My Apologies To Those With Perfect Pitch

The ability the keyboard player to cover the singers modulations was amazing! Obviously the performance was not enhanced by digital pitch correction. I’m glad I missed it the first time for I would have had a headache for days and would have changed my vote to the Democratic Party. Be sure to catch the messages from the control room for they tell the whole story of being a musician.   Thanks Jim for the video….

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An Old Toy Gets A Look-Over

To admit that a product of the 60s is still interesting to anyone is a surprise. But after rummaging through my bin of “the old and discarded,” I ran across a friend I had not seen in decades (many, many decades). Let me introduce you to the Vox Octavoice I. I acquired my Octavoice one day while giving a trumpet lesson at our university. The student mention that he had a device that I might be interested in and because of the fact that many people were experimenting with many things (fill in you own thoughts about that comment) at…

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Sleep Apnea; Does It Help Or Hurt Your Trumpet Playing?

Overview Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, you might have sleep apnea. The main types of sleep apnea are: Obstructive sleep apnea, the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax Central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn’t send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing Complex sleep apnea syndrome, also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, which occurs when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea If you think you might have sleep…

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Doyle Miller Has Left the Bandstand……

My very good friend and fellow trumpet player Doyle Miller has past away and I will miss him greatly. Doyle Miller and I played together from the first show I played when moving to Branson and we played together until the last show I played in Branson. During that time we traded jobs and performed in my trumpet ensemble for many years. To better understand how I felt about performing with him, please read an earlier post I did about him and you will understand why I miss him. http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/who-is-my-favorite-trumpet-player/ PS Doyle, keep a chair open for me….

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Let Me Introduce To You Mr. John C. Smith

When I think back to musicians I have admired, many come to mind and one individual who I have great respect for, even though he has strong feelings for another political party than mine, is John C. Smith. I first met him while he was a Master’s degree student at the University of Northern Iowa many years ago. We played jobs together and although we differed in many ways, I knew at that time he would be a tremendous asset in the field of music. John is a “no compromising individual” and because of that I admire his strong will…

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Day 23 of comeback

Repeat the “20 Minutes Warmup” but this time continue up to a high “E”. Then continue back down when the recording descends. Repeat the “20 Minutes Warmup” Download Arpeggio Study material Arpeggio Study Play Arpeggio recording. Listen to the first line and repeat each exercise. Begin on page 59 of the Arbans Complete Concervitory Method. Start the recording and listen to the first line, then begin playing the second line. Play to the end of the recording.. Notice that the exercises with 32nd notes are omitted. Be sure to slur everything. Download this finger exercise and repeat the trumpet on…

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Day 12 of comeback

Repeat the “20 Minutes Warmup” but this time continue up to a high “E”. Then continue back down when the recording descends. Begin on page 59 of the Arbans Complete Concervitory Method. Start the recording and listen to the first line, then begin playing the second line. Play to the end of the recording.. Notice that the exercises with 32nd notes are omitted. Be sure to slur everything. Begin on exercise #1, page 2 of “One Hundred Studies by Ernest Sachse. Start the recording and listen to the first line, then begin playing the second line. Play to the end…

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Where Have All Our (Trumpet) Heroes Gone?

While returning from two of my doctor’s appointments today, I had an interesting thought come to mind. What current trumpet players have replaced our many heroes of the past? Chronological List of Trumpet/Cornet Heroes of the Past (my opinion) Born during the 1800s Joseph Jean-Baptiste Laurent Arban (28 February 1825 – 8 April 1889) was a cornetist, conductor, composer, pedagogue and the first famed virtuoso of the cornet à piston or valved cornet. Herbert Lincoln Clarke (September 12, 1867 – January 30, 1945) was an American cornet player, feature soloist, bandmaster, and composer. He is considered the most prominent cornetist…

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