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…

My Two Worst Performances

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  Trumpet players seldom admit to failure mainly because of their inflated egos. It truly takes a big man to actually admit to an occasional faux pas on their instrument. So to lighten my soul and get it out in the open, I will share with the world my two worst performances in hopes that other such suffers can emerge from their own closet and admit their shortcomings. Worst Performance #1 While teaching at the University of Northern Iowa, the faculty was expected, from time to time, to perform a solo recital. Early in my tenure there I agreed to…

Benefits of “Comeback Players”

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Definition of the term “Comeback Player”; A return by a well-known person, especially an entertainer or sports player, to the activity in which they have formerly been successful. We are all aware of the application of the term “comeback player” when speaking of sports, but are you also aware that this term applies to musicians also? Comeback players in music represent former musicians who for whatever reason chose or are forced to leave their instrument for an extended period of time. Eventually the draw is strong enough for the musician to reopen his/her instrument case and begin the slow and…

Shocking Discovery While Playing Pedal Tones!

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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,…