Brass & Percussion Goodies

Brass Studies, Hints & Other Cool Stuff

Here are some useful sites for brass players. Some offer downloadable or printable brass exercises and information. Have a look around and try some of the materials you find here. Your lip will thank you for it.

How to Read Music (Acrobat File)

• a primer created by Gord Neill of the De La Salle /Oakland Crusaders Alumni who have allowed us to post it.

Trumpet Topics

• A fabulous resource from Bryan Goff, a professor of trumpet at Florida State. This site is loaded with great ideas, practice hints, exercises, and other good stuff. It's well worth the visit

Trumpet Exercises

• Good site - although designed for trumpet players, the exercises, tips and other information are valuable to all brass players

Tips for Trumpet, Trombone, percussion, etc (Texas School Music Project)

Lots of topics (by Clint Pops McLaughlin)

Trumpet Studio (a great resource site for all trumpet players)

The Science of Breath

• a summary of the "Science of Breath", by Yogi Ramacharaka. High note specialist Maynard Ferguson identified it as an early influence on his decision to adopt yogi deep breathing techniques.

Arnold Jacobs Master Class Notes

Breathing Exercises for Brass Players by Donald Little (Acrobat file)

The International Trumpet Guild

• The International Trumpet Guild is a non-profit  organization, founded in 1974 to promote communications among trumpet  players around the world and to improve the artistic level of performance,  teaching, and literature associated with the trumpet. You'll find lots of info here.

Information, hints, etc from a variety of professional trumpet players

• This is an acrobat file that was created from a file I found at Seeley Music (http://www.seeleymusic.com/)

Articles for Student Brass Players (at musicforbrass.com)

Artists House Music

• Lots of info related to helping musicians

Videos (Lessons for Trumpet and more)

Here are some useful video lessons relating to the trumpet. I've also included a few version of "La Virgen de la Macarena" that can be used for listening. The Mendez and Sandoval versions are very similar and can be used for a comparison. The others are there for fun.

Video lessons on Trumpet (from the The U.S. Army Field Band in Washington, DC)

• Trumpet Lesson #1 – Air and Embouchure
• Trumpet Lesson #2 – Articulation
• Trumpet Lesson #3 – Starting a Beginner Student
• Trumpet Lesson #4 – Range and Endurance
• Trumpet Lesson #5 – Warm Up
• Trumpet Lesson #6 – Warm Down
• Trumpet Lesson #7 – Equipment
• Trumpet Lesson #8 – Daily Routine
• Trumpet Lesson #9 – How To Practice
• Trumpet Lesson #10 – Your Sound and Audition Techniques

Guidance from Jens Lindemann (Prof at UCLA, former member of the Canadian Brass)

• Breathing & Physical Aspect
• Choosing The Instrument That's Right for You
• Choosing a Trumpet Mouthpiece
• Developing Tone
• Developing your Range
• Teaching and Practicing the Trumpet
• Your Instrument as an Extension of Your Body
• The Importance of Being a Well-Rounded Artist
• An Interview (contains the above stuff and more)

Lessons from Warren Vaché (Prof at the Juilliard School in New York)

• About Trumpet Mouthpieces
• Trumpet Basic
• Breathing
• Embouchure Lesson
• Tonguing Lesson
• Fingering Lesson
• Advanced Lesson

Brian Lynch (a professor of trumpet at New York University)

• Tips for Instrumental Practice

Barry Danielian

• How to Play High Notes On the Trumpet

Listening Comparison: La Virgen de la Macarena

• Rafael Mendez (with two 17 year olds who've been his students for 3 1/2 years)
• Rafael Mendez
• Arturo Sandoval (similar to the Mendez arrangement)
• Canadian Brass
• Harry James
• Maynard Ferguson

Videos of Various Trumpet Players (lots of videos, listed by name)

Benjamin Zander (conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra)

• The Art of Possibilty
• Music and Passion

Rudimental Studies & Other Cool Stuff

Here are some useful sites with downloadable or printable percussion information — much of it is not available from normal sources.

www.marklewis.ca/music/optimists

• Mark Lewis' fabulous site with computer playable scores for both percussion and brass

http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments.html

• All 40 Percussive Arts Society's essential rudiments and videos of each performed by Dr John Wooton.

http://www.cyberus.ca/~pauljohnston/drumputer/

• The Flamtastic Drumputer site. You gotta give it a try.

Special thanks to:

Bob Cook, Mark Lewis, Al Murray and Bill Ukas for the suggestions, warm ups, exercises and other resources.