Starting Beginners: Carmine Caruso

[Destructo]

Hi All,

There are a lot of different methods to developing players' abilities on the trumpet, but few of them say much about the earliest stages of starting players off. I thought it would be interesting to go through the different sub forums and see what the resident experts of each suggest, recommend, have found to work best from experience etc.

I thought I would start with the Carmine Caruso forum as I'm currently working myself through the Laurie Frink Flexus exercises for the first time and have always like "timing & co-ordination" and zen stay-outta-the-way approach of MCFB.

So what do you CC folks suggest as the best approach for teaching absolute beginners to produce their first sounds on the trumpet with a mind to set them up for the easiest time possible?

[Destructo]

Just giving this one a little nudge

[JayKosta]

[kehaulani]

[1B]

As a middle school/high school band teacher for 33 years, I can tell you kids don’t sign up for band to play Caruso. They want to play melodies! I am a fan of Caruso, but can tell you that the beginning student will be turned off to this (the possible exception being a very focused adult beginner). We have to remember that most of us are only willing to dedicate ourselves to hardcore fundamentals once we see the need for them to help us reach our potential. Beginning Band should definitely have structure and a plan for students to progress, but it must be fun.
Just my 2 cents.
Jaimie Hall

[Quadstriker]

[kehaulani]

Does one have one's student play scales? Tonguing exercises? Other fundamentals? How long and how out of context with that is having the students play the Six Tones?

Anyway, the OP's question is not about the viability of playing Caruso but HOW to use it in band.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
"Well, even if I could play like Wynton, I wouldn't play like Wynton." Chet Baker

Benge Cornet

[Irving]

https://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3502&sid=84b0cf7eb9333e6d60fb80e30b5f4606

[Dayton]

I've taken lessons and classes from CC students, but don't consider myself knowledgeable enough about his method to offer specific recommendations on initial sound production for beginners.

Regarding the broader point of whether the CC approach is suitable for beginners, I don't see why not. Obviously, the teacher would need to make appropriate modifications to the exercises, but that's true of any method when working with a beginner.

I started playing Schlossberg's Long Note Drills as a fourth grader. The drills were appropriately modified for me. I started playing Clarke's Technical Studies as a fifth or sixth grader. Again, the studies were appropriately modified for me. Know your students, and make appropriate modifications based on their abilities.

I'll add that you don't want a beginner ONLY playing technical studies. That's no fun and not terribly useful. They need to be introduced to music. Strike a sensible balance.

[kehaulani]

I think there's a misconception here, but I understand the fundamental Caruso exercises to be one of endurance and strength, not tone building, per se.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
"Well, even if I could play like Wynton, I wouldn't play like Wynton." Chet Baker

Benge Cornet

[PH]

[kehaulani]

To the first paragraph, thanks. That is very helpful.
To the second . . . wow.

So the fundamental exercises are not tone-oriented (like, maybe Cichowicz' Long Tone Studies) but improved tone is a by-product, right?
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
"Well, even if I could play like Wynton, I wouldn't play like Wynton." Chet Baker

Benge Cornet

[PH]

[gstump]

Regarding tone building (another stump-story):

My first lesson with Mr. Caruso was in 1967. After hearing me play (I sucked) he said......."you do not sound like the studio players in town.....there is no reason you cannot sound like them on a middle G"

He assigned the 6 six notes with the rules for multiple times throughout the day. After 2 weeks of the six notes 16 or more sets with rests per day I took the train back to NYC

He said...."now you sound like Doc Severinsen on a middle G".

Those 2 weeks set my embouchure for the next 57 years. That was the primary purpose. But the improvement in tone was a great bi-product.
_________________
Schilke B5
Couesnon Flug (1967)
Funk Brothers Horn Section/Caruso Student

[kehaulani]

[timothyquinlan]

Just a note that Chris Gekker was a Caruso novice, and went through everything hands-on with the great Caruso student Laurie Frink and he published his complete notes on what he learned in this book:

Link: Chris Gekker On Caruso

It is absolutely worth looking at!
_________________
Check out qPress for the largest selection of trumpet books on the internet.

[kehaulani]

Thank you, Tim. Just downloaded it.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
"Well, even if I could play like Wynton, I wouldn't play like Wynton." Chet Baker

Benge Cornet

[Destructo]

[PH]

I think the answer is, "whatever you think works for you." Carmine told me on multiple occasions that his approach was not a method, that it worked with any of the multiplicity of methods people used, and that the focus on timing, synchronization, learning to execute intervals, dynaminc changes, etc more cleanly would enhance the effectiveness of every approach. The calisthenics are a set of supplementary studies.
_________________
Bach trumpet artist-clinician
Professor Emeritus of Jazz Studies, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
Faculty Jamey Aebersold Jazz Workshops 1976-2019
Founder and director of JazzRetreats.com

[kehaulani]