Trumpet Lessons Online

MSM Career Talk

2009-04-07T14:33:00.002-04:00

I'll be participating in a talk about life after school for students at Manhattan School of Music on April 16th. I'm not sure what I want to talk about because life after school has been a mix of positive and negative experiences. The only thing I'm sure about is that life after school is nothing like I expected. I guess it's like that John Lennon quote, "life is what happens when you're busy making plans."

I could talk about the good things and encourage students to go for it, or I could talk about the bad things and say how hard it can be. And with the economy, it's only gonna get harder, blah blah. I don't know that doesn't seem exactly right either.

At first I thought this would be fun, but now I'm getting kind of overwhelmed. Any ideas?

freelance and stuff

2009-02-26T09:13:00.003-05:00

I'm going to write about freelancing today, because things have been pretty busy lately and it's mostly what I'm thinking about. I'm going to give you a month in the life of Josh, so that aspiring trumpet players can know how crazy things can get (get out while you can). In the past few weeks I've had to do a wide variety of projects and be able to come in and "fit" in with all of them. For example, at the beginning of the month I was performing and recording a piece by Lisa Bielawa, a great composer, that involved performing in a transient ambient space. Her piece was very challenging both technically and musically, it required a lot of character and personality to bring it to life.

Next was a solo performance for a Terry Winter Owens memorial concert. This was at CUNY and was filmed by a tv crew for broadcast. I got the music only days before and required a lot of score study, since I was the only one who hadn't performed the piece before.

Then, I was off to NC to play with Carolina Brass, who I wrote about in a previous blog. But talk about shifting gears. Not only was the music making different, the whole life style was completely different. But it was really interesting to see how freelancers in NC do it.

After that, I'm slated for a bunch of shows at South Pacific. I guess the adventure keeps on going. Sometimes I know ahead of time what I have coming up, sometimes I don't. I think its about preparing to be unprepared, if that makes any sense. When things come up on the fly you have to just go with it. Anyway, I'm happy to be working right now and doing things I enjoy.

Carolina Brass

2009-02-24T09:08:00.002-05:00

I just came back from North Carolina, where I was a guest artist with the Carolina Brass. After doing most of my work performing in New York City, I had a really enjoyable experience getting out of the city and playing some concerts for a very enthusiastic audience. As it says on their website, they are fun musicians playing serious music. The concerts were really enjoyable to play and the audiences ate it up. There was such a positive response to our performances, which is something I wasn't used to in NYC. I play a lot of contemporary music concerts and more conservative classical concerts where the audiences tend to be more intellectual and often reserved.

So, I can't say enough good thing about Carolina Brass. They have 4 recordings out that are all worth checking out. Go to their website for more info on CD's, and info about the group.

Interview with Mark Gould

2009-01-30T21:09:00.002-05:00

Josh: These days, where does your musical inspiration come from? Do you ever struggle with inspiration or does it come naturally?

Mark: Inspiration is not the issue anymore. Sitting down everyday and looking at a blank page with patience and diligence is what is difficult. With regard to trumpet playing...I still enjoy practicing a little every day. I'm still figuring things out about the 'iron monster'.

Josh: Who is your favorite entertainer? and Why?

Mark: I don't have a favorite entertainer. I have favorite authors, films and pieces of music but not entertainers. Upon further thought...I would say Judy Garland.

Josh: Would you be the same person you are today if you never touched a trumpet?

Mark: I cannot remember not playing the trumpet. I have been playing for over 50 years. I would absolutely not be the same person I am today without my instrument. I would probably be in jail now without the trumpet.

Josh: Can you tell a good Met story?

Mark: My first year at the MET in 1974, in a run of performances of 'Elektra', (I was playing 5th trumpet) Mel Broiles used to hold the high concert 'D' in the 'recognition' scene so long and so loud, he used to black out or white out. The 3d trumpet player, Harry Peers, used to rub Mel's shoulder after this note to wake him up and get him ready for the next entrance. I remember hearing Harry whispering the countdown to the next entrance as Mel slowly revived, his head bobbing slowly, his eyes again beginning to focus. He 'woke up' just in time for the next big toot.
When I asked him about this passage, Mel told me, "men die in battle to the sound of the trumpet", and then walked away. WOW!! There will never be another Mel Broiles.

Clifford with Strings

2009-01-29T20:08:00.000-05:00

This is album is a model of jazz phrasing or just phrasing in general. It's elegant, soulful, flexible and expressive all in one. This is the top of the top. There's not much else to say about it. Listen to it. Internalize it. Experience it.

Clifford Brown With Strings

Clifford Brown

2009-01-26T11:20:00.005-05:00

For players that are first learning about Clifford Brown, the great bebop jazz trumpeter, I recommend the album:

Study In Brown.

This has a lot of classic songs like Jordu, Sandu, and Clifford's definitive recording of Cherokee. He recorded it with drummer, Max Roach who was one of the great bepop/jazz drummers. Both were known for their fast tempos and virtuosic abilities on their instruments and compliment each other's styles. Clifford's playing is both virtuosic technically and elegant musically. As you learn more about Clifford and his solos, it seems that he was almost a "Mozart" of his time. The way he could intuitively connect chord changes and harmonies in his solos are uncanny. Not to mention his style and phrasing are out of this world. Definitely start with Study in Brown. There are many other great recordings out there too, considering that Clifford died young. One essential recording to every musicians library after Study in Brown, is Clifford with Strings. More on that in another post.

In Gabrieli's Day

2009-01-21T20:44:00.000-05:00

The recording
In Gabrieli's Day is a great compilation of lesser known brass music from the renaissance and early baroque period.

I'm definitely partial to this recording because I'm on almost half of it. I recorded about 7 tracks, which we did in one day. It was pretty grueling, but we were working with Judith Sherman who can really run a recording session. It was a great learning experience. and I think the album sounds really great.

Featured Student: Peter Johnson

2009-01-19T21:03:00.014-05:00

I'm fortunate to teach some great students right now. One of the hardest things to do is to start a beginning trumpet player and shape his or her abilities. Although I didn't start Peter on the trumpet, he was a beginner to reading music and playing the trumpet. Over the past three years, he has progressed quite nicely. We work out of the
Standard Of Excellence, Book 2 and the First Book of Practical Studies for Cornet and Trumpet.

We just finished a recording project that we wanted to share. Peter recorded both parts to a duet by Palestrina. We recorded it in Garage Band, using the built in mic on his laptop and did some simple mixing and EQing. Peter did a great job. Hope you enjoy.

Peter Johnson is 12 years old and lives in Bronx, New York. He has been playing the trumpet for 6 years. He attends Manhattan East, a gifted school for the arts. At he school, he is in both the concert band and the jazz band.

Mark Gould Cafe 1930 + Pink Baby Monster

2009-01-15T10:28:00.008-05:00

Mark Gould is one of the best teachers I've ever had. He is extremely creative and really got me to think "outside of the box." The way he thinks and talks about music is very unique and inspiring. But it's not all shock value, much of his music making is thought provoking and insightful.

If you are looking for beautiful trumpet playing, and relaxing music you need to check out Cafe 19 30. This is one of few trumpet albums that brass players can play and share with the rest of the world. It has mass appeal. The tunes are mostly jazz/latin arrangements of famous classical melodies. The arrangements are are fantastic and the mixing/mastering sound really great too. The album is a gem.

Mark Gould and Pink Baby Monster is coming from a very different perspective. It's got rap, hip hop, electro something... I guess this is album is the result of sitting in a pit for 29 years... But seriously, PBM is a mix of styles genres and influences. Brian McWhorter has really shaped the sound of this album and he's done a fantastic job. Keep this album away from small children!

Interview with Kyle Resnick

2009-01-08T14:47:00.005-05:00

I feel fortunate to get to work with great musicians in NYC on a regular basis. One of these great musicians is trumpeter, Kyle Resnick. Kyle has recently been working a lot with some prominent indie rock groups such as The National, Sufjan Stevens, The Clogs, My Brightest Diamond and others. He also plays with a lot of classical groups in town.

I had a chance to ask Kyle some questions about his recent ventures.

Josh: You've been working in NYC for over ten years. How has your career changed over this time period?

Kyle: The variety of styles and situations in which I regularly play has widened and as a result, I would say my career is more interesting. I have also been able to be more selective of the projects in which I participate, especially during busy times.

Josh: What has been your most rewarding moment or moments as a performer?

Kyle: Sufjan Stevens' BQE @ brooklyn academy of music

Josh: What are the biggest challenges for your playing while touring?

Kyle: When on tour, it is easy to get caught up in the daily rhythms of the road, which don't usually lend themselves to regular practicing. it is crucial to make time for a realistic and simple yet comprehensive routine which addresses elements of playing which may not be part of the music which is being performed on the tour (i.e. if the performance consists of mostly high and loud playing, the opposite must be practiced often in the routine.)

Josh: Thanks, Kyle.

Trumpet in Our Time

2009-01-07T22:31:00.003-05:00

Ray Mase's album, Trumpet in our time is an exceptional trumpet album. In my student days, this was one of my favorite recordings and listened to it countless times. The music is great, with a beautiful recording of the Kent Kennan Sonata, and is a good representation of trumpet repertoire of the 20th century. The great thing about the album is that it includes some standards like the Kennan, but also some less often heard works by David Sampson, Otto Ketting and Anthony Korf. The trumpet playing is not only first rate but shows how much nuance and color can come from a trumpet. This album certainly goes far beyond, "higher, faster, louder." I guess as a former student of Mase's, I'm a little biased but anyone who hasn't heard this album yet, I strongly recommend that they check it out.

Etude alternatives

2009-01-04T00:11:00.003-05:00

Another favorite etude book to work out of is the Twenty-four Melodic Exercises By Oscar Boehme. As you might have guessed, he wrote a study in every key. These studies are moderately difficult but are great material to work on basics. Since there isn't anything too extreme a player can work these up to a very high level. The goal is to take simple material and play it beautifully and flawlessly.

Gradually you want to add more difficult material to this category of your practicing. But Boehme is a great place to start.

Yo Yo Competition

2008-12-31T11:38:00.001-05:00

I put this together for the Yo Yo/ Indaba Competition. Looking forward to feedback.

Not Charlier

2008-12-30T18:11:00.000-05:00

So this is a continuation of trumpet books to work out of that are not Charlier. In summary, most students start on Charlier too early. So I'm recommending some alternatives that are more progressive. One book I really like is the 40 Studies By Wurm. This book is not as exciting as Charlier, but has a lot of great material. Most of the etudes in this book are a full page (12-14 lines) long.
It's a good idea to practice playing straight through them to develop endurance. But also spend some time working on passages that are giving you difficulty. Your weekly practice should balance these two ideas.

Tribute to Freddie

2008-12-30T17:54:00.000-05:00

Freddie Hubbard died today. He was one of the great jazz trumpet players. He could do things on the trumpet that most players could never dream of. His sound could be piercing and warm at the same time. Freddie was a great innovator, pushing the boundaries of jazz with a goal to create a new sound.

The New York Times obit is a nice tribute to him.

This youtube clip is one of my favorites. His flexibility and grace always baffles me.

charlier and other stuff

2008-12-29T11:45:00.000-05:00

One of the most popular trumpet etude books is the 36 Etudes Transcendantes. While there is a lot of great material in this book that cover a lot of trumpet technique, it seems to overshadow a lot of other useful books for the aspiring trumpet player. It often happens that young ambitious players start on this book too early before they can really work out of it. This can cause frustration, disappointment and even injury.

As some of my best teachers have told me, etudes are the middle ground between music making and technical study. So if the technical side is too advanced for the player, the etude won't serve its purpose.

When practicing etudes you should be gradually pushing your limits, not going for slam dunk quick fixes. We want to avoid teaching our body bad habits or make anything less than the best sound we can make. Also, we want to play these etudes with ease, great intonation and great rhythm.

So over the next few days, I'm going to review a few etude books that I think are good stepping stones to get toward the Charlier.

Kevin Cobb One

2008-12-23T10:52:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I keep writing about recordings these days... I guess I can't think of anything else right now. My brain feels depleted of trumpet knowledge. But anyway, it's better that you listen to good music than read about trumpet playing.

Anyway, I'm a big fan of Kevin Cobb's "One" album. He recorded a lot of very difficult solo/unaccompanied trumpet pieces and did it very well. The recording has a great sound to it. He made it in a great space, I think it's the hall at SUNY Purchase, with a great engineer. His interpretations are really creative and the trumpet playing is outstanding. Playing unaccompanied works is one of the most challenging things to do and Kevin makes it sound easy. I really like the piece by Meyer Kupferman.

The Sidewinder

2008-12-22T11:08:00.000-05:00

Lee Morgan is one of the great Jazz trumpet players. His playing has so much character, such a unique sound. He can get a lot of "dirt" in his sound and still make it sound beautiful. The album "The Sidewinder" is a classic. It has such great trumpet playing and really hip music. It's a must for any trumpet player's listening library, whether you are a classical or jazz player.

The Sidewinder (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition)

New York Trumpet Ensemble

2008-12-21T00:11:00.000-05:00

Some of my favorite trumpet recordings are put out by Gerry Schwarz. Some only know him as the music director of the Seattle Symphony, but before that he was a great trumpet player and had a really strong influence on the New York classical performing scene. He was the founder of many groups that are still active such as Mostly Mozart, and until a few years ago, New York Chamber Symphony. He started music festivals such as Waterloo and all kinds of stuff.
I have lots of respect for his career and the way he played the trumpet. His ability to ornament is in unbelievable. And his sound on the pic trpt is amazing. All trumpet players need to check out this recording. Especially if you are working on the Telemann Concerto. To me, this recording is the pinnacle of New York trumpet playing. I feel like I spend every day trying to sound as good as these guys.

Trumpet Music -The Sound of Trumpets

breathing exersises

2008-12-20T14:38:00.000-05:00

Something that's been really helpful to my playing has been using a DVD called the The Breathing Gym. It focuses on getting developing and training your breathing like it's a muscle. Sam Pilafian and Patrick Sheriden, excellent musicians, who are highly respected in the brass field put this together in a really fun and informative way. There is also a Breathing Gym book. I find the DVD most helpful though. I took the Breathing Gym DVD on tour with me this summer and found it really helpful to keep good breathing habits especially with a lot of travel, when it's easy for your body to tighten up.

For trumpet players, I think we use our air differently than low brass players and I wouldn't encourage players to use this DVD as a literal way to play, I think it's good for some basic air flow work. They definitely present the material in a fun way which is great for younger students. I would add this to any band department's DVD collection.

Clint Eastwood

2008-12-19T23:37:00.000-05:00

"If I'd had good discipline, I might have gone into music." -Clint Eastwood

1st trial for online lessons

2008-12-18T14:59:00.000-05:00

So I worked with one of my students through Skype for the first time. It went pretty well but we had a few technical difficulties. The session got dropped several times, which broke up the pace of the lesson.

I did notice that he was very engaged in the lesson and possibly more so because of the "fun" technology aspect. I think this is an interesting way to teach and we still had a good connection and good communication. I think this will continue to develop as broadband access improves and as the video chat services get better.

Mutes

2008-12-15T18:07:00.000-05:00

There are three basic kinds of mutes that all trumpet players need. Straight mute, Cup mute, and Harmon Mute. Each kind of mute changes the timbre of the sound in a unique way. There are plenty of variations and different kinds of brands but these are the basics to get started with. For a straight mute, I'd recommend:

This Alessi/Vacchiano mute is a classic. I bought this when I first started playing. I use it all the time even though I have many other brands of straight mutes. The straight mute is probably most often used in symphonic orchestra or band settings.

For Cup Mute, I'd recommend:

Humes & Berg is another classic. There are lots of fancy products out there but for some reason this one is the industry standard. It's not as durable as a metal mute so you have to be careful with it. This one is used for more jazzy things. It's a must if you are doing some playing with a jazz group.

or

The Denis Wick model is a great cup mute for more orchestral settings. I would recommend it to more advanced players to add to their collection after they get a more basic mute, like the Humes & Berg.

and for Harmon I'd recommend:

The "bubble" mute is great. I see lots of players using it around town in NYC. It's got a great sound and the pitch is more consistent than most mutes. You'll still have to pull out your tuning slide cause it will be a bit sharp. This is a cool one because with the stem in, it sounds like the teacher from Charlie Brown and with the stem out it sounds like Miles Davis.

also this guy looks pretty good for Harmon (sometimes called "wa wa mute")

This is just another brand of harmon. I think it's pretty solid though. I see less people using this one than the bubble Jo-Ral mute.

For beginning/intermediate trumpet students, they can build their mute collection slowly, no need to buy them all at once. Unless they need something for a particular piece. But better to be prepared than to scramble at the last minute to find what they need. I am usually very guilty of this. As you develop as a player, it's a good idea to get many different mutes of different shapes and materials.

Recordings + Yo Yo Ma

2008-12-15T11:28:00.000-05:00

Listening to as much music as possible is so important to developing musicians. Well, for all musicians, young, old, amateur and professional alike. There are lots of great brass recordings out there these days, but I think it's really important to listen to all styles and all kinds of performers. I try to be open to listening to everything.

One listening skill I learned about from some string colleagues at Juilliard is to be able to listen critically. One evening I was fortunate to be invited to dinner with Yo Yo Ma by some friends who had recently done some performing with him. He talked about how before performing the Ravel Trio, he listened to ten different recordings of it and evaluated them based on two basic criteria, what was the artists intention and did they achieve it? So in other words, it's not about "do I like the way this person plays?" but does the recording represent what the artist set out to do.

Since then I've tried to approach my own performance and recording projects this way. But it's a very cool concept and can change the way you listen.

Etude Books

2008-12-13T14:14:00.000-05:00

One of the hardest things about studying music seriously, is not the 1 hour a week we spend with our teacher, but every other day that we have to practice by ourselves. In team sports, participants practice and train as a team, but training as a musician is often a solitary experience. Our teachers often function as athletic coaches in the sense that they guide us, encourage and point us in the right direction. But after the lesson over and especially after school is over, how do we practice? What do we practice, how do we maintain our playing, continue to improve and when we get into a rut, how do we get out of it?

I think awareness is the name of the game, as well as being able to learn and gather information, try it out to see if it works. It's simple, if it works, keep doing it, if it doesn't, throw it away. Obviously we are all built very differently so different things are going to work for different people, but the true skill is in being able to sort through all of that stuff to find out what works for you. If you do a lot of James Stamp warmups, great! If you need to do some Earl Irons Lip Slurs great! Or you need some soft Clarke Technical Studies to get your chops focused, do it. But the point is to try these things to figure out what works for you.

Here is a list of some etude books that I recommend for young players:

Etudes:

40 Studies (VOISIN) By Wilhelm Wurm.

Twenty-four Melodic Exercises, Op. 20 By O. Boehme. For Trumpet.

34 Studies (On Orchestral Motives) By Vassily Brandt. Edited by Robert Nagel. For Trumpet.

Practical Studies for the Trumpet By Edwin Franko Goldman.

The Complete Solfeggi for Trumpet By Giuseppe Concone, edited by Korak. Instructional book for Trumpet.

One Hundred Studies for Trumpet Trumpet Method. By Ernst Sachse.

These are just a few books off of the top of my head that have good basic/fundamental material. The easiest way to improve is to take material that isn't too extreme in difficulty but is gradually pushing certain limits of the player. For example if you can tongue the goldman 1st study at quarter note equals 80, try to work it up to 85 for the next week. Trumpet players tend to obsess over "higher, faster, louder," but when working on this material, I would focus on the basic three: sound, rhythm and intonation. I also work out of all of these books for clarity of articulation, ease and control.

Concert Band in Okinawa

2008-12-12T10:30:00.000-05:00

Recently, I've been reading Thomas Friedman's, The World Is Flat and I started thinking about an experience I had this summer. I was touring Japan with the New York Symphonic Ensemble for the second summer and we did a concert in Okinawa at the city center in Naha. Every year before the concert we work with two local school bands which is broadcast by a local TV network.

I am always so impressed by how great the groups are. The ensembles are extremely disciplined, no-one talks during rehearsal except for the conductor and I could tell that they took a lot of pride in what they did. The ensembles were tight, they played together very well with good rhythm and intonation. My collegues were so awe struck by how well the group played that we had to talk about phrasing and musical gestures, in order to have anything to say during the masterclass (on TV).

This experience made me think of the band experience in the US and how often these kinds of details are taken for granted. I've only really seen a band with this much discipline at the college level, when I visited and taught masterclasses at the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP), which also has a strong band program.

Back to the Flat World though, I remember as a student, feeling the pressure of competition from players from the neighboring county for all state or regional orchestras. Now we have access to peak into band programs and players from all over the world, so aren't we competing globally, just like every other industry? It's an exciting concept, and could do great things for the music community at large, after all isn't music the universal language? But I just hope that we all get a chance to see actually how high the global standard actually is, not just in math and science but in music too. The sense I got in Okinawa was not just that these students were trying really hard but that there was a community behind them that supported their experience.

Arban's

2008-12-10T22:08:00.000-05:00

Arban's Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet

For any serious aspiring trumpet player the Arban's book is essential for your library. Some call it the bible for trumpet players because it has everything you need to be a successful trumpet player (well almost...) I find that in my own practicing I keep coming back to many of the exercises. Since I'm primarily a classical trumpet player I spend a lot of time on p. 28-31 for working on getting a clean orchestral sounding articulation. This section can be practiced with varied dynamics and in different keys and on both b flat and c trumpets. Also I know Michael Sachs' book, Daily Fundamentals has a few of these exercises transcribed down the octave. All good stuff.

Once you get familiar with the book, I occasionally have practice sessions (usually when I have less strenuous performing weeks) where I'll try to hit a few exercises in each main section of the book, such as lip slurs, various articulation exercises, some arpeggio exercises and maybe a characteristic study. My teacher, Ray Mase, would refer to this as maintenance sessions. In other words, you want to make sure you can still do what you could do yesterday on the horn. When I'm practicing with this in mind, I won't spend too much time in any given section.

When I have these kinds of practice sessions, the key is to rest often and try to keep the session from 30 to 45 minutes. Sometimes I'll put on an egg timer or stopwatch. Rest is so important to productive practice habits. This is often overlooked with younger players. I also really like some of the songs in the back of Arban's for working on phrasing and musicality. L'Elisir d'Amore
is a great tune! Of course it's not like the real opera, but I like to think of these studies, more the way cornet soloists would play them and less like a powerhouse opera singer.

trumpet online lessons

2008-12-09T22:16:00.000-05:00

Trumpet Online Lessons is about connecting with students who want to play trumpet at a high level. Using Video chat services (Skype) and hi speed internet, we can connect easily to all parts of the world and I'd like to use it to work with aspiring trumpet players.
Recently, I've been doing some guest teaching at Juilliard Pre-College for Kevin Cobb and Jim Hamlin and I've noticed that many students have questions about audition prep and which schools they should apply to. There are many great options now and it can be daunting when students have to prepare for these things. I'm in touch with the needs of aspiring students and can also share my experiences from when I was a student and some of my post school career experiences.
As an active freelance performer in NYC, my schedule varies , but I'd be happy to connect with students using video chat for online lessons. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
If you are interested in getting one or many lessons, email me at
lessons@joshfrankmusic.com