Sleep apnea – What they don’t tell you! (Part 7)

written by Bruce Chidester on April 25, 2024

Short but helpful suggestions: Handling the hose- To keep from being strangled to death with your hose, run it from your machine over the back of the headboard and down to your pillow. In this way it is controlled and you will not fight it all night as you move around. Use the least amount of tension on the mask straps and still have an air tight seal. Those with stuffy noses from allergies can find relief with Vicks VapoRub. Each night I unscrew the lid, stick my nose into the jar just enough to feel the ointment, then draw…

Sleep apnea – What they don’t tell you! (Part 6)

written by Bruce Chidester

Do you have to use your machine every night? NO! Knowing that involuntary habits can actually be retrained made me wonder if the Bipap/Cpap therapy is something that needs to be continued indefinitely. My answer to that question (in my case) is an emphatic No! I began my test to…

Sleep apnea – What they don’t tell you! (Part 5)

written by Bruce Chidester

#1 Complaint- Dry mouth After visiting with other sufferers of Sleep Apnea, the most consistent complaint seemed to be dry mouth. The dryness in my mouth each morning was so severe that I eventually developed a lesion in the back of my throat which progressed into a serious problem. After…

Sleep apnea – What they don’t tell you! (Part 4)

written by Bruce Chidester

Setting up the equipment The next step after gleaning this useless information was to receive your own machine which will solve all of your Sleep Apnea problems. My first question at that time was, “How can an involuntary action (apnea episodes) be retrained to become voluntary actions”? I was assured…

What Causes Stage Fright and How Can it be Overcome?

written by Bruce Chidester

The lights go down, the audience begins their applause and you walk out from behind the curtains to perform your solo. As you reach your spot next to the piano, you notice the shaking in your legs and the extreme dryness in your mouth. As you acknowledge your accompanist you…

Improved Long Tones Part II

written by Bruce Chidester

So far no one has offered any comments about my last post. Surely someone will step up and defend the common and accepted practice of lone tones (either 1. I have no following, 2. everyone takes my word for it or 3. no one will stick their neck out and…

Three Good Reasons Why You Should NOT Practice Long Tones!

written by Bruce Chidester

Three Good Reasons Why You Should NOT Practice Long Tones! 1. They are boring. 2. They tend to build stiffness in your chops. 3. No one ever pays to hear long tones. Now that I have angered most of the trumpet players reading this post, I need to explain my…

What is the most important transposition to learn?

written by Bruce Chidester

When asking a symphony player to single out the most important transposition for a trumpet, I am sure you would get many suggestions. Transposing trumpet parts in a symphony is a way of life. Some transpositions are easy and some are extremely difficult. Transposing in a show usually begins with…

The Kids of Cateura and their “Recycled” Orchestra

written by Bruce Chidester

The Kids of Cateura and their “Recycled” Orchestra After you have viewed the video, I think you will get their message. And we complain about not being able to get another trumpet.

“Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!”

written by Bruce Chidester

To most people my age, and there still are a few left, this cry from the masked man mounted on his pure white horse named silver, brings back fond memories of earlier times. To the younger people, it means there is a new motion picture in town and many may…

The Trumpet Warm-up Part II

written by Bruce Chidester

Almost very trumpet player has a favorite warm-up routine that works best for his/her needs. Some believe long tones are best. Some believe short flexibility exercises are the only way for them. In my case, I feel that the same routine every day can be tiring and unproductive. For that…

The Trumpet Warm-up Part I

written by Bruce Chidester

I will begin by saying that this information is about the practice and philosophy of warming up, not the actual material used which will be included in a later section covering music to practice. I will discuss the benefits as well as the techniques used to get the trumpet player…

Please Welcome to Our Stage “Trombamania”

written by Bruce Chidester

Once again I have showcased an exceptional trumpet ensemble from France. Please welcome the wonderfully talented trumpet ensemble “Trombamania”. The following information was translated from their web site…. For nearly 15 years Trombamania has created his own vision of chamber music. As confirmed by all the awards at international competitions,…

Testing A Possible New Way To Tune A Trumpet- Part 2

written by Bruce Chidester

After doing my own tests on this theory, I came to this conclusion- Matching the pitch of both the bell vibrations and the pitch of the air passing through the lead pipe and tuning slide did make a difference in how the instrument sounded and responded. The only problem with…