I put together a new tool to help people play simple songs by ear. The tool is basically a randomizer for song names and starting notes.
It's nothing fancy, but I think it's useful.
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An aspiring jazz trumpet player's blog about jazz improvisation and ear training.
I put together a new tool to help people play simple songs by ear. The tool is basically a randomizer for song names and starting notes.
It's nothing fancy, but I think it's useful.
Check out Q1/04 for the introduction and first recordings. The introduction is important to understand why I'm doing these exercises in the first place. Also, you might want to listen to Q2.
Just a couple short clips to show my progress with the double-tongued Clarke study and the introduction of double-tongued arpeggios.
iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Double-tongued, with a smoothed 'duh-guh' attack.
I'm getting pretty good with my smoothed double-tonguing in the lower range of the trumpet. As I climb higher in range, things start to breakdown. In the clip above, the first example begins on C below the staff; the second example begins on a G in the staff. The difference is pretty clear. Obviously, my goal is to keep the articulation smooth in all registers.
iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Double-tongued minor 7th arpeggios
I started working on double-tongued arpeggios about a month ago. This type of exercise should strengthen my ability to double tongue over intervals while improving my ability to outline chords in all keys. The example above outlines minor 7th arpeggios, however I also practice major 7th, half-diminished, and diminished arpeggios in the same manner.
All of my anniversary articles: 2 years - 3 years - 4 years - 5 years - 6 years - 7 years - 9 years - 10 years - 11 years - 12 years - 13 years - 15 years
It's been about two years now since my comeback. I thought this would be a good time to comment on my progress and playing experience thus far.
I've worked on a few new methods during the past year or so, including the Balanced Embouchure and Caruso's Musical Calisthenics For Brass (I continue to practice both of these methods daily). I haven't seen any dramatic results, however I have become a lot more conscious of my embouchure, especially the use of excessive pressure. Now, when I feel like I'm pushing too hard, I'm quicker to make corrections and/or rest.
I'm still most comfortable below an E at the top of the staff. During my morning warm-ups and exercises, I can play a few C's above the staff with little pressure, but I only have a few of these in me each day. After that, I have to use excessive pressure to play anything above the staff. So, yeah, my range is (still) lousy.
I've been working daily with the Flexus book for a few months, primarily the slurring exercises. I've also been working on my single and double-tonguing speed on Clark studies. While working on my technique, I take extra care to make sure I'm not falling into the old habit of excessive pressure. My progress is gradual, and I still crack/miss several notes, but at least I'm trying to use a more comfortable embouchure setting than I've used in the past.
It's been about nine months now since I've added ear training into my daily practice routine. My ear has really opened up during this period, and it's getting noticeably stronger all the time. Pitches, intervals, and chord changes... everything is becoming easier to identify and play.
I'm really surprised at how well I've been doing since adding random melody playback to my routine. While listening to jazz recordings, I'll hear a short phrase and the notes will jump out at me. If I pick up my horn, I'll surprise myself by playing the notes perfectly, without previously knowing the key or the starting note. This doesn't happen all the time, but the experience is becoming more common.
I believe that my development as an improviser is largely dependent upon my progress with ear training and overall technique. Ear training will tell me the notes to play (i.e. the ability to play what I hear), and a solid technique will give me the chops I need to actually play those notes. Fortunately, at the present time, I don't hear myself playing a lot of notes above the staff.
There are other things that I've done to work on improvisation, including note limiting and freeform improvisation exercises. I haven't spent enough time on these things (yet), so I'm not quite sure how much they've helped my playing.
In general, I do feel more confident about my improvisation. I'm proud of some recent recordings, particularly My Funny Valentine and the two Granted clips, but I still hear a lot of room for improvement. Currently, I'm only able to play about 30% of my ideas (maybe not even that high of a percentage). I think ear training will be the key to strengthening that number.
As I've already written in my comeback journal entry, the first six months of my comeback were basically wasted on old habits... so if I discard that period, it's only been a year and a half since I've been (hopefully) doing things right. With that in mind, I suppose I have done quite well in a relatively short period of time.
Most importantly, I feel like I'm finally beginning to make music. For the first time, I feel like my improvisation is representative of what I want to play (not all the time, but sometimes!). Going forward, my primary goal is to tighten the gap between what I want to play and what I'm able to play.
I went ahead and purchased a new Jupiter 846RL flugelhorn. I've had it now for two days. Check out my updated equipment page for pictures and more information.
I recall reading/hearing that some people find cornets to be easier to play, in part because the bell is closer and you can hear yourself more clearly. I never gave it much thought, though, until now. My flugelhorn is only a few inches shorter than my trumpet, but perhaps due to the larger bell, I feel more connected to the sound. My playing seems more centered and precise.
This precision was most noticeable in a jam session I had tonight, with Chuck Mangione; or more precisely, with his recording of "Feels So Good" (oh come on… I bet you did the same thing when you got your first flugelhorn!).
I've never tried playing along to the recording, but when I put it on tonight, I was really close in accuracy. I even managed to punch out some of the higher notes (no, not the high D). And you know what? It felt so good... ;-)
Update: If you're considering this horn, you may want to read Flugelhorn - gone for repairs and Flugelhorn - it's back!.
Updated 12/5/05: It's gone...
If you've been following along with my trumpet trial (pt1, pt2), you can probably already guess the result: I'm sticking with my Bach.
The primary reason for staying with my Bach is the fact that none of these new horns really stood out me. None of them made me say "wow, this sounds great!" Instead I kept thinking to myself how comfortable I am with my Bach. I know I'd get used to these other horns over time, but none of them made that challenge worthwhile.
I'd like to thank everyone for the helpful comments. It was great to hear from some old and new visitors!
The final horn in my trumpet trial arrived yesterday. Following are first impressions and a recording:
As you may be able to tell from the picture above, this is the "rose brass" model. It's a nice looking horn, but without sufficient lighting it can be a bit hard to tell the difference between the regular brass and the rose brass bell color.
Like the Getzen, this horn will take some getting used to due to its physical characteristics. The ring on the first valve slide interferes with my normal grip. If I do end up with this horn, I'll have to have it removed. Also, since the valves are nearly flush with the casing when depressed, it's difficult for me to play flat fingered --something which I do fairly often. I know... it's a bad habit!
The valves started out VERY stiff, even worse than the Getzen. After a lot of oil and movement, they have improved a little. They're still stiff enough that I have to pound them down while playing fast passages, causing undesired horn movement. I do have hope, though, that they will get better during the next week. The Getzen valves, for instance, have already begun to loosen up nicely.
For your convenience, all recordings are listed below. The Conn recording is the only new one...
iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Conn Vintage One (1BR)
iwasdoingallright - audio clip - My current Bach trumpet
iwasdoingallright - audio clip - New Getzen Eterna 900S
iwasdoingallright - audio clip - New Yamaha Xeno 8335
I ordered these trumpets from music123.com. They have a 45-day return policy, so hopefully that will give me plenty of time to decide which, if either of these two, will become my new trumpet. I'm not even sure that I'll buy a new trumpet, but since my horn is pretty beaten up (slow valves, dents, airy sound -leaks?), and since I've never played another quality horn, I figured it was worth trying something new.
I've only had the horns for 2 full days, and I'm learning that this isn't nearly long enough to make a qualified decision (my mind changes each time I play). So, this post simply details my first impressions of these two horns.
When I first picked up this horn, it felt small. As soon as I tried my normal trumpet grip, the reason was obvious. The bell is about 1/4" lower on this horn than on my Bach. As a result, the space between the 3rd valve slide and the bell is smaller. It's big enough to accommodate my normal grip, but my fingers feel a bit cramped.
I recall reading that Getzen valves are supposed to be really good. Unfortunately, the valves on this horn are sluggish and tight feeling. It's kind of hard to press down. Well, not truly *hard*, but it definitely takes more pressure than both my Bach and the new Yamaha. Even after a lot of oiling, I have to say the valves are disappointing... They are reason enough for me not to consider this horn. Hopefully, they'll improve over the next week or two.
In contrast to the Getzen, the Yamaha's valves are pretty speedy. After a single oiling, they moved nicely.
The Getzen wins out, however, in the spit valve category. The spit valves (are they Amado's?) on the Getzen are awesome. I remember seeing this type of spit valve for the first time while in high school several (13) years ago. I went to school near Lawler's old workshop in Florida and a few of the students had Lawler modify their Bachs with these spit valves. Honestly, I don't understand why anyone uses the old-fashioned style spit valves anymore...
Update 3/25/04: The final trumpet of my trumpet trial arrived. Click here to read about the Conn Vintage One.
Update 10/17/05: My flugelhorn also has the amado-style spit valves. I now know that unless oiled/moved regularly, they can get stuck in the open position. So, I suppose the requirement of having to oil your spit valves might be reason enough to favor the old-fashioned variety.
I recorded a few bars from a Chet Baker solo on each horn to compare the tones. I don't want to influence your opinion, so these clips are comment-free.
iwasdoingallright - audio clip - My current Bach trumpet
iwasdoingallright - audio clip - New Getzen Eterna 900S
iwasdoingallright - audio clip - New Yamaha Xeno 8335
I almost forgot. There's actually one more horn on the way... a Conn Vintage One. Stay tuned!