Yearly Archives: 2016

Playing with Braces

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The decision to have braces during childhood can be a difficult decision to make… even before you consider how it will affect your trumpet playing!  While teaching I have lost count of the number of times that I been approached by students or their parents to tell me that their orthodontist has told them to stop playing.

I have also encountered a number of stories and experiences shared online by people that have really struggled to the point of having to give up the trumpet.  Another huge issue that often gets overlooked is what happens when the braces come off!

The purpose of this article is to give some advice and hope to young players, that not only can they continue to play, but that they can possibly even use this as an opportunity to really develop their trumpeting.

I have included here the thoughts and invaluable experience of Alan Thomas.  Alan is the Principal Trumpet of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and had braces aged 15-18, right up until commencing studies at Music College.  Here is a little of Alan’s experience in his own words!:

“I was lucky to have a very conscientious teacher in Richard Baker.  He moved my embouchure to the middle and got me going on progressive exercises.  Despite my protestations, he never allowed me to give up.  He teaches for East Sussex and now runs the very successful Hangleton Youth Brass Band (50+ young brass players), the band where I started.  I achieved grade 8 distinction as well as double A level in music, and had a range safely up to a top C by the end. 

At my Birmingham Conservatoire audition, Andy Stone-Fewings remembers my audition with braces.  They asked me to demonstrate my range and apparently I got up to only an E or F?!  Out of all the UK colleges, I only got into Trinity College of Music and Birmingham.  What was interesting was that I was in-and-out very quickly at the other colleges, but Norman Burgess at Trinity and Andy and Jon Holland at Birmingham took time to analyse my playing. It was interesting that these colleges were looking for potential more than a finished article and showed faith in me. I try to do the same when I’m on audition panels now.

My original intention was to do these auditions as a dry-run for the following year without braces, but after a positive experience at audition, I decided to give Birmingham a go.  I started there 6 months after braces were out. I then had plenty of time to work on my playing for the next 4 years.”

The first and most important adjustment that you need to make is one of thought process and attitude.  The big positive with adjusting to playing the trumpet with braces is that the focus HAS to be on the air.  The discomfort of the braces digging in and also the added strain on isolated parts of the inner lip will most likely have an effect.

Alan: “You must also not forget about the positives that you are getting out of this: you have an opportunity to learn to play with minimum pressure, reset a less-than-ideal embouchure… and get a set of nice teeth!”

The second big change needs to be one of routine.  Be slow and patient.  Listen.  Slowly find a comfortable range (even if it is just one note to start) and gradually build on it.  You will also find that practicing in short bursts is far more beneficial.

Alan: “Concentrate on the basics and do not push the range too early.  You should use this opportunity to hone other techniques such as double/triple tonguing, low flexibility with low resistance, and pedal tones can be very useful.  Nice tunes are essential as just playing exercises can be so demoralizing.”

Thirdly, it may be worth considering gadgets!  There are a number of interesting products on the market that may help to make playing more comfortable.  Some players have found that using wax straps or brace guards have eased the problem of the braces digging in.  Others have found that they actually make playing harder as the lips get pushed that bit further forward.  It is certainly worth trying though.

Another thing to consider is the mouthpiece.  Sometimes a slightly wider rim can help.  A couple of interesting options that I have found are from Greg Black and Wedge.

Alan: “I never used any of these.  I found that the strips and guards interrupted air flow and increased the size of the braces on my teeth.” 

Finally, you need to plan for the braces being removed.  This can feel as alien as when the braces first go on.

Alan: “This needs to be judged carefully as you can easily go back to using excess pressure.  Again, take a bit of time off usual playing to get used to things.  I think that I went onto the back row at band again for a while.  Build your range steadily.  Concentrate on getting the lips to vibrate well in the mouthpiece.  I still have a cut off mouthpiece that I use to visualize this.” 

Through all of this process, it is obviously incredibly important to consult closely with your orthodontist who can guide you through the different options.  I have come across an interesting article online from the British Orthodontic Society giving a good overview, which you may find useful too.

Alan: “I definitely feel that the braces helped my long-term development.  It is easier to keep my teeth clean and I now have a fabulous ‘Wallace & Gromit’ smile!  I have a good central embouchure, which I have been told looks effortless.  It was very difficult at the time, but I had a lot of support from family, friends, bandmaster and teachers.”

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The ‘All Rounder’

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There is a multitude of great pro trumpets currently on the market, and some wonderful manufacturers working alongside players and teachers to develop instruments for every style of music, approach and player. In a previous post I have discussed finding the right balance of resonance/resistance for you. Here I am going to be less specific!…

At some point in every player’s development, there comes a point where you are looking for that first pro-level instrument. In most cases we are advised to get something as flexible as possible and suitable for a variety of styles and settings. It is this ‘all-rounder’ that I am talking about here.

I have lined up Bb trumpets to try from Bach, Yamaha, B&S, Conn & P.Mauriat. I have played on a number of other good all-round Bb trumpets over the years from Stomvi, Getzen, Schilke, Jupiter XO and Kanstul among others, and would welcome your thoughts and opinions on these and any other instruments that fit into this category that I have not been able to line up here. Schilke I know in particular is really loved by a lot of my US colleagues. Unfortunately the full range of Bbs is not easily available in the UK so I may have to arrange a visit to Chicago in the future to finish this article properly!!!

Bach Stradivarius 180 Series

This has been the reference instrument for players across the globe for many years now. It is characterised by lots of overtones around a warm rounded-core. The bells are designed to be individual – the positive of this is that there is likely to be a trumpet available somewhere to suit most players. The negative of course is that it is advisable to try a large number of these to get one that feels right for you.

The 2 most popular are the 180ML37 and the LR180ML43. The 180ML37 has been considered the go-to 1st pro trumpet for generations. The late taper #37 bell is the one that manufacturers such as Yamaha and B&S have tried to emulate in their models over the years. The LR180ML43 is a lighter instrument with reverse leadpipe and an early taper #43 bell. This has been popular particularly in Europe with players who cover a wide variety of musical styles and genres.

Intonation is generally pretty good on Bachs, however some instruments can be very flat at the 5th Partial (top space E, Eb and D) and quite sharp at the 6th (G, F# and F) meaning that it can take some adjustment for a student to get used to it. They also for this reason generally work best when combined with a larger fuller-cupped mouthpiece so that the pitch can be adjusted easier.

Current prices in the UK are around £2,500-£2,900 (including tax) and in the US around $2,600-$3,100.

Yamaha Xeno YTR8335RGS

I have picked this instrument from the range, as although it is not the ‘basic’ model, I believe that it is the most versatile. Bach loyalists over the years have criticised Yamaha instruments for their lack of character. The RGS has a more open and less resistant leadpipe configuration paired with a gold brass bell. This gives a lovely combination of a warm even sound across lower and medium dynamics, but has a great bright ‘sizzle’ when you give it some welly!

For years, the Yamahas have been considered the cheaper and lesser alternative to the Bachs, however the improvements to this model in particular make it a good and viable option. Intonation is pretty even across the range with a much livelier response than other models in the Xeno range.

Prices however have risen a lot recently so they are no longer the ‘cheap’ alternative. £2,000-£2,300 in the UK and $2,400-$2,700 in the US.

B&S Challenger II 3137

A number of pro orchestral players have moved onto this trumpet or versions of it in recent years, most notably Philip Cobb at the London Symphony Orchestra. The Challenger II is considered to be a good Bach-copy at an excellent price. It also has elements of the Yamaha in its smooth transition across the registers, even sound and decent intonation. There is a little something missing with regard to overall resonance for my personal taste, but you cannot deny that this model proves exceptional value for money (in Europe at least!) and is a very good trumpet for someone who is just starting to take their playing and progress really seriously.

UK prices are around £1,300-£1,700. Prices in the US are $2,000-$3,300. By this from the UK people!

P.Mauriat PMT-71

Now this is an interesting one. P.Mauriat trumpets are not widely available in the UK, but are well represented across mainland Europe and the USA. I worked with P.Mauriat a few years ago so fortunately had the opportunity to try a wide variety of their models.

Their first moves into the trumpet market included some interesting designs of primarily jazz models – both heavy 600 series and lightweight 700 series instruments.

Their recently launched 71 (and 72 with a gold brass bell) have a lot of the lively and responsive characteristics of the original PMT-700, but with much more depth of sound making this a really versatile instrument. I am yet to see one ‘on the market’ in the UK or Europe yet, but I believe that some of my American colleagues are starting to be able to see them over there. Worth checking out if you get the opportunity – time I suppose will tell whether P.Mauriat make a significant impact in an area that already has some steep competition!

I imagine that prices will be around £2,000 and $2,300 respectively.

Conn Vintage One 1BS

I have selected the sterling silver bell model from this range – the resonance and brightness is astonishing. It is not necessarily your typical ‘all-rounder’, however I have selected it here because I have come across probably an even split of classical players on this as I have jazz/commercial.

I was knocked out by the ease of making a full and rounded sound on this horn, and also at how it really takes off in the louder passages with relatively little effort. The downside for me however was the intonation: Low C sits a fraction sharp for my setup and 3rd-space C is slightly flat. Not having a clean octave here takes some getting used to.

UK prices are around £2,200-£2,400. US is around $2,800-$3,200.

As I have been talking to players while putting this together, people keep raving to me about their perfect Bb trumpet from X, Y and Z manufacturer. There is wonderful research, design and craftsmanship around the globe going into trumpet manufacture at the moment, including a number of smaller specialist trumpet-builders that I will be featuring in coming weeks. Again, my emphasis here is on that FIRST PRO TRUMPET PURCHASE that generally needs to be a good all-rounder and blend easily with friends and colleagues.

I very much welcome your thoughts and comments on any of the instruments featured here, and indeed any of the multitude that are not!

 

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Practice Mutes

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Choosing the right practice mute can be a tricky decision. Weighing up characteristics such as volume, resistance, sound and of course price, with so many mutes currently available is a minefield. I have done some side-by-side testing on 6 different models here. Practicing or warming up with a practice mute is always going to have a large element of compromise, and is not generally recommended as part of a long-term practice plan. However, most people in the real world find that they need to use one either occasionally or regularly – it is about deciding what you are going to compromise on!

Over the years, the Denis Wick practice mutes have been the most popular, offering great value for money, decent intonation and a high level of resistance, perfect for opening out the throat especially in the low register. There is a tendency for most practice mutes to blow sharp in the low register, and this one is not too bad. Response is a bit sluggish, but this is to be expected from such a high level of resistance.

VERDICT: Good value basic practice mute *** (out of 5)

The UK best-seller over the past 10 years has been the Don Maslet mute. It is a really good all-rounder providing an even response across the range and options to change the level of resistance and volume. I found this to be comfortable for practice however it does not get quite as quiet as some of the others on the market, so not really one for an on-stage discreet warm-up! You pay more for this model, but what you lose in your pocket, you gain in all-round usability! Not reviewed here, but very similar to the Don Maslet mute in style and price is the Wallace Collection practice mute.

VERDICT: Good all-rounder  ****

Relatively new to the UK market are the Bremner sshh Mutes. They are incredibly lightweight and pretty much dentproof with their moulded plastic design. They give good intonation, medium resistance and are great for a pre-gig warm up. They priced about the same as the Don Maslet.

VERDICT: Durable, responsive and good value  ****

Yamaha’s Silent Brass system has been around for over 20 years and has had numerous improvements and additions over the years. The mute itself is compact and can be stored easily in the bell. The high quality pickup, amp and effects give as close to a ‘natural’ sound as is possible. They are also great for playing along with CDs, mp3 players, iPods etc. I have spoken to people who love this and use the full system a lot. I have spoken to even more people who have bought the full system and only ever use the mute! The mute itself is OK, intonation is fine and it is certainly quiet. Perhaps a bit too resistant for my taste, and definitely too pricey for my budget!

VERDICT: Packed with features and great tech, a bit expensive though  ***

The Vincent Bach 1857 Practice Mute is just horrible. It is inexpensive and compact, but I am struggling to find anything else positive to say! It is extremely resistant without being quiet enough, and intonation is a huge battle. If you are looking at the lower price range, then I would recommend the Denis Wick over this in every respect.

VERDICT: Erm, possibly consider not practising rather than use this! *

The ‘Warm-Up’ from Best Brass looks great. It is really compact and quiet too. The response and intonation were not quite as good on this model as some of the others; however it is excellent value for money and will find a place in many players’ cases for a quick pre-gig warm up.
VERDICT: Very portable and convenient for gigs  ****

I have come across many others over the years including mutes from Jo-Ral, Wallace Collection, Humes & Berg, Tom Crown and the eBrass (from Best Brass). I did not have these available to me for a side-by-side testing but your comments on any of these or the ones that I have reviewed above are welcomed!

Links:

https://www.deniswick.com/

http://www.masletmutes.com/

http://sshhmute.co.nz/

http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical-instruments/winds/silentbrass/

https://www.bachbrass.com/bach/

http://www.bestbrass.com/
 

Never Mind the Day Job

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For 12 years after graduating from music college, I considered myself to be a professional trumpet player – in that my primary income came from playing the trumpet. Like many other musicians I also pursued other avenues on the side, such as teaching, arranging, etc. There are a multitude of fabulous musicians who manage to keep incredible practice and performance levels up even though they have numerous balls to keep in the air. This requires a huge level of commitment and focus, and is not the subject that I am going to address here!

This is about players who are either coming back to the trumpet after a period of time away, or manage to continue playing to a high level even though they are gainfully employed full-time doing something completely different.

Having made a career change 5 years ago and taken a ‘proper job’, I continued to try to rely on what I thought I knew about practising to get me through the occasional engagement that I would take on. Practising became physically painful (both to me and anyone unfortunate enough to hear it) as I went back to my ‘tried and tested’ routines that used to set me up nicely for a tough night’s work. The gigs were a huge struggle as I battled with the new mind-set that the best that I could expect was to ‘get away with it’.

Eventually I made a choice to stop playing completely as I could not enjoy it if I did not feel that I was playing at my best … and I could not work out how to achieve that whilst doing a 50-60 hour per week day job. Predictably though, as any recovering trumpeter will tell you, the urge to play again just got too great!

About 18 months ago, I realised that I needed to start enjoying playing music again. My day job involved talking about trumpets all day, and aside from some instrument testing, I had gone for over a year without doing any practice or performing. I needed a plan, and the first step was to clarify exactly what I wanted to achieve, what time resources I had available, and to come up with a clear and realistic set of expectations.

So… 20 minutes practice, 4-5 days a week.  This was what I felt that I could commit to. It sounds like nothing, especially to players who are accustomed to having a mouthpiece surgically removed from their chops after a long day in the studio!

I wanted to get back to a decent, solid and functional technique, and most importantly a core sound that I was happy to listen to.  I left behind the study and practice books that I used to use through college and as a young pro.  I dusted off old materials that I had used in high school as well as researching new stuff that was pitched at the level that I was aiming.  Have I yet achieved the standard that I intended? NO … Am I enjoying playing the trumpet and performing again? Most definitely…YES!

My advice now for anyone looking to get back into playing the trumpet, or trying to find a new way of incorporating some playing into an already busy schedule, is ‘take it back to basics’ and make sure that you find materials that you can enjoy practising.

I have found some really interesting resources on this subject that I recommend that you check out:

The Comeback Trumpet Player by Mark Hendricks: http://mphmusic.com/blog/comeback-trumpet-player/the-comeback-trumpet-player-tips-1/

Tools for Trumpet Players with Day Jobs: Workshop Notes by Dan Hallock: http://www.trumpetguild.org/resources/pedagogy/category/8-articles-and-essays?download=193:tools-for-trumpet-players-with-day-jobs-dan-hallock-2010doc

Starting Over Again by David Brown: http://www.trumpetguild.org/resources/pedagogy/category/8-articles-and-essays?download=192:starting-over-again-the-true-comeback-player-david-brown-2013docx

Resonance vs. Resistance

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It has become an almost daily occurrence that I speak to trumpeters who believe that they are either looking for an instrument with natural open resonance OR a closed resistance. The title of this blog post is a deliberate misnomer as I do not believe that these two factors are mutually exclusive. In fact I would say that every horn for every player needs the perfect balance of the two.

The question should not be “do I want an open or resistant horn?” but instead “where in the horn do I want to feel that resistance and resonance?”. These two elements are absolutely essential in a trumpet to give the player their perfect blend of tone colour and projection.

Working with Vincent Bach a few years ago, I spent a lot of time travelling around UK conservatoires giving presentations to students and teachers on how to try to communicate the sound and response that they want to achieve, and what technical variables in a trumpet they should look for based on this and their playing style.

Some examples of popular horn setups:
A player that likes the feel of a really open horn mid-section will need to balance this out by finding resistance elsewhere in the horn in order to achieve that perfect resonance. The standard Bach 180 Stradivarius large bore Bb Trumpet for instance uses a fairly middle-of-the-road leadpipe at the start of the horn, and a relatively compact late taper #25 bell to allow the sound to really connect and blossom. This has typically suited players with a broad airstream who like that openness through the horn, and that feeling of ‘connection’ late on.

Another (yet totally different) large bore example is the approach championed by the late, great Derek Watkins. With a fast and narrower airstream, the sound really ‘connects’ immediately with a resistant leadpipe, and then is allowed to blossom through an open valve section and early taper bell.

With M and ML models, most players tend to use the valve section as a pivot with either an open (or reverse) leadpipe or a more open feeling early taper bell depending on whether you want to connect early or late on in the instrument. For players who like that mid-section connection (please forgive the corny cadence!), models such as the Bach LR180ML43 are very popular – an open reversed #25 leadpipe with an open feeling #43 bell.

In the interests of brevity here, I have focused on the most common variables and used Bach purely as a reference point as these models are familiar to most players. There are of course other ways of achieving this connection at the desired point by adding weight or varying the materials at crucial spots for example.

The crucial question again in approaching what setup is right for the individual player is “where do I want to feel the sound connecting?” Once you have an answer to this, you are all set to go and find your perfect trumpet!

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