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…
Here are 10 reasons most of our bands are playing out of tune- #2
Stop relying on your electronic tuner! Too many directors have continued to rely on the little tuning box and have forgotten or possibly never learned to used their ears. That statement reminded me of a Faculty Brass Quintet clinic we were giving in a small town in Iowa. One of…
Here are 10 reasons most of our bands are playing out of tune- #1
1. You can’t tune your band to a tuba! Read…….. http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/why-are-we-still-tuning-our-bands-to-a-tuba/ http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/scientific-proof-tuning-to-a-tuba-can-be-hazardous-to-your-bands-intonation-2/ http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/continued-discussion-on-tuning-a-band-to-a-tuba/ http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/recent-comments-on-the-topic-why-do-bands-still-tune-to-the-tuba/ http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/continuing-discussion-on-why-do-the-bands-still-tune-to-the-tuba/
The Westerlies- Revisited “REQUIRED READING FOR ALL MY READERS”
Earlier, I posted an article describing a fantastic brass quartet which I introduced as “Possibly The Best Quartet- Period”. Photo taken by Sasha Arutyunova After posting my material, I was lucky enough to get in contact with this ensemble and they agreed to answer a few questions I had about…
Band Directors! Learn to Tune Your #%@&*%$# Bands!
“I have had it with out-of-tune bands”! The more I listen to concert bands, the more I get upset and wonder where we have gone wrong in instrumental music. As my readers have learned, I am a very patient yet sometimes out spoken person. I try to understand other opinions…