Visitors to the City of London (London’s main financial district) will be accustomed to the glass-fronted homes of high finance and over-priced coffee. They may well have also come across the interestingly named ‘Trump Street’ and thought it to be a nod to our friends over the pond. They would however be wrong!
I recently came across this informative article written by Katie Wignall on the ‘Look Up London’ website:
” In the City of London, one street name has been causing a lot of pointing and smirking recently…
But despite this street’s uncanny resemblance to the US President, it actually dates from the early 18th century, before America even became an official country.
SO WHAT’S THE STORY?
It sits just off Cheapside, the market centre of Medieval London, which is littered with street names hinting at their historic function; Milk Street (for dairy products), Poultry (for buying chickens), Bread Street (you get the idea) and – just to catch you out – Cannon Street, which was originally Candlewick Street and the home of candle makers, not canons.
So it makes sense that ‘Trump’ has something to do with a trade.
The first record of Trump Street is mentioned on this map of London by Rocque dating from 1746
More solid information comes from HT Riley’s 1868 work; ‘Memorials of London and London Life in 13th, 14th and 15th Centuries.’
Riley talks about a Mr William Trompeor (a trumpet-maker) and says “The persons who followed this trade mostly lived, in all probability, in Trump Street … near the Guildhall.”
He also says the trumpets were usually made for the nearby watchmen, who guarded the City and who might need to sound the alarm for intruders trying to breach the *ahem* large City of London walls.
Later historians seem to agree with Trump Street being the home of Trumpet makers; Pevsner’s City of London Architectural Guide (published 1997) also notes an inn called ‘The Trumpeter’ used to stand on Lawrence Lane which “is thought to be commemorated in the post-fire Trump Street.”
So there you have it. Trump Street = Former Trumpet Maker’s Street.
IT GETS WEIRDER…
To really hammer home that truth is stranger than fiction, Trump Street leads onto Russia Row. It’s name is also trade-related, probably a reference to the ‘Muscovy’ or ‘Russia’ Trading Company established near here in 1555.
Many thanks to Katie Wignall for her permission to republish this article and images. To view the original article, and to find out more about London’s hidden corners, please visit lookup.london
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So, here is a really interesting new product that I have been sent through for review… The Vhizzper mute is the brainchild of Christoph Baerwind, trumpeter in ‘German Brass’ and ‘Der Orchester der Hamburgischen Staatsoper’. The essential concept is a practice mute that can also be used as a mouthpiece mute. This is not something that I have encountered before so was fascinated to give it a try.
This mute is adjustable so that you can alter the resistance level and volume. It also comes in 3 colours as pictured above! To start with I used it as a traditional mute. I spent a minute or so trying the different resistance/volume settings and found that I was most comfortable playing at the halfway point between closed and open. This seems to give the best balance for me, but even with the adjuster completely open, the volume is still nice and soft.
I have to confess that it took a little while to get to grips with this mute. Notes were not really where I was expecting them, and I did not really feel in control. However, what I found after a short while was that as soon as I backed off a bit and tried to imagine that there was no mute in, it became easy! I had been over-blowing, which I can only assume is the way that I have always subconsciously approached practice mutes in the past.
It is such a breath of fresh air, being able to blow naturally and keep the centre of the notes exactly where I want them. Once I got used to playing with less effort, even my low C was in tune – this has been sharp to varying degrees on every practice mute that I have ever played. Intonation and response across the range is also very even.
Not only is this a good tool for doing that essential practice when noisemaking is not convenient, I can also see it as a great training tool. Sometimes when faced with a student who just needs to get used to blowing more and keeping the throat open, I have prescribed short bursts of playing with a more traditional practice mute such as a Denis Wick, to add resistance to help with that. In contrast, I can see the Vhizzper being a really useful tool for helping students to develop their lower breathing muscles, and keeping really natural airflow and support.
Next I set the adjuster to the closed position which seems to give the best response for me when using just with the mouthpiece (as pictured above). I have always liked to incorporate lots of free and mouthpiece buzzing into my practice and teaching. It can be a great way of really forcing you to concentrate on the absolute basics of breathing, control and blowing, without getting hung up on the sound. I have tried lots of buzzing aids including the Berp and the Buzzard and found them to have a really positive impact. The Vhizzper is another good product to add to this category.
It adds a little more resistance to your natural mouthpiece buzz so that it comes slightly closer to the feeling that you get when playing the trumpet. It also adds a little more resonance, which is surprising seeing as it is also muting the sound! This helped my general range for buzzing (I have always struggled to get a good natural buzz when playing in both extremes of high and low) and also naturally encourages you to support the airflow in the same way that you would want to play the trumpet.
In summary, I am very impressed! The very nature of a practice mute is that there is a large element of compromise. You are going to lose a level of response, intonation and natural vibration in return for a quieter sound. However, the Vhizzper keeps these compromises to a minimum, stacks up well against the alternatives on the market, and also gives you a valuable mouthpiece buzzing tool. It is certainly worthy of place in any trumpeter’s mute armoury!
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Since 2006 Dario Frate has been designing and making mouthpieces from his base in Lombardy, Italy. The aim across the entire range is to give the player richness of sound, fluidity, and to do it as easily as possible. These are certainly noble ambitions and I was very keen to try some mouthpieces for myself!
I asked Dario to send me a small selection of mouthpieces with the following brief:
An ‘all-rounder’ for a 3C-style player that can accommodate a warm classical sound as well as lighter styles. SELECTED: 3 M,3,106 with a semi-round rim
A possibly shallower version of the above mouthpiece that could help the same player make a brighter sound. SELECTED: 3 HM,106 medium rim shape, medium large backbore
A slightly wider rim mouthpiece aiming at a 1.5C-style player that still gives a degree of versatility. SELECTED: 1 M,3,106 with a semi-round rim
A symphonic style piece allowing a free blow with a rich tonal core. SELECTED: 6+ M,3,106 with a semi-round rim
Below are my thoughts after taking them all through their paces. For general comparison and reference points I have used the Bach sizes to describe them, purely because these are references that most people are accustomed to, and not because they are in any way modelled after the Bach range.
First impression on the chops is that this is a very comfortable semi-round rim. The response is quick and the notes slot very easily, far easier than many of the 3C-style mouthpieces that I have played on in the past.
Working through some flexibility exercises (Colin), the word that springs to mind is ‘easy’. There is also a depth to the sound that I often find is missing when playing on a flexible and easy-slotting piece. After playing through some middle register melodies for a few minutes, I am finding that the sound is opening up more as I get used to backing off the air a little bit. This really does tick the boxes that I was looking for with this brief – a solid, warm, centred sound with flexibility and slotting.
The medium-rounded rim on this has the high point nearer to the centre of the rim rather than the inside. This is really helpful for a little more lip compression without needing to go to a smaller rim size. The cup is also slightly higher without being too shallow. I often find that my fleshy lips bottom out easily on really shallow cups so this seems like a good compromise for me.
The response is lightning fast with a nice bright yet rounded sound. I am no lead player by any stretch of the imagination but I am able on this mouthpiece to play with good flexibility and control with a centred sound above the stave up to high Fs and Gs – which is the upper limit of my normal controlled, working range. This strikes me as an ideal mouthpiece to look at if you are a legit player looking for a more commercial type piece to switch to when required, and also for more natural commercial players who like a slightly wider rim and a fairly open backbore.
This is similar in setup to the first mouthpiece that I played but with a slightly wider inner rim, getting closer to a 1.5C kind of feel. Again, this is really comfortable with a nice balance of cushioning and inner-rim ‘bite’. Flexibility and slotting feel great, and the biggest thing that strikes me is the consistency and depth of sound that I am able to make across the entire range of the trumpet. Playing on these slightly larger rim mouthpieces does not come naturally to me so I have had to spend a good 20 minutes playing through studies and exercises on this one before I can really get the measure of it. And boy was it worth it!!! It has been a long time since I was last able to make a sound this big and broad that still has good control and centre.
I asked Dario to recommend a setup that could suit a symphonic player who likes the feel of a 1.25C type rim but wants more depth and tonal core. The 6+ that I have been sent has a larger rim diameter than the previous model and slight V-shape to the cup. The sound is huge and still beautifully centred. I have to confess though, that having not played on this style of mouthpiece since college 20 years ago, I am not the best person to really put this through its paces. Some symphonic colleagues of mine here in Manchester kindly agreed to help!
Both of them have generally played on slightly more open feeling mouthpieces to a standard 1.25C, and both agreed that this fits really nicely in that zone. There is a warmth and centre to the broad sound that I am hearing in medium dynamics that holds together really well as they really open up. There are also some really nice increased overtones at the louder dynamics, particularly noticeable on the C trumpet. Feedback from both players is that these feel really comfortable to play too, with the same easy flexibility and slotting that I found on all of the other mouthpieces. You never know, I may have just made a couple of sales here!
In summary, Frate Precision is a really coherent range that sticks to that ethos of richness, fluidity and ease across the entirety. Many mouthpiece manufacturers will make fantastic mouthpieces to suit any player’s requirements and across those ranges will be enormous variation in feel and core sound. This is not a bad thing! We all as players look for THE ONE, so we are so lucky at the moment to have so many dedicated designers and makers who will help us to achieve that goal.
The feature that Dario Frate has brought to his range is that ALL of his mouthpieces should make our jobs as trumpet players, slightly easier, while keeping a rich tonal core in mind. If this is something that you are looking for, you will more than likely find something in this range that suits you.
For further information and expert advice, you can contact Dario Frate directly via his website.
For sales enquiries and advice on which model to select, please visit our Online Store
You may also be interested to read these interviews with Frate Precision artists Massimo Longhi and Fabrizio Bosso, as well as this interview with Dario Frate himself.
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Mario Guarneri will be known to many readers as a performer and educator of the highest calibre. A former member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mario is also in demand as educator and lecturer on the pedagogical concepts involved with his groundbreaking designs (www.berp.com) and the trumpet in general. Here he shares with me some thoughts on approaching different stylistic challenges both as a player and a teacher.
Can you please give a little background to your playing styles?
Interesting question that I don’t ever recall answering before. First of all, I believe from the beginning I was taught to play in the style of the music you were performing. Using my ears and understanding the context was critical to what sound and style I heard in my head and should be reflected in the music I was playing. The point of being a professional musician when reproducing music composed by someone else is to first understand the “style” of the written notes (context). You then create the style in how you take notes on a page and end up making appropriate sounds to come out of the bell.
The style I select is totally dependent on the context of the music when I’m playing something composed. If I’m recreating someone else’s style by ear then I also need to understand and listen to the context. In either case the ear connected to your musical brain is your most important teacher. That by the way is also true for basic sound production on a trumpet.
In my opinion I was not paid to place my “style” into orchestral solos required to perform as an orchestral trumpet player. However, I must admit that I tried sometimes to the dismay of the conductor. The skill of being able to perform in different styles served me well during the 12 years of my life when I was working in the LA studios. It was not unusual to go from “Looney Toons” in the morning to a John Williams score that afternoon and maybe an LA Chamber Orchestra concert that night. How fortunate I was to have those opportunities.
When I improvise and/or perform music I have written, then I create my own style which I hope to make interesting, compelling to the listener, lyrical, “musical” and above all honest.
What kind of groups did you play in as a kid?
I played in the school band starting when I was eight… (yes we had a band in elementary school.) When I was eleven, I played in what was called a “Dixieland” band with high school kids, and I joined the Berkeley Youth Symphony when I was 14. I joined the union at 13 and played summer gigs with a dance band of adult professionals.
Who were your biggest trumpeting influences?
I was listening to Louis Armstrong, Bunny Berigan, Harry James, Rafael Mendez, Muggsy Spaniard, Roy Eldridge, Chet Baker, a recording of the Haydn by Wobisch and my teacher Eddie Smith
What was the focus of your practice time as a young player and student?
The Arban’s book and Mendez solos, plus transcribing some jazz solos and improvising on basic blues changes. I had a 78 record with blues in Bb on one side and in F on the other side.
We seem to live in an age where people need to be defined by one thing. Pigeon-holed. Does this ring true to you?
I have done my best to defy being thought of as being a particular type, (i.e. classical, commercial, jazz, avant-garde, studio.. etc.) of trumpet player.
What is your experience (both positive and negative) of being defined in this way?
I personally see nothing positive about being defined as one kind of player. However, there are people that hire musicians who want to make sure they are hiring the right person for the job “style-wise” who want to know “what kind of a player are you”? I think a better question would be and one that I have asked players when I have contracted orchestras for film dates, “are you comfortable playing…?” Professionals know what they are capable of doing and rarely put themselves in the wrong musical situation. If they do it once it probably won’t happen again.
What steps have you taken to overcome any difficulties caused by this?
One of the best pieces of advice I got on this subject was from Manny Klein, a legendary trumpet player in Los Angeles.
“Kid, it’s not what you play, it’s what you pass”. It happened more than once that a contractor put me in the wrong seat…faced with a lead trumpet big band part with Chuck Findley in the section I would immediately pass the part along with the extra money I was to receive as the principle player.
What are the biggest technical changes that you make when completely switching styles?
First, I would decide if it will help to make a physical change by playing a different instrument and/or a different mouthpiece. Those changes will often support the way I hear a different style. Hearing the style in your head is the most important aspect of switching styles in my opinion. Any technical changes happen “automatically” if I hear the style/sound before I put it into the instrument. For instance, articulations are very different between the orchestral world and bebop style. I could break it down to “where the tongue goes and how the air is released” for a student, but eventually you need to get to the point of hearing it and playing what you hear.
Do you need to take a different approach to technical trumpet practice as you prepare for a patch of symphony work compared to say a jazz combo?
Yes, but not entirely. I believe that the basic function and use of the breath is the same, and that the embouchure set up also stays consistent. All of the things I do for sound production, strength, flexibility, endurance, range are the same. Suspending the breath and playing on top of an engaged air capacity works for everything. Free buzzing, playing on the berp, playing pedals, working the Stamp exercises and working out of the Flexus book with lots of bending is what I do for starters every day. (See my videos, Berp & Bat Tools Part I and II at www.berp.com). The bigger difference in approach is between written music and improvised in my mind.
For recreating notes on a page, the skill set is all about accuracy, evenness of sound, intonation and musical style. That would also be true for playing lead in a big band, principle in an orchestra, brass quintet, etc.
Improvising requires playing what you hear/compose instantaneously! At the very least a different skill set which to my mind requires different practice routines. The first part stays the same. Working towards the most efficient sound production habits should be the foundation for all styles and musical challenges.
The essential difference comes down to being able to instantaneously hear and play a sound that is not predetermined. Because you are composing in the moment when improvising your technique has to be such that you can produce whatever interval your creative mind comes up with. When I played in the orchestra when I knew the schedule for the year, I could prepare to play every note I needed to play for the next year (except for the contemporary pieces we performed or obscure literature which I had not seen before).
It is easy to get very static in your approach when playing in an orchestra because of the requirements I just mentioned. The practice routine will also start to become too “routine” and your playing can suffer from staying too inside the box…doing only that which allows you to “do your job”. Of course that in itself is a big challenge, but I believe the musical benefits of doing more than that are extremely rewarding and worthwhile.
Your basic set up should allow you to do whatever you hear and your daily routine should include exercises you make up on the spot so that you can test to see that your set-up allows intervals and dynamic shifts that you may never have thought of before! The critical part of the set-up is fully explained in the previous mentioned Berp and Bat Tools video, but how you set up and suspend your air and “creating a face” with your embouchure are the most important elements.
How do you keep your ears and brain fully prepared for switching and playing in different styles, from a musical perspective?
This may sound obvious, but I believe the most efficient practice tool is to listen very intently and imitate on your instrument and with your voice. It is also very helpful to record and compare your version with the style you are trying to recreate. Playbacks can be painful but “the proof is in the pudding”. Finally, here is an exercise I created to help me with this process. Take an orchestral excerpt like the opening to “Pictures at an exhibition” and play the pitches out of time and transpose up and down an octave from the original for each note. Connect the line in an improvisational style. Does your set up make it easy to do this? Starting from the other side of the spectrum take a bebop line like “Freedom Jazz Dance” and perform it as though it was the opening to “Pictures….”
How do you approach all of these practice elements with your current students? Is there a technical ‘middle ground’ to be found to give students a good overall grounding, or do they need to be prepared to switch?
If you prepare consistently with each breath engaged and “making your face” at the end of the breath you will have the potential to perform whatever you are hearing in your head. Challenge yourself every day and enjoy the process. Music is such a wonderful gift to share ….do it with gratitude and appreciate the opportunity.
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When you talk about getting your trumpets adjusted so that they respond perfectly to you or matching and adjusting a mouthpiece so that it works perfectly with your horn, you are probably already thinking about Bob Reeves!
I was able to meet up with Bob at ITG 2018 for a coffee and a chat about his career. In 2018, Bob was celebrating a staggering 50 years in the industry. I am sure that he has some pretty special stories to tell, but in this interview, we mainly stuck to the technical stuff and the fascinating challenges that he faces in helping us all to be better players.
One of the topics that readers would like to hear about is matching the right equipment to players. What can you tell us?!
When I started in Hollywood it was the capital of music. There was so much recording going on there. There were great players already in Los Angeles but also lots of touring orchestras from the US and around the world would visit. I used to work with whatever they brought in for me to look at. My philosophy is to service. I am not a salesman; I don’t sell things. I listened to players to work out what will make their life easier.
Take one great Hollywood trumpet player, Tony Terran. I saw him 3 times a week looking at adjusting mouthpieces. I had pretty well perfected the process for valve alignment – I call that the foundation. If that is not right, you can forget the rest of it. So, one day I took his trumpet, took it in the back, cleaned it and did a valve alignment on it, and brought it back. He then came back 3 days later with all of his trumpets and his son’s, had them aligned, and never needed to have another mouthpiece adjusted in all his career.
I stayed in touch with his son who now still uses those same trumpets in Las Vegas and says that he doesn’t ever need anything else from a horn. I like to hear that. Like I said, I am not a salesman, I don’t care what people come in for. I hear them play, and that gives me most of the answers to where their problems lie. If I can fix that by looking at the player and their equipment, that is great. I don’t have to sell them something.
So, if you are listening to a player, can you confidently diagnose their technical deficiencies just from the sound?
Yes. I won’t mention any names, but there is a particular trumpet soloist who makes me crazy. I can hear on recordings that they are a very fine musician, but there are some technical problems that I would be able to fix given a chance. I can hear that the instrument is very badly out of alignment, so every note sounds different. And you can see looking at their face while playing that it is a battle and is having to overcompensate. Maybe one day I will reach out to them!
I built trumpets at Benge back in the 60s. I was the worst guy in the place because I always wanted to try to improve things. After 3 years, I didn’t have a friend in the place! I am not sorry about that at all. It started me on the process of making trumpets to be as good as they can be. And I still keep working on it today.
Trumpets built today by a number of manufacturers are very poorly made and adjustment is essential. Many instruments are designed alongside great players, but the problem is that at the mouthpiece end of the instrument, you can’t really hear yourself clearly while playing. I will always listen to the sound coming from the bell. That is what matters. You have to be able to tell where the note actually starts. I can tell you whether the note is starting inside the bell, at the edge or even outside of the bell. You cannot tell this when you are playing.
All the time that I am working with a player, I am listening carefully to their sound and how they describe what they are not satisfied with, but I am also slowly teaching them to listen too, as they have often never thought about it before. You are busy in your head when you are playing so you tend to ignore things. Maybe you are just glad to get the note!
So, doing the valve alignment is the foundation to figuring out any other problems. Higher register is where I see the biggest problems occurring, often with very fine and strong players. People reach a point where they change from what they can do instinctively with their good technique and change to try to ’muscle’ the next note out. This is an area that I often work on both in trumpet and mouthpiece adjustment but also in that player’s own technique.
I have a good friend and talented trumpet player. He could play solos with double C and triple C, just like songs. He had that upper register so figured out that he could just ‘play’ the thing without thought. He never looked like he was working hard. And he did that on a standard mouthpiece. There are very few people who have figured that out!
So how do you approach it with a customer when you know that there are things as much about their own trumpet technique that need to be fixed, as well as the trumpet and mouthpiece? That must be tricky!
Everybody who comes in has their own opinion. If it is correct, I say nothing. For most players, it takes more time to adjust their thinking than it does to adjust the horn. The mouthpiece is David and their own mind is Goliath! Through our conversation I need to slowly get them to give up a little – as my suggestions gradually become more successful, they become easier and easier to work with. The next time they come back it is much easier.
What are the most common adjustments to mouthpieces that you make?
The rim is the most important to most players. Most people come in with a rim that they like, so I just cut the rim off and work with that if it is already comfortable for the player. Then we work on finding something that matches the sound that he wants and also with the kind of resistance that he wants to match that horn. I don’t tell anybody what to do, I don’t make choices for people. I advise, but you’ve got to make the choice that is right for you. You’ve got to be happy. That’s the only way that I am going to be happy.
Is there ever a battle where perhaps people don’t like to hear what you have to say?
Absolutely. A few people have packed up their stuff on me. You know what, sometimes they don’t come back for years. And then all of a sudden, they come back because someone else has eventually convinced them.
Which of your customers over the years have given you the most pride in the changes that you have been able to help with?
There are so many and don’t want to leave anyone out! One example would be the 8 hours that I spent with Hakan Hardenberger and changed everything that he came in with! He did a concert the next night and sounded great. Doc Severinsen has been a great guy to work with. Sometimes it is difficult as he always has his own opinions and you have to work with that. He is a great trumpet player and a terrific person. There really are too many great players that it has been a pleasure to work with!
Are there common preconceptions that players come to you with?
We talk about the gap between the end of the mouthpiece and start of the leadpipe. People have opinions about that, professors have opinions about that. The player tells you that they must have a gap of precisely X. Nobody can tell you that, it is very personal. For you, that gap might be 2 hairs’ width too big or small, but some people will remain adamant until you have proved it to them. 6 thousands of an inch gap completely changes the way that the horn feels and sounds. Getting the gap right is matching the mouthpiece to the trumpet. That gap cannot be taken to the next trumpet. You have to discover it all over again. That is what got me started thinking about building sleeves, because the player wants to have one mouthpiece in a number of different horns. I think of mouthpieces as tools – I probably have 25,000 different ‘tools’ in my shop, all with different purposes.
If you are playing the horn in a small room, you may want a different gap than you may want in a larger room. The reflected sound coming off a wall in a smaller room is going to be very different to what a listener will hear when you are playing in a concert hall. This is one important thing that I have to teach players when they come in. If I convert a player’s mouthpiece to the sleeves system, I suggest 3 sleeves. At first, the player wants the one that works there and then. It may not be perfect in the next venue. So, small variations may sit easier for different performance settings.
The important thing for me is not to have a plan for a particular player until I have heard them properly. Then, I will have a number of options in mind for us to experiment with. I have been doing this a lot of years now, but I will never presume to know exactly what will be perfect for each player that I hear. It is really important to try the things that your instincts tell you may not be right too!
‘Service’ always needs to come first, certainly before ‘sales’. I hope that this is something that continues in our industry, but it is hard to predict what is to come for different companies in the future. The thing that I think about at the end of each day is the person that I have helped and whether or not their life is a little easier. Not, whether I have made money or not.
Are there any new developments or tools that you are looking at for the future?
We are always looking to see what we can improve both in the products and services we offer, and in our manufacturing processes. For trumpet, our latest thing is a project of mine that I had wanted to do for several years. I took good examples of popular rims and cups — 3C, 1-1/2C, and some others – and designed a backbore to go with them that keeps their classical sound but improves their intonation and efficiency.
Our biggest developments have been for trombone. I’ve done custom work for trombone players since the beginning, but for the first time we released a line of stock mouthpieces in collaboration with Noah Gladstone of the Brass Ark. We have models for small and large bore tenor and bass trombone. It’s been great to see players like Jay Friedman and Charlie Vernon of the Chicago Symphony and David Rejano Cantero of the L.A. Philharmonic using our pieces. Besides the stock and custom mouthpieces we make, we now also offer our Reeves Sleeve system for large bore tenor and bass trombone.
I have a hard time sleeping at night because I’m always thinking of new things. The next project will likely be a new trumpet backbore I’ve been working on. We’ll see!
Do you still have any ambitions to fulfil or are you there yet?!
One thing I would love to do is to spend more time travelling to different countries, listening to and working with lots more players. Although the fundamentals are the same for great trumpet players around the world, there are so many subtleties and small differences of tone and style that I want to explore more.
Johnny Thirkell is one of the great unsung heroes of the music industry. With a truly prolific recording output, his trumpet features on thousands of hits over the past thirty odd years. To find out more about Johnny, please follow this link to read this great interview (even if I do say so myself!) that I did with him last year.
I caught up with Johnny recently to find out about his creatively-named ‘Horn Camp’, a residential course in the beautiful surroundings of the Sierra Nevada mountains…
Tell me about Horn Camp.
Horn Camp is about a group of Trumpet and Sax players getting together for a week to play, learn, talk and hang together in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
I’m very fortunate to have a house in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains, about 20 minutes out of Granada and it’s where I go whenever I need to get away from all the distractions of life and focus on something that needs to be done – whether it’s practice, writing, business or just thinking, I find the relaxed and peaceful environment helps me to really get down to work and I always achieve much more there than I could ever do at home. So it seemed to me that it would be the perfect place to take a bunch of students if we wanted to focus on the fundamentals of playing as well as look at the peripheral things which can really make all the difference. Things which aren’t easily taught within the confines of the regular teaching schedule.
I’ve always found the traditional 1 hour a week teaching model to be quite limiting insofar as there is only so much you can convey in an hour and often, by the time the student has gone home and gets around to practicing, he/she may well have forgotten some of the teachings and you, the teacher, are not there to answer any questions. Also, in a one hour lesson it’s very difficult to fit in some of the peripheral disciplines which can be hugely beneficial to wind players – things like breathing exercises, posture, stress management and mental well-being. So, by running the camp we allow students to put a week aside to focus on all of these things while we, the teachers are available all day long to answer any questions and provide help and guidance. Plus, it will be fun too!!
What can students expect?
Aside from a great environment where we all work together, we will look at a more rounded approach to playing your instrument. Not just technique on the instrument but also the things you can do without the instrument to improve your playing and musicianship. There’ll be modules on Pilates for Wind players, Cognitive learning techniques, Breathing exercises, stress management and lots more. Plus, after dinner there will be the opportunity to talk about a broader range of things – like how publishing works, copyright protection or brass arranging – or simply to answer any questions the students might have.
We aim to create a relaxed environment where we all help and encourage each other, irrespective of individual ability, and no-one needs to worry about traffic or the daily chores of life. We’ll break up the day relaxing by the pool or walking the famous hanging bridges of the Los Cahorras, which are close by. We might even have the odd drink!
Why Trumpet & Sax?
Being wind instruments, there is so much crossover in technique between the two – particularly in the fundamentals such as breath control – and I think there is much that we can learn from each other. The Sax tutor is my old friend Snake Davis. He and I have been best buddies for 40 years and in that time we’ve worked together on more sessions and tours than I care to remember. However, as well as being an amazing sax player he is one of the best communicators and educators that I know and he will be leading a lot of the ‘off-instrument’ subjects like Pilates, Yoga breathing etc. Things which are highly relevant to both instruments, irrespective of ability level. Ideally we will have 3-4 trumpeters and 3-4 sax players so there’s also plenty of scope for knocking up some ensembles too.
What standard do you need to be?
Because there is a lot of focus on fundamentals such as breath control, expression and musicality as well as the ‘off-instrument’ disciplines, the camp will be relevant to players of a wide range of abilities. In fact I see it as a plus to have a range of abilities as it usually winds up with everyone helping each other. We always ask students to leave their competitiveness at the gate and enter into an atmosphere of mutual trust and support. That way we will all take away the maximum from the week and no-one need feel awkward or out of their depth. Having said that, you will need to be able to play – but I would say that so long as you play to a reasonable level, you will fit in and benefit greatly from the course.
What’s included?
The camp runs from the 4thto the 10thMay 2019 and the fee includes all tuition plus resources – worksheets and music – breakfast, lunch and evening meal every day and all beer, wine and soft drinks for the duration. We will collect students from Malaga Airport and drop them back at the end of the week. There are double and twin rooms available and non-playing partners are welcome.
Interview with Hub Van Laar (June 2018 @ ITG Conference, San Antonio)
What made you want to play brass in the first place?
As a child you had 2 options in my village. I began by playing football, and in my first game I scored 3 goals… in the wrong direction! It was then decided that I should go to the ‘Fanfare’ and play an instrument! I mainly played trombone and got to a very high level. I stopped playing however because of stage-fright. The nerves affected me so badly, and after trying hard to overcome this, I pursued the repairing.
What made you want to get started with designing instruments?
It was funny – when I was 8, I said I wanted to be a trumpet-maker. I always had that goal. I don’t know why! I wanted to be a trumpet-maker and a farmer. I played in the local brass band, and I was thinking, “Somebody has to make these instruments”. The military band were looking for someone to repair. After that I went to work for a large Dutch manufacturer, and then had the opportunity to work for a small manufacturer in Stuttgart as part of a team of just 4 people. There you had to do everything, it was a great experience.
I have always loved my work and have never been a person that likes to have a day off. I am always happiest when I am busy. The workshop is just 46 seconds from my house!
What were the first models that you designed and built from scratch?
You start working out of necessity and repairing to earn money. I then started to adjust and adapt instruments and would get lots of players to play them to hear what they thought. I started with the flugelhorn because in Holland and Belgium we have ‘Fanfare’ groups with 10 or 15 flugelhorns. This was my market! The trumpets came after that, then the cornet, and now this year the piccolo trumpet is ready.
You have to be very careful bringing a new model onto the market, as if it is not quite ready, before you know it you have a bad reputation. I have to be 100% sure that it is perfect.
You have a number of very well-established models in your range now. Where they all designed with a particular sound or style in mind, or developed more for particular players?
In the beginning I worked with a number of players. The difficulty is that everybody tells you something different! The one unstable factor in an instrument setup is the player him or herself. With lots of players around me, I found that the quality got worse because you are constantly having to change things.
I now do most of the testing myself, and then take it to various players once I am completely happy with the design and setup. Listening to the customers is really important. I start a design by listening to what players need, I then go away and work on the technical stuff to create it. You learn this by doing it, it is not a case of reading a book and then knowing what to do. I believe this is a great strength.
Would you say that all of your trumpets across your entire range have particular characteristics that set them apart from many other makers?
They play in tune! It is also important to me that they look good. People’s first contact with my instruments is with their eyes so I need this to be good. The second thing people are interested in is the valves – if they are not perfectly smooth and responsive, they will put the instrument back down again. The third thing is when they start playing!
So, what’s next?!
Life is like sitting on the bullet train in Japan. Everything goes by so quick! At 40, I never worried about that, but after I hit 50, I think about that a lot. I intend to enjoy life more and work slightly less. I have a plan in place for 10 years’ time, for the company to go to a trusted friend who works with me, so that the good work can continue, and the name does not get lost!
Are there any new models that you are keen to explore?
The most important thing for me is that every new model and design is better than the last one. I am not able to spend a lot of money on marketing, so I have to make sure that the quality of my instruments speaks for itself. We just concentrate on one model at a time to ensure that everything is as good as it can be.
We have been working hard on the piccolo, and we have another C trumpet model, that I worked on with a player at the Concertgebouw. Our next investment is going to be in a CNC machine which will help a lot with our design processes. The most important thing for the future is maintaining the high quality that we have now.
Is there anything else that you would like to add?
It is not possible to make these instruments alone. Without Heidrun who deals with the business side, none of this would be possible. I cannot deal with that side of things, I just want to make great instruments.
Instrument Overview with Jesse McBee of Thompson Music:
“At Thompson Music, we are proud to be a dealer for Van Laar trumpets. Particularly, we’ve been impressed by the versatility of their product line, as well as the Van Laar team’s attention to detail, quality, and customer service. From their line of Bb trumpets, the most popular horns we sell and usually stock are the B1, B2, B4, B5 and B7, as well as the Oiram II and Oiram III. From the flugelhorn line, we see much interest in the B2, B3, and Oiram Fresu.
As aforementioned, the Van Laar line is diverse enough to have an offering for every player’s performance demands. From lead trumpet, to chamber music, to solo playing, to small group jazz, there is a horn to fit that player’s needs. Additionally, several models serve as great all-around instruments should the player need an instrument for various playing demands. Van Laar’s attention to detail is impeccable, combining the benefits of a handmade product with modern quality control tolerances. Our customers are consistently impressed with the quality and presentation of the product, as we have been when our orders arrive in the store.”
To see the full range of Van Laar trumpets and flugelhorns, please visit the Thompson Music website.
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