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2 new CDs for sale!
Hi everyone, I have 2 new CDs for sale in my shop. Please check them out. 3 American Concertos isn't exactly "new" it's just that I haven't put it up for sale on this site till now. I had an idea that it would be a good thing to record some concertos but with the piano reduction instead of the orchestra setting for which they were originally composed. I feel there are a lot of great contemporary concertos out there that rarely get played because the piano reduction is so unplayable. I worked…
Your Host
David Cooper is the host and author of All Things Trumpet; the blog for research, education and reviews of musical issues pertaining to the trumpet.
UW-Platteville Director of Jazz Studies – Trumpet
Madison Symphony Orchestra
Conn-Selmer Artist
Scales are Neighborhoods
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.…
Jazz Break: It Could Happen To You
I’m going to break from the norm of this site for a moment and offer up a musical selection. I know this may not be following the educational and informational direction of this blog but I came across this mp3 the other day and just thought I would…
A Word about Mutes
Here’s the bottom line with mutes; for the most part - You Get What You Pay For. Q. What makes one mute worth more than another? A. Consistent intonation in all registers. Often lesser mutes will make you sharp in the lower…
Jens Lindemann on Mouthpieces
Here is an email-article that I read written by Jens Lindemann. For those of you new to the trumpet world, Jens is one of the greats. Actually, I would put him in the top 10 living all-round players. He is one of the few trumpet players making a…
Ornamentation
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…
On Role Playing
Those of you that know me know that I have a passion for playing many musical styles as deeply and sincerely as I can. In fact, I think the main thrust of this AllThingsTrumpet blog is geared for the versatile cross-over player. All that being…
Gillingham – The Tempest
Title Sonata no.1 “The Tempest” For C trumpet and piano By David Gillingham Biographical Info The first sonata of David Gillingham bears the nickname, “The Tempest” because of the stormy and turbulent nature of the first movement, the somber…
Practice Routine Pie Chart
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…
Warm-Up Routine Pt. 4
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…
Warm-Up Routine Pt. 3
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…
Shell Lake pt.2
Things are wrapping up here at the Shell Lake Jazz Combo Camp. It's been a fantastic week. The faculty were all top notch players from Minneapolis, Chicago, Indiana and Madison. There was one faculty per instrument and we gave three concerts as a…
Warm-Up Routine Part 2
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…
Scale Study from an Educators Perspective
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…
Warm-Up Routine Part 1
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…
Shell Lake pt. 1
I am leaving tomorrow morning to teach at the Shell Lake Jazz Camp. I will be there from July 4-9 teaching brass master class, improvisation a combo and jazz arranging. The faculty will also be performing evening concerts. I'm looking…
Bernofsky – Concerto for Trumpet
Title Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (1997) By Lauren Bernofsky Piano reduction by the composer (2001) Biographical Info Although Lauren Bernofsky was trained as a violinist, she has contributed a substantial amount to the brass repertory.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 is an Onion
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,…
Bozza – Rustiques
Title Rustiques for Cornet in Bb or Trumpet in C or Bb and Piano by Eugène Bozza Biographical Info Eugène Bozza (1905-1991) has been for many decades not only one of France’s most prolific composers but, like Hindemith and Stevens, a great boon to…
Recycling in Jazz Improvisation
The following is an exerpt from my book, "Recycling in Jazz Improvisation" which can be downloaded as a pdf iunder the "Shop" tab. The core concept for this book started a while ago when I began teaching my younger trumpet students to practice major…
Trumpet Mouthpiece thoughts; the Van Cleave way
I found this article on Phil Rinaldi's site and he has graciously allowed me to duplicate it here for you. It was written by the great trumpet player/designer Mark Van Cleave. Interestingly, I have never met Mark or know his teaching but I…