Download exercise sheet- Shake exercise sheet Download audio instructions- Shakes The similarity between the lip (tongue) trill and the shake are remarkable. Everything that we had practiced to produce a tongue trill will now be applied to the technique of playing shakes. The only difference between the two is that in…
These posts are written by: Bruce Chidester
Saying Good Bye To An Old Friend
After several decades of working with this great cup mute, it may be time to retire him (her), for newer and more improved models are now available. Your corks have been replaced at least a dozen times. Your bottom has been epoxied at least twice and you colors have faded.…
Merry Christmas to My One and Only
World Meditation Day – A Global Wave of Peace – 21 December 2025
This completes my 50th year as a TM meditator. Thank you, Maharishi
How can I play higher? Part 2
Know your enemy- 1. Excessive mouthpiece pressure One element which can limit your playing in the upper register is excessive mouthpiece pressure. The lip needs to continuously vibrate when playing and an excess of mouthpiece pressure can limit and even stop the lips vibration when playing high notes. One trick…
How can I play higher? Part 1
This is the most often question trumpet teachers are asked. Why is this such a problem? Seldom are students concerned on how fast they can play or how they can improve their tone. It always comes back to high-range playing. To answer this question, we must first step back and…
Vibrato, Lip trills and Shakes made easy!
You might wonder why these three techniques are grouped together. The reason I am discussing them as a group is because they are all three related. The shake is just an extension of a vibrato and the proper use of lip trills (tongue trills) is the bridge between an applied…
Update on “Clocking Trumpet Mouthpieces”
I contacted my AI source (openai.com) to establish the top twenty most popular mouthpiece manufactures at that time. From the list of twenty manufacturers, I was able to locate nineteen who are listed below- Bach Yamaha Schilke Warburton Monette Denis Wick Curry GR Mouthpieces Marcinkiewicz Pickett Brass Stork Custom Mouthpieces…
20 Minute Warm-up (Version 2)
No one ever said that I was fast. After decades of teaching the same 20-minute warm-up, I have recently found something even better to add to my practice routine. I now play the same recording as before but have found added benefits to this routine by changing the tempo (doubling…
The Trumpet Warm-up Part I
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…