trumpet-jesus

[trumpet-jesus]

my name: trumpet-jesus, my hashtag (for some god forsaken reason): #violin

why are the gods so cruel

[trumpet-jesus]

Hello! Long story short, I have a bit of an odd question. What kind of routine care and maintenance should I preform to keep my trumpet in tip top condition (aside from grease slides/oils valves)? How often? Thank you for your time, and have an excellent day!

Its not an odd question at all! Sometimes frequency can depend on the instrument but usually I oil my valves once a day, grease slides once or twice a week, and give it a bath once every three months (snake and all) and polish twice a year. Its not always spaced out this nicely, as I typically clean my entire horn before concerts, recitals, and juries and I always polish before trips but it usually works out to those timings. 

One thing that a lot of people don’t add is to clean their mouthpiece with a proper mouthpiece brush and spray (*** i personally recommend min-t-mist as it works extremely well and is used by many mouthpiece companies, universities, bands, shops, you name it*** but rubbing alcohol works well too) then rinse it completely. I do this AT LEAST ONCE a day before I start playing but if there is a several hour gap in between playing I clean it again. Not cleaning your mouthpiece is like reusing a spoon every day that you don’t even wash off and sticking it in some carpet or something. gross.

Nothing else really needs to be done maintenance-wise as anything else that needs to be replaced or cleaned is by a case-by-case basis. The cork with the water key should be replaced when it leaks/falls off/thins out, the pads under the valves should be replaced if they get really wet and get compressed, and sometimes the springs for the water keys get bent out/rusted and need to be replaced. I’ve only needed to replace the cork and the spring for my water key on my Bb horn once, and I have owned it for over 6 years now. The other horns I use I haven’t owned it for that long (I’ve only owned my C for a little over a year) or are owned by my school / professor (picc, flugel, Eb) and I don’t need to worry about repairs.

I also personally recommend swishing your mouth with JUST water before you play, so that any particulates that were in your mouth don’t get in your horn. Do not brush your teeth every time you play because that's probably really bad for your teeth and you will definitely get toothpaste in your horn :)

[trumpet-jesus]

Queer Composers

For Pride Month, I would like to share a list of some of my favorite queer composers. Being queer doesn’t matter when talking about the music, and there is no other commonality that pairs these composers together. The point isn’t to say that queerness makes their music more valuable or influences their music, rather the point is to recognize diversity, and to acknowledge queer visibility. I understand the people who scratch their heads or roll their eyes at the idea of bringing up queer composers, and to them I say the point is simply to recognize their existence, because prejudices and biases through time have worked on erasing or revising history in order to keep hidden this aspect of the human condition. You could shrug and say “Who cares if Tchaikovsky was gay?” and I would say, “You’re right, it doesn’t matter much outside of biographies, but if you acknowledged Tchaikovsky’s homosexuality in Russia you could be arrested for “promoting gay propaganda”. I am also motivated by a comment from a friend who admitted they think the concept of “Pride” for anything you cannot control is “idiotic”. My response can be summed up as, when a group has been shamed for years for their identity, they will be ready to sing about it from the mountaintops when it is accepted. In other words, it is not about who is better or worse, rather it is the opposite of shame, and hopefully putting a human face on something that a lot of people only consider in the abstract.

In no particular order, here is some cool music by some queer people;

Tchaikovsky: Possibly the greatest composer in Russian history, and one of the greatest composers in general. Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky wrote in multiple genre, from symphonies to concertos to ballets, chamber music, opera…and while he can be criticized for the way he develops themes, his music is melodic and passionate and brimming with life. Among my favorites are his fourth symphony, the second piano concerto, the first orchestral suite, his piano trio, and his concert fantasy.

Poulenc: One of the members of Les Six, a group of Modernist French composers who were reacting against “overblown” Post-Romantic music, and methodical 12-tone serialism, Francis Poulenc can be described as a “neo-classicist”, sometimes his music resembles Stravinsky. The music tends to mix two unlikely moods: goofy, fun melodies and rhythms, and solemn religious contemplation. Cosmopolitan and Catholic, Poulenc was able to juxtapose opposite ends of the spectrum of the human condition; our vulgarity and profanity, and our spirituality and the desire for divine connection. My favorite works by him are his Organ Concerto, his harpsichord concerto “Concert-champêtre”, the concerto for two pianos, the cello sonata, and his Gloria.

Smyth: An English composer and an important figure in the Woman’s Suffrage movement, Ethel Smyth was a Post-Romantic who wrote powerful music lively with the British sense of nobility and strength. In the same ironic tragedy Beethoven went through, Smyth started to lose her hearing from 1913 onward, and so she gave up composing in favor of writing. While that is a shame, she left behind a good handful of orchestral and chamber music. My favorites by her are the overture to one of her operas, The Wreckers, her serenade which is kind of evocative of Brahms, and her gargantuan Mass in D Major.

Szymanowski: A Polish composer from the first half of the 20th century whose life can be seen as a narrative of seeking identity. Karol Szymanowski started out writing in the Post Romantic German style, with dense textures and a lot of chromatic modulation, but he was losing interest in this idiom quickly. He was inspired by Persian poetry he came across, and started writing in an Impressionistic way focusing on Mediterranean cultures, influenced by Greek and Roman mythology, Middle Eastern poetry, and the atmosphere of the Mediterranean as being a diverse mixing of cultures. Later in his life, he decided to look back at Poland for inspiration and finally found his “authentic” Polish identity in music inspired by the folk stories and Catholicism of Poland. My favorite works by him are his nocturne and tarantella for violin and piano, his song cycle the Love Songs of Hafiz, the third symphony, and his Stabat Mater.

Barber: It’s possible to say that Samuel Barber’s music is a good representative of American culture…a diverse mix of differences that complement each other. He took after jazz and blues, and after experiments in tonality heard in Europe and other American composers like Charles Ives, and he took after Romanticism with deep and powerful music. My favorite works by him are the Adagio for Strings which is heavily inspired by Mahler, his piano concerto, and Knoxville: Summer of 1915.

Copland: Another great portrait of America, Aaron Copland was considered one of the quintessential “American” composers of the 20th century, despite the combined factors of being gay, Jewish, leftist, and inspired by Russian and French modernism. All of those were seen as outsiders of the general American public. Even so, taking after Stravinsky, Copland’s music is full of spaciousness and open chords, melodies that range from longing to folksy and fun. My favorite works by him are his clarinet concerto, violin sonata, fanfare for the common man, and his ballet Appalachian Spring.

And if you reblog this list, feel free to add any of your favorite queer composers and share their music, their names, their faces.

[trumpet-jesus]

college music student quotes

I went to a string quartet intensive and got to a play some chamber music with students at the university I will be attending next year and here’s some of what was said:

“the most common music-related injury I see musicians have here is tendonitis, but more often than not they just get injuries because they did something stupid, like burn their hands on a toaster.” 

“the concert hall is too big for string quartets. it’s mostly for symphonic orchestra, big bands, and (the name of the violin professor).”

“he’s basically the music department’s bitch, which is literally my dream job.”

the violin professor, frowning and speaking in a stern baby voice, “you’re not suggesting we change what mozart wrote, are you?”

*someone making mario coin sounds on their violin* “I’m going to play this at studio.”

“there was once talk of removing these faux red velvet chairs in the music building and replacing them with standing tables and we said Absolutely Not. nobody else has these awful red chairs. they’re disgusting, but they’re ours.”

*the general, casual, widely-accepted usage of the word “shosty”*

*the mention of tchaikovsky and the mix of “oh I love tchaik” and “he literally gave me anxiety” from any musician in the vicinity*

“the cello professor is so great. sometimes he gets so into a piece of music that he just, like, disappears. and then he finishes playing and it’s like oh he’s back again.”

“someone sent me a video called “how to rosin your bow” -the cello professor

“they’re honestly such a power couple.” (in reference to the fact that the violin and cello professor are married and they’re both obviously insanely skilled)

*the conductor laughing at the woodwinds when they play a transition between two tempos badly*

“perfect.” -the conductor after we (badly) sightread the dvorak string serenade

I think I’m going to like college

[trumpet-jesus]

[trumpet-jesus]

is this real?

*music theorists laughing evilly in the distance*

[trumpet-jesus]

OKAY WAIT BUT CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH TRUMPETS (and french horns sometimes) HAVE TO SIGHT-TRANSPOSE MUSIC IN EARLIER ORCHESTRAL WORKS???

 *i misread the actual con section at first but this came to mind first and i REALLY want to talk about it*

(for those of u who don’t know what I am talking about, it is when you read a music, transpose it in your head, then play the transposed music that came from ur mind. ex: part is in Bb but you are playing C trumpet, music says to play a an F, you play an Eb. this has nothing to do with transposing intruments (instrument reads one note but plays a different one) but with the act of transposing ON THE FLY. 

i am only passionate about this because it is an incredibly mentally challenging task when learning and practicing and i am a little butt-hurt that no other instrument really needs to do this on a professional level (other than french horn occasionally)

There was basically a trumpet for EVERY key imaginable (alright that was a stretch but there was a lot) 

Most of the classical-period music I have played for orchestra was either for trumpet in D, Eb, or F. OCCASIONALLY it would be for E (i know it is disgusting). And so for those of you who do not know, most collegiate students and professionals actually play C trumpet for orchestra (with a few situational exceptions) because we’ve all learned C is really really important in theory and it is easier on the brain to transpose. 

so why is Bb trumpet the most popular and the one people play on the most? i genuinely don’t know. possibly because it is the most in-tune. dont quote me on that. 

I can hear it now: “but trumpet-jesus!!!! what happens when you get music in orchestra that is for Bb or you have a transposed copy for Bb trumpet??? Wont u just play it on Bb then??”

you still play it on C. 

pros and cons of the instruments

violin

pro: really agile instrument capable of large leaps and scale runs

con: open e string

viola

pro: gooood tone quality

con: alto clef

cello

pro: has a deep lower register and a very emotionally intense upper register

con: the players always fucling rush

double bass

pro: super important for helping the orchestra sound full

con: have fun carrying that thing everywhere

flute

pro: can play really fast melodic lines

con: piccolo

clarinet

pro: comes in many sizes, including bass and piccolo clarinet

con: comes in many sizes, including bass and piccolo clarinet

oboe

con: oboe

bassoon

pro: has a very distinct sound and is important in orchestral textures

con: it is a giant toot pipe

trumpet

pro: is the highest-pitched of the brass instruments and has a triumphant sound

con: is a transposing instrument (which goes for a lot of the spit instruments)

trombone

pro: slidey slide

con: I literally know nothing about trombone

tuba

pro: doot do doot do doot do dodododoot do doot

con: it weighs like half a person

piano

pro: works wonderfully as a solo instrument

con: works wonderfully as a solo instrument but composers refuse to believe that performers don’t have more than ten fingers

harp

pro: just listen to it

con: pedals

percussion

pro: provides rhythm and sound effects that the orchestra could not have without it

con: sitting within two feet of the bass drum and the cymbals

guitars

pro: work nicely as solo instruments and for providing chords

con: those people who learn four chords or one bass line and suddenly think they’re god. also for acoustics: dropping your pick into your instrument

[trumpet-jesus]

things I’ve said to my students

I teach little kids piano and these are some of the things I tell them and they seem to think I’m funny

“woah there buddy”

“be expressive, not aggressive”

“play staccato like you would play hot potato”

“yikes”

student: “why does posture matter?” me: “look at my hands when I’m playing with flat fingers. doesn’t that look weird? it looks kind of disturbing. don’t have flat fingers.” student: "you’re right”

“no no no don’t do that you’ll break your hand”

me: “what chord is this?” student: “g major. but can we name it carlos?” me: “…I don’t see why not”

“the man on my screensaver is dmitri shostakovich and you will learn to love his music, too”

“yeah this guy wrote angry music”

“we’re going to play this excruciatingly slowly. suffering is how we make progress”

me: “so a harp is basically just a naked piano.” my student: “so, you could say that inside a piano are the piano’s…organs.”

*miscellaneous sound effects and screeches*

*badly singing along as they play*

“composers were crazy. don’t ever let anyone tell you that mozart was sophisticated because he told some very bad jokes.”

me: “what interval is that?” student: “EL DIABLO”

“it’s going to sound bad, but that means you’re playing it right”

“please don’t play the piano with your elbows. you can try that at home”

“so the music says that it should be an f sharp but you played it as an f natural and I kind of liked that so we’re keeping it”

”if you can play this well I’ll accompany you with my plastic saxophone”

[trumpet-jesus]

‘nocturne op. 9 no. 2’ by chopin but you’re in a hotel lobby avoiding the rain on a cold night in an unfamiliar city, captivated by the soft piano music that reminds you of home. (youtube)

[trumpet-jesus]

✨🥰✨🥰✨

[trumpet-jesus]

I just heard someone in a previous post say marimbaist. I mean I say I am a mallet percussionist or just percussionist, but maybe I should start saying I am a xylophonist. Sounds spicy.

no matter how many years of classical training i have under my belt the first thing that comes to mind when someone says ‘xylophone’ are skeletons.

make of that what you will

[trumpet-jesus]

ill never forget that my post, how to do instruments, got onto a buzzfeed article about music.

someone really sat down and looked at it and was like “ah yes. peak musician. the millennials will love this”

[trumpet-jesus]

aint nobody want to hear this but imma say it cause some of yall need it

PRACTICE YOUR SCALES

SERIOUSLY

[trumpet-jesus]

lol let me add this before someone gets mad

this sizing is ONLY for straight out of the case beginners who aren’t able to make a decent sound after trying everything else. as you progress you will need to go to a bigger mouthpiece such as a 3C which is fairly standard across the board. when you upgrade, it will not really depend on lip size but more about play style (compression, how much air, etc.) and your regular repertoire. i currently play on a 1.25C (fairly big) for classical and solo playing, and i have medium lips. i also have a golf-tee looking mouthpiece strictly for jazz lead playing.

hello!! i’m a marimbist trying to pick up trumpet and i cannot for the life of me figure out how to get my embechure to consistently make noise (not even with good tone, just..... any noise). i have no previous experience with brass instruments at all, but i did do chorus for a couple years so my breath control isn’t terrible. do u have any tips you could share for getting a consistent and correct embechure? thanks!!

yes!!! my brass techniques class wasn’t actually for nothing!!

a good trick a lot of educators use with students is to say “ma’am” and then hold the shape of your mouth at the last ‘M’. after that u can try blowing through but if nothing comes out think about tightening/cementing your corners of the mouth to your teeth. the buzz comes from the top lip so make sure that its completely tight or too loose. 

u can practice this by saying ma’am, trying to play, then once u get a decent sound take the horn off of your face and repeat. it will take some trial and error cause not everyone plays the same cause not everyone has the same lips or teeth(i literally cant play if the horn is centered on my mouth it always has to be off to the left). 

another potential issue is lip size for beginners. If the mouthpiece is small like a 7C (which most beginner horns come with) and you have bigger lips, you will have a significantly harder time trying to play and vise-versa. i usually tell students to play with a 3C for bigger lips 5C for medium lips, and 7C for small lips. 

[trumpet-jesus]

hello!! i’m a marimbist trying to pick up trumpet and i cannot for the life of me figure out how to get my embechure to consistently make noise (not even with good tone, just..... any noise). i have no previous experience with brass instruments at all, but i did do chorus for a couple years so my breath control isn’t terrible. do u have any tips you could share for getting a consistent and correct embechure? thanks!!

yes!!! my brass techniques class wasn’t actually for nothing!!

a good trick a lot of educators use with students is to say “ma’am” and then hold the shape of your mouth at the last ‘M’. after that u can try blowing through but if nothing comes out think about tightening/cementing your corners of the mouth to your teeth. the buzz comes from the top lip so make sure that its completely tight or too loose. 

u can practice this by saying ma’am, trying to play, then once u get a decent sound take the horn off of your face and repeat. it will take some trial and error cause not everyone plays the same cause not everyone has the same lips or teeth(i literally cant play if the horn is centered on my mouth it always has to be off to the left). 

another potential issue is lip size for beginners. If the mouthpiece is small like a 7C (which most beginner horns come with) and you have bigger lips, you will have a significantly harder time trying to play and vise-versa. i usually tell students to play with a 3C for bigger lips 5C for medium lips, and 7C for small lips. 

[trumpet-jesus]

“it turned out to be a cool lil ditty”

-most composers

so I was making an arrangement of dance of the sugar plum fairy in ableton but I accidentally didn’t line the parts up correctly and it turned out to be a cool lil ditty