Carol Jarvis: Monday YouTube Fix

Need a little inspiration for better phrasing out of your playing or conducting? I've got you covered.

This is an incredible arrangement of "I Think of You" performed by trombone virtuoso Carol Jarvis.

If I'm being analytical, I love how effortless her playing looks. The ease with which she gets into and out of her high register is textbook.

But this clip is better enjoyed by leaving the analytical cap at home and just enjoying the gorgeous musical storytelling. Just beautiful stuff.

Enjoy!

'I THINK OF YOU' arranged by Russell Garcia, arranged/adapted by Carol Jarvis Trombone: Carol Jarvis www.caroljarvis.com Ensemble: NedSym Lite Filmed for the Lätzsch Trombone Festival: www.trombonefestival.eu

Article: "Creativity and the Brain: What We Can Learn From Jazz Musicians"

Very cool article that touches on the benefits of improvisation:

"When musicians go to an improvisation, the brain switches, Limb said, and the lateral prefrontal lobes responsible for conscious self monitoring became less engaged. 'Musicians were turning off the self-censoring in the brain so they could generate novel ideas without restrictions,' he said."

Creativity and the Brain: What We Can Learn From Jazz Musicians

The Brass Junkies: John Rojak

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Confession: As a general rule I can't stand brass quintets with a bass trombone on the bottom instead of a tuba. I am obviously biased.

But...

When John Rojak is the one playing the bass trombone book, like he has with the American Brass Quintet for many years, I can't imagine it possibly being any better with a tuba in anyone's hands. And I mean that!

John is one of the best bass trombone players in the world. He is also as fine a human as you could ever hope to encounter.

He's one of my chamber music heroes, teaches at Juilliard, NYU and Hartt, has been playing in ABQ for a very long time, and is an active freelancer around New York City. Fascinating guy and it was a lot of fun to chat with him!

Website:

John Rojak

Links:

American Brass Quintet
Julliard
NYU
The Hartt School

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer and Buddy Deshler of FredBrass.

Eastman Wind Ensemble: Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

Here is a clip of the Eastman Wind Ensemble performing Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor live at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. This hall is one of the best I've ever played in and I'm sure they were loving it.

Enjoy!

The Eastman Wind Ensemble at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall

The Proper Way for a Student to Hold a Mouthpiece When Buzzing

There really is no wrong way to hold a mouthpiece when buzzing, but there is a way to hold it that can eliminate a common mistake made by students.

Many students figure out pretty quickly that it is easier to "hit the notes" on a mouthpiece when you jam the mouthpiece into your face. This especially goes for higher notes.

Of course this is something that needs to be discouraged since it leads to both fatigue and a terrible sound. I have finally noticed a correlation between mouthpiece pressure and how it is being held (especially for the low brass instruments.)

When holding a mouthpiece with the entire hand, it is difficult not to apply pressure when buzzing.

But when holding a mouthpiece with only two or three fingers, it is difficult to apply pressure when buzzing.

By simply having students hold the larger mouthpieces with only three fingers at most you can avoid the issue of excess mouthpiece pressure without evening saying the words.

Harry Connick Jr: Monday YouTube Fix

Harry Connick Jr. is one of my musical heroes. He is the consummate showman, a phenomenal composer and arranger, and one of the best piano players in the world. You throw in the fact that he can sing and act and he can make you depressed pretty quickly.

I just performed a fantastic arrangement of this chart by Bryan Kidd with the American Festival Pops Orchestra. I personally think more Christmas tunes should have a New Orleans street beat.

Enjoy!

From the AOL Music Sessions recorded in the Bronx, November 13, 2008

Strong and Wrong

We used to have a saying in Boston Brass that we would use all of the time when coaching groups: "Strong and wrong!"

The meaning of that is of course to always play like you mean it, even the mistakes. If you are worried about making a mistake and back off a little, even if you play the note or passage correctly, it is going to sound wrong anyways.

And who really cares if you make a mistake anyways?

(Well, other than your ego...)

David Cutler: Monday YouTube Fix

David Cutler is a dear friend and a creative genius.  I hope he doesn't read this because it will go to his head but he is one of those people who seems to always being thinking a couple of steps ahead on the creative front.

Here is his version of "Oh Christmas Tree" for prepared piano which he performed many times when he joined Boston Brass every year for the expanded Christmas lineup.  I always looked forward to his solo performances during every gig.  You never quite know what he is going to come up with.

Enjoy!

"Oh Christmas Tree--Why Is There So Much Junk in My Christmas Tree???" AKA "Oh Christmas Tree: Are You Prepared for Christmas????" AKA "Oh Christmas Tree--What Would You Think If I Cut You Down, Made You Into a Piano, and Gently Placed Ping Pong Balls on Your Strings?????"

The "Do You Give A ****?" Test (Otherwise Known As Scales)

It is that time of year again when college students are set to perform their juries and high school seniors will soon be taking their college auditions. Almost all college auditions and juries require scales. So do all district and All-State auditions.

(Note: One of my most popular blog posts over the years is this Quick Guide to Juries which addresses everything you need to know to be successful.)

Everyone knows they need to know their scales. But scales don't actually test what you think they do.

It of course can not be pointed out too many times that scales are the building blocks of all tonal music and positively must be mastered by all musicians. This is not news to anyone.

But what scales, in the context of a jury or audition, are really testing is whether the student gives a ****.

No, I'm being serious.

Learning scales or modes only involves one thing: commitment. It just takes a concerted effort over a sustained period of time to become familiar with them. Once you do that, they are ingrained.

I rarely practice scales any more, and I mean rarely. That's because I have put the work in to the point where they are rote. I have them ingrained in my ear and into my muscle memory.

There is nothing tricky about them whatsoever. Even melodic minor scales (different on the way up than on the way down which struck me as insane as a kid!) are not complicated. It is the exact same pattern in each of the 12 keys, as they all are!

If you accept the premise that there is absolutely nothing tricky about any scale then all you are left with is whether you have bothered to take the time to learn them.

That's it. Do you give a **** enough to have spent the time? Pretty simple.

I'm not saying that a C-major scale is of equal difficulty as a D-flat major scale on a C instrument. The latter is obviously more difficult.

But neither one is very hard at all if you've bothered to take the time to do the work.

So believe me, you have told your potential school or the faculty at your current school an awful lot about how serious you are about this whole music thing by how prepared you are to play your scales.

#endrant

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For a little practicing inspiration, don't miss "Practicing Summed Up In Six Sentences" courtesy of Doug Yeo.

Walt Disney's Insights Into Practicing Effectively

I do not like to repeat successes; I like to go on to other things. - Walt Disney

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) September 2, 2015

Who knew that Walt Disney was a practicing guru?

I frequently see students start to practice a solo or etude at the beginning of piece. That's where they tend to start the first time they play it.

And the eight time they play it. And the 18th time they play it. And the 80th time they play it...

Guess what starts sounding really good? The opening of the piece!

Whenever I have a student who is not quite prepared to play an etude in a lesson it almost invariably becomes obvious when they get to halfway through the piece. Whether that's the B section, or a difficult variation on the main melody, or a key change.

If I ask them where they kept starting when they practice, they always say the beginning of the piece.

Don't "repeat successes" by going over the music you can already play. Target specific sections that need improvement and start with those sections the next time you sit down to practice.

You will be blown away by the results in a very short period of time.