Technology in Trumpet Playing – Page 2

Dime or No Dime? Re-Printed from Feb. 17, 2013

written by Bruce Chidester on May 21, 2022

On one of the more active trumpet discussion boards this month was a question about inserting a dime in the third valve lower cap to change the sound of your trumpet. Being the skeptic I am and will always be; I decided to test the concept. I played with the dime placed in the bottom of my third valve for two weeks and today removed it for my testing. During the two weeks with the dime in, I neither felt, heard nor recognized any change in timbre, accuracy, response, range endurance, amount of money made or any other factors in…

Returning to the Gap Debate…Again!

written by Bruce Chidester on March 10, 2022

..and still the debate continues. Should there be a gap or should there not be a gap. To more fully understand this question, you must first understand what a gap is and in order to show you, please view the following video produced by the Bob Reeves mouthpiece company.

Voldyne 5000-does it work update

written by Bruce Chidester on February 22, 2022

Here is my update from my original article, dated 12/25/2018. It works! “After one month of using this simple device, my vital capacity (amount of forces inhalation) increased from 2,500 ml to 4,000 ml. Read this first- Would you like to increase your air intake? So would I. – Trumpet Blog (thetrumpetblog.com) Voldyne 5000 how does it work The Voldyne 5000 Spirometer Volumetric Exerciser from Hudson RCI is a spirometer used for breathing therapy. It has a clever low-work-of-breathing filter and a high volume measurement. A built-in grip and a compact ergonomic design are included in this spirometer. The Voldyne…

A Fast and Easy Way To Improve Your Intonation Problems

written by Bruce Chidester on October 3, 2021

Tuner Ninja – Online Instrument Tuner What is this? This is a chromatic instrument tuner which is using your microphone to record and detect pitch of musical notes played on your instrument. Why Tuner Ninja? Most of other tuners are either not working, or working only on specific devices. Ninja Tuner is cross platform tuner accessible from wide range of devices. It works on almost every new browser across all operating systems. Users on Android device can add it to their homescreen, and it will take less than 1MB of the device storage. Privacy Your audio is processed in your…

Gap or Not To Gap, That is a Question- Part II

written by Bruce Chidester on April 8, 2021

As if the previous post was not more information than needed on mouthpiece gap, here is another element to consider.

Using Technology to Improve Your Trumpet Playing- Using an Audio Recorder

written by Bruce Chidester on January 26, 2021

The use of an audio recorder may seem common place for most for we all have been or have recorded ourselves at one or more times in our lives. Usually we are not happy with the playbacks but that’s life and even what we dislike can be helpful to our development. A straight record and playback is normal but what I would like to suggest are a few tricks which will enhance your playing ability far beyond the simple, record/ play back level. Your recording can be done with various pieces of equipment. I’m sure many of you would not…

Using Technology to Improve Your Trumpet Playing- Video Recording

written by Bruce Chidester on January 23, 2021

Some might ask why video recording is important when preparing a performance and to that I say “Your audience not only has to hear you play but also see you perform”. The video recorder can be a great tool when preparing your recital or any other solo performance for after reviewing your video recording, you will be amazed at how much you really don’t know about your up coming performance. A video recorder will show you how you enter the stage, how you present yourself to the audience as well as let you know what visual bad habits you are…

Using Technology to Improve Your Trumpet Playing- Playing duets by yourself

written by Bruce Chidester on January 20, 2021

Ensemble playing has many benefits including attention to pitch, better concept of time and a more musical environment. The problem arises when, at 10:00 PM at night, you decide to call a friend to come over and play duets with you and your only response is a loud click at the other end of the line. Recording yourself playing one or two parts of duets or trios can be very helpful for it forces you to keep time and play in tune. I have used this practice routine for many years and have found it to be very beneficial. Below…

Using Technology to Improve Your Trumpet Playing- Measuring your volume

written by Bruce Chidester on January 17, 2021

Trumpet players are famous for loud playing and a few are capable of playing soft. But what is loud and what is soft when trying to improve your control of your instrument. If you have ever had the good fortune or misfortune of playing trumpet in a rock band, you may have experienced the high end of the decibel meter. If you have ever played trumpet in a small chamber ensemble, you will have participated in the other end of the scale. The loud volumes usually can be found in the Music Building at the University of North Texas and…

Using Technology to Improve Your Trumpet Playing- Using a Tuner

written by Bruce Chidester on January 15, 2021

Everyone knows how to use a tuner- “play a note and watch the dial”. There are more efficient ways to check your pitch and I will try to list a couple which I have found helpful through the years (decades). Download free work sheet here- Exercises for Tuning Your Instrument In order to play your tuning note accurately, you first need a reference point and this is what I will first address. How to center your tuning note more accurately. Before you start, you need to know why we use the third space C as the standard tuning note. The…