Starting Over….again.

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Previous music studio in Branson Now that my wife and I have finally opened and disposed of 90% of the moving boxes we escorted from Branson, Missouri to Denton, Texas, I found it necessary to begin practicing again after a three week hiatus. My enthusiasm was peaking and my chops were failing me the first day but I persevered. The next day, while visiting with our very nice neighbors I realized that everyone in the neighborhood enjoyed my first practice session! My music room in Branson was designed to fill all of my playing and recording needs which included sound…

What is a Flugel Horn and Do I need to own one?

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The flugelhorn, also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn or flugelhorn has a long history in European countries but is relatively new to ours. Its popularity in the states probably dates back to the fifties through the use of such well known names in jazz as Shorty Rogers, Kenny Baker, Clark Terry, Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Nat Adderley and Art Farmer. The purpose of the flugel was to give the player an alternative to the edgy, powerful trumpet sound. During the Bebop period (1945-1960) the trumpet was king, but when cool jazz started to gain a following in…

Which Comes First, Technique or Musicality?

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This question is much like the chicken or the egg issue. Which should be taught first? One camp believes that without technique, nothing can be played and the other camp asks the question “what good is technique if it isn’t musical”. Both have their cases and in this post I will try to bring the two sides to a happy mid point. Most of my early teaching was geared to the technical approach but as I increase candles on my birthday cake I must admit, all technique can have its disadvantages. One student who stands out as the most gifted…

Solving your Jazz and Legit Mouthpiece Problems

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Trumpet Mouthpiece

On one day you are playing Brahms in an orchestra and the next you are playing Kenton in a club and the choice of sound is becoming a problem. One requires a soft and gentile timbre and the other a more edgy tone with an increased high range. One solution would be to change trumpets for each situation but at the cost of instruments today, who has that kind of cash. Another possibility would be to attempt to color your tone with your existing equipment but you will find this is only an act of desperation. This scenario was exactly…

My “2017” Update on our Friend Victor Haskins

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Victor Haskins

As you can see (read) from my two earlier posts on the talents of this young man, I was very impressed and predicted that his future as a forward moving and thinking musician was something everyone should pay attention to. I was correct in my prediction as you will see from his continued success in the music world. Be sure to read or reread my two previous postings on Victor before you read this most current followup. Please welcome Victor Haskins “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back to our stage, Mr. Victor Haskins” Victor Haskins is a visionary, world-class trumpet…

“Free Trumpet Sheet Music” Update

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I wanted to keep everyone up to date with our free trumpet sheet music section. At the present time we have 40 free arrangements which you can download at this time. So far we have had 10,777 downloads from this free section. Wouldn’t you like to make it and even 10,778? Check it out at.. http://www.trumpetensemblemusic.com/ and enter “free sheet music” in the search box.