Chris Botti – A Heavyweight

Last season, (2010) the Madison Symphony played a concert featuring trumpeter Chris Botti.  We were basically his back-up band and to be very honest I was not really looking forward to the event.  I know that Chris is probably one of the top five most popular trumpet players in the world right now, along with Wynton Marsalis, Arturo Sandoval and perhaps Doc Severinsen.  I’ve performed with these…

Mark time while counting

Here’s a little tip that many of us already know but can really be helpful especially when sight reading. I think we can all agree that it is essential to create and maintain a pulse to use as an internal metronome while playing.  We were taught to tap our foot to the beat and play along with the pulse created by our foot tapping.* (I have a problem with this but will get into that in a…

Practicing Scales is Good for your Brain

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…

Handel – Aria con Variazioni

Title Aria con Variazioni For Bb trumpet/cornet and piano By G. F. Handel (trans. Bernard Fitzgerald) Biographical Info Aria con Variazioni began life as one of Handel’s many works for solo keyboard; specifically his 5th Harpsichord Suite.  Bernard Fitzgerald was a pioneer in transcribing music for brass instruments, primarily trumpet.  Our repertoire has increased tremendously thanks to his…

Balancing Classical and Jazz Practice

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…

Warm-Up / Development Routines

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…

Stephenson – Burden of Destiny

Title The Burden of Destiny For Bb or C trumpet and piano By James Stephenson Biographical Info Burden of Destiny was written for Chris Martin, the principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony.  James Stephenson relocated to Chicago about the same time as Chris’ appointment and wanted to write a relatively serious piece that would represent the new Chicago ties both of them now have.  Much…

Practice Improvisation Like a Scientist

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…

To Flush or Not to Flush

Here’s a quick post that I am sure is common sense to some of you but will hopefully save the rest of you some money.  I had a friend ask me the other day where I take my horns to get cleaned.  (The deep chemical flush cleaning.)  I used to get my horns dipped at the local music repair shop but now I do it myself.  You can do this in your bath tub but it is far better to use a wash basin or…

Hovhaness – Prayer of St. Gregory

Title Prayer of St. Gregory By Alan Hovhaness, op. 62b Peer International Ed. Biographical Info Alan Hovhaness, of Armenian and Scottish descent, was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, on March 8, 1911. He began composing as soon as he could read music, at the age of four - a spontaneous act which seems to have had about it the inevitability of an unquestioned law of nature.  His output…