I wrote and recorded a post here at ATT called Musical Marksmanship where tried to convey my thoughts on the benefits of playing in the center of your horn.  (centering, hitting the bulls-eye of each note…)  A couple of weeks later I ran across this article written by trumpeter extraordinaire, Mark Van Cleave.  Our articles are so similar that if we were writing these as an exam we’d be cited for plagiarism!  It really makes...

This post is “aimed” at younger players but perhaps all of us can benefit from “recalibrating our sights” now and then. As an undergrad, I had the great fortune to study with IU trumpet professor-legend, William Adam.  We spent most of our time working on his legendary “routine” but we also spent a good part of every lesson playing out of the Getchell Book 1 of practical studies.  I always thought this a bit beneath me but...

It is my sincerest hope that those of you who have found their way to this site and are taking the time to read this particular article do NOT need an introduction to trumpet great, Lew Soloff.  I am going to continue on the assumption that those of us in the trumpet world realize what a master musician and trumpet virtuoso we have in Lew Soloff.  For those of you who might need a Soloff refresher course visit JazzTrumpetSolos.com or his...

I spend some time on TPIN (Trumpet Player’s International Network) which is an email sent with threads of topics for and about trumpet playing.  Recently, I came across a post from a friend of mine, John Daniel that I thought held particular merit for my site, AllThingsTrumpet.  John is currently the trumpet professor at my Alma Mater, Lawrence University in Appleton Wisconsin and a member of the Battle Creek Brass Band.  I asked John...

A recent trend in jazz improvisation seems to be playing in odd meters.  I.e. 5/4 – Brubeck’s Take Five, 9/8 – Brubeck’s Blue Rondo ala Turk, 7/4 – Woody Shaw’s Seventh Avenue, 10/8 – Pat Metheny’s First Circle to name a few.  Perhaps, we have Dave Brubeck to thank for this movement dating back to his groundbreaking album, Take Five.  Two of my favorite player/composers using the idea of...

While living in the Cleveland-area during my Master’s studies, I had the great fortune of studying with two masters of orchestral trumpet; the great Bernard Adelstein at the end of his career with the Cleveland Orchestra and the dynamic Michael Sachs at the beginning of his.  Talk about a source of first-hand knowledge and experience; “Bernie” played professionally in orchestras for over 40 years.  His last 28 were as principal of...

I had a student the other day that was having difficulty playing without tension and was really “attacking” the notes – not playing the music, thus getting all tight, thus missing more, thus getting more tense…  We talked a minute about what could be causing him to be having such an off playing day and decided that while he warmed up at home before his lesson, he jumped right into playing when he got to his lesson which was...

I can count on one hand the crossover trumpet players that I would actually buy CDs of BOTH their classical and jazz playing.  Rex Richardson is one of those players.  There are plenty of players who specialize in one field and dabble in the other but it’s rare to find someone that digs in, way in, to jazz improvisation AND classical technique/repertoire.  I was first introduced to Rex’s playing when we shared a new-music recital at...

Outside of practicing your butt off, aspiring jazz musicians are told two things will also help their improvising; listening to great jazz players and transcribing their solos.  I do not disagree with this.  After all, jazz is a language and to understand it we must not only study the grammar of how to spell and write, but in order to speak it we need to listen to hear how it sounds.  However, here is the point where I differ slightly...

Ray Mase is one of my absolute, all-time favorite trumpet players.  He plays in the American Brass Quintet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and teaches at Julliard Aspen Music Festival.  He has the most singing, vibrant, lyrical tone I have ever heard on the trumpet and is a huge influence on my playing.  I highly recommend his CD, “Trumpet In Our Time”.  The article that follows is one of his on how to practice more efficiently by...

This is my mantra with my private and university students.  (Actually, one of my many mantras.)  Another favorite is: Scales are Useless!  -until they’re memorized. My problem with typical scale work is that everybody practices them the same way.  (Click the scale images to enlarge them.  Then, your “back” button to come back.) Here is an analogy.  Say you were to have to come to my house, out in the middle of nowhere,...

One of the things I find myself discussing often with students is how to make a trill, or general ornamentation guidelines.  It’s actually pretty involved, aside from the part about making a finger go up and down… First a little historical (hysterical) context: The Quantz View Noted musicologist Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773), on ornamentation, particularly trills. It must be noted that his reference to the “shake” should be...

As we get older and (hopefully!) develop musically it seems that the demands on our time and playing increase exponentially.  There never seems to be enough time in the day for everything that I want/need to work on.  Coming up with a method of organizing my practice time has helped me tremendously.  When I observe this “pie chart” practice methodology I feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of a practice session, rather than...

Part IV Musicality This subject is too often overlooked or brushed-over by students.  It seems that once a player learns all the right notes and rhythms the objective is complete.  In my opinion, this is now the beginning!  In our world of fast food and computers people expect results too quickly; at least I believe this to be true in the music world.  Turning a phrase in a natural, improvisatory manner takes time and living with the...

Part III Technique Part three of my routine comprises quite a large area of information but it is all related to developing right hand technique and coordinating the right hand with articulation.  In keeping with the idea of focusing on a minimum number of variables, limit the range of these exercises at first.  Play scales from root to fifth, slurred, as quickly as possible, while maintaining control and accuracy. Audio clip: Adobe...

The article that follows was something that was published in an International Trumpet Guild Journal a number of years ago. Part II Strength-Flexibility The body consists of muscles that work in primarily two contexts.  Slow-twitch muscles are used for activities that require a great deal of strength, and the Fast-twitch muscles are used for quick, repetitive or graceful maneuvers.  Two sets of visual examples would be comparing an...

Why Do I Need to Practice Scales? The Value of Tonal Literacy This article was written from a music educators point of view.  It was written by Thomas West and appears on his website here.  He has graciously allowed me to reprint it here on AllThingsTrumpet.com for you.  Enjoy! Posted by Thomas J. West on March 14, 2010 at 9:18 PM Scale Study as a Technique Builder The most obvious value of studying major scales and tonic...

The article that follows was something that was published in an International Trumpet Guild Journal a number of years ago. Creating music on the trumpet can be a daunting proposition to the young and not-so-young student of music.  There are countless aspects to be considered and mastered when one thinks of the ‘simple’ act of turning a phrase.  To help us begin cutting through this fog, we can use principles in creative problem...

I was recently teaching at a music camp and heard a fellow faculty discuss the value of practicing scales.  This is something I feel very strongly about and it was encouraging to hear someone else, (from a different instrument even!) feel the same way.  It somehow gave me comfort knowing that I’m not alone in my obsessive behavior toward scale work. Robert Spring is the clarinet instructor at this camp and at Arizona State University...

I am someone that tries to maintain as high a level of classical trumpet playing as jazz playing.  Call me obsessive-compulsive but I can’t “dabble” at anything.  If I can’t dive in and do something 100% I lose interest and would usually rather not do it at all.  There are a number of trumpet players out there like me “crossover players”, and this article is for you.  Actually, you will find a number of articles on this blog...

I have come to believe that the warm-up is the single most critical element to improving on the trumpet.  I have talked about this concept with every student that I have ever met with.  I have also been talked to about this concept from the many different trumpet teachers I have studied with over the years.  Everyone has their own take on this but I think the main thing is to develop your own take on a good, thorough warm-up routine that...

The Hypothesis Have you ever felt like your progress in learning jazz improvisation is stagnant, rambling, directionless or going nowhere?  It’s easy to feel that way because there is so much to learn in this art form and too many possible directions to go at once.  Looking at a blank page and writing, or blank canvas and painting, without an objective is sometimes too unstructured for a young artist.  If you approach your learning in...

This analogy is an old one, and I don’t like it very much.  Onions are used for a bunch of different scenarios, but when I said this to a student the other day I decided I had to sit down and try to better figure out what this means to me.  Layers, I guess, and how to deal with them.  Let’s get in to this. Prioritize (Onionize) your Sight Reading It is a very important concept to prioritize your goals when sight reading; especially...

The following is an exerpt from my book, “Recycling in Jazz Improvisation” which can be downloaded as a pdf in my Books section of DavidCooperMusic.com. The core concept for this book started a while ago when I began teaching my younger trumpet students to practice major scales in what I call “scale fragments”.  I have found that this can be a more efficient means to work on major, diminished, whole-tone, and...

A Trend In Trumpet Playing I have found that in recent years there seems to be a trend for music students, in particular, students of the trumpet, to strive for music careers that encompass and embrace a wider variety of musical styles. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact that the freelancing musical climate has changed from one where a player could more easily make a living doing just studio work or symphonic work or playing in a big...

The following article is an excerpt from my book, “Recycling in Jazz Improvisation” which can be downloaded as a pdf in my Books section of www.DavidCooperMusic.com. There has been a lot of great information written about the use of the pentatonic scale in jazz. My intention here is not to detract from any of it but hopefully through the use of recycling, simplify how one thinks about applying these scales. Instead of...

The following article is an excerpt from my book, “Recycling in Jazz Improvisation” which can be downloaded as a pdf in my Books section of www.DavidCooperMusic.com. Can you Play the Phone Book?  Here is an exercise that should test that knowledge, expand your ear, strengthen your interval recognition and further develop your facility in all keys.  When working on patterns or licks in all keys I have found it very helpful to think of...