Visualizing Your Sound Many times I am asked , “Who do you think has the best trumpet sound?” Some would say Clifford Brown, some would offer the name Maurice André, Bud Herseth or “Bix” Beiderbecke. Everyone has an opinion but the real question should be, “Why do they have the…
These posts are written by: Bruce Chidester
The Trumpet Player’s Octave Key
Have you ever watched enviously as woodwind players sail up and down through their wide range by only depressing their octave key? With the slightest movement of the thumb of their left hand, clarinet players are able to jump octaves with ease and sax players effortlessly negotiate eight and sixteen…
Brass Players Obsession for “The Sound” Part 3- What Does A Full, Rich Sound Look Like?
When trying to describe a tone produced by any vibratory agent, one needs to graphically represent its elements in a way everyone can see and compare. To do this, I will record three different trumpet pitches and compared each as it is represented on a computer screen. As some of…
Brass Players Obsession for “The Sound” Part 2
What Is The Perfect Tone? If you ask a dozen trumpet players this question you will get many different descriptions for each player has been influenced by their past likes and dislikes. To a die-hard cool jazz musician, his/her leanings would be more toward the darker side illustrated by the…
Brass Players Obsession To Find And Keep “The Sound”
We will begin by replacing the word “sound” with the definitions “tone quality/color” or “timbre”. When approaching something as complex as a brass player’s concept of his/her “sound” we must first set accurate parameters for this discussion. Wikipedia “In music, timbre (/ˈtæmbər/ TAM-bər, also known as tone color or tone…
It Could Only Happen To A Musician-The Jokester in the Section
There is always one in the crowd who has to mess it up for someone else. It might be from a neglected childhood or a over active imagination, but for whatever the reason, practical jokers are a threat to society. The reason I am including this information is not to…
It’s No Wonder We Have Junk Horns on The Market!
I think all serous trumpet players will find this interesting. I did several searches for a list showing the most popular and talked about trumpets on the Internet today and found this one…… The following was taken from one such “Most Popular” on the Internet lists… Hold on to your…
Good Trumpet Players Are Full Of Hot Air
No, this is not going to be another trumpet bashing article, although we sometimes deserve one. The amount of warm air you exchange through your instrument can be an indication as to how well you are playing. A great way to tell if you are playing with efficiency is to…
Playing On A Cruise Ship
I have been asked to share some information on playing on a cruise ship. I have not played on one myself but most of my friends in Branson do it regularly so from what they have told me, I will try to share this information with you. The good side…
Here are 10 reasons most of our bands are playing out of tune- #3, #4, #5
3. Tune your band before, during and at the end of every rehearsal! The need to tune your ensemble at the beginning of a rehearsal is obvious but what about during your rehearsals and again towards the end. The more often you bring up good intonation, the more conscious your…