Product Reviews – Page 10

Be Careful What You Ask For!

written by Bruce Chidester on October 28, 2015

In our last post I invited comments on the subject “Why Brass at Christmas Time” and I did get a question. But it wasn’t what I expected. I thought I would have comments such as “What’s so bad about woodwind quartets”? or “You’re an idiot”, you know the usual responses. What I recieved was something quite different. The question- “What are you most popular arrangements”? As with most comments, I will respond as best I can. My top 20 most popular brass arrangements during the Christmas season are the following starting with the most popular. 1. Mary Did You Know-…

I ran into an old friend today….

written by Bruce Chidester on October 9, 2015

While rummaging through my files today, I discovered a long lost friend from my past… The name of my old friend was Vassily Brandt “Etudes for Trumpet (Orchestra Etudes and Last Etudes), Edited by William Vacchiano. Not only are these excellent exercises to learn some of the most recognized orchestral excerpts, but when you get back to the “Last Etudes” section, hold on to your eyeballs for this had to be written by the most vicious practitioner of the instrument. Just when you get used to a pattern, he changes directions and you fingers feel as if they were bent…

Better Living Through Chemistry

written by Bruce Chidester on March 13, 2015

When the PBone first appeared on the market, many trombone players were very skeptical as to the quality and sound this plastic oddity represented. Gradually the response began to filter in and player’s acceptance steadily grew. More and more professionals began to show up on the stage with these less than average instruments and were seen in many well respected ensembles including the David Letterman show, the Boston Pops, and many other professional groups. Today, the original PBone has made its way into high school and college marching bands and the obvious advantages are well documented. Advantages of the original…

Introducing…STRATOS- Embouchure Training Device

written by Bruce Chidester on March 8, 2015

A less known yet still controversial tool has been discussed to great lengths lately and the item is called STRATOS. If you search the leading trumpet bulletin boards for this new invention you will find a mix of pro and con reviews which would lead one to assume the product does not do what it claims. Because of several reasons (mostly the exorbitant cost) few that dislike the product have actually tried the attachment and believe it does not do what it claims and the supportive reports are submitted by those who have purchased and used the product. Any time…

Who ARE Jim Morrison

written by Bruce Chidester on March 4, 2015

On May 9th of last year I posted information on a “not so well known” musician who for some might not know. His name is James Morrison. This is a promotion video for his new CD “Snappy Too”. For additional information on Mr. Morrison, visit my original page from last year.

Taylor Trumpets- Revolutionary or Revolting?

written by Bruce Chidester on February 22, 2015

Please leave your opinion as to the validity of this concept.

Only “9” More Days Remain!

written by Bruce Chidester on January 23, 2015

Announcing TrumpetLessonsOnline.com has now launched! Checkout our FREE Preview lessons here before signing up. _____________ 25% discount through January 31st of this year! Use code “25OFF” when registering for this discount. _____________ For the past year, we have been compiling important information to share with our readers and students which will answer many questions they might have about playing the trumpet. For almost six decades I have been performing and teaching trumpet and now I have made available an easy and productive series of video lessons compiled for trumpet players of all ages and all levels of performance. Because of…

Product Review- Portable USB-Powered Speakers by Insignia

written by Bruce Chidester on January 11, 2015

Portable USB-Powered Speakers by Insignia When I find something that improves my life, I like to share it and this is the case with a pair of stereo speakers I purchased last week. For the past few months I have been looking for speakers which I could use on my laptop computer. Half of my practicing is now done on my desktop and half on my lap top. The sound quality and volume on my desktop has never been a problem but the laptop falls short of what I need when playing back MP3 recordings of my practice material. While…

Christmas is for sharing

written by Bruce Chidester on January 5, 2015

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’)); Post by Susan de Weger.

BIG NEWS!

written by Bruce Chidester on December 20, 2014

Announcing TrumpetLessonsOnline.com has now launched! Checkout our FREE Preview lessons here before signing up. _____________ 50% discount through December 31st of this year! Use code “earlybird” when registering for this discount. _____________ For the past year, we have been compiling important information to share with our readers and students which will answer many questions they might have about playing the trumpet. For almost six decades I have been performing and teaching trumpet and now I have made available an easy and productive series of video lessons compiled for trumpet players of all ages and all levels of performance. Because of…