As brass players we all pick up our instruments, buzz and blow and a note comes out. Simple yes? But how do brass instruments really work? I’m sure we are all familiar with the basics of playing a brass instrument. … Continue reading Brass instruments – how do they really work?
Posture, and whether you are sitting comfortably, is something a lot of us don’t take seriously enough; yes we think about breathing, embouchure, mouthpiece and a myriad of other things but how we are sitting or standing seems to be … Continue reading Are you sitting comfortably?
The first Saturday in July is always an exciting time, Pershore Midsummer Brass Festival (PMB) is here once again and after many years is still as fresh as ever. Even during lockdown, a virtual PMB kept us entertained with recordings … Continue reading Pershore Midsummer Brass
Tuning and intonation are difficult issues for a lot of players, and are connected with listening to our own and others performances. Some can hear tuning issues without any problem, others find it difficult to hear their own or others … Continue reading Tuning and intonation!
I have recently had several conversations with students about exams, whether they are necessary and what is their purpose, and what is their effect on music and musicianship. So how do we perform a piece? Exams are widely used and … Continue reading How to perform a piece?
How does a brass instrument work? We talk a lot about brass instruments here but how often do we think how the things actually work? I recently asked a student that very question and interestingly they didn’t really know the … Continue reading Buzzing and blowing
What does improvising conjure up in the minds eye? l guess for most of us it’s the jazz musicians best friend. The fantastic spectacle of a jazz musician improvising around an often well known tune is a typical vision of … Continue reading Improvising
I remember writing a couple of years ago, in 2020, about how important brass groups are at Christmas, and how we were missing the festive music and carols. It looked like 2021 was going to bring it all back but … Continue reading Christmas post Covid?
A while ago i discussed the Forgotten Fairground project, a fantastic venture featuring modern jazz music and contemporary dance culminating in a film which was launched at the British Film Institute back in January 2019. Since the well-received launch, Matt … Continue reading Forgotten Fairground update.
It is a fact that not everybody likes scales! They can be seen as boring, repetitive and monotonous but they are the fundamental building blocks of nearly all the music we will ever play or hear. Granted, there are different … Continue reading Why do we need scales (and arpeggios)?