As a professional musician you have to be a kind of homo universalis. Just playing is not enough by far.
If you want to have gigs, you need to do and know all kind of things that aren't even remotedly related to music.
It starts with being able to talk about your music in a coherent way, writing coherent articles about what you do, writing them in your own language and preferably in one or two other languages as well. And then convincing other people that your music should be heard, booked or sold. That takes a salesman's mind and attitude. Selling your music also takes a number of skills not really music related: making a website, taking pictures, or at least being able to recognize a picture that will sell your band or yourself. Making a CD, which is fun to do, but also makes you a producer, mixer, masterer, technician. I mean, it is pretty hard to play well in a studio situation, but that is what you are supposed to be able to do. But after that (if you don't have a record company or a lot of money) comes the editing: most musicians are capable of that themselves by now, because of nice applications like Logic or Cubase, but you have to learn it. Then there is of course mixing. That is a very underestimated skill. It is a craft not any musician can do, but is often performed by musicians with Logic or Cubase. Personally I don't do this. I leave it to the pro who has done this numerous times and likes to do this. I hate it, I don't know how to listen beyond the music and take it to a technical level of listening to sound and trying to optimize the music from that perspective.
Then comes of course the making of a cover. I happen to have a brother who is a graphic artist, and he makes the most beautiful things, but I also have to decide what I want and have to have an opinion about these things. At least he or other artists expect an artist's view from me or musicians in general.
Then there is of course the bookkeeping, knowing the roads and bumps to subsidies, knowing the rules on taxes, keeping your own books and paying your fellow musicians without breaking the rules.
To sell your band it is also useful to be able to edit some movies for Youtube, to know how Blogging works, to know Facebook and other social networks, to know how applications like Finale or Sibelius work (for writing and publishing music), to keep up with the newest developments in music in general, music that you play, the instrument you play, and then I forget the educational part of being a musician: most of the musicians I know also have a teaching job which require totally different skills yet again.
Wow, and only because you loved playing a trumpet, or liked the sound of a piano when you were seven years old and appeared to have a certain talent.
I want to stick all the musicians a feather in their cap for being so versatile!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Christmas music
Since I am a teacher on a music school, it is impossible to ignore music for the festive season. In Holland there is another phenomenon called Sinterklaas (yes, that sounds a lot like Santa Claus, but it is another person. I am told that he was a Turkish bishop from Myra, living several hundreds of years ago. On his birthday, the 5th of december, he and his helpers bring gifts and a lot of candy to the children) and there are a lot of Sinterklaas-songs. For beginners these are nice to play, because every child knows them, so they are easy to learn and the kids are eager to play them. After that comes Christmas, and of course there are a lot of christmas songs. I especially like the English carols and the American musical kind.
I wanted to organize a special christmas recital for my pupils this year, so I went looking for some new music. I found a very nice book by De Haske. Festive Christmas for trumpet. This is a set of very good pieces, not all acknowledged christmas music, but very good for the occasion. There is a CD included on which top trumpeter Frits Damrow plays all the pieces so you can listen how to play them, and the book comes with the piano/organ parts and accompaniment only, on the CD. For the rest I was a bit dissapointed. I wanted some duets, trio's or quartets to make a few ensembles, but I couldn't find much original stuff. That surprised me, and it made me think of writing some myself.
Some years ago De Haske published some books with quartets for trumpet that I wrote. They appeared to suit for saxophone, clarinet and flute as well, and it became a very usable and popular series of quartets. They sell all over the world. Once I saw a Canadian girl play a piece of one of these books on Youtube! That was weird, hehe. Anyway, I decided to try and write some christmas quartets in this fashion. A lot of people asked me if I was going to write more quartets, and yes I am going to do that. I asked De Haske if they want to publish these again, but since they are taken over by Hal Leonard, it has gotten a bit harder, but I will try anyway. If they don't publish, I want to try and sell the pieces through my website, but I am not really sure how to do that.
The first of these quartets for christmas is ready, and I think it works very well. Work in progress. But if you are interested, please let me know.
I wanted to organize a special christmas recital for my pupils this year, so I went looking for some new music. I found a very nice book by De Haske. Festive Christmas for trumpet. This is a set of very good pieces, not all acknowledged christmas music, but very good for the occasion. There is a CD included on which top trumpeter Frits Damrow plays all the pieces so you can listen how to play them, and the book comes with the piano/organ parts and accompaniment only, on the CD. For the rest I was a bit dissapointed. I wanted some duets, trio's or quartets to make a few ensembles, but I couldn't find much original stuff. That surprised me, and it made me think of writing some myself.
Some years ago De Haske published some books with quartets for trumpet that I wrote. They appeared to suit for saxophone, clarinet and flute as well, and it became a very usable and popular series of quartets. They sell all over the world. Once I saw a Canadian girl play a piece of one of these books on Youtube! That was weird, hehe. Anyway, I decided to try and write some christmas quartets in this fashion. A lot of people asked me if I was going to write more quartets, and yes I am going to do that. I asked De Haske if they want to publish these again, but since they are taken over by Hal Leonard, it has gotten a bit harder, but I will try anyway. If they don't publish, I want to try and sell the pieces through my website, but I am not really sure how to do that.
The first of these quartets for christmas is ready, and I think it works very well. Work in progress. But if you are interested, please let me know.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Playing!
I've been busy playing for two weeks, something that does not happen that often, despite the fact that I have to make a living playing, hmmm. Anyway, I had a nice little tour with Lochs/Balthaus/Herskedal. We played in Orgelpark, Amsterdam, which is a brilliant spot. 4 majestic church organs to choose from, a heavenly sound (if you play without a drummer, haha) and some great music to play. Daniel wrote some new music especially for the occasion and Dirk practiced on all the organs so as to get the best sounds possible. It was a great concert and we made a very nice recording and even a little movie.
After that we went to Haarlem to play in a woodshed, which was totally crowded with an enthousiastic audience. We played very well there and we had a nice meal and a couple of fruitful conversations.
Then we went to Belgium to play in the Hopper, a well-known place, in the beautiful city of Antwerp. We had a very nice meal there, a very tiny siteseeing walk, and a good concert.
After a few days off, we went to Oberhausen for a gig in our favorite hangout: Polish cafe Gdanska. Actually a very nice theatre cafe, nice audience, grand piano, good music. The organizer, Kuro, always makes a very nice drawing of the band whenever we play there. I want to post one of these, but I am not sure if that is going to work.
The best concert was yet to come on sunday in Mülheim, Jazz in den Häusern. In Art Gallery Ricarda Fox we did a great concert, great audience, great food afterward, simply brilliant! I think that was the concert where everything came together. We were in the zone, so to speak, everything just went exactly the way we wanted. Daniel even made a lady cry with his tuba solo, which almost makes me cry everytime I hear it, to be honest.
Wow, that was a great little tour with a great little band. (Photo's by Naual Abu el Hayy)
Right after that I fell into a new project we recorded last year, but that we never played with before. A quintet with Florian Zenker on guitar, Pieter Bast on drums, Jeroen van Vliet on piano and Rhodes and the boss: Jasper Somsen on bass. Music of Enrico Pieranunzi. Really lyrical music, very hard to play right, but ever so beautiful and well written. After a good rehearsal we did a first concert in hotel De Wereld (were peace was agreed upon in 1945). In a really packed hall, we played two sets. Mostly Pieranunzi's music, but some new songs by Jasper as well. Super!
As a little intermezzo, I recorded some film tunes for Florian, who stayed at my place, and is busy writing a lot of music for a film project. Saturday we did a live show on Radio 6, Shouting Bootz, and we played as a trio (actually my Trio Bert Lochs, which is part of the Jasper Somsen Group), music of Pieranunzi and some of my own songs. After that we went straight to Utrecht to play the CD release concert in Muziekhuis XXI. A good concert in a nice hall with virtual acoustics. A bit strange to my ears, but we got used to it, and I think we did a good job, soem of the material was really hot, and some of it decent enough, but we have to really do a couple of concerts to get this difficult music to flow and groove.
Well, I guess that is enough for two weeks. Very fruitful, and also on a personal level I was very satisfied. I play lovely music with lovely people, what more can I wish for?
After that we went to Haarlem to play in a woodshed, which was totally crowded with an enthousiastic audience. We played very well there and we had a nice meal and a couple of fruitful conversations.
Then we went to Belgium to play in the Hopper, a well-known place, in the beautiful city of Antwerp. We had a very nice meal there, a very tiny siteseeing walk, and a good concert.
After a few days off, we went to Oberhausen for a gig in our favorite hangout: Polish cafe Gdanska. Actually a very nice theatre cafe, nice audience, grand piano, good music. The organizer, Kuro, always makes a very nice drawing of the band whenever we play there. I want to post one of these, but I am not sure if that is going to work.
The best concert was yet to come on sunday in Mülheim, Jazz in den Häusern. In Art Gallery Ricarda Fox we did a great concert, great audience, great food afterward, simply brilliant! I think that was the concert where everything came together. We were in the zone, so to speak, everything just went exactly the way we wanted. Daniel even made a lady cry with his tuba solo, which almost makes me cry everytime I hear it, to be honest.
Wow, that was a great little tour with a great little band. (Photo's by Naual Abu el Hayy)
Right after that I fell into a new project we recorded last year, but that we never played with before. A quintet with Florian Zenker on guitar, Pieter Bast on drums, Jeroen van Vliet on piano and Rhodes and the boss: Jasper Somsen on bass. Music of Enrico Pieranunzi. Really lyrical music, very hard to play right, but ever so beautiful and well written. After a good rehearsal we did a first concert in hotel De Wereld (were peace was agreed upon in 1945). In a really packed hall, we played two sets. Mostly Pieranunzi's music, but some new songs by Jasper as well. Super!
As a little intermezzo, I recorded some film tunes for Florian, who stayed at my place, and is busy writing a lot of music for a film project. Saturday we did a live show on Radio 6, Shouting Bootz, and we played as a trio (actually my Trio Bert Lochs, which is part of the Jasper Somsen Group), music of Pieranunzi and some of my own songs. After that we went straight to Utrecht to play the CD release concert in Muziekhuis XXI. A good concert in a nice hall with virtual acoustics. A bit strange to my ears, but we got used to it, and I think we did a good job, soem of the material was really hot, and some of it decent enough, but we have to really do a couple of concerts to get this difficult music to flow and groove.
Well, I guess that is enough for two weeks. Very fruitful, and also on a personal level I was very satisfied. I play lovely music with lovely people, what more can I wish for?
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
On networking
I went to a Dutch networking event for jazz musicians. This is not something I particularly like to do. I want to play the trumpet and play with my bands. And that is exactly why I have to go to these gatherings. To meet the people that have the stages, and to meet the musicians to play my music.
One of the big dilemma's is, that I am a good trumpet player but a lousy networker. I owe it to my art and talent to make the best of it and try to get gigs. But the talent that is needed to get those gigs, is the talent to convince people to book you without playing one note. And I don't have that talent.
I had a conversation with a filmmaker whom we had already contacted about making a registration of one of our concerts. At a certain point he asked me if I liked doing an interview and mixing this with footage of the concert, and I said that I didn't really like that, because I want to show and let hear the music, not me talking. He didn't understand, and he said that the audience wants me to talk about my music. I really don't get that. Why should I talk about my music, instead of playing it? That is the second dilemma. If you deal with your audience, which is of course an important network you have to dedicate yourself to, what is it they want from you? I guessed it was hearing me play my music, but when you are at a networking event, or mingling with your audience after a concert, apparently they want you to talk about your music, which in a way, I find stupid. What can I say about my music that cannot be heard when I play it?
Music is a totally abstract art, which goes beyond language. That is the power of it. I cannot say in words what my music can express, that is probably one of the reasons I make music.
Anyway, I will try to find a way to deal with these dilemma's. I am not an unfriendly person to talk to, I can be convincing when I believe in something and I've learned to take care of business. So there is a chance that the networking I do is not doomed to fail, but it will never be a thing I do very naturally. I'd rather be on stage, playing my music for people that want to hear it, and if they don't want to hear it, I, myself, want to play and hear it. That is why I started to play in the first place.
One of the big dilemma's is, that I am a good trumpet player but a lousy networker. I owe it to my art and talent to make the best of it and try to get gigs. But the talent that is needed to get those gigs, is the talent to convince people to book you without playing one note. And I don't have that talent.
I had a conversation with a filmmaker whom we had already contacted about making a registration of one of our concerts. At a certain point he asked me if I liked doing an interview and mixing this with footage of the concert, and I said that I didn't really like that, because I want to show and let hear the music, not me talking. He didn't understand, and he said that the audience wants me to talk about my music. I really don't get that. Why should I talk about my music, instead of playing it? That is the second dilemma. If you deal with your audience, which is of course an important network you have to dedicate yourself to, what is it they want from you? I guessed it was hearing me play my music, but when you are at a networking event, or mingling with your audience after a concert, apparently they want you to talk about your music, which in a way, I find stupid. What can I say about my music that cannot be heard when I play it?
Music is a totally abstract art, which goes beyond language. That is the power of it. I cannot say in words what my music can express, that is probably one of the reasons I make music.
Anyway, I will try to find a way to deal with these dilemma's. I am not an unfriendly person to talk to, I can be convincing when I believe in something and I've learned to take care of business. So there is a chance that the networking I do is not doomed to fail, but it will never be a thing I do very naturally. I'd rather be on stage, playing my music for people that want to hear it, and if they don't want to hear it, I, myself, want to play and hear it. That is why I started to play in the first place.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Hope to get old like that!
I came across this video of trumpet legend Bud Herseth talking about his trumpets and mouthpieces.
Man, does this look like my own life over thirty years? I hope so. I already have the mouthpieces, some of the trumpets, and I hope the good humour and health , too. I will never make it to the legend he is, though, but never mind.
Love his 'jazz' playing, haha!
Man, does this look like my own life over thirty years? I hope so. I already have the mouthpieces, some of the trumpets, and I hope the good humour and health , too. I will never make it to the legend he is, though, but never mind.
Love his 'jazz' playing, haha!
Friday, October 29, 2010
The inspiration of sound
I saw this really inspiring interview with Belgian trumpet player Bert Joris, and one of the things he was talking about is the way his sound influences his inspiration and ideas. That is a very interesting thought.
In my case I am certain that I play differently on trumpet than on flugelhorn, really different notes and licks, just because they sound different. When I got my Van Laar B8 trumpet, I instantly could play a ballad on it, something I just couldn't do on my former Holton MF Horn. The sound just wasn't right for that. On the Holton I could play in a bigband very well, it was a bright sounding, light playing horn, but whenever I had to play a solo, I wanted to switch to flugel, because the sound didn't inspire me to play a good solo. The moment I had my current Van Laars, I had to reconsider all my concepts and I had to experiment a bit with what sounded best and what felt best for a certain piece. I have to say that it is not a very conscious process, it has a high degree of subconsciousness, but it matters a lot. Some pieces I cannot play on flugel and the other way around. Or maybe it is more like I cannot find the right inspiration for a certain piece if I don't play it on the right horn. It even goes as far as a different mouthpiece can give a different sound and feel and give me a totally different angle. That is what I like about the Curry TC. It gives me instant access to another part of my brain to play different things.
So sound is, at least to me, very important in terms of inspiration. That can be very annoying if you have bad sound equipment on stage. If the sound from the monitor isn't right, it instantly cuts off some inspirational directions. I have to be very aware of that and try to concentrate on my inner voice for inspiration. But it makes it harder to play the way you want. It can also enhance your performance if the sound is right, or even simply change the way you play on a given moment, if the sound coming from the monitor is different, because it can give you different ideas. If for instance, a monitor has much high in it, I like to take my trumpet and inspiration goes in the direction of lots of notes, bravoura kind of playing. I shouldn't take out my flugel then, because all the 'flugely' ideas immediately drop down on the floor and never hit my soul (or anyone else's for that matter).
So, yes, sound is a very important inspiration.
In my case I am certain that I play differently on trumpet than on flugelhorn, really different notes and licks, just because they sound different. When I got my Van Laar B8 trumpet, I instantly could play a ballad on it, something I just couldn't do on my former Holton MF Horn. The sound just wasn't right for that. On the Holton I could play in a bigband very well, it was a bright sounding, light playing horn, but whenever I had to play a solo, I wanted to switch to flugel, because the sound didn't inspire me to play a good solo. The moment I had my current Van Laars, I had to reconsider all my concepts and I had to experiment a bit with what sounded best and what felt best for a certain piece. I have to say that it is not a very conscious process, it has a high degree of subconsciousness, but it matters a lot. Some pieces I cannot play on flugel and the other way around. Or maybe it is more like I cannot find the right inspiration for a certain piece if I don't play it on the right horn. It even goes as far as a different mouthpiece can give a different sound and feel and give me a totally different angle. That is what I like about the Curry TC. It gives me instant access to another part of my brain to play different things.
So sound is, at least to me, very important in terms of inspiration. That can be very annoying if you have bad sound equipment on stage. If the sound from the monitor isn't right, it instantly cuts off some inspirational directions. I have to be very aware of that and try to concentrate on my inner voice for inspiration. But it makes it harder to play the way you want. It can also enhance your performance if the sound is right, or even simply change the way you play on a given moment, if the sound coming from the monitor is different, because it can give you different ideas. If for instance, a monitor has much high in it, I like to take my trumpet and inspiration goes in the direction of lots of notes, bravoura kind of playing. I shouldn't take out my flugel then, because all the 'flugely' ideas immediately drop down on the floor and never hit my soul (or anyone else's for that matter).
So, yes, sound is a very important inspiration.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Read this and...fail!
I got the link to this article from CDBaby. Great stuff to think about. And I think we all use these incredible tips sometimes, don't we?
Monday, October 25, 2010
And the winner is.....
I am sorry to have kept half the world out of sleep with this mighty cliffhanger, but I am now very close to revealing the winner of the mouthpiece that won the headpouch. I had a terrific concert with the Guus Tangelder Bigband featuring Jasper van 't Hof on piano, who is really amazing, check this guy!, and I played the 8.5C Curry and the flugelpiece with the same rim. And they made it to the headpouch!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I am officially playing the Curry 8.5 now. It still needs some finetuning, but the sound is bigger and more open, and endurance is good now. It is easier to keep open for a whole concert than the smaller 10.5, which tends to go out of control when the lips swell a bit from playing. The only thing I want now is the 8.5TC to make the set complete. I simply love the feel and sound of the TC, and don't want to give that up.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Will the 8.5 make it to the headpouch?
Tomorrow is an exciting day! Will the Curry 8.5 make it to the headpouch? In other words, will it be my main mouthpiece or not? If not I will put my 10.5 back in the pouch, and that'll be the end of the experiment.
I have to play a bigband gig tomorrow, and that is always a good testcase for new mouthpieces. If I can make it through the gig in one piece without loosing teeth or blood spreading all over the place, then it could be the mouthpiece I need to become the best trumpet player in the world. If, however my teeth start rattling and my eyes fall out of their sockets within two sets of bigband playing, then it just isn't meant to be.
I will report tomorrow (if I am not looking for lost teeth and bits of lip).
What a cliffhanger! Tomorrow we will all know!
I have to play a bigband gig tomorrow, and that is always a good testcase for new mouthpieces. If I can make it through the gig in one piece without loosing teeth or blood spreading all over the place, then it could be the mouthpiece I need to become the best trumpet player in the world. If, however my teeth start rattling and my eyes fall out of their sockets within two sets of bigband playing, then it just isn't meant to be.
I will report tomorrow (if I am not looking for lost teeth and bits of lip).
What a cliffhanger! Tomorrow we will all know!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
rest-home for brass
A former student of mine, Han Savelkoel, has a beautiful site with pictures and info of Dutch and Belgian brass instruments, plus some oddities. Once in a while I visit this site and I can really feel and smell these dear, old horns. I started on a Schenkelaars flugelhorn when I was 8 years old, exactly the same horn that Han has a picture of.
A sentimental yourney for me and maybe other brass players, too. I know that he is always looking for new stuff and tips and information about the horns on his site, so take a peak and enjoy.
What is also very nice, is that in maybe hundred years ago, Holland and Belgium had a fine and acknowledged brass instrument builders culture. The last one-First Brass-closed not so long ago, but there is fresh blood, and he is getting famous very quickly: Hub van Laar. He continues the tradition that once was.
A sentimental yourney for me and maybe other brass players, too. I know that he is always looking for new stuff and tips and information about the horns on his site, so take a peak and enjoy.
What is also very nice, is that in maybe hundred years ago, Holland and Belgium had a fine and acknowledged brass instrument builders culture. The last one-First Brass-closed not so long ago, but there is fresh blood, and he is getting famous very quickly: Hub van Laar. He continues the tradition that once was.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Testing new mouthpiece
I have about 60 different mouthpieces. I played them all. Some of them only for five seconds to know that they aren't right, others for years.
I have been playing Curry 10.5C consistently for over a year now. That means that I am pretty satisfied with it. It is a lean and efficient piece with nice high and warm low. Milk chocolate with a silver wrapper. The only issue is that it feels a bit small on my lips, and that it has a rather small sound. I wanted it to be a bit bigger, but with the same character, only pure chocolate with the same silver wrapper.
I ordered a Curry 8.5C, and together with that a flugelpiece 8.5FL-Y (since my Van Laar has a Yamaha receiver). From the time I play Curry, I am confident that I can order a trumpet and flugel set of pieces, because they really do have the same rim. I had to figure out if I needed an FL or an FL-M (a bit shallower), and the FL gives me the best warm and yet projecting sound I want from my flugel. One of the reasons I have such an amount of pieces, is that I always had trouble matching pieces. If I had a good flugelpiece, I had to find a matching trumpetpiece and vice versa.
Anyway, the 8.5C came on thursday, the day of the concert with Patrick Votrian. I unpacked it on stage during soundcheck and after a few tones, I decided to play the concert on it. It sounded good enough and felt playable. What surprised me was the width of the rim. The 10.5 has a pretty narrow rim and the 8.5 is rather wide in comparison. I hadn't expected this big difference.
Halfway I noticed that I was tiring a bit quicker than I wanted. The 8.5 obviously takes a bit more strength to keep together. Sound was good, especially on the flugelhorn I was very pleased with what I heard and felt. It gave a bit more room for my lips to move within the piece. I switched back to my trusted 10.5 and played the rest of the concert without trouble.
I decided to practice some more on the 8.5 and give it a week or two to adjust my lips to the somewhat roomier inner diameter and the wider rim. I definitely liked the flugelsound, and also the trumpet has a bit bigger sound, but the first couple of tries it seemed a bit harder to control and get a focused tone on it.
I have been practicing on both flugel and trumpet for a few days now, and I might have found a better match. I am not quite sure, on trumpet I still tire a bit quicker, but I like the bigger tone so much, that I just give it another week or so. On flugel I am already convinced. In a couple of days I have a bigband gig and that is a good testcase. If my embouchure holds through this gig on the 8.5 I know I can do other things as well.
If the 8.5 didn't fit, I wouldn't have played and practiced on it anymore already. A lot of mouthpieces are so clearly not my thing, that after a minute it is clear that it isn't going to work. With Curry's it is a bit different. They have a very open high register, which no other piece I ever tried has quite like it, and it has a very versatile sound for what I do. For bigband and pop it has enough sizzle (though I don't play lead. I tried a 10.5* and a 10.5Z, and these have lots of sizzle!, but too shallow for me), and for my trio, which needs a bit of a classical sound, or at least a more mellow approach, it is just right. Like I said it feels lean (the 8.5 even more, because of the bigger diameter) and gives a nice warm low.
I am curious if I will keep the 8.5, and if not, the 10.5 has been a good choice for over a year now. Stick to that for some time.
A special word about the TC line of Curry. That is really something worth to check out. T=trumpet, C=Cornet. It has a flugellike cup, it is a bit shorter than a normal trumpet piece for tuning reasons, and it plays just great. It has a very cornettish sound, but if you step on the gas, it gives a fat and warm sound. It is perfectly in tune an I can easily play the same range as the other pieces, and for ballads it is just what I need sometimes. It is even easy to switch inbetween songs if you need a more intimate sound. Super for my trio gigs. If the 8.5 dtays, I really have to get an 8.5TC. I now only have a 10.5TC, which I use very frequently.
Halfway I noticed that I was tiring a bit quicker than I wanted. The 8.5 obviously takes a bit more strength to keep together. Sound was good, especially on the flugelhorn I was very pleased with what I heard and felt. It gave a bit more room for my lips to move within the piece. I switched back to my trusted 10.5 and played the rest of the concert without trouble.
I decided to practice some more on the 8.5 and give it a week or two to adjust my lips to the somewhat roomier inner diameter and the wider rim. I definitely liked the flugelsound, and also the trumpet has a bit bigger sound, but the first couple of tries it seemed a bit harder to control and get a focused tone on it.
I have been practicing on both flugel and trumpet for a few days now, and I might have found a better match. I am not quite sure, on trumpet I still tire a bit quicker, but I like the bigger tone so much, that I just give it another week or so. On flugel I am already convinced. In a couple of days I have a bigband gig and that is a good testcase. If my embouchure holds through this gig on the 8.5 I know I can do other things as well.
If the 8.5 didn't fit, I wouldn't have played and practiced on it anymore already. A lot of mouthpieces are so clearly not my thing, that after a minute it is clear that it isn't going to work. With Curry's it is a bit different. They have a very open high register, which no other piece I ever tried has quite like it, and it has a very versatile sound for what I do. For bigband and pop it has enough sizzle (though I don't play lead. I tried a 10.5* and a 10.5Z, and these have lots of sizzle!, but too shallow for me), and for my trio, which needs a bit of a classical sound, or at least a more mellow approach, it is just right. Like I said it feels lean (the 8.5 even more, because of the bigger diameter) and gives a nice warm low.
I am curious if I will keep the 8.5, and if not, the 10.5 has been a good choice for over a year now. Stick to that for some time.
A special word about the TC line of Curry. That is really something worth to check out. T=trumpet, C=Cornet. It has a flugellike cup, it is a bit shorter than a normal trumpet piece for tuning reasons, and it plays just great. It has a very cornettish sound, but if you step on the gas, it gives a fat and warm sound. It is perfectly in tune an I can easily play the same range as the other pieces, and for ballads it is just what I need sometimes. It is even easy to switch inbetween songs if you need a more intimate sound. Super for my trio gigs. If the 8.5 dtays, I really have to get an 8.5TC. I now only have a 10.5TC, which I use very frequently.
Monday, October 18, 2010
What makes the sound of a band?
Last thursday, I played with tuba player Patrick Votrian, an American tuba player living in Utrecht. It was a very good experience. We played the repertoire of our LBH CD. Patrick is a beast of a player, with a super groovy time and sound. That gave the band a totally different feel, which was a strange experience, because I thought the sound of the tuba determined the sound of the band, but that is only partly true. It is the sound of Daniel Herskedal that really determines (one third, hehe) of the typical sound of my trio. Patrick did a hell of a job, and he played his ass off, I really liked it, but it didn't sound like the trio I have with Daniel. Which made me think again of what makes bands sound the way they do. It is the bandmembers personality more than the instrument they play, I guess, at least if you assume that somebody's sound comes from ones personality, which I believe to be true. So, that brings up the question, if Daniel played the violin, would the band sound more like my trio than if Patrick played the tuba again? It's almost philosophy.
I had the same experience with my other trio. Trumpet, guitar, double bass. This trio also sounds totally different with another guitar or bass player. I sound different from the illustrious Chet Baker Trio, same instruments, different personality. That is something very obvious of course, but last thursday, it struck me, I think because the tuba is such a prominent instrument, I assumed that that determined the total sound of the band and made it what it was, but that just isn't true. I learn every day!
I had the same experience with my other trio. Trumpet, guitar, double bass. This trio also sounds totally different with another guitar or bass player. I sound different from the illustrious Chet Baker Trio, same instruments, different personality. That is something very obvious of course, but last thursday, it struck me, I think because the tuba is such a prominent instrument, I assumed that that determined the total sound of the band and made it what it was, but that just isn't true. I learn every day!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Very funny
I am happy to say that this never happened to me, but it has come close some times in my teaching carriere.
Enjoy:
Enjoy:
Another tuba player
Today I am going to play with an other tuba player. this is very exciting, since the only tuba player I played with in my trio, is Daniel Herskedal. I don't know the other guy personally, his name is Patrick Votrian, and he seems to be a very good player. He also lives very close to where I live. I am very curious, will see this evening. We play a few pieces of our Lochs/Balthaus/Herskedal CD and we do some standards together with Simone Honijk, so it will be a bit of a jam, which is always nice if there are good musicians around.
I will keep you updated.
I will keep you updated.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Inspiration!
I came across this video of one of my heroes, Terence Blanchard, and with this song he demonstrates what it is that makes the trumpet so special. It sounds brilliant, haunting, fat, screaming and sad at the same time, he does a great job in this piece!
And the Dutch government wants to dump this orchestra...how dare they?
Oh, by the way, I finally learned how to place a video on my blog. Looks better already!
And the Dutch government wants to dump this orchestra...how dare they?
Oh, by the way, I finally learned how to place a video on my blog. Looks better already!
Monday, October 11, 2010
To my first follower!
Derek,
You seem to be my first follower. Tjeez, that is incredible! Thanks for signing in on this blog. I wanted to mail you a little something back, but I couldn't find my way through all kinds of login stuff, so I decided that it is quite something that I have a first follower and I just make a post for you.
I hope I can live up to the expectations. I do my best to come up with some stuff that is interesting or fun.
I would really want to able to load up some Youtube movies, but I have no clue. If you or anybody knows how to do this, please let me know.
You seem to be my first follower. Tjeez, that is incredible! Thanks for signing in on this blog. I wanted to mail you a little something back, but I couldn't find my way through all kinds of login stuff, so I decided that it is quite something that I have a first follower and I just make a post for you.
I hope I can live up to the expectations. I do my best to come up with some stuff that is interesting or fun.
I would really want to able to load up some Youtube movies, but I have no clue. If you or anybody knows how to do this, please let me know.
Thoughts on focusing on one type of music.
As a professional trumpet player it seems that the best thing to keep yourself and your family alive, is to be able to play as many styles and settings as you can. But I also noticed that if you really focus on one thing, that the audience will recognize you for that and want you for that. That is a bit of a dilemma.
When I was a kid I learned to play the trumpet in a brass band. At that time it was simply not done to play popular music in those bands. We played arrangements of the classics, like La Gazza Ladra or original pieces, but always classical music. My first teachers only taught me to play classical, too, but when I was 16, I played in a bigband for the first time, and I started to listen to Clifford Brown, Wynton Marsalis and Freddie Hubbard. It appeared that I had a talent for improvising and I loved playing in a bigband.
I went to the conservatory in Hilversum, which was the first conservatory where you could learn to play jazz and bigband. The first years I couldn't really choose between jazz and classical music, so I tried to play both, which didn't work out so well, because of severe embouchure trouble. I had to make a choice and I chose jazz as my main object. This narrowed down other playing possibilities, but I wasn't too aware of that at that time, nor did I have much of a choice. I only had so much time.
In the end I really dug into jazz and even specialized a bit further. I became an improvising soloist. I still play in a bigband, my reading is still very good, and occasionally I play in horn sections, but how things are developing now it looks like it isn't so bad to specialize and focus on being an improviser. I mean, there are a lot of great players out there, but if you listen carefully they all have their fortes and their flaws. If they stick to what they are really good at and go that way, they may well be on their way to have a lot of work in that area. So, the message here might be that contrary to what seems logical or wise to do-try to be able to play all kinds of different styles and settings-, maybe it isn't so bad to focus yourself on what comes most natural to you.
However, to find out what you really want, you need to play everything, listen a lot to all kinds of music and be open to music that doesn't seem to be something for you. I mean, I was classically trained, I didn't know what jazz was, and the first time I heard it, it didn't feel like something I was going to do for the rest of my life...
By the way, that doesn't mean that I never play or listen to other music anymore. Maybe the other way around. I keep my eyes and ears open to all kinds of music and make my own stew out of it. That is what makes it my music. I love to try and play classical music and I love to play in a bigband section or in a pop band. That keeps it fresh and alive. But professionally I think it isn't so bad to have a clear image of what you are best at and go from there.
When I was a kid I learned to play the trumpet in a brass band. At that time it was simply not done to play popular music in those bands. We played arrangements of the classics, like La Gazza Ladra or original pieces, but always classical music. My first teachers only taught me to play classical, too, but when I was 16, I played in a bigband for the first time, and I started to listen to Clifford Brown, Wynton Marsalis and Freddie Hubbard. It appeared that I had a talent for improvising and I loved playing in a bigband.
I went to the conservatory in Hilversum, which was the first conservatory where you could learn to play jazz and bigband. The first years I couldn't really choose between jazz and classical music, so I tried to play both, which didn't work out so well, because of severe embouchure trouble. I had to make a choice and I chose jazz as my main object. This narrowed down other playing possibilities, but I wasn't too aware of that at that time, nor did I have much of a choice. I only had so much time.
In the end I really dug into jazz and even specialized a bit further. I became an improvising soloist. I still play in a bigband, my reading is still very good, and occasionally I play in horn sections, but how things are developing now it looks like it isn't so bad to specialize and focus on being an improviser. I mean, there are a lot of great players out there, but if you listen carefully they all have their fortes and their flaws. If they stick to what they are really good at and go that way, they may well be on their way to have a lot of work in that area. So, the message here might be that contrary to what seems logical or wise to do-try to be able to play all kinds of different styles and settings-, maybe it isn't so bad to focus yourself on what comes most natural to you.
However, to find out what you really want, you need to play everything, listen a lot to all kinds of music and be open to music that doesn't seem to be something for you. I mean, I was classically trained, I didn't know what jazz was, and the first time I heard it, it didn't feel like something I was going to do for the rest of my life...
By the way, that doesn't mean that I never play or listen to other music anymore. Maybe the other way around. I keep my eyes and ears open to all kinds of music and make my own stew out of it. That is what makes it my music. I love to try and play classical music and I love to play in a bigband section or in a pop band. That keeps it fresh and alive. But professionally I think it isn't so bad to have a clear image of what you are best at and go from there.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Editing cont.
We did it. We edited nine songs in two half days !. I think that is a very good result. There were some important decisions to make, but all in all we just played very well indeed. I think it will be a great CD.
Actually I think it is my first live-CD ever. That calls for champagne! I never dared to do it before this one. Afraid something might go irreparably wrong. Now I would have wanted more recordings to be live recordings. Jazz is music of the moment, and you just get this one time to play it right. If you get this moment on tape it is really magical. I think we did a good job with this one. There are definitely some magical moments on it. Sometimes I was smiling inside when I heard back what we did. That doesn't happen too often, actually.
Now it is a matter of backing up everything as safe as possible. Wouldn't want to do it all over again. My Time Machine is running, the USB stick is loading with the edited files and I already have a back up on my harddisk. That should be enough.
After that we are going to the next step: mixing the edited tracks. I will keep you updated.
Actually I think it is my first live-CD ever. That calls for champagne! I never dared to do it before this one. Afraid something might go irreparably wrong. Now I would have wanted more recordings to be live recordings. Jazz is music of the moment, and you just get this one time to play it right. If you get this moment on tape it is really magical. I think we did a good job with this one. There are definitely some magical moments on it. Sometimes I was smiling inside when I heard back what we did. That doesn't happen too often, actually.
Now it is a matter of backing up everything as safe as possible. Wouldn't want to do it all over again. My Time Machine is running, the USB stick is loading with the edited files and I already have a back up on my harddisk. That should be enough.
After that we are going to the next step: mixing the edited tracks. I will keep you updated.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Next step towards a new CD
Today I am finally making the next step for the new CD from Trio Bert Lochs featuring jazz singer Lydia van Dam. We already recorded the CD at two live performances in the theatres of Boxmeer and Emmeloord. We shifted out the best takes some time ago, and today I am going to the guitar players house in Cologne to edit the recordings. Not that there is so much to edit. They are all live recordings, there is a lot of crosstalk between every instrument and the singer, so, not much that can be done about small or larger mistakes. Not that I mind. I think we played pretty good, and shouldn't a live recording be a representation of how we sound live? So, yes, there are some little flaws here and there, but if you listen to recordings of the great masters, that can just be the thing that makes those recordings stand out. Their honesty and purity of the moment. Isn't that what jazz is all about?
To be continued...
To be continued...
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Practice and simple tunes
My students know that I am very fond of exercises. Little, isolated pesky difficulties. I like to isolate problems in my playing, myself. I turn everything in to an exercise. That can be beneficial, but the danger is that you loose a musical view on playing.
For this reason I, myself, love to play easy tunes (relatively easy: depending on your level of playing of course). That way I can still concentrate on flaws in my playing, but play music in the same time. Most of the time, the flow of the music helps to diminish technical problems. If you can play a simple tune very musically, it is (at least to me) very satisfactory in both my obsession with exercises and my musical sense. In other words, in my practice room, I don't have to play difficult music to improve my playing or to satisfy my musical needs. If you can play a relatively easy tune correct, technically and musically, that can be the best fundament to play everything a little bit better: the system is the same, the techniques are the same and the musical feeling is the same.
A few books that I like very much in this area are Bel Canto for Trumpet (Concone-stuff, but with a play-along CD) and Trumpet Sonority by Allen Vizzutti.
It also works the other way around: playing a simple exercise as musical as you can. Take Colin's Lip Flexibilities and treat them as the most beautiful piece ever. That makes them easier to play, and a lot more fun, too.
For this reason I, myself, love to play easy tunes (relatively easy: depending on your level of playing of course). That way I can still concentrate on flaws in my playing, but play music in the same time. Most of the time, the flow of the music helps to diminish technical problems. If you can play a simple tune very musically, it is (at least to me) very satisfactory in both my obsession with exercises and my musical sense. In other words, in my practice room, I don't have to play difficult music to improve my playing or to satisfy my musical needs. If you can play a relatively easy tune correct, technically and musically, that can be the best fundament to play everything a little bit better: the system is the same, the techniques are the same and the musical feeling is the same.
A few books that I like very much in this area are Bel Canto for Trumpet (Concone-stuff, but with a play-along CD) and Trumpet Sonority by Allen Vizzutti.
It also works the other way around: playing a simple exercise as musical as you can. Take Colin's Lip Flexibilities and treat them as the most beautiful piece ever. That makes them easier to play, and a lot more fun, too.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Left wing hobby
Yes, I will admit it, I have a left wing (politically) hobby, or even worse: a left wing profession. I make music! I play an instrument. I compose, and listen to music (although I think that is considered more right wing). For people from abroad who don't know what is happening in Holland at the moment: stay away and wait a couple of election rounds. The government-to-be is extremely right wing, islamofobic and not democratic. They think that culture: music, art and dance, is not important. They think people that practice this are parasites that live off the money of hard working people. I don't know if they know that it is hard work to be an artist (certainly in such an environment!), but anyway, they want to cut subsidies to zero and leave it to the free market. I don't think that is a good idea.
Even worse than that is their ignorance of the social reality of this and many other countries. The world is quickly becoming a village, and they just ignore that. Keeping foreigners out, condemning people ground on their religion and origin.
I fear that we just have to go through this phase, I just wanted to say it just once: I didn't vote for this government, and I don't agree with what they stand for. And I know that a lot of people agree with me, so I hope that the rest of the world forgives us this stupidity. This will go by in time.
Even worse than that is their ignorance of the social reality of this and many other countries. The world is quickly becoming a village, and they just ignore that. Keeping foreigners out, condemning people ground on their religion and origin.
I fear that we just have to go through this phase, I just wanted to say it just once: I didn't vote for this government, and I don't agree with what they stand for. And I know that a lot of people agree with me, so I hope that the rest of the world forgives us this stupidity. This will go by in time.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Of old and new
Yesterday I played my Couesnon for the first time in three or almost four years. It played very well indeed, but the reason I switched to a Van Laar became obvious only after a few notes. Everybody who ever played a Couesnon will agree, I guess: those horns are not easy to play in tune. Once you are used to it, it is OK, but I hadn't played it for a long time, and I forgot the pitfalls and that wasn't pretty at all.
Today at home I practiced some more on it, and played it along with my new one, and although I really love the somewhat smokey and intimate sound of the Couesnon very much, the playability, versatility and intonation of the Van Laar convinced me that I had chosen the right gear a couple of years ago. The Van Laar, like the trumpets he builds, sings much more. It just delivers more sound and the sound is easy to manipulate and make it your own. The Couesnon just has a beautiful sound, and if that is what you need, than it is a great little friend.
When I first played my Van Laar, I wrote a song with the same title as this post. You can watch it on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Hubjazz?feature=mhum#p/u/11/2R8cmdWdQnw
Today at home I practiced some more on it, and played it along with my new one, and although I really love the somewhat smokey and intimate sound of the Couesnon very much, the playability, versatility and intonation of the Van Laar convinced me that I had chosen the right gear a couple of years ago. The Van Laar, like the trumpets he builds, sings much more. It just delivers more sound and the sound is easy to manipulate and make it your own. The Couesnon just has a beautiful sound, and if that is what you need, than it is a great little friend.
When I first played my Van Laar, I wrote a song with the same title as this post. You can watch it on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Hubjazz?feature=mhum#p/u/11/2R8cmdWdQnw
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Old love
Today I have an informal gig in a nice jazzclub: Artishock in Soest. I was cleaning up the attic of my house and saw the gigbag of my old Couesnon flugelhorn. I decided to check it before putting it back, but when I played it, it was like meeting an old friend. I simply love the sound of this French lady. It is so warm and lovely, and it didn't play as bad as I thought. The valves rattle a bit, but still do their job. And playing it was actually a pleasure. The sound is somewhat smaller then my Van Laar B2, but it felt quite good. If I don't have to step on the gas then I guess this flugel is as good as any. Soundwise it is the best. I bought it from my former teacher Ack van Rooijen when I was still a student of his. The story is that this was a prototype that Couesnon made for him. There are two different types of waterkeys on the instrument. He told me that he wanted one on the first valve, too, and this looks different than the other two, indeed.
Anyway, this is one instrument I will never sell. It's like coming home after a great and long journey. I will play it tonight, and see how it plays in a real playing situation. I am actually looking forward to it.
Maybe I will write something about another love of mine, the Constellation, but that is for later.
Anyway, this is one instrument I will never sell. It's like coming home after a great and long journey. I will play it tonight, and see how it plays in a real playing situation. I am actually looking forward to it.
This is a commercial picture of me playing my Couesnon. It is a nice shiny horn. I had it revised a couple of years ago, and it was compeletely stripped and newly lacquered.
Friday, October 1, 2010
The button exercise
Anyway, triggered by the Ads on my page, I want to share my experience with something quite like the P.E.T.E, a little device from the Warburton company. Years ago, when I was struggling with my embouchure and looking for new ways to improve my playing, I got an idea. Later it appeared to be an already existing idea, but I got it all by myself (proud!). I took a small button and a piece of string. I put the button in my mouth between my lips and teeth and pulled the string and tried to hold the button in place with my lips. This is exactly what the P.E.T.E does. A good exercise, I still think. But, at that time I wasn't aware of the risk involved in this. I did this for half an hour or even more, and eventually I couldn't play a single note anymore, so, I stopped doing this altogether. Now that I know a bit better how to pace myself and read more about how muscles work, I figured, why not experiment with it again? I now experiment with 3x10 seconds, 3x a day and try to build it up a bit.
So, anyone who wants to try, be careful, do not overdo, and stick to small amounts of time. If you feel a burn in your muscles, you've already done enough.
Oh, and never do it close to practice or as a warm up before a concert. It's like weight lifting, make sure you have enough time to relax again!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Connecting to web 2.0
I tried to hook up this blog with Facebook, but there seems to be some kind of trouble. I will try this later, so that everybody interested, can read my posts at different spots. Pfew, it's not really easy to connect to web 2.0. Any advice is welcome.
Video of Lochs/Balthaus/Herskedal at North Sea Jazz
Dirk posted a couple of video's of our trio playing at the North Sea Jazz Festival 2010. We played in the Yenisei Hall. It was packed and the people actually stayed the whole concert! That was a feast, and we were having a ball. I thought it was a pretty good concert.
I don't post the URL here, because I already posted it on Facebook, and I made it a Favorite on my Hubjazz Channel on Youtube. Don't want the movies to appear three times in a row. I f you want to see them, I think it is easy enough to find them.
Maybe if you were there, you could post a little comment on it. I would appreciate it.
I don't post the URL here, because I already posted it on Facebook, and I made it a Favorite on my Hubjazz Channel on Youtube. Don't want the movies to appear three times in a row. I f you want to see them, I think it is easy enough to find them.
Maybe if you were there, you could post a little comment on it. I would appreciate it.
My Youtube channel
I happen to have a nice Youtube Channel. If you want to look at some video's of me playing in different settings, please visit http://www.youtube.com/user/Hubjazz?feature=mhum
The trumpeter's mind
These video's are seriously funny. It takes somebody who has a very good insight in the trumpeter's mind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-V04R1h1hk
And another one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSC6d3d2_Z0&feature=related
Oh, and if somebody knows how to upload a Youtube movie, I would be very grateful. For now I can only give the URL, but that doesn't look really nice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-V04R1h1hk
And another one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSC6d3d2_Z0&feature=related
Oh, and if somebody knows how to upload a Youtube movie, I would be very grateful. For now I can only give the URL, but that doesn't look really nice.
Why this blog?
The reason for this blog is that I think there are some people in this world, that could be interested in what I do, write and teach. I want to reach out to those people and try and get to talk to them and learn from each other.
Maybe there are people who just like to read what is is like to be a pro player in The Netherlands, for those I hope to write some insightful stories about allday life as a trumpetplayer.
I know that there are people interested in my music. Maybe they want to know how I do that, what my inspiration comes from, or what I think of when writing music (honestly, I don't know the answer to that, but I can search my soul and maybe come up with something useful to other aspiring writers).
Then there is a group of people that want to know about my teaching methods. I am one of a growing group of Balanced Embouchure teachers. I discovered this method in 2002, and it turned around the way I look upon playing and teaching the trumpet.
Finally, I really love 'trumpet talk'. Everything related to this piece of brass tubing (of which Dizzy Gillespie said something like: there it lies in its velvet case, ready to fuck you up, hahahaha) has my deepest interest. I love to discuss mouthpieces, embouchure, trumpets, leadpipes (although not my forte), brands, gadgets and new literature and teaching methods.
Adsense and the sense of it
A clarification of the Google Ads to the left of this page.
When I started my first and commercial version of Trio Bert Lochs, back in 2006, I subscribed to GoogleAds, because I wanted people to find the trio and book me. To a certain degree, it worked that way, but after a few years, it didn't really pay off. I didn't get any more gigs out of it (the Trio evolved into an artistic modern creative jazz trio. Occasionally we still play at weddings or conferences, but our main goal is to play at the national and international jazz and theatre stages, like we did at North Sea Jazz in 2008, or the Jazz Impuls theatre tour in 2009. We now play our own music instead of standards), but I was still paying, so I thought, why not turn it the other way around, and maybe earn a few cents myself by putting Adsense on my page. Being a trumpet player costs a lot of money. You know the joke: what will a musician do when he wins the jackpot? Play until the money is spent. Only sad thing is, that it isn't a joke...So, why not try and get a little extra money, so that I can keep doing what I do.
When I started my first and commercial version of Trio Bert Lochs, back in 2006, I subscribed to GoogleAds, because I wanted people to find the trio and book me. To a certain degree, it worked that way, but after a few years, it didn't really pay off. I didn't get any more gigs out of it (the Trio evolved into an artistic modern creative jazz trio. Occasionally we still play at weddings or conferences, but our main goal is to play at the national and international jazz and theatre stages, like we did at North Sea Jazz in 2008, or the Jazz Impuls theatre tour in 2009. We now play our own music instead of standards), but I was still paying, so I thought, why not turn it the other way around, and maybe earn a few cents myself by putting Adsense on my page. Being a trumpet player costs a lot of money. You know the joke: what will a musician do when he wins the jackpot? Play until the money is spent. Only sad thing is, that it isn't a joke...So, why not try and get a little extra money, so that I can keep doing what I do.
To Dutch followers
Hi,
First of all, apologies to my Dutch followers. I am going to write all my posts in English, so that people from other countries have a chance to read my posts, too. I have a lot of contacts in the US of America, in Germany and in other countries, too, so Dutch would rule out too many people who might be interested in what I have to say. Hope you understand.
You can post in Dutch if you like, but I will answer in English. You can always send me an email if you have a specific question and request an answer in Dutch.
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