Retro BTB contains the articles I wrote when first creating this site. They were written – somewhat poorly, I might add – before I knew about embouchure mechanics and the physics of trumpet playing. Think of them as more generalized food for thought and question everything.
This discussion of a wet vs. dry embouchure is something many players never have to deal with. However, I still think it’s worth mentioning due to the fact that it’s something myself and others I have had to work through.
Dry Brass Embouchure
The basic idea of playing on a dry embouchure is that …
So how fast should you practice?
We’ve all heard that we should only practice things at the speeds which we can play them perfectly and gradually increase tempo. This is solid advice which all too often goes ignored. Players with amazing technical proficiencies such as Rafeal Mendez suggest …
What’s the glue that holds it all together?
What are we really working on every time we practice our musical instruments?
Why is it that having great chops at home does not necessarily relate to the gig?
How come things don’t feel right when I sight read?
Why can’t I play high when I improvise?
Or (and here’s a good one), how come my chops feel like shit when I play jazz?!?!
The answer my friends is …
I do not claim to be the owner of the above abs. Let’s talk about core support. Or what people mean when they say playing with “support.”
Why support from the core? Well, when we learn to do this we …
