Best posts made by Dr GO

@kehaulani said in BlowDry Brass System:

"Good to hear from you. I hope all is well at your new home in Germany!"

Ivan, you relocated to Germany? Where?

Then there are the pentacostal scales.... or is that pentationic... doesn't matter, as I can play them in any tongue!

@georgeb said in A way to practice.:

@dbtrumpet

Interesting. I'll give it a try.
George

Along with a few doses of Prevagen for people our age!

@Dr-Mark said in A little humour:

HiSSmith1226,
What's the most musical part of the body?
The nose!
You pick it and blow it.

Ah you have never heard me after eating Mexican food. I become very musical from a more Southern region.

@vulgano-brother said in Which trumpet to buy?:

Try a bunch of horns (including those not on your list) and let the right one find you.

I tried a bunch of horns and many found me, each one right in their own way... kinda like trumpet polygamy.

@dupac said in Trumpet playing and dentures/implants:

I haven’t your level in trumpet playing but have already five implants inside my mouth... and never had any problem with them! After each surgery one week without any playing followed by one week of gradual recovery and voila…

Never thought dental implants would effect voila playing! Unless you have a nervous tick and chew on the bow, just sayin.

Tastefully applied by Trombone Shorty from 0:43 to 2:41 (almost 2 minutes of circular breathing). Check out the reaction of the audience. This is what I experience in crowd reaction as well.

@davidpaul said in Brand-New 1971 Olds Ambassador Trumpet Possible?:

My wife is insisting that the Ambassador trumpet should no longer be allowed in our bed at night. She claims the cold brass is uncomfortable on here back when she accidently touches it. Is she being unreasonable?

I find that blowing my warm air through the horn prior to taking it to bed allows it to warm up to my wife, so she becomes more tolerant. She loves that the bell feels so good as a back massager.

@GeorgeB said in How many of you taught yourself to play?:

But age did change things for me and there were a few problems that a local semi-pro friend of mine was able to help me with.

Was it age or overuse? I ask this as I have notice aging as a benefit in that experience has provided more keen insight as to how to maintain my steady progress. There was a time I felt aging may have been a feature, then I found through practice and getting help from other trumpet players (many of which are teachers) it was more an efficiency issue.... and wallah! After correcting for inefficiencies, I was young again.

@trumpetb said in A way to practice.:

@ Dr Go

Do you need a Triangle player????

Have you been playing it for 10,000 hours? OK, I'll give you 3,333 hours since it has 3 sides.

Showing some range diversity of the Recording. Here is a cut from the same album, this one written by our bass player and leader, Eddie Brookshire titled "Minor Blues". Popping some F's and G;s in the head. So powerful is the Recording, that it sounds like an entire brass section playing the head, Nope, only two horns, trumpet and tenor. The Recording performs!

@administrator said in Trumpet playing and dentures/implants:

@ROWUK said in Trumpet playing and dentures/implants:

@administrator Do we want to start a thread about trumpeters playbacks?

Yes, let's go ahead and do that. Sorry for the tangent.

After vacationing in Aruba out hiking in the sun... I was a tan gent,

The last time we had this discussion I was banned from TrumpetBoards by a past Moderator. So this time if you kick me off, you will have to kick Allen Vizzutti in addition. Please read:

Basics for Beginning Brass
By Allen Vizzutti
I can hardly believe I've been playing the trumpet for 39 years. Thousands of hours of practice, millions of notes, and multitudes of performances have come and gone. Thirty-two countries and a million air miles later I have come to understand some fundamentals of brass playing proven to me again and again by my experiences. I believe rapid improvement through daily practice is readily achievable when certain basics are in order.
Three words have led more brass players astray than any other common misconception. Three frequently used words have strangled the tone quality of brass instrumentalists for decades. Three frequently used words have perpetuated a concept in brass playing that is completely erroneous, a concept that actually inhibits development of tone and therefore constrains growth in all areas of brass technique. These three words of instruction have been taught with sincerity and consistency since the dawn of modern brass instruction; three words whose effect can result in months of work to undo that which was inadvertently established on the first lesson day. In most cases neither the teacher nor the player is even aware of having made a costly misstep. The three little words are: "Buzz your lips."
The sound quality created by an instrumentalist is the fundamental on which the technique is based. Tone quality is likewise a key barometer in gauging a player's progress. Great sound is the gateway to great technique. This includes range and endurance. Studying technique as such without having discovered the sensation of producing a beautiful core sound will prove fruitless on any instrument. My seven-year old daughter, when reminded to hold her violin and bow in a relaxed and proper manner, usually plays with better intonation and a decent sound. If I ask her to play with "her biggest and best sound" she not only plays in tune and beautifully, but her hands and arms become relaxed and properly positioned! If we teach our beginning brass students to buzz into the mouthpiece the inevitable result will be that pinched and fuzzy beginner sound we know all too well. As I have discovered in starting my 8 and 10 year old sons, (on cornet and trumpet), the so called "beginner sound" can be avoided all together. A really nice basic sound is possible from the first day. Once a beautiful tone is established no instrumentalist wants to sound the other way again.
The most important sensation to teach the beginning trumpet, or brass student, is that of blowing smooth aggressive air through the horn and feeling the resistance in sending the air through the tubing. The first critical prerequisite is a relaxed breath in. Open the throat and let the air fall in. Pulling the air in creates tension. Tension is an enemy. Letting the air rush in to fill the lungs to maximum level can create relaxation as well as give one the fuel to play correctly. Imagine the liquid captured in a drinking straw released as one lifts a finger from its end. Breathe using that imagery.
Hold the trumpet in a relaxed and comfortable fashion. The left hand should wrap around the valve casing. Larger hands should balance the horn in such a way that using the first and third valve slides is possible. Smaller hands should do the best they can and the smallest of hands might want to consider using a cornet because it is a little easier to hold. The right thumb should be placed between the first two valve casings and the three long fingers should be fingertips on valve tops. Avoid the right hand little finger ring as much as possible as it promotes excessive mouthpiece on lip pressure which can really inhibit progress. Stand or sit up straight to practice so that breathing is relaxed and easy. Don't be concerned whether or not the trumpet bell points up or as is more common, down. Bell position will be dictated by the over or under bite of teeth and jaw. Ask beginning students to blow air through the mouthpiece without regard to embouchure. They should create a long rush of white noise. Always encourage them to make the white noise sound bigger and longer. Remind the student often to consciously and deeply breathe in as part of the natural playing process. Repeat the process by blowing on the lead pipe of the horn, then through the mouthpiece and horn assembled, still producing white noise without regard to embouchure. Demonstrate as you go along. Deep, relaxed breathing and long sustained airflow are the goals.
Establishing an embouchure is the next order of business. If you are a brass player with a reasonably normal setup, demonstrate by example, with a minimum of words. If you are not a brass player remember these basics: 1) the concept of the embouchure is relaxed, 2) the mouthpiece should be placed near the center of the mouth so that the rim is not sitting on the red portion of the lips, and 3) the corners of the mouth should be firm against the teeth and a little bit down. The center of the lips should remain flexible and relaxed. One should be able to speak with the corners held firmly. Do not encourage the student to pull the corners back in a smile. Please use common sense. Embouchures vary from human to human like everything else due to variations in physical makeup such as differences in our teeth, jaws, chins and lips.
With the horn in hands, lips moistened and the new embouchure in place, instruct the student to once again create the long sustained air flow through the mouthpiece and horn in an aggressive fashion. You may hear the first note at this point. If not, repeat the routine asking students to put their lips a bit closer together. Remember not to create a pass/fail situation. Any result is OK. Sooner or later the result will be spectacular. You'll be impressed with the quality of sound of the first notes and there is no buzzing involved. Shortly after the successful production of the first notes you will want to teach the student to add a beginning articulation to the notes. Tension and a choked sound can manifest themselves at this step. The feeling of blowing through the syllable "tooo" or "daaah" does not come naturally. You must consciously train the student to blow through the mouthpiece and horn, once again producing the "tooo" syllable for a sharp attack and a "daaah" syllable for a dull attack. Once again establish the sensation of blowing without embouchure and sound. Then transfer the concept to producing a note as before, only this time it will have an articulated beginning. Practicing without any attack is beneficial at any time.
Having said all of that, lip buzzing does have its place for more advanced players. It can be a fine exercise for warming up the facial tissue and muscles. Similarly mouthpiece playing is very effective for improving air flow, lip (aperture) control and ear training. Think of lip buzzing, mouthpiece playing and trumpet playing as separate entities. Simply remember that buzzing into a brass instrument creates a lousy sound. Blowing into a brass instrument creates a vibrating air column and a potentially beautiful sound. Once a solid core sound is established, technical development is a matter of manipulating the sound through practice, lessons and experimentation.
It's really quite amazing how powerful the pull of music is once we begin to play an instrument. It's equally amazing how challenging learning to play a musical instrument is and how many questions we still have about how to best go about it. After all of these years I'm still trying to figure out many aspects of trumpet performance. Fundamental concepts of trumpet playing and common sense seem to prove themselves to me over and over. As a young frustrated trumpet student I asked my father and teacher, "When will I learn to play the high notes?" I offer his answer to you: "Be patient. They will come."
So don't buzz to create your sound. Don't teach buzzing to create a good sound. A good buzz is not all that it's cracked up to be.

@Comeback said in How about a "Random Meaningless Image...let's see them string"?:

Are congratulations in order? If so, congratulations Gary!

Jim

Thanks, Jim. Yes after 27 years of working in the "Academic" world, I decided to practice in the "real world". Should have made this decision years ago. I LOVE my patients and really get a chance to see my treatments turn around individuals life on a more rapid time scale and at a higher volume. You know, I really did go into medicine to help people, and this new gig reinforces that behavior.

In addition, I am still receiving a salary from my academic institution until I turn 65, AND the salary from this practice position, so making two salaries as a physician is another congratulatory benefit! Just think of all the Haarrelson Trumpets I can now buy for myself and for gifting!

Putting the Recording through its motions. Here is a recording I did of a rather crispy tune written by my sax player friend Jack Novotny on our first CD, called Jacktime. The Recording really has a crisp response on this tune. Solo at 2 minutes, Trading 4's at 4:35.

You know, other than the two octave scales I was required to do of all scales in High School, an upper register was never a requirement. The auditions I made for all other ensembles I auditioned for (University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music Jazz Ensembles-small group combos and big band and Colorado State University Big Band) were to perform required prepared piece an a site reading piece).

What was amazing at the Colorado State University audition was an improve piece where they gave me a chord chart only (no recorded rhythm section back up) and told me to start playing. Again, no range requirement which was interesting, and I came out of that audition as lead trumpet (first chair) in their first band!

anniebee,

Question: Since the injury is your lower lip smile symmetrical (or the same prior to the injury)? If this is true then it was likely the orbicularis oris that was torn. If not symmetrical, the tear would be in muscle attaching to the lower jaw that archer the orbicularis. IF it is the orbicularis oris muscle that was injured, a facial surgeon, Dr. Simon McGrail, has developed lip exercises that may help:

1. Loosen the lips by rolling air around the mouth for a minute or so.
2. Form an embouchure, and direct all the muscles toward the center of the aperture. Hold for five seconds, and repeat three times.
3. With the teeth slightly apart, as is usually the case naturally, do an extended smile, stretching both corners of the mouth sideways. Hold for five seconds, and repeat three times.
4. With a small rolled up gauze, or a plegette, such as dentists use, place this between the upper lip and upper gum. Try to push the gauze through the gum by pressing the lip backward. Hold for 5 seconds, and repeat three times.

These exercises comprise an exercise set, and this set should be repeated five times twice a day.

If you choose to give this a try, let us know how this works for you. It should take about 6 weeks for a notable effect so don't give up if you do not get immediate results.

@Comeback said in Frustrated:

Glad to see you posting here, OldSchoolEuph. I have learned from what you have written on TH and TM. Hopefully this young site will mature into a reliably useful helpful resource.

People like Comeback is what keeps people coming back to TH. Always love your posts Comeback@