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trumpet

Anthony Plog Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #117

Anthony Plog Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #117 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features  trumpeter and composer Anthony Plog. Listen to or download the episode below:

Other Places to Listen

Watch the Interview on YouTube

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Marc Caparone Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #115

Marc Caparone Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #115 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features jazz trumpeter/cornetist, Marc Caparone. Listen to or download the episode below:

Other Places to Listen

Watch the Interview on YouTube

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David Krauss Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #98

David Krauss – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #98 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter David Krauss.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About David Krauss

David Krauss is the prodigious host of Speaking Soundly, Co-Founder of ANM, and Principal Trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. As a soloist, he has performed with the All-Star Orchestra on their Emmy Award-winning PBS broadcast and was praised by the American Record Guide for his “singing tone, which is luxurious and inviting.” He has performed as guest Principal Trumpet with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic, as well as recorded for film and television, and played on several Broadway shows. David is a highly sought-after instructor at the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes School of Music, Aspen Music Festival and School, and other top conservatories and music festivals throughout the United States.

David Krauss Links

Podcast Credits

Lasse Lindgren Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #95

Lasse Lindgren – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #95 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Lasse Lindgren.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Lasse Lindgren

Lasse Lindgren works as a jazz musician, trumpet player, composer, rehearsal leader, bandleader and lecturer. Ever since Louis Armstrong’s unique trumpet voice captured my ear at the age of five, I have tried in different ways to express myself with my own individual voice on the trumpet, an instrument I was given at the age of eight.

I was born in 1962 in Gothenburg, Sweden. I studied at the music departments of the high schools of Ljungskile 1980–81 and Ingesund 1981–83 and at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm 1984–86.

Lasse Lindgren worked busily as a freelance jazz-and-lead trumpeter during his years as a music student and in the years following during the ‘80s when he lived in Stockholm. The first band under Lasse’s own leadership was called “Outfront” and this was followed by another that among its activities toured with valve-trombonist and composer Bob Brookmeyer.

Lasse then started a family and moved to Sandviken, working as jazz-and-lead trumpeter with Sandviken Big Band 1989–1997. He also performed in the same role with Bohuslän Big Band 1991–1997 and in the following years with the Danish Radio Big Band (later “Jazz Orchestra”) 1997–2000.

In recent years he has diversified and let go of the world of employment in order to pursue his more personal dreams. The Lasse Lindgren Constellations come in a wide variety of settings and possibilities.

Lasse Lindgren Links

Podcast Credits

May the 4th Be With You – Star Wars Trumpet Section Interview

Members of the trumpet section that recorded the soundtracks for Star Wars – Episodes 7, 8 & 9 joined host John Snell for a live question & answer session, including Jon Lewis, Barry Perkins, David Washburn, Daniel Rosenboom, Jim Grinta & Rob Schaer. We covered questions covering what it was like working with composer John Williams, trumpet warm-ups & routines, advice for young players who want to be studio musicians, and so much more.

Boyde Hood Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #89

Boyde Hood – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #89 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Boyde Hood.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Boyde Hood

A native of Dallas, Texas, Philharmonic trumpeter Boyde Hood received his BM degree in trumpet performance from the Eastman School of Music and master of music degree in theory and composition from Ball State University. He is a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and performs regularly with the Philharmonic’s New Music Group and the Philharmonic Brass Trio. Mr. Hood has played principal trumpet with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theater and has recorded extensively for major motion picture and television studios. He has been a member of the Dallas and Milwaukee Symphonies, assistant principal of the Rochester Philharmonic, and first trumpet with the Marlboro Festival Orchestra.

Mr. Hood joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in January 1982 and has appeared as a soloist with the Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl; as a conductor, he has led Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute Orchestra brass musicians in several fanfares.

Since his retirement from the LA Philharmonic and USC, Boyde taught at the Eastman School of Music for one Semester, has resumed his compositional activities, and continues to teach privately from his home and on Zoom. 

Podcast Credits

This One Simple Trick Can Make Trumpet Easier

Trumpet Mouthpiece Gap Adjustment

Let’s face it, the trumpet can be a beast sometimes — stuffy low notes, tight high notes, quirky notes that just don’t settle or play in tune. While there is no substitute for diligent practice, there are always ways to make the trumpet easier. Maybe even a lot easier! What if we told you that with this one simple trick, you could make one or more of the following improvements to your trumpet playing immediately:
  • better intonation
  • more open feel
  • better projection
  • cleaner articulation
  • more secure slotting
This may sound too good to be true, but we see these results with our customers every day and have for the past 50 years! So what is this magic trumpet trick?

The Bob Reeves Brass Paper Trick

Here’s how to do the Bob Reeves Paper Trick yourself:
  1. Take a sheet of paper and cut off a small piece. It should be about 3/4″ long and only about 1/8″ wide. Set the piece of paper aside.
  2. Play an exercise that covers your comfortable range. It should include some articulation.
  3. Remove your mouthpiece and place the paper length-wise on the side of the shank of the mouthpiece.
  4. Put the mouthpiece and the piece of paper into your trumpet receiver.
  5. Play the exercise again.
  6. Note what changes you hear in your sound, articulation, slotting, and feel.

“I’ve Done The Paper Trick – Now What?”

One of three things will happen:
  1. It will play better with the paper.
  2. It will play worse with the paper.
  3. You won’t notice a difference.
If it plays better (#1), then you need a larger gap on your mouthpiece. This can be achieved by altering your mouthpiece and getting a removable sleeve at the larger size. If you don’t want a removable sleeve, we can re-shank your mouthpiece to that larger size while keeping the shank solid. If it plays worse (#2), you might need a smaller gap. This can be achieved by machining down your shank, or by converting your mouthpieces for Reeves Sleeves and experimenting with smaller sleeve sizes. If you don’t notice a difference (#3), try the experiment again, this time adding a second piece of paper on top of the first. Keep repeating until it plays better or worse.

How Does the Gap Work?

How can this simple trick improve your trumpet playing? The short answer is that it allows you to experiment by changing the gap between your mouthpiece and the leadpipe, which is an often neglected, yet crucial element of your playing setup. Some tips on doing The Paper Trick:
  • record yourself and listen back
  • have someone else listen to you in front of the bell
  • use the paper trick on all your mouthpiece and trumpet combinations

Paper Trick Video:

Exploring Deeper into the Trumpet Gap

If you would like to learn more about the gap, here are some additional blog posts you can read:

Morris Northcutt Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #83

Morris Northcutt – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #83 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Morris Northcutt.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Morris Northcutt

Morris Northcutt’s playing has been described as artistic, lyrical and expressive with a beautiful, smooth, and rich tone.

At home in all musical styles from swing to Broadway to classical, this Global Music Award Winner and Bach Conn-Selmer Solo Performing Artist has shared the stage with a wide range of performance groups from Mannheim Steamroller, Critical Mass Big Band, The Blues Brothers Reunion Band, Puget Brass, and the Tacoma Concert Band to the Seattle Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Breath of Aire, and the Tacoma Symphony.  Morris has even performed the National Anthem for the Seattle Mariners Baseball Team.

After experiencing several unexpected personal losses and having taken nearly 12 years off from focused attention to the trumpet, Morris began a systematic approach to his practice sessions to not only bring back his playing but to take it to the next level.  Focusing on his purpose led to an explosion on social media interested in his sound, style, and phrasing.  This newly found attention helped launch his freelance career as a soloist and clinician, taking him across the globe from the Pacific Northwest to Canada, South America and Europe.

In 2019, Morris completed a solo recital/masterclass tour of Ireland that included an appearance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.  This past January, he appeared at the 2020 Sao Paulo Trumpet Academy in Brazil. Later this year, Morris will debut his first EP, produced and engineered by Latin Grammy Award winner Danilo Alvarez with arrangements by Justo Morao.

Despite all his performance engagements, Morris is still closely tied to his home state of Washington.  As a local business owner, he is involved in the community life of his native town of Tacoma, serving on community boards and spending as much time as possible at home with his eleven-year-old twins and his wife, Lavonne.

Morris is a Bach Conn-Selmer Solo Performing Artist and Clinician regularly sharing his passion for music in schools and in both pro and amateur ensembles.

Morris Northcutt Links

Podcast Credits

12 Trumpet Gap Myths You’ve Probably Heard

One of the most talked about aspects of trumpet equipment over the last few years has been the annulus, or gap, and rightly so because it can have a huge impact on how your trumpet and mouthpiece play. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion and plain old misinformation that gets passed around making a relatively simple adjustment much more complex than necessary. Don’t worry, we are here to help by dispelling some of the popular myths about the trumpet gap.

1. “I measured my trumpet gap and it is .1845 inches (4.686mm), that must be too big.”

False! Due to a combination of all the factors involved — you, the mouthpiece, and the instrument — it is very possible that a gap that large, or even larger, may be optimal. Yes, it is possible that size of gap is too large, but you won’t know by just looking at the measurement by itself.

2. “I must use a #5 sleeve on all of my horns.”

False! While this may coincidentally true for some, there is no sleeve that magically works on every trumpet. There are many reasons for this: receivers are not standardized among trumpet manufacturers, factory tolerances for setting trumpet receivers are larger than the minimum amount that most players can perceive, and no two trumpets are built exactly alike thus having different playing characteristics.

3. “Adjusting the gap is a relatively new concept.”

False! The effects of adjusting the gap go back over 40 years. Carroll Purviance found that a smaller shank size would help trumpet players playing on certain instruments. Bob Reeves revolutionized gap adjustment when he patented his adjustable mouthpiece sleeve system and designed the first adjustable gap receiver in 1971. Renold Schilke studied the gap and theorized than zero gap was best in his article from 1977. A comprehensive Master’s Thesis was done in 1980 by Dennis Fleisher while at Eastman School of Music.

4. “I am not advanced enough to notice any difference in the gap.”

False! We’ve found over the last 45 years of working with players daily that experience and skill does not correllate with the ability to perceive changes in the gap. Great players sometimes cannot feel huge adjustments in the gap, while young players can greatly benefit from small adjustments. The questions is: how much do you perceive changes in the gap? The answer is easy — experiment!

5. “Little to no gap is best.”

False! While a small minority of players play with little or no gap (and that may be you!), a vast majority of players prefer some gap and a significant percentage of players prefer a relatively large gap compared to what most standard setups create.

6. “I can figure out the gap by taking a few measurements and plugging it into a formula.”

False! No formula can properly take into account every variable that affects what the optimal gap should be, including the response of the instrument and the lip penetration into the mouthpiece of the player. At best, a formula can generalize what gap works best for you, but at worst it can send you in the wrong direction. Why? Because you can’t measure what you feel, and more importantly, you can’t measure what you like to feel when you play.

7. “It’s better to adjust the gap by moving the trumpet receiver than altering the mouthpiece.”

Usually false! The biggest drawback to adjusting your receiver is that it is more costly and risky to make a change to the trumpet as opposed to the mouthpiece. Also, even the best repair shops cannot set the receiver to the precision that we can make sleeves (adjusting the gap to within .001″). Receiver adjustments are best when you use only one mouthpiece on that particular instrument. If you use multiple mouthpieces (like a commercial mouthpiece and a classical mouthpiece), then it is best to leave the receiver alone and dial in the gap by adjusting the mouthpiece shanks.

8. “A mouthpiece cut for Reeves Sleeves loses energy or vibrations.”

False! When we cut a mouthpiece for sleeves, there is less than .001″ separation between the mouthpiece and the sleeve. Bob Reeves did extensive studies on this and concluded that, when machined properly, there is no acoustical detriment when converting a mouthpiece for sleeves.

9. “Receiver inserts adjust the gap the same way sleeves or resetting the receiver does.”

False! Receiver inserts are a crude way to adjust the gap, as they usually make adjustments several times the amount that a player can perceive. More critical, however, is that they also drastically alter the trumpet leadpipe by changing the air column design (the leadpipe is both lengthened and the shape changed by the addition of a cylindrical section).

10. “A Bach Strad (or insert any other model trumpet) always plays best with an 1/8″ gap.”

False! This thinking fails to consider the effects of the mouthpiece and the player (the most important factor!). It also assumes that all trumpets are built and play the same. Line of 10 of any specific make and model of trumpet and you’d be hard pressed to find any two that play alike.

11. “My trumpet teacher plays a #5.5 sleeve, so should I.”

False! While you probably should do what your trumpet teacher tells you during your studies, realize that this statement is just as absurd as saying, “My teacher wears a size 10.5 shoe, so should I.” Even if you follow your teacher’s routine, style, and sound concepts, you are still two different individuals with different physical builds, preferences, and equipment.

12. “I use a #5.5 sleeve, so should my student.”

False! Helping your student to think logically about their equipment and dial it in is a great asset for your student, however, forcing your student to play on exactly what you play does not do your student any favors. The best thing to do is spend 5 minutes in your lesson and experiment with with the Reeves Paper Trick. Your student may end up on the same sleeve as you, but if that’s true it will be for the right reason.

Karl Sievers Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #82

Karl Sievers – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #82 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Karl Sievers.

Listen to or download the episode below:

Visit the Bill Adam Facebook Group to take part in the 6th Annual William Adam Trumpet Festival!

About Karl Sievers

Dr. Karl Sievers enjoys a successful and varied performance career, having performed in countless studio sessions, on live television, in jazz ensembles, chamber music of all kinds, solo recitals, and in symphony orchestras.

Karl is principal trumpet for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and the Norman Philharmonic, part of the Oklahoma City Jazz Orchestra, and he performs with local groups the Frontier Brass Band and the Opulent Brass Quintet. He has performed with artists such as Doc Severinsen, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and Al Jarreau.

Karl Sievers has been a professor at The University of Oklahoma since 1999 and was named the 2017 Irene and Julian J. Rothbaum Presidential Professor of Excellence in the Arts at the University of Oklahoma Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts.

A student of William Adam at Indiana University, Karl has been instrumental in hosting and organizing the International William Adam Trumpet Festival. The 6th Annual festival will be from June 18-20, 2020 and held online on the the Bill Adam Facebook Group, where all the masterclasses will be available to view free of charge.

Karl Sievers Links

Podcast Credits

Bria Skonberg Trumpet Interview – The Other Side of the Bell #79

Bria Skonberg – Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #79 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Bria Skonberg.

Listen to or download the episode below:

About Bria Skonberg

Photo by Krista Stucchio

To most of us, the adventures of trailblazing triple threat trumpeter, singer and songwriter Bria Skonberg are borderline unbelievable. Born in British Columbia, Canada and now residing in New York City, the Juno Award winner for Best Vocal Jazz Album has performed hundreds of festivals and stages the world over, including New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival and Montreal Jazz Festival.

Called the “shining hope of hot jazz” by the NY Times, Bria has been at the forefront of a revival of classic American music as both a performer and educator, programming concerts and workshops for students of all ages; She is currently developing educational activities for the Louis Armstrong House Museum and co-directs the New York Hot Jazz Camp she co-founded in 2015.

“Nothing Never Happens” Album by Bria Skonberg

Described as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” (Wall Street Journal), she has performed the music of Aretha Franklin alongside Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, played with U2 at the Apollo, sat in with the Dave Matthews band, was a featured guest with Jon Batiste and sang the “Star Spangled Banner” at Madison Square Garden for a NY Rangers game.

Bria has been featured on over 25 recordings and recently released her sixth studio solo album “Nothing Never Happens”. Her music has garnered over 10 million streams online.  A 6x Downbeat Rising Star, she tours constantly bringing her own signature sounds of fiery trumpet playing, smoky vocals and story-telling together with adventurous concoctions of classic and new.  Bria is a Bach Conn-Selmer artist; she plays a Bach Stradivarius 37 with a 3C Bach mouthpiece.

Bria Skonberg Links

Podcast Credits