To most people, the question of how one should play the rhythms in Ragtime music seldom comes to mind. In my case, I know how it should be played but have doubts that it truly needs to be played correctly. To address this dilemma, I will explain the differences and…
These posts are written by: Bruce Chidester
Have You Tuned Your Mutes Lately?
Seldom does this question come up in trumpet circles. But it should. Most players buy a mute, play with it (when ever required) and the rest of the time the mute lays either in your case, mute bag or on a shelf in the closet. Little attention is given to…
Are Spitballs in Your Future?
This product has been around for decades and unfortunately, most players do not know much about them. Spitballs are cheap, easy to use and effective in cleaning brass instruments. When these little projectiles first hit the store shelves, the members of our brass quintet (the University of Northern Iowa Faculty…
How to Bridge the Gap Between Single Tonguing and Double Tonguing
We have all run into this situation- The notes are too fast to single tongue and too slow to double tongue. This situation is usually referred to as “the gap”. Normally players find that it is very difficult to effectively speed up their single tonguing when in fact they should…
Please Welcome “Christian Grässlin”
And then there is the rest of us………
Lip (tongue) Trill
Download exercise sheet- Lip-tongue trill Download audio instructions- Lip Trill Because of the nature of this topic, it required recorded examples in order for the reader to better understand the exercises. I have listed the most important instructions for each of the eight lines on your exercise page but most…
Vibrato
Download exercise sheet Trumpet Vibrato Basics I mentioned in my previous post that I feel the best vibrato for trumpet playing is the hand vibrato. Some of the reasons I feel strongly about this form of vibrato over other techniques are- 1. It does not interfere with the basic sound…
Do I have to go to college to learn to be a good trumpet player?
Many times people ask, “Is it is necessary to go to a college or a university in order to learn to be a good trumpet player”? I will try to explore as many reasons why a college education can help you become a better player as well as point out…
Cheap Trumpets- Are there such things?
Many people are in need of information on what trumpet would best suite their needs, whether it be for their child or for their own use. For that reason I have previously posted information on selecting a new instrument. This posting was written to help the individual who may not…
Buying Music in a Tight Economy
When money is short and every cent must be carefully spent, we all need to shop wisely when making purchases. For that reason I have begun to search for the best deals when purchasing trumpet study material. This first suggestion was easy for me for I consider this book as…