Credits
Editing by Samuel Johnstone
Illustrations by Juliane Pieper
Research for this blog was made possible by a generous scholarship from the Berlin Senate.
Category Archives: Contemporary Techniques
Bassoon Reed
I’d like to start this post by making it clear that I do prefer playing the trumpet with an actual trumpet mouthpiece! Nevertheless, there are some unique sounds that can be made by using an alternative mouthpiece on the trumpet. … Continue reading
Posted in Contemporary Techniques
Tagged alternative mouthpieces, bassoon reed, mouthpieces, multiphonics
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The Double-Bell Trumpet
When I first saw Marco Blaauw’s double-bell trumpet, I was fascinated but skeptical. The effects are great, but are they enough to justify this huge modification of the instrument? Not to mention the expense of having one built! I avoided … Continue reading
Posted in Auxiliary Instruments, Contemporary Techniques
Tagged double bell trumpet, half valve, mutes
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Multiphonics
My good friend, tubist and author Jack Adler-McKean, will cringe at the title of this post. He rightfully insists that: “a multiphonic means the same thing regardless of whether its for string, wind, brass, keyboard instrument or voice: making multiple … Continue reading
Posted in Contemporary Techniques
Tagged mccormack, multiphonics, sanders, seyedi, singing, toledo, voice
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Tongue Slaps and Other Percussive Sounds
Tongue Slap / Tongue Ram Whenever I have a gig with my horn colleague Samuel Stoll, we inevitably get into a heated discussion about the difference between tongue slap and tongue ram. In my opinion, this is one technique with … Continue reading
Posted in Contemporary Techniques
Tagged lip smack, Marton illes, palm slap, percussive sounds, tongue slap, valve sounds
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Half-Valve
In classical trumpet playing, half-valve sounds are usually unintentional and a sign that you aren’t fully depressing the valve, or that you seriously need to oil your valves because they aren’t coming back up fast enough. This “mistake” has been … Continue reading
Pedal Tones
My first encounter with pedal tones was in college, as warm-up exercises. I was taught that, in order to properly play the high register, I also had to learn to play super low. Though the connection between the two is … Continue reading
Split-Tones
My first venture into split-tones was over ten years ago for a performance of the piece “Humans in Motion” by Canadian composer Annesley Black. If I remember correctly, there was one single split-tone in my part – one of the … Continue reading
Posted in Contemporary Techniques
Tagged half valve, multiphonics, saunders, split tones
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Flutter Tongue, Doodle Tongue and Growl
The tongue is a trumpeter’s secret weapon, with which they can coax some fascinating effects from their instrument. In addition to using the tongue for articulation, it can be used to create some interesting sound colors. Here are three of … Continue reading
Posted in Contemporary Techniques, Standard Techniques
Tagged berio, doodle tongue, flutter tongue, growl, saunders, stier, trumpet
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