What do you think of this guy?

[trumpet_bob_silver]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k_Rkvs2ulY


Kurt Thompson

https://www.youtube.com/user/yourbrassinstructor/videos


At least in terms of teaching/technique for range here. Looks like a jazz player.


I stumbled across it when I was looking for trumpet spring info on youtube. There's something in it I need I think. It is interesting that he shows his tongue. You can actually take a look without it being odd being in person for that.

[trumpet_bob_silver]

Here's another one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8SBpiYBieY

I think part of what I like is the camera angle. It's right up in his face so you can see his embouchure.

A good model of close playing maybe. Jazz thought so it is that kind of squealy for high notes.

And then there's crappy video/audio, internet, and my crappy speakers for audio, but there's enough to hear.


It's because there's something here that I'm still not getting I think. Tongue arch maybe or that and other things I've been focusing on....

[trumpet.sanity]

That guy is a whackadoodle. He can play high notes, but is NOT a jazz player. He has an amateur sense of swing and style at best.

There are some videos of his high school days playing MF stuff, and he's had high chops obviously since his teen years. And it looks like that's where he has stayed. Mentally and as a trumpeter this guy is stuck in his glory days of high school

He's a Maynard fanatic, to the point of obsession like I've never seen.

Kurt is obviously not performing anywhere or with anybody as he never posts videos of any performances with other living humans in the last decade or so. So instead, heis trying to be an internet trumpet guru. I'm sure he gets a handful of students who don't know what a snake oil salesman he is. But most know to stay away. He has very limited knowledge of a great many things. As the saying goes "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing"

The level of controversy with this guy is also unlike anything I've ever seen in our small industry. So many nice guy, proven professional trumpeters have been bashed by Kurt is a consistent fashion for years.

Sometimes he puts out a clever of funny video, but mostly just manic ramblings and narcissistic musings. The guy can play a double C, but nobody wants to play with him. So at the end of the day...who cares?

[Brad361]

This is the same guy who went off on the UNT 1:00 lab band, on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/TrumpetTeacher/posts/1252512178165546

I've seen some of his other "musings" that seemed pretty odd. He seems a bit "out there" to say the least, just do a Facebook search of this guy, there is some pretty questionable stuff. Like Trumpet.sanity said, a lot of self-promotion, not a lot of evidence of him actually working much.

Brad
_________________
When asked if he always sounds great:
"I always try, but not always, because the horn is merciless, unpredictable and traitorous." - Arturo Sandoval

[JJMDestino]

What do I think of the guy? Well, he's the guy that has posted on facebook and sent private messages to people that are absolutely disgusting. He has posted/emailed anti-Semitic remarks, sexist, made disparaging remarks about world class trumpet players, sexually harassed others, etc..

He's not the real deal, not a jazz player. He's not a good person, not a good teacher, not someone we should promote.

[Fuzzy Dunlop]

[derekthor]

What do I think of this guy?

I don't.

[deleted_user_02066fd]

This individual seems to be emotionally and mentally unstable. Unfortunately you can't help someone who does not want to be helped. Perhaps someone who knows him well can have some kind of intervention.

[John Mohan]

Many of us have read ourselves or at least read about Kurt's antics in the past.

I just skimmed through the twenty minute video posted in the OP here. My thoughts about the video:

1) I think he overemphasizes the need to build strong face and lip muscles, and unless I missed it because I just watched parts of the video, I didn't see any spot where he talked about the need to build extraordinary blowing strength. It could very well be that from his frame of reference (he looks like a pretty big, solidly built guy) he didn't need to build much extra blowing strength. But most players do need to increase their air power strength significantly to reach into the range well above High C.

2) He clearly understands and uses properly the concept of dorsal tonguing, or as Claude Gordon called it, K-Tongue Modified tonguing, but like others, he keeps calling it "Anchor Tonguing" and actually tells listeners to "anchor" their tongue tips in the area behind the bottom front teeth. While one's tongue tip should be kept in that area, the idea of "anchoring" it or holding it rigidly in a particular spot is insane. The tongue should be kept relaxed and free to move as it needs to. As long as the tips stays somewhere in the area behind the bottom front teeth and doesn't climb above the tops of those bottom teeth, one is tonguing correctly in the way Herbert L. Clarke and later, Claude Gordon described.

3) He is right on the money when he tells the viewer that anyone can develop a good upper register and no once really needs to stay relagated to playing nothing but 3rd parts.

4) He's got a great upper register but really should work on improving his articulation, sound and accuracy in all the other registers. Maybe a slightly bigger mouthpiece might make articulations cleaner and more consistent (and yes, that might take a little of the power and edge off his highest notes, but in my opinion, the shift would make him a better sounding player).

5) The guy should be given credit for taking a LOT of time creating a LOT of videos with the goal of helping others achieve what he has (in terms of an upper register). He's clearly motivated by money, but there's nothing wrong with that. Choosing a way to serve others for compensation is what we all do, one way or another (at least hopefully that is what we do).

That's my opinion.

Cheers,

John Mohan
Skype Lessons Available - Click on the e-mail button below if interested
_________________
Trumpet Player, Clinician & Teacher
1st Trpt for Cats, Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Evita, Hunchback of Notre Dame,
Grease, The Producers, Addams Family, In the Heights, etc.
Ex LA Studio Musician
16 Year Claude Gordon Student

[trumpet.sanity]

The best recording of Kurt playing comes from his high school years:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff_goOFUcyc

He plays in tune, no whacky vibrato, clean sound up to and above high G.

And looks and sounds like he's playing on a Benge at this stage, and I think his sound is better in this tape, than anything recent he's posted.

And that mustache?? Priceless!!!

He's a very good player, and good be a great player. Kurt unfortunately is his own worse enemy.

His obsession with the high notes borders on just obsessive beyond anything I've seen, including junior high and high school players showing off there machismo.

[trumpet.sanity]

Then in this vid, he posts a quote like this in the YouTube comments

A poster asked a question:

"Can you cover one of Louis Dowdeswell's tunes like Let it Go or When You Wish Upon A Star? Would love to hear you play this "

Kurts response:


"how about this: Ask this #%*%+* ( Louis Dowdeswell) cover my version of Gabriel...no mic! I bet a ton of money he won't and can't do it. Hell Wayne Bergeron can't cover Gabriel with no mic because he has no chops. Bergeron relies on a very hot mic and a stand! I have a $1000 that says Bergeron can't play this LIVE, NO MIC better than my performance...that's more than Wayne makes doing a week of broadway at the Pantages!"

His own worse enemy.

[epoustoufle]

He's not very popular on the Callet forum. Read this:

http://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=110682

Short version: he trialed a trumpet from Callet and instead of paying for it, he sent a bill for his review and for practicing on it. It got pretty nasty.

I also notice he has the top hit video for TCE on youtube. He doesn't explain the technique or demonstrate it - it's just him rambling on in a vague and generally negative way about what he thinks. Useless.

[trumpet.sanity]

[trumpet.sanity]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BFRPog5F_JU

Nailed it

[ATrumpetBrony]

I think the guy plays danged good! But he's pretty puffed-up. Makes his videos darned cringeworthy.
_________________
ATB

It's not what you play...
It's HOW you play

[NoNameJustMe]

He's the kinda guy that makes me slightly less proud to be a trumpet player. He's like every negative high school trumpet stereotype you can think of in one player. Huge ego, huge jerk, only cares about high notes.

[razeontherock]

[trumpet.sanity]

[trumpet.sanity]

This might win the most cringeworthy vid category

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HHBpygEyEjM

[John Mohan]