These posts are written by: Bruce Chidester

Tine Thing Helseth Revisited

Since the beginning of her career, Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth has championed the trumpet repertoire amongst audiences on six continents, meriting the highest critical praise for her soulful, lyrical sound and collaborative approach to music-making. An artist who challenges genre boundaries with an intensely creative, open-minded philosophy, Tine’s ever-expanding…

Concerts Past and Present

One blessing which I recognize for its importance in my life is the ability to remember many of the concerts I have been involved with. Some are remembered for their success and some for the disaster that incurred. Some are recalled for their importance and some for just the sheer…

Das Flugelhorn

The flugelhorn has an interesting history that traces back to military and brass band traditions in Europe, with roots that intertwine with the evolution of other brass instruments. Early Origins The name “flugelhorn” comes from the German word Flügel, meaning “wing” or “flank.” It was originally used in the 18th…

What are the differences between trumpets, cornets, piccolo trumpets and flugelhorns?

Trumpets, cornets, piccolo trumpets, and flugelhorns are all part of the brass family and look quite similar at first glance, but they each have unique characteristics that make them suited for different styles, ranges, and tones. Here’s a breakdown of their main differences: 🎺 Trumpet Key: Most commonly in B♭.…

Shofar Sho Good!

A shofar (pron. /ʃoʊˈfɑːr/, from Hebrew: is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram’s horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player’s embouchure. The shofar is blown in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and at the very end of Yom Kippur, and is also blown every weekday morning in the…

Rest As Much As You Play

My response to the discussion posted on TPIN There seems to be a flurry of excitement on the TPIN site about the comfort of your lip or the “rest as much as you play” discussion, and for that reason, I would like to add to the discussion. Everyone would like…