Author: andrewbharms_ko12d8

Another blog post, so soon after the last?! Zoinks.  I am a researcher. In the arts, that usually means looking at some trends or a kind of conceptual Venn diagram, making an educated assertion, and then supporting your argument with both old and new observations. It’s relatively empirical, even when there’s some subjectivity. We artists…

One of the most beautiful things about life as a musician and the fleeting nature of what we do. Every note we play is a note we cannot rewind and relive. The one way arrow of time is canvas and sound is our paint. And, there is no recording technology that can capture the power…

Hey there crew! Today I would like to discuss something very much more concrete. That is, rotary trumpet mouthpieces, rotary trumpet mouthpiece brands, their catalogs, and how they related to piston trumpet. I am a bit of a closet equipment nut. I’m sure there are bigger nuts out there (ahem), and I theorize that most…

Hello, hi. Good morning. I’m just going to jump into it. I would like to once again put to paper some remarks about orchestral auditions. This is sort of reactionary to some conversations I’ve had with colleagues and some acute experiences I’ve had recently as an auditioner and an orchestral trumpeter. The topic at hand…

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it is to be a truly professional teacher and player, vs a part-timer, student, amateur, or somewhere else on the spectrum between casual enthusiast and top tier practitioner. In the book “War of Art,” Steven Pressfield talks about the difference between professional and amateur ‘weekend warriors’ at length.…

A very short blurb about trumpet technique. One problem I think I hear a lot from young players is a timing issue between air, pulse, and fingers. All three. And it is an easy fix: be patient. Be patient on the note changes. Wait until the very last moment to move your air, your buttons,…

Here’s a question. Do you think that anyone purposefully plays out of time? What about out of tune? This question has been bothering me a lot lately. When two sets of intervals are played, one in tune and one out of tune, we know which one is which. We know what intonation sounds like. Similarly,…

I love cheese. (A little too often,) I can sit down and finish an entire block without realizing it. I’ve been thinking a lot about cheese lately. As cheese is to a mouse, what is our cheese as musicians? I had the great pleasure of working with Mireia Farrés over the course of a week…

Trumpetverse! I’ve got two exciting bits of news for you. Whitney George Consortium First, I am honored and excited to spearhead a consortium to bring to life a new piece by the amazing Whitney George. We ran a consortium from June through July, and it was a runaway success (thank you to all who participated).…