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!

Check out About Face HERE!!! Check out Secrets to Efficient Brass Playing HERE!!!

ReCheck 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.

Keith is available for clinics and as a guest artist!! Please go to our “Clinics” page for details!

Keith’s new CD is now available on iTunes!  Check it out HERE!  (Physical CD’s NOW Available!) 

Tip #1 – Summer Lessons Can Equal BIG Change

During my high school years, I saw players of different instruments come back after summer break (and a TON of shedding) absolute MONSTER players!  Don’t get me wrong, they were good before, but seemingly almost over night, these players had a remarkable turn around in their craft.  Whether it be soloing, rhythm, sound, range, feel, etc.  It was noticeable!

As we approach summer break for 2013, don’t feel like it’s the end of something… but rather your opportunity to dig in, practice diligently, and make head way.  Continuing lessons, starting back with lessons, or trying a new teacher can be great ways of putting you on the path to impressive change upon your return!

Just because school is out and you’re not having to go through the routine that you’ve just created over the last 9 months, don’t let the horn collect dust under your bed!

Tip #2 – Consistency!

I have a sticky note pasted to the inside of my mind, and it has one single word written on it! CONSISTENCY!  In everything we do in life, it always requires consistency… whether you’re going to the gym, on a diet, building a savings, paying off a car, etc.  Nearly all activity requires consistency from us.

My goals over the last several years has been to address the weaknesses in my playing.  Things that would keep me from working, being a good candidate for a gig, or just be something that scares me stiff!

My biggest hurdles have been time and rhythm (reading), and improvisation.  My focus has always been sound, range, and endurance.  I was never able to pull myself to “consistently” work on the hard stuff.  Now here’s the ironic part – the more I work on the other “weaknesses” the better my range, endurance, and sound become.  I found ways to incorporate working in “the fun stuff” as I was trying to leap the hurdles of fear.  In turn, my playing improved.

Here’s a great example that I’ve been incorporating with my improv stuff as of late!  Without scale and chord knowledge, improvisation will never reach its full potential.  So, I have been working arpeggios and scales 2 and 3 octaves.  I’m working the full range of my horn (or, me to be accurate), and I’m building my database of consistency over scales and chords.  Something I always shy’d away from.

Just remember one word – CONSISTENCY!  What ever you are working on, just be sure to do it daily.  It doesn’t have to be hours and hours each day… but it does have to be “each day!”

“Fortune favors the prepared mind.”

— Louis Pasteur: French chemist and microbiologist; 
contributing founder of medical microbiology

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!

Check out About Face HERE!!! Check out Secrets to Efficient Brass Playing HERE!!!

ReCheck 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.

Keith is available for clinics and as a guest artist!! Please go to our “Clinics” page for details!

Keith’s new CD is now available on iTunes!  Check it out HERE!  (Physical CD’s NOW Available!) 

Tip #1 – Brain Games… Really?

I don’t watch a lot of TV these days, but when I do it feels like I’m seeing more and more “brain training” tools being advertised.  Go to this website and exercise your brain, etc.

It’s interesting to me because I’ve read for years that those who play musical instruments see a reduction in aging affecting the brain.  Memory loss, etc.  Check out this article HERE for more benefits!

If you want a brain game, memorize all 12 major scales!  If that’s been accomplished, start working on memorizing the next mode… Dorian – in all 12 keys.  I’m amazed as to how tired I feel after I’ve spent an hour or more practicing things that I really have to concentrate on.

You’ll gain many benefits… not just the sharpening of the mind, but you’ll start to connect with your instrument more!

Tip #2 – Here’s An Idea - 

For years now, I’ve been pulling ideas together to share with you… it’s now time to perhaps open the floor, and ask you for some questions that I can answer directly for you.

What questions do you have that you really need answered that would best suit your current situation?

Remember to check back often… I WILL answer all questions!

“I believe life is a series of near misses. A lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It’s seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It’s seeing what other people don’t see. And pursuing that vision.”

Howard Schultz
Chairman and CEO of Starbucks

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!

Check out About Face HERE!!! Check out Secrets to Efficient Brass Playing HERE!!!

ReCheck 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.

Keith is available for clinics and as a guest artist!! Please go to our “Clinics” page for details!

Keith’s new CD is now available on iTunes!  Check it out HERE!  (Physical CD’s NOW Available!) 

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!

Check out About Face HERE!!! Check out Secrets to Efficient Brass Playing HERE!!!

ReCheck 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.

Keith is available for clinics and as a guest artist!! Please go to our “Clinics” page for details!

Keith’s new CD is now available on iTunes!  Check it out HERE!  (Physical CD’s NOW Available!) 

Tip #1 – Section Etiquette!

This past weekend I had the chance to be reminded of how inappropriate “hot-dogging” is from players within the section of a jazz band.  So this week’s first tip is about how to play cohesively as a section and as a team – vs. over stepping tasteful choices and playing things that are for your own pleasure or ego satisfaction.

Maynard made it a point to demonstrate that the AUDIENCE is THE most important thing, and that we were to always keep them foremost in our minds while performing.  Pieces have been orchestrated in such a way to create voicing, harmony, balance, blend, and music!

While the lead trumpet helps to dictate dynamics, style, and musicality, the section members have to be aware that without their voices in the proper place, the lead is just a higher voice hanging out alone.  No lead player really sounds great without the support structure beneath.  And when someone within the section chooses to play something higher or louder than the lead player, this destroys what the section unity should be.

So remember the next time you step into a musical group that your voice (the part your playing) IS important… in fact the smaller the group, the more critical this voicing becomes.  Therefore, we all have our specific jobs that need to be performed without ego…

Tip #2 – Building Range, Endurance, and Maintaining On A Practice Budget

I think we all understand that we have chosen an EXTREMELY physical instrument, and building strength and the memory for higher range and reliable endurance is no easy task – even if you have all day to practice!  Here are my thoughts on what needs to be done to achieve this with a budgeted time table.

Keep in mind that endurance is something that we can approach and practice with as little as 5 to 10 minutes of practice time.  You just have to be willing to keep the horn to your face (and play) for the full time.  The goal there is to get the chops used to buzzing and playing for extended lengths of time.  Most phrases in pieces have us playing roughly a few seconds to 20 seconds, and then we rest.  BUT – if we extend that out for MINUTES, we can build the necessary endurance to help set a platform for better range.

For range growth, it’s important to have a stable platform (as mentioned above), but to also keep reaching for the higher pitches that seem unaccessible.  What is today’s squeaks become tomorrows notes… don’t focus on power.  Focus on getting the air to hit the right speed for to produce the pitch.

When working on extending range – remember to treat it like you would working muscles in the gym (check out About Face).  They will need rest after going through a heavy workout.  So mix it up and only make extreme range extension attempts every couple of days.  Trust me on this… wasted chops will NOT play high notes, and you will get frustrated very quickly!

“Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.”

Norman Vincent Peale
1898-1993, Minister and Author

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!

Check out About Face HERE!!! Check out Secrets to Efficient Brass Playing HERE!!!

ReCheck 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.

Keith is available for clinics and as a guest artist!! Please go to our “Clinics” page for details!

Keith’s new CD is now available on iTunes!  Check it out HERE!  (Physical CD’s available soon) 

Tip #1 – Consistency is Key

For a great many people there is a lack of stamina and willingness to be consistent in whatever they are changing, working on, etc.  Let’s take this concept out of “trumpet terms” for a minute and put it in dieting terms.  For many, that is easier to relate to.  By willingly avoiding the fattening fried foods, sweets, etc. and eating less in portions, weight will come off.  The hard part is that we’re inundated with food!  Most of it BAD!  Turn on the TV, there’s a Wendy’s commercial.  Log on to the computer and find different ads on Facebook, Google, etc.  Not to mention the chemicals they use to addict us to these bad foods.

Now going back to trumpet terms – it’s easy to think, I practiced yesterday, so because I’m tired I’ll do it again tomorrow.  ”I didn’t have time” is by far THE biggest excuse that we convince ourselves is reality.

Ignore the horn for a day, and it will ignore you for a week!  I don’t remember who made this comment in last weeks tips, but I really dug it!  Please claim it!

Tip #2 – There MUST Be A Payoff!

The release of my new CD is one of those accomplishments in my life that I’m extremely proud of because I worked my rear end off!  Not just on the production and recording of this CD, but on the over all playing abilities to create something that I was finally proud of.  I can’t tell you what it feels like to wake up and see your work on iTunes, etc.

This led me to realize that this has turned into a massive payoff for me in ways that I could only dream of.  It’s inspired me to practice in ways that never have before (read the consistency thing above).  It also inspired me to want to venture out of what was “safe” and allow me to venture into the unknown.

For you, think of what you could do with your playing that would make you stretch WAY outside your comfort zone and push you beyond your current believed limitations.  Staying on the porch and watching the big dogs run by won’t make you grow.

There once was a traveling insurance salesman that stopped at an old farmhouse where the farmer was relaxing on the porch with his old dog who was howling and moaning.  The insurance salesman upon hearing the commotion, asked what was ailing the dog.  The farmer said, “he’s laying on an exposed nail.”  The insurance salesman was bewildered and asked, “well, why doesn’t he move then?” The farmer replied, “it’s not uncomfortable enough to cause him to move.”

In many ways, people live the same way… we stay miserably comfortable.  We may dream of growing and changing, but that’s scarier than staying miserable in familiarity.

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, ‘I’ll try again tomorrow.’”

Mary Anne Radmacher
Author and Artist

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!

Check out About Face HERE!!! Check out Secrets to Efficient Brass Playing HERE!!!

ReCheck 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.

Keith is available for clinics and as a guest artist!! Please go to our “Clinics” page for details!

Tip #1 – Multiple Playing Days in A Row!

This past weekend was the annual Temple Jazz Festival… this year we hosted Eric Marienthal with the Temple Jazz Festival and it was a SCREAMIN’ show!  Rehearsal Friday night, show Saturday night, and again on Sunday afternoon.  TONS of fun, but the ch0ps don’t have a lot of time to recover from the previous days beating.

One of the best tools I’ve learned is to be EXTREMELY patient with my warm up.  Fortunately I wasn’t too swollen, but I was feeling it a bit Sunday morning.  So, what did I do to help recovery?  Simple… I played EXTREMELY soft – starting on Low C.  I started the note with just air, and worked my way down chromatically to Low F#… each time I would air out, I would just stop and wait for a few minutes (best to do this with a cup of coffee and in front of the TV).

This is a TRUE test of patience!  It was at least an hour before I was able to start notes and not lose them seconds in.  But by the time it  was time to go shower and get ready to hit the road, my chops felt MUCH better.  I was able to get notes to respond with little effort, making the upper register MUCH more responsive.

I don’t always do this warm up… I gauge what I will do with how I’m feeling and what kind of demands will be on my playing, but warming up is critical and must NOT be rushed!

Tip #2 – Consistency is the Path to Improvement!

The next time you are in the midst of talking yourself out of opening your case and practicing – remind yourself that skipping one day is another day lost!  If you’re really tired from a hard day / week, then select one or two things to work on.  Scales, arpeggio’s, pedal tones, minor scales, etc.  Practicing doesn’t have to be rocket science, and it doesn’t have to eat up 20 hours of your day.

Remember – just the effort of getting your horn out and playing for 5 minutes, establishes a new mindset that you will not give up or give in.  There is no magic formula that will suddenly make you play like Arturo Sandoval or Maurice Andre… if there was, they wouldn’t be who they are / were.

Establish a good practice habit, and you will be much further down the road for it!

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Dale Carnegie
1888-1955, Author and Speaker

Have a GREAT week!

Sincerely,

Keith

The Shadow

Sorry for the late notice everyone, I have been running 8 different ways trying to get the CD out and it’s Temple Jazz Festival this weekend.

If you’re in the area of Temple, Texas on Saturday April 6th, I’ll be performing with Eric Marienthal Saturday evening at the Temple College Performing Arts Building.

We’ll be back on track next week with tips again…

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!

Check out About Face HERE!!! Check out Secrets to Efficient Brass Playing HERE!!!

ReCheck 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.

Keith is available for clinics and as a guest artist!! Please go to our “Clinics” page for details!

Tip #1 – Recovery Process

If you’re vaguely familiar with the South By Southwest Music Festival, you may know that Austin is inundated with musicians, singer / songwriters, and the downtown area is brimming with activity.  For local musicians it can either be a weeks vacation or it can be a busy week of playing constantly.  I was in between the 2… but still played some very long and loud shows that wiped me out by day 3.

I find that for me it takes a couple of days of rest… but it’s not like I’m “fresh as a daisy” after a couple of days of rest.  After playing THAT hard, I find that I have to rebuild what damage I’ve done to my chops.  My endurance, top end range, and even my flexibility tends to suffer.

Maybe it’s my age, or maybe it’s how hard I push when I do play… but it’s always a good 5 to 7 days before I’m back in shape again after reaching that dreaded point of no return on the fatigue.  I’ve found that a full day off doesn’t always do wonders for me.  But, talking to other players, they seem to rebound just fine.  My point is – you should experiment with what suits you best for physical recovery.  I lay off the high stuff for a day and do pedals, etc.  Just to get my sound to “re-center” and focus again.  I play very sparingly and sparsely.

Remember – everyone responds / recovers differently… find what works best for your recovery process, and stick with it.

Tip #2 – TUNING!  

I watch and listen to some band directors in the area that have their wind players pushing and pulling to try to get into tune.  For brass players, just because your slide is out, doesn’t mean that it’s a guarantee that you’ll be in tune.  Our tuning and intonation is derived by aperture and air use – NOT by the slide at the end of our lead pipe!  It’s funny and frustrating at the same time to watch as these band directors get a trumpet player “in tune” on a 2nd line G, but are perplexed why the student is drastically sharp or flat on a middle C (3rd space).

Anytime I get a new student in and their tuning slide is further out than 1/4 of an inch, I am pretty regularly alerted to a massive pinching problem.  Upon asking that student, their answer is usually “that’s where my director told me to put my slide.”  Sigh…

One of the best ways to really get a handle on pinching and make playing more comfortable is to push your slide all the way in, grab your tuner, and play starting on the 2nd line G.  First see how sharp you are, then pitch bend the note down into tune.  The more you work on this and try to stay centered, the more relaxed (and balanced) you’ll start to learn to play.  It’s not that anything is broken or “that’s just the way I play,” but rather it’s a learned trait of playing.

Give it a try!  I’m curious to hear the results… please feel free to post them!

The new album was mastered 3/25/13 and will be available April 2nd.  Here’s a preview!

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture.”

- Norman Vincent Peale, author.

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!

Check out About Face HERE!!! Check out Secrets to Efficient Brass Playing HERE!!!

ReCheck 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.

Keith is available for clinics and as a guest artist!! Please go to our “Clinics” page for details!

Tip #1 – What We Do is NOT Easy!

I am of the belief now that as trumpet players we tend to forget how difficult playing this instrument is and how far we’ve come just to be able to play with good consistent sound that’s centered, focussed, and pretty.

Through the years as a teacher, I’ve had adults come to me that have never played before and only want 1 or 2 lessons to “get going” on this instrument.  They come in with the preconceived notion that They’ll just have to figure out how to make sound because after all, “there are only 3 buttons, how hard could it be?”  Yes – I’ve had more than 1 person say this in years past.  And 10 minutes into the first lesson, they are overwhelmed with how difficult it is to play well!

This first tip is more on the motivational side of things… so the next time you start feeling down about the slow forward momentum or lack of progress, consider how far you’ve come vs. how far you have to go!  There is no real destination!  And almost assuredly you will have new goals once old ones are reached.

Tip #2 – “Doing” Can Be The Best Practice!

Looking back on the last several years of my playing, I have honed my lead trumpet chops and skills and feel pretty confident in that position.  I have learned how to lead a section with style, and dynamics.  But it has been most helpful in that growth to put myself in that role as much as possible.  VERY SCARY at first!  A good lead player is equally as important as a solid drummer, or a soloist.  That position can make a band exciting, save the band from a train wreck, or lead them into a total crash and burn.

What ever facet you’re currently working on in your playing, put it into action!  Getting out and performing is one of THE fastest ways to get more skill.  All the practice room time is great, but until you really test yourself with other musicians in a performance setting, you won’t really know.  I’ve seen for myself what to focus on in my personal practice time from the experience of performing.

So – put away the fear, stop doubting, and start looking for a band that needs you!  Growth is not easy, and a lot of times it’s not fun while you’re in the thick of it, but it certainly brings a healthier pay-off in the end!

“Pursuing your passions makes you more interesting, and interesting people are enchanting.”

Guy Kawasaki
Venture Capitalist, Author and Speaker

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!

Check out About Face HERE!!! Check out Secrets to Efficient Brass Playing HERE!!!

ReCheck 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.

Keith is available for clinics and as a guest artist!! Please go to our “Clinics” page for details!

Tip #1 – 1000 Excuses…

I’ve written about this before, but this is one topic that I witnessed in another aspect of life other than trumpet playing… BUSINESS!  Pie charts, graphs, meetings, planning, and speculating will do absolutely NOTHING for a business – what grows a business (bottom line) is sales!  What I have witnessed is someone who manages a business and makes excuses as to why more gigs aren’t being booked. Blaming everything from lights, to lack of dancing on stage, to the age of the performers.  When in reality, this person is waiting for calls to come to him.

Practicing is much like this!  A great many of us think about practicing, plan for it, and even may get around to picking up the horn, but when it comes time to have focussed practice, we make excuses.  Consider this, in the amount of time that it took to talk yourself out of practicing (for one reason or another) you could have started and been just a bit closer to your playing goals.

The next time you tell yourself that you’re too tired, too busy, or what ever your poison (excuse) may be, stop and just pick up the horn… even if it’s only 5 minutes!

Tip #2 – Scariest Facet(s) of Playing for You?

Some of the biggest obstacles I’ve had in my playing life is improvisation, time and rhythm, and sight-reading.  I managed to slip through the cracks as a young boy when it came to sight-reading and counting / rhythm.  I could play something back pretty quick – if I heard it.  While that’s a great skill to have, it’s not enough to continue forward as a growing trumpet player / musician.

Improvisation was one of those skills that I was led to believe that I didn’t necessarily have the skills or “natural ability” to do.

I have had to embrace the things that I cannot do / do well, and have learned to ask questions, take lessons, and focus my practice on these playing facets.

For me, it was easy to shut myself down believing that it was too difficult to fix my weaknesses…  and all that excuse was doing was making what I believed come even more true!

What is your scariest facet that haunts you?

“There is no such thing as a hopeless situation. Every single circumstance of your life can change!”

Rhonda Byrne
Author of The Secret 

Have a GREAT week!

Sincerely,

Keith