The gig was six nights (Monday thru Saturday). My first "big-time" gig was playing lead trumpet with Brenda Lee at a club in Jackson, Mississippi when I was in college in Hattiesburg. How did you get your "break" into playing with these groups? While an undergraduate at North Texas State, you played weekends with Les Elgart, The Supremes, Little Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, and Gladys Knight and the Pips, to name a few. When I was younger I practiced all the time. The Bach 6 1/2 AL opens up my sound.I only recommend this mouthpiece to trombonists who are willing to put in the time. This mouthpiece is a little larger than most commercial musicians play, most play 12C mouthpieces and smaller trombones like Bach 12 or King 2B or Conn 6H. I play the Bach 6 1/2 AL mouthpiece on a Bach 16M trombone. Larger, deeper mouthpieces produce a great sound, but require a powerful embouchure for sound, range and control. Select a mouthpiece appropriate to the type of sound you want and the register you want to play in. Playing the tuba is a lesson in itself on breathing! Similar analogies can be made towards playing the saxophone family, clarinet family and flute family. It took me many years to understand this concept. Conversely, most trumpet players who attempt to play the trombone do not put enough air into the trombone. The trumpet only requires half the air of the trombone. Most trombone players who attempt to play the trumpet put too much air into the trumpet. Also, do not use extreme pressure of the mouthpiece on the lips.īreathing is the most important aspect of playing and/or doubling on brass or woodwinds. This type of damage will affect your ability to play the other brass instruments.
King tempo trombone review skin#
This may cause a "stretching" of the skin of the upper lip that vibrates. Do not over blow, and don't play too loud in the upper register of the trumpet. Center your embouchure so that the mouthpiece placements form "concentric rings" (Maynard Ferguson). What advice can you give to someone wanting to perform on more than one brass instrument with different sized mouthpieces? Is there a "formula" you can use to choose the right mouthpieces for each instrument?Ĭhoose a mouthpiece that works for you. I would play much better if I practiced more. Fifteen minutes on the piccolo trumpet does wonders for the corners of the embouchure which helps all of the wind instruments. There is quite a bit of "carry-over" from one brass instrument to the next. I do not practice as much as I should, so I try to get the most out of each hour of practice. I also arrange music and produce records. I play piccolo, flute, alto flute, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, piccolo trumpet, trumpet, flugelhorn, bass trumpet, euphonium, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, electric bass and synth programmer. How many different instruments do you play on a regular basis? How do you manage to balance performing at a high level on so many different instruments? You play a number of instruments ranging from trombone to baritone sax to piccolo. I would play "war" with my toy soldiers to 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky. I remember when my parents purchased their first record player when I was four. Music always interested me for some reason. I gave up at age ten to play the tuba in the marching band. I started on the violin when I was five years old.weekly lessons and kiddy orchestras.