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TGI NEWS: Issue Number 7 - February 2002

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If you enjoy the Trumpet Geek News, please forward it to a friend. TGI News is an opt-in, monthly ezine available by subscription only. We neither use nor endorse the use of spam. If you would like to subscribe, please send email to subscribe-news@trumpetgeek.com Unsubscribe information is located at the bottom of this ezine.

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Name of Sponsor: Zaja Musical Products
Brass Instruments Were Made For Zaja
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Contents:

1) Trumpet Geeks International web site updates

2) Editorial

3) Feature Article: Doubling

4) Trumpet Tips

5) Feature Article: - continued

6) Banner Exchange

7) Classified Ads

7) General & Unsubscribe Info

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Website Updates:

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We have added many new resources to the site. Check out

The literature lists as well as audition pieces. You can check them out at http://www.trumpetgeek.com/resources

Don't forget about the TGI Auction. It's totally free and you can buy and sell your trumpet stuff. Or you can post a classified Ad. All for FREE! http://www.trumpetgeek.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi

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Are you looking for something interesting? Check out the Trumpet geek store! http://www.trumpetgeek.com/cgi-bin/store/agora.cgi

And last but not least The TGI Chat. Around 7:30pm EST and 11pm EST we have noticed some chat activity. So if you want to talk to each other in real time, go to: http://www.trumpetgeek.com/chat

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Editorial : editor@trumpetgeek.com

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This months feature article was written by Eddie Severn The noted lead player and soloist from the UK.

The NY Brass Conference is coming up real soon. It is the 30th Anniversay of the Brass Conference this year. http://www.charlescolin.com/nybc

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Feature Article: Effective Doubling for Trumpet and Flugelhorn

By Eddie Severn

http://www.eddiesevern.com

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Effective Doubling for Trumpet and Flugelhorn

Most trumpet players at some time in their lives will want to spend a little time with the flugelhorn. Some will need to do so to meet performance requirements and some will just want to because they love the way it sounds.

As we can pick the instrument up and play it more or less straight away many trumpet players just take it for granted and do not spend much time studying the flugelhorn as an instrument in it's own right. This is fine if you are an amateur player who just needs to play it in an occasional big band chart or indeed just for fun. For the more serious player though time needs to be spent addressing some key issues.

What instrument and mouthpiece?

There are lots to try and some very good ones around now. If you are serious about it I would go for a small bore (around .410 - .415)which is like the old Couesnon Flugelhorn that is so sought after. Trumpet bore flugelhorns (around .460) are popular with occasional players and fine as far as it goes but I always feel that the smaller bore horns require you to play them correctly for optimum sound. Mouthpieces are of course very much a personal choice but I would not go for something that is ridiculously deep with a huge throat. Basically you should be able to play with a good sound on something like Bach 7C Flugel mouthpiece. Mine is like a 10C.

How do I get that "sound"?

I should point out first that my sound on a solo gig is not the same as the sound I would use when playing in or leading a trumpet section. In the section I am aiming for a pure and centred sound that is easy to get in tune with and has a clear and definite attack. If I am leading then this helps the other players to follow my phrasing and if I am playing underneath a lead player then it helps me to blend. On a solo gig I like to go for a "wooden / fluffy" sound with a less sharp attack. I find I can vary my sound by controlling the size of my aperture and moving the air differently. As far as the mental approach to sound is concerned it is very important that we listen to great players of the flugelhorn to get a sound into our heads. I have never practiced trying to get a flugelhorn sound. I have however listened and continue to listen to different players all the time.

These include: Art Farmer, Clarke Terry, Guido Basso, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Shew and Tom Harrell. I cannot emphasize the importance of listening enough. If you hear it right you will play it right!

On the physical side, apart from the choice of instrument and mouthpiece we need to understand that the air stream for a good flugel sound is slower than that of the trumpet. Basically you should think "warm air - warm sound"!

There is nothing worse than a heavy hitter blowing a flugelhorn like a trumpet and for me this always separates the real musicians from the rest in the trumpet world.

We should be able to vary the attack with the flugel in just the same way as we do with the trumpet from hard to very soft. It's just a question of using good musical judgment.

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Trumpet Tips

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To clean you silver trumpet. Fill your sink with hot water And baking soda. Place a piece of aluminum foil on the bottom Of the sink. Take you horn apart and place all the parts on the Foil. Within a few minutes all the tarnish will be gone! Contributed by Dave Trimble

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Feature Article: Effective Doubling

- Continued -

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Will practicing flugel spoil my trumpet playing?

No. As long as you are aware that the change of mouthpiece and instrument will prompt new and perhaps at first, unfamiliar physical responses from you, there should be no problem. As with all practice a little and often is the key and after a while your body will develop a "memory" for the flugel, which it will adjust to very quickly.

How can I make sure I am in tune?

This a crucial thing to be aware of especially if you are playing in a trumpet section that is doubling for flugel passages. Firstly nearly all flugels, even the best, get progressively sharper as we descend from low C down to low F#. In a cheaper instrument it is possible to be a quarter tone sharp by the time you reach low A! I always test an instrument in this register first and as long as it is in tune down to bottom A then I can either lip the remaining notes down or use the 3rd valve slide(which it should have incidentally). In the upper register it is important to remember that the harmonics feel much closer together than they do on the trumpet. Again control of the air stream and aperture size is the key to playing in tune up there. Any interval exercises played slowly on the flugel will help get you and your ear in tune with where things should be. I sometimes sit at a piano and play a random note on the horn, say a concert F and then a whole variety of notes with i!

t on the piano, which change the tonality.

If I play a concert Db on the piano then the minor third will feel darker than if I play a D natural and it becomes a major third. There will need to be a very small physical adjustment for this too. It's all a question of using your ears!

ABOUT EDDIE SEVERN -

Based in the UK, Eddie Severn has performed in a variety of situations from jazz to classical to rock. His role as Lead Trumpet with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra has seen him working with numerous guest artists such as Kenny Wheeler, Maria Schneider, Joe Lovano,Ingrid Jenson, John Dankworth & Cleo Laine, Ken Peplowski, Dave Leibman and Bobby Watson. As a soloist he has performed at home, in Europe and the USA with many well-known musicians including Tommy Smith, Joe Temperly, Bobby Wellins, Jim Mullen, Emil Vickiky and Bob Wilbur.

Eddie Severn uses a Yamaha Z Flugelhorn with the standard "Bobby Shew" flugelhorn mouthpiece. He is also the author of a new book "Trumpet Solutions"

http://www.eddiesevern.com

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Free Trumpet Banner Exchange!

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If you have a trumpet related website and want more traffic, Join the Trumpet Geek Banner Exchange.

http://www.trumpetgeek.com/exchange

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Classified Ads

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Greg Black Custom Mouthpieces

973-736-4997

http://www.gregblackmouthpieces.com

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Hornflush

The Ultimate Cleaning Solution

http://www.hornflush.com

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General & Unsubscribe Info

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