I am beginning to see the value in words spoken to me about a year ago by a pro player. He told me to focus on learning the trumpet FIRST before pursuing jazz. My goal to play jazz is currently being hindered by my lack of abilities on the trumpet. By my range being limited, I can't do many of the drills that I read about because instead of focusing on the object of the drill in a jazz sense because I'm still focused on just getting the notes out in a trumpet sense. It totally defeats the purpose.

On trumpet bulletin boards and web sites you hear of players who desire additional range. In most cases it appears that this additional range is need to peel the paint off the walls on a lead sheet. I only want range that will allow me to do many of my jazz drills without being concerned every time the notes start to leave the safety of the staff. Patience. I won't even count the number of times I've mentioned my lack of range on this website. You can bet money that this will not be the last time. The good news is the Caruso exercises seem to be helping me a great deal. Some of the changes are very subtle but I definitely notice them. I'm going to stick with it and see where it takes me.

The Cubasis software that I purchased is really holding me back from posting recordings to the site. It requires a more power soundcard than I have and everything has a serious lag on it when I record and play back. I am going to have to upgrade the card OR go back to my old software. Still, I managed to post a recording of the song “Sing Soweto” using the standard Windows sound recorder. Not as clean as I would like it but it's something. If you recall, I mentioned trying to record this wonderful song by Terence Blanchard a few weeks ago. Check it out…