Your BEST Lesson???

jazzmcazz · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2003 2:54 am Post subject:

Hey all,
I have had a lot of great private lessons with many outstanding teachers/players and I seem to remember only a few specific lessons, ones that really just went WELL haha. I want to ask everyone what their best lesson was with a private teacher or masterclass and which teacher provided this experience for you. This should be pretty interesting and everyone will hopefully learn a lot about some of the unknown to known players around the world!!

blasticore · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2003 1:28 pm Post subject:

I remember one of my first lessons with my 3rd teacher (I've had 6). He introduced me to many of the teachings of Bobby Shew, and a bunch of air compression techniques. My playing changed much for the better. I was in 8th grade at the time, and the guy was probably one of the more influential teachers I've had. He was very invloved with all his students and actively strove for their personal success. Kind of a pity he had to move back to his old town. I liked his style of teaching. I'm just glad to have had the opportunity to learn so many things from him.
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Chris King
http://www.cktrumpet.com
http://www.ckbrassworks.com

allofyougetalife · Veteran Member Joined: 19 Mar 2003 Posts: 207

[ This Message was edited by: allofyougetalife on 2003-06-30 13:51 ]

samlg · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2003 2:08 pm Post subject:

i have a teacher at the mo who is doing alot for me but i have to say, doing a masterclass with the principal of the BournemouthSO was the best. i got something out of it and it made me definatly steer my direction in music towards performance.

sam

trickg · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2003 3:16 pm Post subject:

This is an easy one for me because it happened pretty recently. Let me start by saying that I really haven't had a lesson since the six months that I spent at the Armed Forces School of Music from Oct 89 - April of 90 and prior to that I was self taught as well so suffice it to say, I'm almost totally "self taught" meaning that I keep my eyes and ears open and love talking shop, but I have taken very few lessons.

About 2 months ago I went to the studio of Scott Holbert, custom mouthpiece maker, retired trumpeter in the US Army Field Band and a Rheinhardt method teacher. I went there to be fitted for a mouthpiece (which I now have and am VERY happy with) and spent nearly 3 hours there while we talked shop, he checked my chops for how I was playing, and he fitted me for a custom mouthpiece from his sizing kit of cups and backbores. During that time and our discussion, he confirmed for me many of the things that I have been thinking about as far as my chops are concerned and he validated that much of the work that I have done toward improving my range and endurance are on the right track. Scott is a great trumpet player in his own right and has worked with a lot of people and their chops, so that validation has done a lot for my confidence level in what I am doing in the practice room and now I have a direction and definite process to my practicing.

Another great "lesson" that I had was one night talking to Bobby List about soloing and improvisation, something that I have always struggled with. With one little tidbit, he gave me a very basic bit of knowlege for how to approach a solo and now I don't freak out when I see changes pop up in my part. Now, instead of seeing a solo as an opportunity to fail, I see it as an opportunity to do something fun and cool.

So I offer up a big thanks to both Scott and Bobby. Thanks dudes!!!!!

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Patrick Gleason

email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com

[ This Message was edited by: trickg on 2003-06-02 18:18 ]

kzem · Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2003 6:30 pm Post subject:

My "Best Lesson" was last weekend. I attended the Chicago Symphony concert of Ein Heldenleben, and got to sit in the Terrace seats, about ten feet to the left of the trumpet section. It was great watching all of Barenboim's expressions, and watching the musicians react. I also really got to REALLY hear the brass section, and how loud they need to play to project through the hall, and how effortless they made it seem. Very inspiring.

Kurt Z

AccentOnTrumpet · Heavyweight Member Joined: 03 Nov 2002 Posts: 878

Any lesson I've had with Bill Lucas by far. He's just an extremely positive source of energy as a teacher, and best of all, he tells me how to fix what I'm doing wrong. I benefit from every lesson. Worth the expensive price. Well worth it.

Also I recently had an informative lesson with Scott Thornberg at Western Michigan. He is also an excellent player, we spent a lot of time just talking trumpet but he was a very informative guy to study with.

Also, Scotty Barnhart of the Count Basie Orchestra gave an excellent masterclass up here in February 2002 if I recall correctly, and I got to go up there and play with him and it was very inspiring.

All I can remember for now

JDWildcat · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2003 1:14 pm Post subject:

I was just looking over notes from the lessons I took in college, and its amazing how well my teacher had me pegged. All of the problems I had then are problems I face today as a comeback player. So, I'm taking the same approach to cure them. I just wish I would have paid more attention and practiced harder back then.

richj50 · Veteran Member Joined: 02 Dec 2001 Posts: 370

My best lesson was my first with Charlie Schlueter. While I had decent teachers before Charlie (with whom I studied regularly for three years), that first lesson was my first experience with hearing greatness in a small room up close. At the time I was working on the Hindemith Sonata for a competition and when Charlie took my horn with my mouthpiece and played I was absolutely floored with his sound, power and style. I had never heard anything like it. Hearing Charlie in that lesson and subsequent lessons made an indellible impact on my concept of sound and trumpet playing. Almost wish I were 15 again to relive that experience.

Rich

AccentOnTrumpet · Heavyweight Member Joined: 03 Nov 2002 Posts: 878

To be honest, I wasn't familiar with Charlie Schleuter until I read some of his words on a page called Legit Trumpet Quotes, right here http://www.trumpetlessons.net/lessons/legitquotes.html

He said "Playing trumpet is hard because it is so easy", which is one of the most interesting quotes there.

toohi2here · Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2003 1:03 am Post subject:

Jazz,

I'm sure you're feelin me on this one. It's when I got the Dubba C.
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Double C a day keeps the buck teeth away

toohi2here · Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2003 9:42 pm Post subject:

I don't think it was your imagination. If you think beautiful is loud and deafening, then I guess hearing Bud is it. You should have heard Armando Ghitalla play, now that's a sound.
_________________
Double C a day keeps the buck teeth away

romey1 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Jun 2003 Posts: 797

[ This Message was edited by: romey1 on 2004-05-16 17:03 ]

toohi2here · Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2003 5:37 pm Post subject:

romey,

That's affirmative on the Herseth. If you want paint to fall off your walls or knock a wall down maybe. Not me my friend. I like a real lyrical sound, AG.
_________________
Double C a day keeps the buck teeth away

mafields627 · Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2003 5:45 pm Post subject:

Any lesson I had last semester with Leonard Candelaria. I improved more in one semester of lessons with him than a year and a half of lessons with my old teacher.

SchilkeB5user · Regular Member Joined: 05 Jun 2003 Posts: 26

My best lesson was with Leon Merian when I had put all the things he said together and increased my range by a fourth or more. Of course though after that week I just kinda turned off =(. Bringing it back though

Leon has helped me more in 6 months then I had in 3 years. What a great person and teacher.

fuzzyjon79 · Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2003 1:32 am Post subject:

Well.. to each his own... but I think it's pretty impressive that Herseth sat in the Chicago Symphony for 50+ years and never lost his job. I think he plays with a lot of power, but my personal favorite orchestral player is Phil Smith.
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J. Fowler
"It takes a big ole' sack of flour, to make a big ole' pan of biscuits!"

etownfwd · Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2003 3:54 pm Post subject:

I guess I have been fortunate enough to have 4 major lessons so far that have impacted my life and playing in a positive manner. First was a "one hour" lesson with Seneca Black. He's the lead/scream player with the LCJO. He introduced me to the Caruso exercises and some wonderful long-tone and breathing exercises. He gave me SO much info and excitement about playing that it ended up lasting 2 and a half hours! Kim Reese taught me some of the BEST ways to breathe from things she learned from the Man himself, Arnold Jacobs. Laurie Frink helped me further my skills with more work with more of the Caruso stuff. She also gave me some of the BEST direction at how to play it all! Finally, Terell Stafford has helped me just by opening my ears to better and better music. Not only can the man play the HELL out of Boy Meets Horn, but he can play the Hindemith too! Sorry to rant.....
-efwd

trumpetdiva1 · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2003 8:23 am Post subject:

Melly · Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2003 5:41 pm Post subject:

My best lesson: my teacher got totally off topic and we had this really deep discussion about how music evolved over the years-- not just recent years, over all of the years of human existence. And then we were talking about the church and how music is used in it and how it influenced music so much.