I had swing band rehearsal this past Thursday and as usual I enjoyed my self immensely. I still feel very fortunately to be able to play with these guys and I always learn something. I still find that I do well on the slow and medium tempo stuff. The cookers however usually leave me staring at the page wondering what the heck just happened. I used to be really hard on myself when that happened but I don?t anymore. I know I will get better with time and I?m putting in the hard work. It is going to happen. Range, tone, articulation? everything will fall together if I keep doing what I?m doing.

This Thursday I have a lesson with my teacher and we are going to put together a jazz related lesson plan. I do very well with my trumpet related studies? drills and exercises that improve my playing because I have a clear definition of what I need to work on. What I feel I am lacking is a clear road map to improve my improvisation skills. This visit should get me on the right track. I?m looking forward to it.

I had some strange feelings with my lip today, probably due to over playing. I haven?t taken a day off in a long time and I sometimes forget to alternate between easy and hard days. Today I took it VERY easy ? not playing anything above a C in the staff. I did some long tone work and easy slurs focusing on my sound and attack. I found out that I tongued notes above A (in the staff) differently than I did notes below that. As a result it didn?t sound as good UNLESS I used a breath attack like I use in my Caruso 6 note studies. I think it might be tension but I will pay special attention to it the next few days to see what is going on. One thing of note is I don't tongue with the tip of my tongue. The tip stays anchored behind my bottom teeth and I use the middle of my tongue to start my attacks. Hard to explain but I think I read somewhere that Herbert Clarke tongued this way. If anyone reading this has suggestions regarding tonguing – please share.

I?m flip flopping on mouthpieces again. Later this week I am planning on putting all my mouthpieces in box and taking them to my parent?s house. This way when I practice I will only have the ONE piece to work from. Drastic measures perhaps, but it will definitely fix this problem.

One of my major complaints regarding my playing has been my sound. I have always found it to be too dark on most of the recordings that you hear on the site. I am learning that the type of microphone that I use has been the culprit of this. In most cases I used either a Sony condenser microphone and it really takes the edge off of my sound. I have two dynamic microphones – a Shure 57 and an Audio-Technica ATM25. The Shure is pretty good but the ATM25 really makes me sound bright. Too bright. I would love to record my playing on a really good sound system to hear what I really sound like. Either that or figure out a way to have an out of body experience. I doubt if the later will happen…

This week I have experienced with the direction that I hold the horn when I play. I used to play with the horn angled down and this week I have tried to angle it slightly up or at least straight out with my lower jaw pushed forward. It really opened up my sound and caused my air stream to point upwards or more of a direct line into the horn. I really think I am on to something there. The key will be if it continues to sound good and make my playing easier. I will post the results in my next post. Stay tuned!

On a side note – I ask that any beginning players get the advice of their teachers before trying anything that they read on this site. I can only speak for what works from me by trial and error or by what my instructor tells me. Go with what the experienced players or professionals say. Check with them before trying anything that you read here.

This was a fantastic week due in no small part to equipment. I love the new Lawler. The more I play it the more things I find that I love about it. The tone, the valves, the way it feels in my hands (perfect balance), intonation… everything about it is wonderful. I know I have raved about other equipment in the past but I can honestly say that this horn is a cut above all others I have ever played. The horn search is over. I got my GR 67MX mouthpiece on Thursday of this past week and I love it. It has a comfortable rim similar to my Monette but my articulation is much cleaner. I can still get a nice dark sound but it is much easier to make the horn zing if I want it to. The intonation on it is much better than the Yamaha piece I was working with and it actually makes the upper register a touch easier without too much resistance. This is also the first standard weight piece that I've liked. I feel confident about my equipment now. I feel as if I can focus on the task at hand, which is all about making music and building my chops.

I'm going to modify my practice schedule to revolve around sound production and improvisation. Those are my goals and I'm going to do things to help me get there. I'm going to really bang on my major scales daily so I can get them locked in as they should be. Right now I am familiar with 8 of the 12 majors and I have so much more work to do in that regard. I am also going to do more transposition. Up till now I have been transposing heads to songs because I didn't think I had enough skills on the horn to work actual solos. I'm going to start taking bits and pieces of phrases that I handle and try to work them out. One tool that I purchased today helped me work out a Freddie Hubbard run that had been baffling me for well over a day. It's called SlowBlast and it allows you to slow down CD tracks and keep them in the correct pitch. Only cost me $20. It's perfect for figuring out fast runs and is also good to play along with if things are moving a bit too fast. You can check it out at the following website – http://www.worldwidewoodshed.com. I'm also working on some music theory and looking at things on the keyboard to REALLY get a handle on what is going on. There is so much to remember and learn… it can easily be overwhelming but I'm going to try and enjoy the trip. No worries.

Another thing I have started doing is keeping a practice journal. I'm using the timer mentioned in my last entry to record my actually practice time and writing down what I've worked on. It helps to review what I worked on previously and keep track of my time spent behind the horn.

I need to keep a closer eye on the amount of rest that I get in between practice sessions. I usually go for 15 to 20 minutes and then take a break. I have too many weeks where I am playing great on day one and then by day seven it disintegrates to the point where I sound horrible. This is probably due to not getting the proper amount of rest between sessions. I downloaded a free computer timer program from the Internet and use it gauge my practice time and rests. I've been using it for two days and it works great. I've also started keeping a loose log of what I work on during each session. I'm hoping this helps me locate areas that I am neglecting or leaving out completely.

The horn is wonderful. The more I play it – the more I like it. I ordered a GR 67MX mouthpiece and it should get here this week. I am looking forward to trying it out and putting my other pieces away. I can honestly say that committing to one horn is a great feeling and I have a feeling it will be a big benefit for me in the future. Here is a very short sound clip of me doing some Clarke stuff. This horn has a nice warm sound to it. I love it!

Hopefully in two weeks I'm going to start taking lessons twice a month. My schedule had gotten so busy that I didn't have time to see my teacher but things have finally settled down to a point where I can do it religiously.

Prior to now I have been making multiple changes to equipment both in the mouthpiece and horn department. Many people who have kept up with this site on a regular basis know I've spent some time playing the Conn V1 and the Zeus series of horns. Prior to that I played a Yamaha Xeno 8335 and a Conn Director. On the mouthpiece front I have played Yamahas, Monettes, standard Bachs and Bach Megatones. The past few weeks I have been trying to position myself to play only one horn and dedicate myself to one mouthpiece. Considering I have only been playing for two years I have had very little consistency in my equipment and I think that is very important — especially during the developmental stages of my embouchure (of which I am still in).

On Thursday I got my Lawler TL6-1 from Bruce Lee at Northern Brass. This will be THE horn for me to develop as a player and find my own sound. For a detailed review of the Lawler check out the equipment page. To keep the distractions at bay you will notice that my arsenal has been slimmed down to two horns. All the others have been sold.

I am now in the process of finding a mouthpiece. I am hoping that by the end of the week I will have something picked out and the same thing will happen. All the other pieces will disappear and I will stick with ONE mouthpiece even when tempted to make a switch on a bad chop day. I will be sure to share which mouthpiece comes out on top.

When I first got into playing the trumpet I had another player refer to my desire as a hobby. While I am sure he meant no harm by this — it got under my skin — DEEPLY.

Having a stamp collection is a hobby. Pinning bugs to a board is a hobby. Playing the trumpet and/or learning to play jazz is not a hobby. It is entirely too difficult and demanding to be something as casual as that. To do it well requires a dedication and more importantly – a passion in order to even consider taking it up let alone sticking with it long enough to become good. The thought of me not playing is something I don't even consider. In a short period of time the trumpet and jazz have woven so deeply into the fabric of my life that I don't know where it ends and I begin. It has become a part of me. Hobbies don't have that type of hold on people. It borders on obsession for me and I will be the first to admit it.

Calling my love for jazz trumpet a hobby burns me up almost as much as being referred to as a “wannabe”. The only thing that I “wannabe” is best trumpet player I am capable of being.

One of the most frustrating things about playing trumpet is working through problems or for that matter – successes. On Saturday I had one of those rehearsals where everything was clicking. EVERYTHING. Range, tone, articulation… anything that was important to sound good on the trumpet was happening.

I had changed two major things in my setup. One – I used less lip roll in. Previously I had my lips rolled to the point where it was unnatural and I had to work to keep that setting while playing. Saturday I basically said “MMM”, set the mouthpiece and played. The second thing I changed was I went back to my old Bach Megatone 2C. In the past few days I've been experimenting with mouthpieces trying to determine which one I was going to commit to and use forever (yeah… right).

ONE of those changes resulted in an improved tone, articulation and range. I'm leaning towards the embouchure setting but I will be careful not to change too many things when playing. It makes it much more difficult to pinpoint what is working or helping — and what is not. For all I know – I could have just had one of those GOOD days. Time will tell but I will stick with this change and mouthpiece for an extended period and see where it takes me.

Anyone who checks out my equipment page will see that I'm making changes there as well. The inventory is getting slimmed down in an effort to make room for something new. I sat back and looked at all the cases in my den and shook my head. It was getting ridiculous. My goal – one horn, one mouthpiece… focus on music.

When I read books about the great jazz masters of the past – there are tales of experienced musicians reaching out and helping the younger cats with everything from learning licks to making modifications to their instruments. I often wished I was taking up trumpet playing back then so I could take advantage of that same generous spirit. I have come to realize that this same spirit is alive and well in 2003. I've gotten so much advice, support and encouragement from other players via my website and it is greatly needed and appreciated. One in particular stands out this week…

I have been reading a biography about Terence Blanchard called “Contemporary Cat”. In it, they describe Terence's playing early in his career with Art Blakey and Donald Harrison. I was interested in hearing these recordings but could not find any of them in CD, tape or vinyl format. I placed a message on the Trumpet Herald website and got several good leads. Of all the leads none was more generous than that of Larry Smithee. He wrote and told me that he had all the recordings I was looking for (AND some that I wasn't aware of) on vinyl. Since he no longer played them, he shipped them to me for free, happy to know that someone was going to enjoy them.

I just want to take a moment to thank Larry. I firmly believe that a love and appreciation for music is present in the hearts of all good people. Thanks for proving me right Larry.

It?s been a great practice week for me. I am thinking of writing down the different routines that I work on and check off the ones that I have completed for the day and take notes of any revelations. This will allow me to see what I?ve been neglecting and need to spend more time on. I always worry that I?m missing something. One of my fellow trumpet players on the Herald does this for his Caruso routine and I can see where this attention to detail could be helpful.

Besides listening to jazz cds on a regular basis I also find it EXTREMELY helpful to watch live jazz performances on DVD and video tape. You get to check out the players embouchure, breathing and finger work. One of my favorites to watch for breathing is a Dizzy Gillespie performance on Jazz Casual (which also contains shows featuring John Coltrane and Count Basie… a MUST have DVD). Diz would really tank up on the air before playing some of his stratospheric runs but he reminded completely relaxed. I use that visual image of him whenever I play so I remember to take in enough air. On the Wynton Masalis DVD “Blues & Swing” he plays a killer solo on Caravan. At the end of a long phrase you can see him effortless begin to circular breath… I remember when I first saw it – I backed the disc up at least 5 times. Amazing stuff. My all time favorite is a VHS tape of the Miles Davis quintet. He performs “So What” with John Coltrane and then plays on several tunes from “Miles Ahead” with the Gil Evans orchestra. I will almost ALWAYS pick up my horn and practice after watching this. Miles…

I sometimes wonder if I have too many sound concepts in my mind to digest. My favorite players range from mellow sound guys like – Terence Blanchard, Art Farmer and Miles Davis to brassy players like Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard and Booker Little. As different as each player is – I find something absolutely wonderful about their sound, tone, articulation and phrasing… but they're all so very different! I can only hope to filter a little from each and use those seeds to grow my personal sound.

This week I had my first rehearsal with the swing band in months. As beneficial as my last few months woodshedding were – there is nothing like fellowship with other musicians. I had an absolute blast. We had a full trumpet section and I was the odd man out. I was pretty much content to sit back and listen but they insisted that I play with them. That made me feel good. They sandwiched me between the first and second trumpet players (both amazing musicians) so I got nothing but good sound in both ears. It was great. We did a version of Nora Jones “Don't Know Why” that was awesome. It was simple but very clean and to the point. I predict this will be a crowd pleaser when the group performs it live. I think I did pretty good playing. I see an improvement in my tone, range and reading – it's small but it is definitely there. Right now I just lack the confidence, which will come in time.

We all get motivation from different places. Listening to jazz and good trumpet players on a regular basis motivates me. I listen at home, on the drive to work, at work ? even when I?m bowling! It has become the soundtrack of my life and I can?t think of a better way to live. Some people think I?m gung ho about this? maybe a bit unrealistic. I can?t argue that point. How many people do you know start playing trumpet and in three months get one tattooed to their arm?? That?s what I did. Doing that is almost like signing a contract to play for the rest of my life. I will look like a complete fool if I give it up now? not to mention every time I see it ? it reminds me that I need to be practicing!

I did more recording today – I uninstalled Cubasis and went back to good old “Music Creator” by Cakewalk. I plan on going back to Cubasis but I need to buy another soundcard. I re-recorded “Sing Soweto” and I recorded “The Girl from Impanema” but this time I used the Flugelhorn. I think it came out pretty good. Interesting enough – my very early version of that song sounds like it was played on flugel but it was actually trumpet! I am finally at a point where the two instruments sound distinctly different. That?s the way it is supposed to be? right?