These posts are written by: Bruce Chidester

The Evolving Vaughn Nark

  The name Vaughn Nark may not be on everyone’s list as an outstanding trumpet player but he should be. Here is a short background from Wikipedia on this remarkable player; Originally from Mt. Carmel, Penn. Nark began playing the trumpet at the age of six. His father Leon, also…

My Two Worst Performances

  Trumpet players seldom admit to failure mainly because of their inflated egos. It truly takes a big man to actually admit to an occasional faux pas on their instrument. So to lighten my soul and get it out in the open, I will share with the world my two…

Free Trumpet “Jazz Modes”- More Scales Than A Large Mouth Bass

If you think you know your scales, you might want to reconsider! Enjoy…. IMSLP187790-WIMA.90ef-JazzModes

So, You Want To Play A Shofar?

  Now that question does not come up often but if and when it does, you need to be prepared. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia- “A shofar (pron. pronounced (Sho-far)  is an ancient musical horn typically made of a  rams’s horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern  bugle, the shofar lacks …

Benefits of “Comeback Players”

Definition of the term “Comeback Player”; A return by a well-known person, especially an entertainer or sports player, to the activity in which they have formerly been successful. We are all aware of the application of the term “comeback player” when speaking of sports, but are you also aware that…

Shocking Discovery While Playing Pedal Tones!

Many of us have dabbled with Pedal Tones during our stint as trumpet players so this post may be an eye opener for many of you. It was for me when I discovered this anomaly. During a return to Claude Gordon’s wonderful collection of trumpet lessons, Systematic Approach to Daily…

“I Want To Play Just Like I Did 40 years Ago” ….you can’t and you never will!

I don’t mean to discourage anyone from trying to improve their playing, but some things are not possible. How many times have you heard lately “If you try hard enough, you can do anything”. That is a crock and it is time to let our kids know that you will…

Prevalence of velopharyngeal insufficiency in woodwind and brass students

I found this article very interesting for although there are not many players who suffer from this condition, it can be very frustrating if it happens to you. Velopharyngeal insufficiency

Changes Have Now Been Made to the University Interscholastic League Solo and Ensemble Submission Policy!

As some of you may know, I have been very vocal when speaking of the Texas University Interscholastic League Solo and Ensemble Submission Policy. For more background on this subject read… http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/the-university-interscholastic-league-solo-and-ensemble-music/ also… http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/new-additions-to-uil-prescribed-solo-ensemble-music-list-for-grade-2-trumpet-quartet-numbers/ Eventually I received this response… http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/an-encouraging-response-from-the-university-interscholastic-league-solo-and-ensemble-music-department/ Today I checked their site and was very pleased to…

3 Reasons Why the “Selected Studies” book by H. Voxman Is Killing Your Band Programs

Diminishing interest in instrumental music programs has been attributed to many reasons including financial cut backs, the rise of computer programs and gaming diversions, student’s current lack of good practice habits, competing athletic programs, etc. And all of these distractions can have an influence on the current trend of failing…