Posts made by Mike Ansberry

I posted this over at TH and thought I'd post it here as well.

Yesterday I had my first rehearsal since the pandemic hit. It is a horn rock band playing Motown, Chicago, BS&T, EWF, TOP, etc. I have been working on BE for about 2 years. Last year I could make it through a 3 set gig with the group okay. I had to have them put the challenging stuff early in the set and mix it up with some of the easier stuff. Yesterday we played through 3 sets of music without taking a break. That was around 2 to 2.5 hours of playing. We finished with Diggin on James Brown and Power of Love (Huey Lewis). D's and E's no problem.

When playing jazz I used to struggle with playing the head of a tune and then going straight into my soloing after more than 1 chorus. Now I can play the head and several choruses no problem.

BE has made a big difference in my trumpet life.

@mike-ansberry Price drop: $900 plus shipping.

I need a mouthpiece receiver for a 1951/51 Olds Recording trumpet.

Somebodt on the oTHer site suggested I try Noteflight. i saved my Sib files as .mid and imported them to NF. It gave me recordings with a nice, straight sound. Most helpful in acclimating to my "new"
Olds Recording.

@kehaulani said in How Does The Theory You've Learned Apply To Improvising?:
One doesn't so much forget what one's learned as much as learned it so well, one has internalized the material so that it comes by second nature.

BINGO!!!!!

Still available

I have written whole note and half note exercises using Sibelius. Some exercises are from low C to F on top of the staff. Some range from C on the staff to G above high C. I have used Sibelius to convert the exercises into a .wav file and imported it to ProTools. I record myself playing along with it and then listen back to see how what I thought was happening compared to what was actually happening. I find this exercise to be very helpful to playing well in tune.

My problem is that as far as I can find out, you can't make Sibelius stop using vibrato. This is kind of annoying. Anybody know how to fix this?

Mike

@rowuk Thanks for the input. I just got a new computer and it has no sound input built in. I am waiting on a Focusrite 2i2. When it gets here I'll do some recording. Listening to yourself is for sure a good way to judge progress and plot ways to improve. I am also anxious to listen to my improv. I've been working on it and I think maybe I don't totally suck anymore.

I play in a couple of big bands, a couple of small jazz quintets, and a couple of horn band rock groups. It sounds like a lot more than it really is. With all that combined I'm actually working one or two gigs a month when we aren't in the pandemic. The Balanced Embouchure workout has made C up to Eb feel like middle range. When I get the Focusrite in I'll record some of the horn band stuff and see what the high notes sound like. I am hopeful.

@j-jericho That took me a couple of minutes.

I posted this over at TH but thought I'd share it here too:

I'm really happy with the progress I've made using BE. In addition to my BE routine and other stuff I've added playing real book melodies up an octave. I have been able to play tunes up to the G above high C. I don't claim to own that note. It is thin and ugly, but it is there. During my BE routine I can play exercises above the G, some days up to double C. But again they are not really usable yet. But they are there. My endurance is also way up.

I am very anxious to have a gig. I haven't played a gig since March. I hope what I have worked on in practice will translate to the job. The proof is in the pudding where the rubber meets the road.

@georgeb said in Complete Beginner:

@trumpetlearner
There are lots of folks here will give you good advice, but not having a professional standing beside you to see what you are doing wrong can lead to developing a lot of bad habits. An you will do things wrong, believe me. Posture and proper breathing are good examples.

Indeed. Getting some lessons with a real player would be the best idea. Skype or Zoom maybe.

@kehaulani Standard of Excellence is a good choice for starts. You can get it with an accompanying cd/dvd for a few extra bucks.

@dr-go said in Tinnitus sufferers here ?:

White nose generator at the bedside can help quit a lot.

How does having a white nose help?

Sorry, Gary, I just couldn't resist that.

I have had tinnitus for over 40 years. It started in a rock band in high school. In my day our idea of ear protection was stuffing paper napkins in your ears. I taught band in a classroom with an 8 foot ceiling for the last 15 years of my teaching career and that sure did not help. Not to mention playing in loud bands.

I guess I just got used to it over the years. I hate it, but it doesn't keep me from sleeping. I have a pair of wireless headphones that help me hear the TV. In ear monitors have saved my trumpet playing career. (such as it was)

@georgeb Eddie Calvert seems to be the trumpet player most associated with Cherry Pink.

When I saw the Boston Brass a few years back one of the trumpet players had a blue tooth trigger mounted on his horn.

I wish I had enough memory to memorize all my charts. I'd say it's because I'm getting old, but I've always been this way.

Size does matter. I have reached an age when enlarging my music to BIG NOTE SONGBOOK size is an incredible benefit. I'm glad I took the plunge.

K'mon, guys. The Foggy Mountain Boys a guilty pleasure? They are some fine musicians.

Surely someone can go lower than Alice Cooper. No Spice Girls fans? No Boy Band fans.

Geez.

I'm not seeing much here to feel guilty about. Geez, com'on, guys. No Sex Pistols?

Sometimes I like to listen to Alice Cooper or Uriah Heep.