When the Rubber Doesn’t Meet the Road
I’ve played under a lot of conductors in my time, some great and some not so great. One thing that always personified the great ones was an insistence on strong Continue Reading →
Author: ben
Style Darn Ya’, Style!
Recently someone asked me a question that has stumped musicians for eons: what is style? That question reminds me of an old comedy routine from our own Second City improv Continue Reading →
Take your time and BREATHE!
by Kirk Lundbeck During the past several months I’ve been able to judge young student musicians in solo and ensemble contests. While working with these players I’ve noticed a consistent Continue Reading →
Night of the Living Dead
I was listening to someone play the other day and after they played a passage with a particularly dead sound, I said; “that’s the Zombie sound, now give me the Continue Reading →
Understanding the Mouthpiece
There has been a lot of misunderstanding of the role the mouthpiece plays in brass playing. It was and is generally thought that the best approach is what used to Continue Reading →