BTB Practice Journals

Notes from my own practice journals. including things I’ve tried, what worked and what didn’t. Here’s where you’ll also find plenty of perspective on the struggles and frustrations we all face as trumpet players.

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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Trumpet Year in Review: What Worked (And What Didn’t) in 2017

April 10, 2021 / Leave a Comment / BTB Practice Journals, Ear-Training, Improvisation, Practice Journal Ideas / By

Here we find ourselves again; another year down, one step closer to the grave.

Let’s put some pep in that step with the annual, “BTB Year in Review!”

Here’s what worked (and what didn’t) in 2017: …

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Setting up a Badass Practice Manual / Practice Log / Journal

April 6, 2021 / 7 Comments / BTB Practice Journals, Comeback Goodies, Practice Journal Ideas / By

What you are about to feast your eyes on was originally the first lesson from BTB’s upcoming course for comeback trumpet players, The Ultimate Comeback Kit.

The idea was to organize practice notes, insights and questions in one location, as well as offer a place for the comeback player to journal about their journeys as they returned to trumpet greatness.

Despite the insanely practical and awesome benefits of staying organized in this way, the BETA testers for Comeback Kit had a surprising reaction.

They griped, moaned and groaned like a bunch of babies!

And so, the journal was cut from the Comeback Kit.

…babies…

But their loss is your gain! Take a peak and see if there’s something you’d like to add to your own practice system. If you decide you’d like to set up a practice journal like the one described, you’ll need a notebook.

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To Embouchure Hell and Back: One Trumpeter’s Experience with Pops McLaughlin’s 10-Week Pencil Exercise eBook, “Chops Builder.”

April 6, 2021 / 15 Comments / BTB Practice Journals, Random Nonsense / By

If you are interested in trying Pops’ pencil exercise program for yourself, be sure to read the full article. As I progressed, along with tracking the specifics of what and when I did each “workout,” I also logged and vented mainly the negative consequences of adding the exercise to my normal playing schedule. Skimming this article may give you the wrong idea. 

What you spend your time on is up to you. When it comes to the pencil exercise; not all people need to do it, not all people want to do it, and some people think it’s complete and total bullshit. That’s fine. My experience with isometrics is that while there can be a definite, initial downside, in the long-term, supplemental isometrics continue to be have a positive effect on my embouchure and trumpet playing.

One more thing. This article is really long. Too long. Way too long. So If you’re not seriously curious about some dude’s rationale, training experience and the horrible, horrible mistakes he made working the muscles of his mouth with a pencil, just move along.

Along with the whys, whats and future plans, I’ve also included some suggestions at the end of the article for how you might work isometrics into your routine if you feel like.

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To Embouchure Hell and Back: One Trumpeter’s Experience with Pops McLaughlin’s 10-Week Pencil Exercise eBook, “Chops Builder.”Read More »

Mistakes I’ve Made and What Really Worked in 2015

March 31, 2021 / Leave a Comment / BTB Practice Journals / By

red jazz hat

(Was this hat a mistake? You decide)

Hello friends of BTB,

Happy New Year to you, and congratulations on another year successfully completed. I hope it was a good one, and this next even better.

As per tradition, here’s the 2nd annual BTB Year in Review.

Feel free to learn from my mistakes. …

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