“Mental practice preparation” - Getting ourselves in the right frame of mind, and then planning and executing our practice goals - an article by Sam Neufeld of 'Trumpet Warmup'.
Category: Advice
Trumpet Studies and Etudes
Back in September 2020 I wrote about the new solo repertoire that I had discovered in 'Lockdown Part 1'. Now that we are into 'Lockdown Part 3' in January 2021, I thought that I would share some of the variety of study books and etudes that I have been taking a look at with the help of the nkoda app.
Focal Dystonia : Reprogramming your Satnav
Brass players, including those at the top of their professional tree, have experienced Focal Dystonia that has either permanently, or temporarily, halted playing. Marcus Reynolds was a ‘pro’ player who overcame the challenge and here offers his personal (as opposed to medical) perspective on the road to recovery.
How to transcribe a jazz solo
Transcription is a great skill to develop in itself, but is also invaluable for developing our ears and our general musical awareness. Darren Lloyd from 'Jazz etudes' talks here about how to actually go about this and develop this important musical skill:
The Collapse of the Embouchure : Marcus Reynolds
Marcus Reynolds is a signed Rath trombone artist, soloist, recording artist, clinician, embouchure specialist, tutor, lecturer for the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine and creator of the Stratos Embouchure System. Here Marcus shares his views on the brass player’s embouchure, what can go wrong and how to avoid the common pitfalls and problems.
Do you want to improve your improvisation?
Jazz Etudes is a new resource that helps and supports students new to the world of jazz improvisation. The approach is centred around developing your jazz vocabulary and although primarily aimed at intermediate players, is receiving praise and endorsements from musicians at the top of their game. The creator of jazzetudes.net is Darren Lloyd, a professional player … Continue reading Do you want to improve your improvisation?
‘Listen and Learn’ from the ITG
The International Trumpet Guild’s Listen and Learn workshop is an online festival featuring five days of original performance and pedagogical videos by over 50 artists. This exciting event happened at the end of October 2020 but all resources are available on the ITG website indefinitely. And best of all, these resources are available for free to ITG members and non-members alike!
Home Recording for Trumpeters
Over the past few months, many of the articles that I have worked on and industry pros that I have interviewed, emphasise how working life has changed drastically since the start of 2020 lockdown. With that in mind, it would be great to explore how we can successfully manage our recordings remotely now that we are all having to work with a greater degree of isolation.
Trumpet Artist Profile : Eric Aubier
"During the lockdown we saw loads of people coming together to create virtual recordings. Videos of this type have invaded the web. I myself have initiated projects and participated in others. We have all done, and even now, lessons by videoconference on Zoom or whatever. Everyone had fun with it! However, is this the future of our profession? I am not sure … "
Trumpet Warmup
Trumpet Warmup (trumpetwarmup.com) is a great new online portal for trumpet players, allowing you to customise your routine with the aid of resources from top artists and educators. Sam Neufeld, the website's founder, speaks to me here about his exciting new venture. Can you give a little background to your relationship with the trumpet? At … Continue reading Trumpet Warmup
Finding the perfect orchestral mouthpiece
I have spent a lot of time recently (mainly virtually!) working with players who have used this enforced period of time off to look at new and possibly better mouthpiece options for themselves. Many classical, and particularly specialist orchestral players are traditionally very conservative in their choices and often choose to stick to the ‘tried … Continue reading Finding the perfect orchestral mouthpiece
Trumpet Artist Profile : John Eth
John Eth is a well-respected trumpeter, originally from Phoenix, Arizona. The Legends Brass artist was kind enough to give up his time to answer some questions below. Can you tell us a little about what got you started on the trumpet? I remember every weekend my father playing Harry James records all day Saturdays and … Continue reading Trumpet Artist Profile : John Eth
Trumpet Artist Profile : Charles Lazarus
Trumpeter Charles Lazarus is a multi-faceted performer, composer, producer and band leader whose career has included tenures in Dallas Brass, Meridian Arts Ensemble, Canadian Brass, and the Minnesota Orchestra. He has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras around the US and Canada, performed with the Empire Brass, New York Philharmonic Principal Brass, London Brass, Barry … Continue reading Trumpet Artist Profile : Charles Lazarus
Releasing a solo album in lockdown…
2020 has certainly brought its trials. Global lockdown has put paid to the bulk of most musicians' work and has added additional challenges to the projects that are still up and running. I have recently been catching up with Manchester (UK) based trumpeter Graham South as he releases a new album on 18th September.
Solo Trumpet Repertoire
As for many other musicians over this lockdown period, there has been a lot more time at home than I would have liked. Also like many others, I have tried to use some of this time to explore new music and practice routines that I would not normally have time for. With the help of … Continue reading Solo Trumpet Repertoire
Trumpet Artist Profile : Christopher Still
Chris Still is a renowned musician and educator, and I was delighted that he was able to find time to do this interview. He is currently a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the founder of ‘Honesty Pill’. Regular readers will have read Chris’ feature a couple of weeks ago - If you haven’t … Continue reading Trumpet Artist Profile : Christopher Still