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…
Basic Maintenance Information For Your Trumpet
Sometimes we assume that all trumpet players are experienced at trumpet maintenance and forget that there are players just starting out, and for that reason I thought this would be helpful for our new recruits.
The King Has Passed
You would have to be over 75 to have vivid memories of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra before Adolph “Bud” Herseth helped create the modern fame of one of the world’s great musical enterprises. For Bud — and everybody from lifelong colleagues to radio listeners who never saw him in person…
Teaching An Old Dog A New Trick
Who said the old can’t learn from the young? I am living proof that the youth of today are far more resourceful than we give them credit. If you have ever been performing with an ensemble when someone trips over the extension chord and all of the bands lights go…