You have finally decided that you’re going to become a trombone player. Good for you. Now what? It can be very difficult to choose a new (or “New to You”) trombone. Whether you are a student (or an adult) new to playing the trombone, a student who wants to move on from a school horn, or just a person who wants a new trombone, I am going to arm you with the knowledge on how to test and pick out…
“A wheezing Atlanta clarinet player, who had been playing Dixie for 30 years, was diagnosed with saxophone lung after a year of symptoms that did not improve with treatment. He was playing the clarinet several times a week and he noticed that after he played, his symptoms would get worse” Maybe you saw this article when it was reported by NBC News back in 2013. What was the cause of the patient’s Saxophone Lung? His moldy clarinet that hadn’t been…
I have had a recent experience and the way it has turned out is would be a benefit to all Senior Bandsmen. To be a Senior Bandsman there are certain things you need to do and this is one of them. Are you ready? Sycamore Community Band As you many know I play for a community band called the Sycamore Community Band that is based in the northern part of Hamilton County in Ohio. This group is one of the…
The temperature outside is freezing and you have to go out in it and play trumpet. How is this going to work? How did you get yourself into this predicament I know you are in the Marching Band and you are the Halftime entertainment. You were thinking “marching season should be over before it gets real cold”. But no, your football decides it is going to go on a winning streak and now finds itself in the playoffs. You read…
In a previous post, I was picking on trombone players and telling them to maintain and clean their instruments. Well, saxophone players, it is your time in the barrel! Over on wikiHow they have a step by step article on how to clean a saxophone. Steps to follow would be: Clean the interior of the body. This is usually done with a saxophone swab. Get one that fits your type of sax (ie., Alto, Tenor, etc.) The come in different…
One of the best parts of playing in a band are the gigs. And if you play in a Community Band chances are that during the summer you will be playing at outdoor concerts. I play in the Sycamore Community Band and have had opportunities to play in some great places like the Lanier Mansion in Madison, Indiana or overlooking the Ohio River in downtown New Richmond, Ohio. My question for you is; are you prepared for the outdoor concert…
“I coughed. I had a horrible deep barking cough — especially when I played trombone. I had a sore throat, had a low-grade fever. It was a huge hindrance. “ – excerpted from NPR story “Think Music Heals? Trombone Player Begs To Differ” Learning the Hard Way How many times have you seen this? Rehearsal is over and most of the band members are scattered, gone is less than a minute. Maybe they should want to pay a bit more attention…
Getting Back Maybe you were like me; I used to play saxophone in my high school band. Then it was over 30 years since I last played and I got the itch to play again. My biggest question was HOW?? Fortunately I started back by taking lessons and my instructor told me about Community Bands. The rest is history And Now I’m Back So now (It’s been 20 years) I am back playing. That is me up in the picture…