While a student at North Texas, I was shown a very helpful trick which I still use every day in my playing. I called it the “North Texas Shuffle” and it goes like this. As we tap out feet, (when allowed by the director) most use one foot to complete the task. By doing this you have no idea as to where you are in each measure. But if you do the “North Texas Shuffle” your problems will be solved. How to do the North Texas Shuffle- Tap your left foot on beats 1 and 3 and your right foot…

  Mouthpiece pressure begins with the hands. #1. The easiest solution All mouthpiece pressure begins with the hands. Holding the instrument is the only way we can play the instrument so it is logical our first step to lesson the pressure on the lip would be to  lessening the grip on the horn. Now visit another of my blogs “Left hand Playing Position”  illustrating a “lower left hand position” which will automatically lessen your mouthpiece pressure. By using this lower, left hand position, you will begin to lessen your pressure without any major changes to your playing style. The next…

Before we get into the how and why of excessive mouthpiece pressure, we need to identify what it actually is and establish how it is produced. What is mouthpiece pressure? When the rim of a brass instruments mouthpiece comes in contact with the lip, it produces mouthpiece pressure on the lip. Some pressure is required in order to seal the two from leaking air as the player begins to blow through the lips. If too little pressure is exerted you will have air leaks. If too much mouthpiece pressure is exerted, the player will limit the vibration of the lips…

Now Let’s Get Specific. Here is an example of an audition sheet for a trumpet chair in an actual High School band- Band Auditions These examples are typical of most audition material in that they begin simply and continue to get more difficult. Each of the four sections was selected for a specific reason and I will address these issues individually. Example #1- Allegro To most, this is just another simple scale but to your director it has several deeper characteristics that you should be aware of. 1. The scale is the A minor scale and to be even more…

By continuing in this series I hope to give you alternate views of how to prepare for an audition, whether for a chair placement or an All State tryout. Rule #3. Stop practicing your audition material and start learning it! • To most students, practicing means running through it once a day. Wrong! Practicing consistently the same way every day creates boredom. Boredom generates lack of concentration. Lack of concentration wastes valuable practice time and helps to ingrain mistakes and create phobias when learning the music. To get the most out of your practice time, get in the habit of…