Trumpet Specialist

Mouthpieces and how to choose, “Unpopular Opinion Edition”

Raise your hand if you’ve had a band teacher or private instructor tell you that you needed to go from your 7C to a 5C, then to a 3C, then to a 1-1/2C and so on and so forth. Ok, now that we’ve all put our hands up, let’s get down to my unpopular opinion: There is no set progression for mouthpieces. They are not like shoes where you start with a size 5 and eventually get up to a size 12. As discussed earlier on October 3rd, 2019; we talked about some factors that help us choose mouthpieces. Today we will briefly discuss a couple of those and other things to think about when testing mouthpieces.

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Dec 13, 2019 No Comments

What Books Should I Get For Lessons?

When I meet with a new student for the first time we always discuss what books they need to have for their lessons. Here are five method/etude books that are essential for good foundations to unlocking your full musical potential through the trumpet. Complete Conservatory Method by Jean Baptist Arban Widely considered by many to be “The Trumpet Bible”, this is usually the first book suggested by private instructors if you are serious about studying trumpet due to the amount of material that is covered. Any technical aspect of trumpet playing that you will need to succeed will be in this book including nice songs, wicked characteristic studies, and classic cornet solos such as Fantasia Brilliante, Norma Variations, and Carnival of Venice. Technical Studies by Herbert L. Clarke Mr. Clarke presents exercises that combine several fields and can be utilized for many things. The infamous second study can be played in several tonalities, or you can begin working on playing softer while going higher. The final etude from the fifth study is very challenging as well.

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Nov 21, 2019 No Comments

Interested in Studying Music? A Guide To Finding Your Path

You’ve made the choice: you love music and want to pursue a career in the music industry! Great! So now what? At this point you need to determine which University, music program, and major are right for you. There are more music degrees than just performance or music education. Other music degrees include: Music production or recording technology, music therapy, music business, arts administration, music history, and music theory/composition. Some universities collaborate with local businesses to help offer a degree in popular music theory, analysis and composition. When researching your potential future, you have several resources at your disposal to find out information and some of the work can even be done at home with your parent/guardian.

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Nov 7, 2019 No Comments

Recital Reflections: Claiming small victories over performance anxiety

I have never liked recitals. Or auditions. Even playing my solo for Solo & Ensemble. I have always been more comfortable performing when there was at least one other person on stage with me. Some people will tell you if you get nervous it means that you aren’t prepared enough but I think that statement is not entirely accurate.

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Oct 17, 2019 No Comments

Mouthpieces and how to choose, “Lead Mouthpiece Edition”

When I was in high school and it came my turn to play lead trumpet in jazz band, I was like most high school students and began searching for a way to improve range and endurance. We all want to nail those high notes at the end of the show or the concert! How can we achieve this? Most students at that point get on the internet or go to a store and ask about mouthpieces to help them play higher. Enter the Bobby Shew Lead mouthpiece or the Schilke 14A4a. Too often have I seen students purchase these mouthpieces and after a couple weeks tell me that they aren’t working for them anymore and then ask me, “why not?” There are a number of reasons.

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Oct 3, 2019 No Comments

Meet Alex Carter – New Trumpet Specialist at Paige’s Music

Hello everyone, my name is Alex Carter and I am the new Trumpet specialist at Paige’s Music. Not originally being from Indiana, I only learned about the store six years ago after I had moved here to pursue graduate studies at Ball State University. Like most young musicians, I began band classes in 5thgrade and the reason I chose Trumpet is because that is what we had at our house! Lucky for me though, it worked out and I enjoyed playing it. When time for university studies came I decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree for music education and performance. While I didn’t go on to become a band director, my passion for teaching was (and is) still alive so I continued to practice and learn about trumpet and ended up at the University of Michigan for a Master’s degree and began teaching lessons outside of school. Upon graduating I came to Indiana to continue studying how to teach trumpet and performing with the Da Camera Brass Quintet and several regional orchestras in the central Indiana area. In the last three years I have been performing around Indianapolis, and subbing in the Louisville Orchestra and Fort Wayne Philharmonic. I have

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Sep 19, 2019 No Comments

We’re Hiring – Trumpet Specialist at Paige’s Music

Our great friend and trumpet specialist, Ross Werner, is moving on to a new career in the music industry. Over the past year, Ross has done a great service for the central Indiana trumpet community and we wish him well in his new adventure! In saying that, we are looking to hire someone to continue Ross’ hard work in growing our business in trumpet related activities. Check out our job listing for more info and feel free to reach out to me directly with any inquiries. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

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May 2, 2019 No Comments

Mouthpiece Clocking: Voodoo Magic or Real Science?

As a brass player, there are naturally good days and bad days. Days where the instrument sings effortlessly, and days where you want nothing more than to touchdown spike your instrument into the pavement. What if I said that this issue could partially be within your control without changing the way you play?

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Apr 18, 2019 No Comments

Exciting News for Brass Players – New Brass Mouthpiece Display at Paige’s Music

Paige’s Music has been the one-stop shop all things band and orchestra in central Indiana since 1871 and we are constantly looking to improve our service and product offerings. The newest addition to our Indianapolis location is a brass mouthpiece display featuring more than 60 mouthpieces specifically chosen by our brass specialists, Ross Werner and Tucker Woerner based on their knowledge and input from local teachers and professionals. Anyone who visits our store will be able to try any and all of these mouthpieces in the pursuit of perfecting their sound.

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Mar 21, 2019 No Comments

Introducing the New Bobby Shew Signature YTR-8310ZII Yamaha Trumpet

  Last week we featured the Limited Edition “Kangakki” Xeno Trumpet. This week we are taking a look at another new offering in the Yamaha trumpet line-up, the second-generation Bobby Shew Signature Trumpet, YTR8310ZII. The Z model trumpets, released in 2004 and developed in cooperation with world-famous trumpet player Bobby Shew, have been Yamaha’s top jazz trumpet model. This newly revised model introduces the latest Yamaha structural technology and other features refined through tireless evaluations by Bobby and the Yamaha Research & Development team. The new 8310ZII has been refined to give players a more flexible instrument to meet the changing needs of modern trumpet players. From solo performance to lead in a big-band, this extraordinary instrument delivers brilliant tone and great power with a solid tonal core for all types of commercial trumpet playing with particular improvement of support for upper-register playing. From the Yamaha website: “The original Custom Z was born of Yamaha’s long and close partnership with legendary trumpet player Bobby Shew. In 2018, Yamaha and Bobby collaborated to create a second-generation YTR-8310ZII that further refines the brilliant tone and well-balanced playing resistance that contemporary styles demand. Bobby needed one versatile, efficient instrument that can wail out

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Mar 7, 2019 No Comments
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