If you happen to be in the Branson area in the next few months, be sure to visit us at “The All Hands On Deck Show” at the Dutton Theater on the strip. Stop by and hear the only “Live Big Band” in Branson with real horns!
Problem Solved. After going through the arsenal of trumpet mouthpieces I have collected through several decades, I finally stumbled upon one which has been shelved for more years than I can remember; my old Purviance 5*K4. Today I played the first half of the show on my usual Bobby Shew Jazz mouthpiece and the second half on my old 5*K4 and my old standby saved the day again. Every note in the middle range which was covered by the lead trumpet playing in his high range finally cut enough to make balancing the two parts perfectly. Tonight I will now…
I pride myself as a very competent second chair trumpet player. Making this confession does not come easily for declaring that you are comfortable being a “second chair player” is against all trumpet player’s egos. But, as I told Mr. Bobby Shew one day, “we are the players that make you guys sound good”. Be sure to read my earlier post entitled “How To Become A Better Second Chair Trumpet Player”. Last season I was playing the lead chair in our show
After posting every day for six years on my two Internet sites, I finally took a week off to have two stents implanted in my heart area. It seems that a couple months ago, while performing a show, I had a mild heart attack and didn’t know it. The reason I am sharing this with you now is to give you an idea as to how a heart attack might change your lives. In my case the order of events went like this- During a show, I began to get sick and attributed it to possible food poisoning. I had…
To some this means very little and as you will see, it doesn’t mean much to me either. Entertainers from the Branson shows are nominated for the “best of 2016” list and in most cases, the recipients are well deserving of this nomination and eventual award. Looking down the categories you will find included the following “best”- Fiddle player Lead Player Bass Player Instrumentalist Tribute Artist Vocal Duo Matinee Show Male Vocalist Entertainer Comedian Drummer Keyboard Steel player Production Show Morning Show Show of the Year Female Vocalists That all seems to be in order, until you run across this…
Here is a must “watch” video for all you Jazz players.
Warm up and Cool Down In this free lesson, I have included a couple interesting and helpful posts which will more fully explain the importance of a regular warm up and cool down. The video speaks of my daily routine of warming up with chromatic scales; first starting at the bottom and gradually adding octaves as I ascend. The benefit of chromaticism is that each note is only a one half step from the previous note and this very gradual increase is almost unnoticeable. Due to the minimum distance between notes, only a minimum amount of embouchure change should be…
Moving on from my endorsement of the Claude Gordon “Systematic Approach to Daily Practice, I will try to justify my support for nothing less than my on line lessons at… trumpetlessonsonline.com This compilation of decades of experiences of borrowed, stolen or otherwise collected ideas covers not the way to play as much as it is a collection of tricks and practical solutions to a trumpet player’s life. On a previous post on this topic, I listed the areas covered so at this time I will concentrate on only one which is available free of charge on my site. Alterations to…
Now we will complete my review of the Claude Gordon “Systematic Approach to Daily Practice”. As I stated on my first post when speaking of this method, I mentioned that it is a complete and structured outline of what you need to do to become an accomplished musician on a trumpet. Everything is there and is explained in a very simple yet effective manner. If you follow his instructions as indicated, you should continue to develop your trumpet playing skill in the following areas- • Range • Flexibility • Valve control • Air usage • Tone • Articulation • Endurance…
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…