Well – lotsa stuff to report today. First off – Robert received the all-clear, which was great news! On the playing front, I’ve had some more swelling issues which have been affecting things obviously. I switched back to the Monette MFIII to see how that went. There was a bit of a difference to say the least! Whilst the sound wasn’t as bright as the Harrelson, there was no noticeable swelling, so I’m thinking that perhaps I have a wee allergy to the Harrelson, especially as they have had the throat drilled & I am exposing my lips to some raw brass. I’m going to look up some prices to see if I can get them plated, but I fear it may be too expensive at this moment. Really need to get my arse in gear and practise a LOT more. I’m just not doing enough at the moment.
Monthly Archives: March 2011
Thursday…
Had a good sectional with Brass Impact last night. Running through ‘Love for Sale’ Buddy Rich version. Breaking it down piece by piece at a slow tempo. I really think the whole feel of the piece is in the articulation as it will finally be going at close to 210bpm. Once that’s nailed, it’s just a question of speed. Gave the guys out some 3rd finger exercises as well to try and speed the fingers up. Going to sound great! Thinking about my friend Robert as well - thoughts and prayers are with him just now.
grr! bugger! fck!!
Oh well – as you can guess – I’m not a happy teddy. Was practicing last night & put my trumpet down, only for it to start sliding off the worktop. I grabbed it before it fell, but not before I managed to put a dent the size of a 5p piece just at the bell crook a lovely scratch or 6 down the bell. I am a donkey…
Needless to say, practise did not go well then.
On a happier note – got my first gig in what seems like ages tonight at the jazz bar – woohoooo!! Compete with dented trumpet ‘n all! 
New uploads..
Just uploaded another new exercise to the downloads page. Some useful Flex exercises.
Flex
Ooow – has it been THAT long?
Oops! I think it’s been a while since the last posting! Lots of things happening – Christmas was great – had some great fun with Stewarton Panto!
On the playing front, things are a lot better – got a couple of custom made Harrelson mouthpieces now & the horn is settling in very nicely. (Have a look at the gear page). A few chop issues seem to be be ironed out a bit now, with many many thanks to Clint McLaughlan. If any of you have chop issues at all, go check out his site & his books. Bb Trumpet.com
Other breaking news is that I’ve been asked by the legendary Tommy Smith Musical Director of the SNJO to play with them at their upcoming concerts at the end of May. They’re doing two pieces/suites. Here’s the info from the SNJO site..
“Europe’s leading jazz orchestra presents two masterpieces of large-scale composition. Hailed as “exhilarating” by The Herald on its 2001 premier, Tommy Smith’s Beauty and the Beast translates the traditional folk tale into a vividly compelling jazz suite featuring the former Miles Davis and Mahavishnu Orchestra saxophonist Bill Evans. Smith’s Torah is a tour de force for tenor saxophone and orchestra, with the composer as soloist on a personal, spiritual journey through the blues and jazz stratospheres.”
Anyway – to say that I’m excited about this is a bit of an understatement!
Must go do some practise…