawk Flugelhorn and I asked to borrow it for a while so I could run it through some scales to see if this instrument was really worth the $279.00- $333.95 price tag. Before I give you my reading of the instrument, I want to first share with you actual customers opinions on their recent purchase of…

Susan Rider- In Her Own Words

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Since 1997, I have been a member of the trumpet/cornet section of “The President’s Own'” United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C. This ensemble has the distinction of being the oldest continually active professional musical organization in America (it was established by an Act of Congress in 1798). Its primary mission is to provide music for The President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The band’s most famous director was John Philip Sousa, who served as its 17th director from 1880 to 1892. The entire organization encompasses about 155 members. This includes the band’s command…

Susan Rider- A Great Trumpet Performer As Well As A Wonderful Person.

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From time to time we come in contact with the very gifted and realize these people are capable of great things. This was the case for me when I first met and worked with Susan Rider. Susan comes from a very tallented family and her father and I had many years of Dixieland playing together while I was living in Cedar Falls, Iowa where I taught for thirty years. Susan’s father, Dr. Paul Rider is a very talented muti-instrumentalist (trumpet, trombone, piano, double bass, tuba, just to name a few).Susan studied with me in her pre-college days and working with…

The Battle of the Plastics

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From time to time new innovations crop up which, according to their inventers/designers, will revolutionize all trumpet playing. In a few cases, we are benefited by these improvements but in most cases the new ideas fall way short from their advertised benefits. Case in point is the continuing push for plastic trumpets. I have been performing on one such innovation for several years. When the PBone first came out, my wife surprised me with one for Christmas. After many Dixieland jobs and constant work to improve the less than adequate slide, I finally became satisfied with the “pretend plastic trombone”.…

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

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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…

Still My All-Time Favorite Brass Ensemble- The King’s Brass

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My last post dealt with my favorite trumpet players and today’s post is similar, but this time I would like to introduce you to my favorite brass ensemble, the King’s Brass. This was the brass ensemble that influence me into forming my first trumpet ensemble. I have followed the King’s Brass from its very beginning and had predicted from the start that they would eventually reign supreme in the brass ensemble field. Many will disagree with my opinion, but the prediction I made many years ago has proven correct. Few ensembles are able to combine a religious message with outstanding…

The UNT One O’Clock Lab Band- “White & Tight”

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If I have offended any of my politically correct readers, I apologize and now on with my post. I recently attended one of the most unforgettable jazz concerts of my lifetime. I have had the pleasure of being in attendance at some of the great jazz band concerts including Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, Don Ellis, Buddy Rich, Bill Watrous, etc. but the One O’Clock Lab band’s concert this past November 20th was one I will always remember. I have run, rehearsed, critiqued, coached and judged jazz bands most of my life and the first thing you…

“Clocking” Your Mouthpiece Part #2

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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…

The Evolving Vaughn Nark

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  The name Vaughn Nark may not be on everyone’s list as an outstanding trumpet player but he should be. Here is a short background from Wikipedia on this remarkable player; Originally from Mt. Carmel, Penn. Nark began playing the trumpet at the age of six. His father Leon, also a trumpeter, was his first teacher. At seven, he was exposed to Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Maynard Ferguson and Doc Severinsen. Soon after graduating from high school, Nark auditioned and was accepted by the Unites States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., where he became a member of its premier jazz…