Here is a must “watch” video for all you Jazz players.
The Internet has become a wonderful place to share ideas and this post will direct you to a helpful do-it-yourself instructional video you really need to view. A very big thank you to ARMYstrong419 for sharing this information with us. I have tried this and it works great. Sometimes the cheapest can be the best. And for additional information
This is my third and final post in this series of material on “New Flow Studies” and I have included two additional sets of exercises. In this post I have included a series of exercises using the intervals of a third, fourth. I would suggest that you do the following. 1. Start with the interval of a second until it becomes easy for you at the faster speed. 2. Begin the intervals of a third at the slow speed until it becomes easy for you. 3. Begin the intervals if a forth with caution…… When I recorded this exercise, I…
If you have played through my material from my last post, some may find the tempi too fast. If you like the concept and would like a slower tempo, I suggest that you read an earlier post called “Using Technology to Improve Your Trumpet Playing- Using an Audio Recorder” where I describe how you can download a simple and free app. which will enable you to do your own recordings. When comparing my exercises with Mr. Cichowicz’s etude on page 9 of his booklet, you can see a strong similarity. Obviously his material stressed long flowing lines with constant slurs.…
To older trumpet players the title Flow Studies brings up fond memories of one of the great trumpet players of our time. The younger practitioners of the tromba may not be familiar with the name Vincent Cichowicz but to the more seasoned, the name represents one of the finest trumpet performers and teachers of our life time. The name Cichowicz represents the Chicago Symphony when the likes of the following represented the Chicago Symphony dynasty in the mid 1960s. Cichowicz, Vincent Trumpet 1952 – 1974 Clevenger, Dale Horn (Principal) 1966 – 2013 Farkas, Philip Horn (Principal) 1947 – 1960 Gilbertsen,…
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…
So many try to complicate life with new ideas and “all you need to know” sites. And some may have value while most turn out to be less than helpful. So why do I think the combination of my trumpetlessonsonline.com is any better than the others you might ask? Well I will tell you….. After playing and teaching trumpet for over seven decades, you’ve got to learn something! I have tried many concepts, methods, tricks, routines, patterns and methods which have been interesting and sometimes helpful to my trumpet career. But after a considerable amount of contemplation, I was able…