Howdy trumpet-folks,
I hope everyone is staying safe, healthy and making the most of a world with no gigs. With summer starting…tomorrow, I figure it’s about time to release BTB’s RoutineTracker for the Spring of 2020. Inside you’ll find all the usual stuff along with a couple of fun videos.
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Winter 2020
Hey trumpet-lovers,
With Spring right around the corner, here’s BTB’s latest RoutineTracker. Inside you’ll find what’s been up, along with plenty of food-for-thought in the practice room. As with many of BTB’s articles, this one is choc-full of stupid mistakes by yours truly.
The Dumbest Shit I Keep Doing …
Feelin’ The Burn This Winter (RoutineTracker: Winter 2020)Read More »
One of the great jazz artists to ever blow the trumpet, the infamous Tom Harrell, crushing the blues in all 12 keys here with Jamey Aebersold. Feel free to be inspired. … This Is How You Play The Blues (Tom Harrell / Blues in 12 Keys)Read More »
It’s that time of year again, folks. Time to head back through the practice journals for BTB’s annual ‘Trumpet Year-In-Review’. Inside you’ll find what worked, what didn’t and some general tips for time in the shed.
But before we get into that, here’s a little poem about trumpet playing:
It ebbs and flows,
It goes and goes.
Why do we do it?
Nobody knows!
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Hey fellow trumpet-folk,
Everybody knows that you actually have to practice to get better at the trumpet. But, if you’re not already in the habit of practicing every day, it can be a tough thing to start. Therefore, this article outlines an easy, solid plan that basically guarantees you’ll be able to do it.
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How To Practice The Trumpet For One Hour, Every DayRead More »
Hope everyone is doing well this fall. With the changing of the seasons comes, you guessed it, BTB’s latest RoutineTracker.
Here’s what’s inside:
Enjoy! …
As a trumpet player, getting braces on – and later having them removed – can be a major challenge to overcome. Not only are the braces themselves physically uncomfortable, you also have to basically retrain your playing embouchure and technique from what seems like the ground up. As you can imagine, this harsh and sudden drop in playing ability makes getting braces a tough time for many trumpet players.
Because of these challenges – and the general confusion surrounding any sudden embouchure change – this article is meant to help trumpet players get through what may otherwise be a very sucky time. We will cover what you can expect braces to do to your playing, ways to remedy the initial discomfort of playing with braces and then outline a path in the practice room that ultimately makes you a much stronger player.
Please enjoy the read and when you’re done, be sure to share your experience playing with braces in the comment section below. …
Hey everybody,
Here’s what’s inside BTB’s ‘RoutineTracker’ for the summer of 2019:
Plus!
You don’t want to miss this one. …
(Embouchure Change, Day 1)
Many BTB readers are trumpet players embarking on the path of finally getting their playing in order. Sometimes, this is after a long string of consistent practicing and performing, and other times it’s a comeback after many years of not playing at all.
Either way, most of us understand that after that initial burst of motivation there comes the realization of the sheer amount of work it takes to make seemingly small amounts of progress. That, coupled with fact that it can be difficult to know what we even need to practice in the first place, it’s easy to get bummed out and off track. …
The Embouchure Change Chronicles: Part 1 (Days 1 – 52)Read More »
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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New FreeTB E-Mail Series: The Annals of BTB! (Wait, What?)Read More »