How to Play in Tune

written by Bruce Chidester on April 29, 2024

Before we get to the “How Do I’s”, I need to address a few questions which are seldom asked but are equally important: Why is it important to play in tune? Playing “out of tune hurts”. It doesn’t hurt the player but it certainly hurts the listener. If you watch television programs such as “American Idol” or “So You Think You’ve Got Talent” or some equally popular show, you have experienced the horror of amateur singers trying to make it big. When they land on an out of tune note for any length of time, we all seem to have…

Sleep apnea – What they don’t tell you! (Part 7)

written by Bruce Chidester

Short but helpful suggestions: Handling the hose- To keep from being strangled to death with your hose, run it from your machine over the back of the headboard and down to your pillow. In this way it is controlled and you will not fight it all night as you move…

Sleep apnea – What they don’t tell you! (Part 6)

written by Bruce Chidester

Do you have to use your machine every night? NO! Knowing that involuntary habits can actually be retrained made me wonder if the Bipap/Cpap therapy is something that needs to be continued indefinitely. My answer to that question (in my case) is an emphatic No! I began my test to…

Sleep apnea – What they don’t tell you! (Part 5)

written by Bruce Chidester

#1 Complaint- Dry mouth After visiting with other sufferers of Sleep Apnea, the most consistent complaint seemed to be dry mouth. The dryness in my mouth each morning was so severe that I eventually developed a lesion in the back of my throat which progressed into a serious problem. After…

Selecting the Best Music School- Part 2

written by Bruce Chidester

The first part of this post dealt with issues related to terms and your direction in your musical career. This post will focus on an area that I know well and that would be the study of an instrument (in my case the trumpet). No matter what your area of…

Selecting the Best Music School- Part 1

written by Bruce Chidester

Many are currently considering a career in music and wondering which school would be best to attend. This is a very important decision and choosing the best school to attend will affect your life in many ways. After more than fifty years teaching and attending colleges and universities around the…

Who Has More Air- Trumpet Players or Trombone Players?

written by Bruce Chidester

To my knowledge, this question has never been addressed, and some may wonder what difference does it make anyway? As some of you may know already, your host has been performing regularly on trombone. In fact more on trombone than on trumpet this month. As a new member of the…

Guess Who’s Stealing Our Gigs Now?

written by Bruce Chidester

Once upon a time in a land far away, lived a very talented musician who longed for the opportunity to play his instrument and actually get paid to do so. Oh what visions of grandeur passed through his/her head as he/she dedicated his/her every waking hour to practicing his/her favorite…

Copy Cat Trumpets

written by Bruce Chidester

One of our readers brought up an interesting issue which I thought would be helpful to other readers and that was the quality (or lack of) of many imported trumpets on the market. As the unaware shopper begins to search for the perfect instrument for their kids or themselves, the…

Random Thoughts on Improvisation- A Little History

written by Bruce Chidester

Now that we have covered a few of the elements used to build a cohesive and interesting improvised solo, I felt it necessary to establish a little of the history behind jass (original spelling). I found this yesterday and believe this is the only video I have found which actually…

Random Thoughts on Improvisation- Octave Choice

written by Bruce Chidester

Seldom do improvisers recognize the value in changing octaves when performing a solo. Many times your improvised solo can be repeated in a different octave and sound completely new. Changing a melodic line by inverting it to a different octave can give your solo a whole new meaning. To give…

Random Thoughts on Improvisation- Dynamic Changes

written by Bruce Chidester

1950 Rock and Roll was the beginning of the volume invasion. Even Folk music was limited in decibels until the day Bob Dylan went electric. Once amplification was established in pop music, nothing would be the same. Every garage band was twanging away with 10 on their dials. As time…

Random Thoughts on Improvisation- Playing the Rests

written by Bruce Chidester

One might ask “What do you mean “playing the rests”? Utilizing periods of rests or pausing during an improvised solo is something many players never think of. As I listen to great improvisers, I realize that the short periods of “nothing” can be an oasis in the desert. These mini…

Random Thoughts on Improvisation- Sequential verses Diatonic

written by Bruce Chidester

Improvisation Noun- “the art or act of improvising, or of composing, uttering, executing, or arranging anything without previous preparation: Musical improvisation involves imagination and creativity”. “Now there is an Oxymoron” Noun- “a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in “cruel kindness” or…