Building Range for the Beginning Trumpet Player I teach many students each week, and all of them are interestedin one thing: playing high notes on the trumpet. I’m not surewhere this fascination that higher is better came from (well, Iguess we could Maynard Ferguson for this), but it is typicallythe area that most students, old and young, want to improve on. Unfortunately, students are often pressured to play high. Afirst part trumpet player in high school is expected to play upto an above the staff C; sometimes, up to D. Because the studentdoes not want to disappoint the director or look...

Notes from an era of true free expression where we were “spoiltfor choice” with the newest musical innovators. Before theonslaught of the digital age and the polarisation of modernmusic we experienced a cultural revolution which, in my humbleopinion, has yet to be equalled in successive generations …I suppose my first realisation that music was something morerelevant than learning the words to carols for the schoolChristmas concert was appreciating my Dad’s collection of 78s’.He was a man with unusual tastes in music. My contemporys’parents listened to American...

The Formula: How To Get A Record Dealby Matty G Actually, anybody that tells you there is an exact formula youcan follow to get signed is lying. The truth is, there is noexact formula that will land you a record deal, period. This maybe disappointing for some to hear: I know I was disappointedwhen I first heard the truth.Although a record deal can sometimes come about just by being inthe right place at the right time, there are several things youcan do to maximize the possibility of attracting a major labelor production company to get them interested in signing you.First and foremost, be ready!...

By now you’ve probably heard of the Abba Gimme, Gimme, Gimmesampling dance club monster hit Hung Up and probably wonderingif the rest of the new Madonna album Confessions On A DanceFloor is any good. Well it’s definitely good and has a string ofvery nicely produced tracks by the Les Rhytmes Digitalesmastermind, Stuart Price, as well as a couple of other producerson the album. In Fact if you happen to have the Les RhytmesDigitales Darkdancer album you’ll notice some similarities. Thesimilarities of the early 1980’s sound that was present onDarkdancer and which is present...

Seven Basic Songwriting ErrorsThe advice in this article comes from The Essential Secretsof Songwriting, a popular website and e-book.________________________________ So are there only seven possible errors? In my experience as ateacher, the seven errors listed below represent the most commonerrors committed by students of songwriting. Addressing theseshortcomings is essential to making your songs work. ERROR #1: THE FORM OF THE SONG IS CONFUSING. SOLUTION:Strengthen the form of your songs by carefully controlling theenergy. Usually, an intro should have the same or more energythan a verse, not...

Most beginning guitar players start with a rather inexpensiveinstrument. They usually have a mass production clone of aFender Stratocaster or a Gibson Les Paul. The most popularclones are made overseas by Gibson and Fender themselves throughthe Epiphone and Squier lines. These are built to the same specsas the American made models. They are decent instruments intheir own right but they can be improved greatly with just apickup replacement. As long as the neck is straight and thetuning pegs are fairly tight, this is often all you need toupgrade to a pro sound.Iv’e modified several Mexican...