The Shadow

Welcome to Weekly Tips!

Please always feel free to respond / comment on any of the tips listed in these weekly posts.  Your input may help clarify details for someone else!

If you haven’t submitted a name for the new book, we’re still accepting ideas!

Check out the Chops Rehab and Jazz Improv courses.  These are designed to be 4 weeks worth of lessons to help the student gain insights and skills in each specific area.

Here are your Tips!

Tip #1 – How Small Is Your Aperture?

Your aperture is the key to clear tone, upper register, lower register, loud volume, soft volume, and everything in between.  Your aperture is also the key to poor range, poor control, and most of the problems involved with trumpet playing.

The smaller you can keep your aperture without tensing it up, the more you’ll be able to control your range, tone, volume, quality of sound, and endurance.  For this very reason, I play the smallest diameter mouthpiece that I can comfortably play (.600) and have found great success with it.

How soft can you play?  How defined is your sound when you attempt to play soft?  Are you stuck in the 3C mentality of bigger is better?

Tip #2 – Triple Tongue Exercises Anyone?

Try this exercise for a week… Page 155 in the Arbans book (triple tonguing section) – Play the entire page single tongue (front part of your tongue).  Rest a few minutes, then do the same thing all “GAH” or “KAH” (back of your tongue).  This is very taxing upon the first few attempts, but the more you do it, the faster your tongue gets, the clearer your articulation gets, and the clearer you can perform various styles… the hardest part is sticking to it!  We’re not actually “triple tonguing” yet, but it makes both parts of your tongue strong and consistent.

“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”

Mary Pickford
1893-1979, Actress and Producer

Have a GREAT week!

Sincerely,

Keith Fiala

The Shadow

Welcome to Weekly Trumpet Tips,

Please always feel free to respond / comment on any of the tips listed in these weekly posts.  Your input may help clarify details for someone else!

If you haven’t submitted a name for the new book, we’re still accepting ideas!

Check out the Chops Rehab and Jazz Improv courses.  These are designed to be 4 weeks worth of lessons to help the student gain insights and skills in each specific area.

Here are your Tips!

Tip #1 – Listening & Learning

As you know from last week’s tips, we spent the week in Juneau, Alaska.  I had the honor and privilege of working with, playing with, and offering suggestions to players there.  One of things that I’ve become more in tune with is when someone asks for advice, and hears something they may not agree with or sounds like too much work, they tend to completely shut off / shut down.

The only way to learn and grow is to completely remain open to new information.  What may strike someone as a ton of work at first, may indeed turn out to be the fastest moving freight train to their desires!

Tip #2 – Climate Affects on Chops!

Being from Austin, TX we tend to get our fair share of heat and humidity during the summer.  I had written at the beginning of summer to be sure to monitor your water intake, stay hydrated, and to take it easy on overly hot days (especially playing outside).  Traveling out of the heat and into rainy, damp, cool temperatures changed things up a bit.  Suddenly, I was watching for chapped lips more than anything.  Despite the damp climate, wind can often play havoc with your skin (lips in this case).  They are part of your instrument and need to be taken care of.  Just as singers tend to watch what they eat, drink, and do with their voices, we too should watch what we do to our chops.  Maynard was always VERY picky about his toothpaste!

Guard the chops…

If you have any tips, comments, suggestions, or just want to voice something, please don’t hesitate to write in!

“Doubt, of whatever kind, can be ended by action alone.”

Thomas Carlyle
1795-1881, Philosopher and Author

Have a GREAT week!

Sincerely,

Keith

The Shadow

Welcome To Weekly Tips!

Sorry for being a day late, but we were traveling to Juneau, Alaska and it somewhat delayed the tips…

Please always feel free to respond / comment on any of the tips listed in these weekly posts.  Your input may help clarify details for someone else!

If you haven’t submitted a name for the new book, we’re still accepting ideas!

Check out the Chops Rehab and Jazz Improv courses.  These are designed to be 4 weeks worth of lessons to help the student gain insights and skills in each specific area.

Here are your Tips!

Tip #1 – Practice Routine’s Continued

Last week I talked about a practice routine that was more based on the physical approach.  What many don’t think about is the mental approach to practicing.  If you have your mind made up that you don’t want to do something, most likely, you won’t!  Same goes for belief’s.  I run into SO many people that are staunchly set on what horn, mouthpiece, rim size, etc. that players need to use or they are either cheating or just a freak because they can make something out of the ordinary work.

Practicing is the same no matter how you look at it.  Most players go in blindly and play until something hurts or they have hit the
“X” mark on the clock… I.E. “Oh good, I’ve played for 30 minutes!”

Try setting goals mentally for your practice routines… draw out a plan for the week with no time boundaries or constraints.  Setting a time frame in your mind can cause you to practice blindly with eyes glued to the clock.  What I suggest is to practice one fundamental, such as tonguing for however long it takes to complete your exercises.  You’ll be surprised as to how much better you feel about your practicing.  If you can get it done in 20 minutes, great!  If it takes 2 hours or more, so be it.

Tip #2 – Stop Competing & Start Making Music!

One of the questions that gets asked from time to time is “Am I better than so & so?”  My answer usually is “who would really care?”  We tend to put ourselves in a competition mind set so that we can feel better about our playing, but you are also setting yourself up for big demise by doing that as well as you are opening yourself up to others opinions!  Who really is the best?  Arturo?  Winton?  Miles?  Maynard?  Who cares?!?!?  I listen to all of the aforementioned for different reasons.  Each player amazes me for different reasons, but nonetheless – still amazes me.

Maynard was often asked “What’s the highest note you can play?”  His reply was always a jovial “I don’t know, I haven’t tried yet today!”

The common thread between Arturo, Winton, Miles, and Maynard is that they all LOVE what they do.  They’re not concerned with being better than someone else.

“Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young.”

Paul McCartney
Singer/Songwriter

Have a GREAT week!

Sincerely,

Keith

The Shadow

Welcome to Weekly Trumpet Tips,

HAPPY FOURTH of JULY AMERICA!

Please always feel free to respond / comment on any of the tips listed in these weekly posts.  Your input may help clarify details for someone else!

If you haven’t submitted a name for the new book, we’re still accepting ideas!

Check out the Chops Rehab and Jazz Improv courses.  These are designed to be 4 weeks worth of lessons to help the student gain insights and skills in each specific area.

Here are your Tips!

Tip #1 – Changing Gear (Horns / Mouthpieces)

This may seem like a “common-sense” tip to most, but you’d be surprised at how many players will “experiment” or “try out” new gear on a gig.  NOT a wise decision as you should take into consideration what the change can and may do to you as you play longer into your show.  Mouthpiece changes can be the most extreme and are not recommended for performances.  Your lips have a set muscle memory, and when you change a variable that has been untested, you could be in store for some nasty surprises.  The most extreme would be rim diameter changes…

With horns, we have to think about response, bore size, valve response times, and the sound that we’re accustomed to hearing while playing.  Again, changing gear that you’re unfamiliar with during a performance is not a good idea… stay consistent so that you will play consistent!

Tip #2 – What’s Your Practice Routine?

Many of the students that I have ask  common questions, such as – What should I be practicing? & How should I practice – What ‘s a good routine?

We would love to get feedback from you, the subscribers, as to what you practice, when, and how!  What’s been working for you, and what have you changed up over the months / years?

I vary my practice regimen to prevent:

A: Boredom

B: Stalled Growth

C: Burned up Chops

What I mean by this is that I look at my time during a week.  I will focus on a couple of aspects that I need to address that will affect the over all fundamentals of my playing.  I see playing as having 4 components…

Lips

Air

Fingers

Tongue

For each aspect, I have specific things that I do to work on my accuracy, speed, and musicality.  Your lips and air can be looked at as reaching for the balance necessary to play with ease.  If you’re forcing things, you will be fighting the horn as well as the lack of balance between your lips and air.  I look for how relaxed and easy I can produce sound that is clear and focussed.

Your fingers and your tongue set the rhythm and timing of your playing… they also need to be coordinated so that neither gets out of synch with each other.

Then I can get deeper into things practice wise by addressing musicality, improvisation, time / rhythm, sight-reading, endurance, etc.

Keep a practice log so that you know what has been worked on, how much, and when.  But always remember to push the aspects of playing that you CAN’T do… playing things that you have already mastered, is not practicing to improve…

“So let your deepest desires direct your aim. Set your sights far above the ‘reasonable’ target. The power of purpose is profound only if you have a desire that stirs the heart.”

Price Pritchett
Author of You2

Have a GREAT Week,

Sincerely,

Keith

The Shadow

Welcome to Weekly Trumpet Tips,

Please always feel free to respond / comment on any of the tips listed in these weekly posts.  Your input may help clarify details for someone else!

If you haven’t submitted a name for the new book, we’re still accepting ideas!

Check out the Chops Rehab and Jazz Improv courses.  These are designed to be 4 weeks worth of lessons to help the student gain insights and skills in each specific area.

Here are your Tips!

Tip #1 – The Physical Connection –

One of the driving forces of writing our latest book (the one we’re trying to name) is to help others understand the absolute connection between how we would train or add strength to any other muscle in our body and how we add strength to our apertures and embouchures.  If you were to build strength in your legs, you would have to go through the exact same process as you would with your arms, back, etc.  Muscles require a tear down process (work out), food (protein), and REST!  Many of the players that I come across that are having extreme difficulties are not only suffering from a misconception with playing, but also from over playing and not getting enough rest between heavy or hard playing sessions.

Muscles will continue to weaken AFTER your playing session for up to 24 hours.  There are times you will start to feel soreness in your facial muscles… these are the tiny muscle tears necessary in building strength.  If you do not allow for enough rest, you will actually reverse the building process and burn out the muscles you’re trying to build.  Imagine having to go to work or school (or both) 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks per year… would you burn out with no time off?  YES – so will your muscles.

I AM NOT saying take a total day off – but what I am saying is that if your normal playing is diminished for seemingly “unknown” reasons from previous days, it is quite possible that you’ve over played / practiced and need a softer, gentler, kinder session (or several days of them in a row) to help build your muscles.

Tip #2 – Your Mouthpiece Could Be Too Large!

This is an EXTREMELY controversial topic for most teachers, band directors, professionals, and students alike.  Now, before you rush to comment and carry me off to the guillotine for even bringing this topic up – remember that many trumpet players are victims of myths and misinformation.

When I mention size, keep in mind that I am not talking about depth – but rather, cup diameter (measured from inner rim edge to inner rim edge).  One of the misconceptions is that if you switch to a smaller diameter, you will lose your full / broad tone.  Other myths are: loss of flexibility, loss of power, loss of lower register playing, loss of control, etc.

Understanding what large diameter mouthpieces can cause will help you over come complications experienced by many that try a smaller diameter and run away.

Your sound is YOUR sound.  And with time, your sound will re-emerge no matter the rim diameter.

Feel free to comment on your thoughts concerning these tips!

“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible
in your approach. It’s the end you’re after.”
— Anthony Robbins: Motivational speaker and author

Have a GREAT week!

Sincerely,

Keith Fiala

The Shadow

Welcome To Weekly Trumpet Tips

Help us name our newest book that will be out in August!

We’ve gotten a great response with some GREAT names so far… put your ideas in the hat!

A little about the book: Trumpet players tend to not see playing related in any way to a physical workout / sport.  So we’ve been meeting with personal trainers, doctors, etc. to find out the similarities in muscle response and conditioning – all to help YOU become a better player physically!  This is not something that I’ve seen personally in great detail and had a lot of mystery surrounding this topic in my own mind.

What we need: A Title that is both catchy and professional…

What you get: The winner will receive a free copy of the book AND a Trumpet Resources ball cap!

See contest rules HERE!

Here are your weekly tips!

Tip #1 – Passion is the driving Force

I’ve been reading (through a little nudging by my wife) a book called “The Passion Test.”  Upon first looking at it, I thought it would be a romance novel… quite the contrary!  In a nutshell this book is designed to help people discover their passions in life.  One particular interview caught my attention because the subject being interviewed; Dr. Denis Waitley hit the nail on the head time and time again – like he were writing about me in some instances.  He’s worked extensively with Olympic athletes, POW’s, and Super Bowl Champions, just to name a few groups.

Here are 2 highlights that I want you to read – these are quotes directly from the book.

1) First, I’ll have to say people need to understand it’s never too late to discover your passion, and most multimillionaires are made after the age of 50.

2) As you think about the things you love to do in your off hours, or the things you loved to do as a child, therein will lie your “natural talents.”  Natural talents begin to blossom early, but they get nipped in the bud by what I call “the parent, the peer group, and the professor” who tell us we should be concentrating on something like computers that will earn us money, instead of this crazy passion of ours, and the talent in that passion which may be the key to riches untold!  I think hobbies are normally the best examples of talents, and childhood talents and hobbies will give us a combination of blending talent and passion together.

The reason I’m highlighting these 2 statements is because it’s important for ALL players to understand that little more is needed beyond your passion for playing, to become what you really want to be.  Passion will drive your desire and determination, which will inevitably drive your growth through practice.  Age has NO bearing!

Tip #2 – Patience!

One of the things that I don’t think could EVER be over stated, is that all things worth while require time and patience.  One of THE most common questions that I get as an instructor is, “will I be able to have a G over High C by X date?”  The first thing to understand is that ANYONE CAN achieve the range they desire… but you have to be willing to be; A: patient B: devoted C: willing to practice intelligently!!!  None of the highlighted points are any more important than the other, and the goal will not be reached efficiently without any one single component in the mix!

“The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.”

Debbi Fields
Founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies

Have a GREAT week!

The Shadow

Welcome to Weekly Trumpet Tips!

Help us name our newest book that will be out in August!

A little about the book: Trumpet players tend to not see playing related in any way to a physical workout / sport.  So we’ve been meeting with personal trainers, doctors, etc. to find out the similarities in muscle response and conditioning – all to help YOU become a better player physically!  This is not something that I’ve seen personally in great detail and had a lot of mystery surrounding this topic in my own mind.

What we need: A Title that is both catchy and professional…

What you get: The winner will receive a free copy of the book AND a Trumpet Resources ball cap!

See contest rules HERE!

Here are your weekly tips!

Tip #1 – Better Learning Strategies!

In weeks past, I’ve written about not letting what we “think” we know get in the way of new information as well as my beliefs that anyone who truly possesses the desire to play, can learn to do it professionally – beyond your own dreams!

One of the strategies I’m using personally is to look at the most miniscule details when I practice.  For instance – I REALLY try to watch my rhythm and timing a lot closer.  Since doing this, I have noticed something that I never really picked up on before… most (not all) musicians tend to rush quarter note rhythms.  They are just ever so slightly ahead of the beat.  As they get more tired from playing (or aren’t paying attention), they will start to rush even further ahead.  Another detail that I personally watch for is cleanliness in my articulations, slurring, and general passing from one note to the next.  Not allowing (or settling for) sloppy articulations or cracked / missed notes.

Remember – The Devil is in the Details!

Tip #2 – What do you REALLY Want?

If you know anything about my “story,” it’s obvious that I was steered away from my dream to be a pro player by “authority” type figures as a youngster.  So much so that I quit playing for nearly 3 years and had to start over from scratch.  I, like so many of you, KNEW from an early age that playing trumpet is what I wanted to do.  It’s what I dreamed of before I could even hold a horn.

When I quit, it was like a major part of me had just died… but I walked away because I believed the rhetoric that it was a bad career path and was only for the “lucky, talented, gifted, and natural players!”  As I started playing again, I was bargaining with myself… promising that I wouldn’t do it for a living because I wasn’t one of the chosen ones, etc.  This has become such an ingrained part of me that I STILL catch myself “bargaining” for what I really want.

My tip to you is – ask the 5 year old child deep within you “what do you really want!”  Chances are, you’ll get the answer of what you really do desire – and remember, don’t bargain or let the adult “logic” kick in.

Have a GREAT week!

Sincerely,

Keith Fiala

TrumpetResources.com

The Shadow

Welcome to Weekly Trumpet Tips!

We would like to announce our new “affiliate program” now available that promotes our “Chops Rehab Course!”  It’s a win-win for everyone.  Each course that sells under your ID gives you $45.00 and the person buying the course insight on how to fix range, endurance, sound, and comfort problems that many are plagued with.  Visit Trumpet Resources and click on “Affiliate Program” at the top!

Here is this week’s tips!

Tip #1 – Strength Training For Endurance!

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about how building up your endurance will actually enhance your range.  This week will tie in nicely to that process on how to do it properly and address the “what” will actually be the most affective approach.

When working endurance, I am looking to play for as long as I possibly can (minutes) without removing the horn from my face.  If you’ve had a lesson with me in the past month or so, we’ve addressed this (so please forgive the redundancy).  I personally like using the Amsden’s Celebrated Duets book available though our bookstore.  I am not looking for range on the exercises, so the exercises I use are early in the book – not very demanding.

When you push to the point of being sore or tired and can’t go any further, what you’ve done is caused what body builders and athletes refer to as micro-injuries.  NOT injuries in a negative way that we tend to think of… but rather positive injuries because these are what will provoke the body to repair the micro-injury and build it up beyond what it was before the exercise.

Muscle growth requires protein intake to assist the body in providing food energy (or fuel).  Full recovery time will be individual and depends largely on what type of condition your facial muscles are in currently, as well as how much you “feed” your muscles after doing this exercise, but plan on 1 to 3 days for full recovery.  Another reason I advocate heavy days / light days.

Tip #2 – Work Your Fundamentals!

As we start to get more comfortable with certain playing abilities and get deeper into improvisation, lead work, classical playing, etc. we can start to become “tunnel visioned” with what we really enjoy doing.  Not only is this common, but it’s also something that should be kept in mind as we set up our practice regiments.

Personally, I have extended my “warm up” process to include aspects of my playing that I rarely use in my professional playing – such as multiple tonguing and classical styling.  I am not an orchestral trumpet player, but I don’t want to lose that ability to play within that style.  To remain a working musician, you have to have the ability to wear any and all hats that may be passed your way.  By passing up a classical gig, you could be passing up another avenue for making money.  Conversely, you don’t want to struggle with aspects of playing (multiple tonguing) if you accept one of those jobs after not doing a certain playing characteristic for months or even years.

“Motivation is what gets you started.
Habit is what keeps you going.”
— Jim Ryun: Former track athlete and politician

Have a GREAT week!

Sincerely,

Keith Fiala

I have discovered with my own learning that I personally accelerate when I don’t let what I think I already “know” get in the way of the new information I’m trying to take in. For instance – I have been a trumpet player since the 3rd grade and have been both a “talented” little boy and a “not so lucky” player. In high school, the message of “wanting to be a professional player was a reckless career choice and would carry with it disastrous results in life,” was constantly fed to me by “authority” figures… “You’ll never have a home, never have a family, etc.” So I essentially stopped learning because after all – what’s the point?

After returning to the horn 3 years after quitting, I was extremely self-conscious of my inabilities on the instrument… because deep down inside I still carried my dream, but had that message being played from within – you’re not lucky enough to have what it takes, etc. Comparing myself to other players, not wanting to appear weak, etc. would ultimately cause me to live by the mantra of “I know that!”

My growth as a player was essentially stifled because of fear – I didn’t want others to see my weaknesses and I worried too much about their opinions of me and my abilities / inabilities. This went on for literally YEARS! Until my wife was able to “break” through and help me see that all of this inability was created by the core issue of fear. It was not an easy process, but once the root of the problem was discovered, I started working on it. Once I did, my learning started to grow because I no longer felt captive to the idea of others opinions, etc.

So let’s jump back for a minute… children (largely babies) learn very quickly – there is no question about that. But let’s also remember that not too many people are telling babies “you can’t do that” when it comes to walking, talking, learning languages, and other skills and setting them up with insecurities about their learning. But as school age children through adulthood we run into those that are insecure enough that they must put others down about making mistakes or admitting to not knowing something… causing us to put up our defenses and stifle our own growth.

Ultimately, when we build defenses and build walls to keep out that which creates fear and pain, we also wall off our ability to grow… learning after all is growth!

Keith Fiala
http://www.TrumpetResources.com

The Shadow

Welcome to Weekly Trumpet Tips

We would like to announce our new “affiliate program” now available that promotes our “Chops Rehab Course!”  It’s a win-win for everyone.  Each course that sells under your ID gives you $45.00 and the person buying the course insight on how to fix range, endurance, sound, and comfort problems that many are plagued with.  Visit Trumpet Resources and click on “Affiliate Program” at the top!

Here is this week’s tips!

Tip #1 – Patience Is More Than A Virtue!

One of the hardest things that we as trumpet players have to endure and deal with is the fact that nearly everything we do takes time to build… time to establish the proper techniques, skills, and abilities.  Range is no different.  Usually in haste, we develop bad habits very quickly – and once something is habitualized it’s tough to reverse!  One of the most common habits I see is pinching lips to get to the upper notes vs. holding the aperture still and pushing the air.

When you practice, treat that time with tender care each and every day and realize that it is a cumulative effort to build your skills properly.

Tip #2 – Summer Is Here!

June 21st may be the first official day of summer, but the heat (at least in Texas) is climbing.  Keep this in mind as our activities return to the outdoors once again.  Dehydration is a big problem for trumpet players and extremely important as it will affect muscle fatigue, moisture in your mouth, and consciousness!  There’s not much worse than tumbling off the back of the band stand because we forgot to stay hydrated!

“You can’t base your life on other people’s expectations.”

Stevie Wonder
Grammy Award Winning Singer/Songwriter

Happy Memorial Day

&

Have a GREAT week!

Sincerely,

Keith