James Blackwell

James Blackwell is a GRAMMY award winning trumpeter. He believes playing should be fun, rewarding, and musical—and is passionate about helping players worldwide.

New FreeTB E-Mail Series: The Annals of BTB! (Wait, What?)

April 9, 2021 / Leave a Comment / BTB Practice Journals, Random Nonsense / By

Hello fellow trumpeter and BTB reader,

As you may be aware, BTB releases an annual “Year-In-Review” post to start each new year. The Year-In-Review is a big-picture account of what paid off in the practice room the previous year – as well as what didn’t.

Since these posts are basically an outline of the best things I’ve learned through trial-and-error, you may find some motivation in them for your own trumpet practice. And having the past five years worth of reviews sent directly to your inbox is a pretty convenient way to digest the info.

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RoutineTracker: Spring 2019

April 9, 2021 / 7 Comments / BTB Practice Journals / By

(Springtime at BTB)

Hello esteemed BTB reader,

From time to time I receive emails from trumpet players wanting to know what a typical practice day looks like. You know, what to work on, length of practice sessions, how many sessions…that kind of thing.

Since people seem interested, BTB’s “RoutineTracker” is where you’ll find what I’m working on and how I’m working on it. Of course, I’m just some guy, and what I practice is not particularly important. Still,  you may enjoy cross-referencing your own routine against another trumpet players.

Here’s “RoutineTracker: Spring 2019.” …

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New FreeTB Course, “Five Videos To A Stronger Trumpet Embouchure” Now Available!

April 10, 2021 / Leave a Comment / Playing Tips / Videos, Random Nonsense / By

(Maybe I had a little too much fun with these “stickers”…nah)

Well BTB readers, the title pretty much says it all on this one. Let’s bring in the new year with a fresh FreeTB Course!

Here are the details of BTB’s latest addition, “Five Videos To A Stronger Trumpet Embouchure.”

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New FreeTB Course, “Five Videos To A Stronger Trumpet Embouchure” Now Available!Read More »

The Brian Setzer Orchestra is Back on the Road! (Plus, Some Killer Trumpet Interviews)

April 10, 2021 / 2 Comments / Random Nonsense / By

Hey everyone,

Here’s a brief look at what’s been happening this month. It’s a quick one covering a recent playing trouble, a small and very powerful goal accomplished on the road this year and maybe some motivation for you to move forward with your playing. If you don’t care about that stuff, you still might want to scroll to the bottom of the article. There are some links to a couple fun and inspiring trumpet interviews I recently watched on YouTube…late at night in my hotel room.

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This Took Me Seven Years – You Can Do It in Half That Time (And It’ll Be Worth It!)

April 10, 2021 / Leave a Comment / BTB Practice Journals, Random Nonsense / By

If you are reading this, it’s likely you’ve read some of BTB’s other blog posts. You must have, right? There’s no effing way Google sent you here otherwise.

Anyways, I recently had sort of a revelation about playing, and in particular my own journey with this demon hell-pipe while skimming through a copy of Roy Stevens’, “Embouchure Self-Analysis.”

Before reading the book, the only thing I knew about the Stevens-Costello approach to embouchure development was that the players who master the techniques can rest the trumpet on the palm of their hand and rip up to loud-as-shit double and even triple C’s!

Roy goes on to explain how setting the embouchure in a particular way with regards to the teeth and lip placement promotes healthy development of the embouchure muscles. This ultimately leading to consistent, day-to-day ease of playing and extraordinary range.

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September 2018: Routine Updates and Exercises

April 10, 2021 / Leave a Comment / BTB Practice Journals / By

Hey everybody!

Here’s a quick update on the evolution of one goof-ball’s practice routine.

September has been spent focusing on four main areas:

  1. 192-Scales (Melody/Harmony)
  2. Ballads
  3. Range Building
  4. Mouth Workouts

Take a read, you might find something helpful, entertaining, or at least completely idiotic and laughable. In either case – you come out a winner!

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Can Perfect Pitch Be Learned? If So, This Might Do the Trick!

April 7, 2021 / 7 Comments / Ear-Training / By

The purpose of this article is to begin flushing out, with an open mind, the possibility of learning perfect pitch as an adult. We’ll cover what perfect pitch is in a familiar way, then think through a logical, valid approach for how one may develop this awareness if they are so motivated.

The ear-training method covered here comes from Dr. Donald Reinhardt’s “Encyclopedia of the Pivot System.” The thinking supporting the possibility that Reinhardt’s method may legitimately lead to learning perfect pitch was inspired by Gerald Weinberg’s “An Introduction to General Systems Thinking.”

Pretty exciting stuff1.

Doc’s “Encyclopedia of the Pivot System” starts out the section on ear training with a question:

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The Banana Principle and Trumpet Playing

April 10, 2021 / Leave a Comment / Playing Tips / Videos, Random Nonsense / By

A young boy comes home from school. While talking with his mother, he exclaims, “Today we learned how to spell ‘banana,’ but we didn’t learn when to stop.”

The “Banana Principle,” (get it? banananananana…hahaha) or knowing when it’s time to stop is one of the not-so-obvious challenges of trumpet playing. You know that pushing your embouchure too far makes playing a drag. And when playing is a drag, we can easily turn into huge grumpopotamuses. Therefore, this article flushes out how the Banana Principle might look in your daily routine, then gives practical solutions for creating guidelines in practice.

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