“ It’s not very often that I am willing to recommend a trumpet method book because so many of them that I have perused over the decades are either bordering on confusing, or are somewhat arrogant, and are almost always just a re-hash of the old warhorse texts from Arban, Clarke, Irons, Maggio, etc. In addition, I have always felt that there needs to be more encouragement for each and every player to “find himself” through the learning process.
James Blackwell’s book impressed me because of his way of explaining the mechanics of playing in a way that can be easily grasped by ANY age group. And his approach to how to practice is full of excellent suggestions to avoid wasting valuable time in growth as a player. BUT, I really loved that he concentrated so prominently on ear training. I have observed a long time ago that THIS is the weakest aspect of musical education and is the dominant culprit in causing such a high degree of failures and dropouts. I have a lot of faith in the potential effectiveness of this new book. Finally, some sensibility for us all. “
-Jazz and lead trumpet legend, Bobby Shew
“A great resource for a common sense approach.”
“Your book has more good advice in it than any I have, and I’ve read dozens and dozens. Anyone should benefit from it. Great job.”
“…man I love your book and am going to start suggesting to my college kids especially that they buy it. Really great information and explained so well…well done, my man!”
“I am so glad I purchased your book. I believe the concepts are great and attainable in the long haul. I especially like chapters 2 and 3 and would like to become an efficient player. I know it’s going to take time. My mind is set and I am going for it with patience.”
“It’s exciting to learn that stretching your potential takes little more than common-sense effort once you understand the playing mechanism.”
“So much good stuff to ponder. Very clear, concise and, most importantly, logical and helpful. I’ll be trying many of your suggestions and, undoubtedly, re-reading the book again and again.”
Anonymous –
A great job! So much good stuff to ponder.
Very clear, concise and, most importantly, logical and helpful. I’ll be trying many of your suggestions and, undoubtedly, re-reading the book again and again. In any event, a wonderful job, thanks so much.
Anthony M. –
I am so glad I purchased your book. I believe the concepts are great and attainable in the long haul. I want to try to incorporate them into my playing and so I refer to it often.
… plays in one of the bands I play in and he told me about your book. I especially like chapters 2 and 3 and would like to become an efficient player. I know it’s going to take time. My mind is set and I am going for it with patience. Thanks James and I wish you the best on any revisions and do look forward to them.
James W. –
… there are a lot of gems in this book. I have some education about education and how the mind actually learns, and your book and blog seem to hit on a lot of these premises (learning is automatic and unconscious, approach from different angles, don’t work past fatigue, forgive past mistakes, etc..), so I thought I could get some good out of it. And it seems to have helped my mental approach to playing.
Micah B. –
…man I love your book and am going to start suggesting to my college kids especially that they buy it. Really great information and explained so well…well done, my man!
John W. –
James Blackwell helped me finally understand the oft-repeated phrase ‘Trumpet is 90% mental’. His insightful eBook is full of invaluable perspective from a successful working pro. In it, he shares how a player’s psychological approach not only to the horn, but music in general dictates end results. The ‘big picture’ he preaches focuses on developing a sensible approach that works well for you while practicing whatever you want to play in a focused, disciplined manner. This can only happen by paying careful attention to what your body and results on the horn communicate, then thoughtfully adjusting course for even better results.
In a world full of self-appointed ‘my way or the highway’ experts, it’s incredibly refreshing to hear a true insider’s view of what it takes to develop into an advancing player – complete with candid discussion of the occasional setbacks we all experience. It’s even more exciting to learn that stretching your potential takes little more than common-sense effort once you understand the playing mechanism takes all instruction from the mind.
Captain Q. –
Down to earth and realistic, does not sugar coat the challenges of improving on the horn at any level. I really appreciate his emphasis on practicing in all 12 keys. Highly recommend this book. James Blackwell is a needed, fresh voice.
Jason L. –
I’m been a professional trumpet player for 15 years. I’ve bought and used just about every music/method/trumpet book available and while some of them are great a lot of them are either not great or just confusing. Concepts for the Advancing Trumpeter not only gives you practical ways to improve, it also MOTIVATES you to practice by breaking down seemingly complex skills into step-by-step goals. You understand why you are practicing instead of just mindlessly repeating what some book says to do. Even though I’m a professional, I would recommend it to ALL age and ability levels.
Phil L. –
I signed up for James Blackwells free newsletter series after reading some articles on his website. I liked his style of writing and his concepts and his philosophies spoke to me. After reading more I was eager to buy his book.
So I’m a guy that plays lead in a small town big band. We play for gas money and food. We have added more challenging charts as time goes on and my previous routine of a busy life and not practicing save for the weekly rehearsal wasn’t cutting it anymore. Chapter one of this book adressed my immediate need to increase my endurance and play more efficiently. I was able to focus on playing relaxed . I picked one aspect of playing and worked on it a little bit on a daily basis. It’s like magic. I was shocked by the results. I breezed through a grueling rehearsal after a three week layoff, and was ready to play more. I’m feeling super confident about the upcoming gig.
James lays things out in an easy to understand manner. I’m eager to employ more concepts from his book. If you want to learn to play efficiently and get the most out of what you are already doing I recommend checking it out.