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

written by Bruce Chidester on April 25, 2024

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 around. Use the least amount of tension on the mask straps and still have an air tight seal. Those with stuffy noses from allergies can find relief with Vicks VapoRub. Each night I unscrew the lid, stick my nose into the jar just enough to feel the ointment, then draw…

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…

Sleep apnea – What they don’t tell you! (Part 4)

written by Bruce Chidester

Setting up the equipment The next step after gleaning this useless information was to receive your own machine which will solve all of your Sleep Apnea problems. My first question at that time was, “How can an involuntary action (apnea episodes) be retrained to become voluntary actions”? I was assured…

The Ups and Downs Of Playing On A Cruise Ship- Part 2

written by Bruce Chidester

I just got home from a cruise and spent some time visiting with the musicians on the ship. I asked them some questions that some of you may be interested in hearing. The ship was one of the largest and the band was from all over the globe. The instrumentation…

Has Your Faithful Blogster Turned To The Dark Side?

written by Bruce Chidester

Before any ugly rumors begin to start circulating around the Blogaspher, I need to make a confession to my readers……I own, and currently playing a TROMBONE! (Thunderous gasps of disbelief were heard throughout the galaxy). Yes, it is true that for Christmas my loving wife gave me my Christmas request,…

The Best Brass Series

written by Bruce Chidester

I have often read “This product is the best in the world”, and my first thought would be, “How do you know it’s the best in the world”? And I’m sure you have had the same reaction. How could anything be judged the best in the world? Continue reading and…

Just Some Random Thoughts!

written by Bruce Chidester

Can you cry under water? How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered? Why do you have to “put your two cents in”.. but it’s only a “penny for your thoughts”? Where’s that extra penny going to? Once you’re in heaven,…

Technology in Trumpet Playing- New Section Added to List

written by Bruce Chidester

This past week I realized that I have posted many articles dealing Technology in Trumpet Playing. Due to this enlarging area of interest, I decided to offer a new section in our index and combine these related postings into a new section called Technology in Trumpet Playing in order to…

See What Your Tonguing Looks Like

written by Bruce Chidester

Often we are told to listen to our sounds and evaluate our progress. As I demonstrated on an earlier post we were able to see what our tone looks like through recording software. The same is true when trying to improve other areas of our playing, and in this case…

Remembering Sandy Hook Elementary School

written by Bruce Chidester

From time to time we have experienced joyous occasions where I felt the need to write something to commemorate the occasion such as the Royal Wedding. Other times I have felt the need to write for less festive occasions such as the National Anthem of Haiti. With mixed emotions this…

Merry Christmas or “Get Your Bell Out of Here”

written by Bruce Chidester

The sounds of Christmas can be heard throughout the countryside and nowhere is it more recognizable than at the end of a trumpet when a player has gone wild. This video surfaces regularly every year and for that reason I wanted to be sure everyone shared in this tradition.

A Different Approach to Breathing

written by Bruce Chidester

We have spent a great deal of time reviewing the Claude Gordan Systematic Approach to Daily practice and from your responses; many have found benefit, including myself. Now I would like to feature another approach to playing in the upper register, and as you will see, it suggests a completely…

Is Patriotism Growing In Our Country?

written by Bruce Chidester

More and more trumpet players are starting to share their instrumental voice in honor of our country. Why this trend is increasing, who can say, but it is my wish that even more players begin to add their musical voices to the cause. For more information on this phenomenon, check…