Year: 2019

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Alternative Technical Study #9 for Trumpet | Exercise of the Week #40

For this Exercise of the Week, Bryan Davis presents another Alternative Technical Study. This one is an upside-down diminished scale pattern with increasing intervals. It should be practiced in all 12 keys as notated, then repeated playing as many keys as possible 1 octave higher.

Download the PDF of “Alternative Technical Study #9“

We want to hear you playing this exercise! Video yourself playing a key or two that you find challenging and share on Facebook or Instagram, tagging @AirflowMusicNYC. We’ll repost our favourites!

Check back every Monday for a new Exercise of the Week! #EOTW #GoPractice

If you have questions or comments about this video, we want to hear them! If you have a request for an area of technique you’d like an EOTW to address, please let us know – your suggestion could be the topic of a future video!

Exercise of the Week with Bryan Davis is presented by Airflow Music. For information on all our products, please visit https://AirflowMusic.com/

Exercise of the Week with Bryan Davis is presented by Airflow Music. For information on all our products, please visit: https://AirflowMusic.com/. Please Subscribe to our Youtube channel, to be notified of upcoming episodes.

If you’ve found this or any of our videos helpful, please share with your friends, and consider supporting us by making a purchase from the Airflow Music store.

Watch the entire 1st Season of Trumpet A-Z at: Trumpet A-Z Playlist.

Buy “Combination Drills: Developed Scales in Odd Meters” by Bryan Davis. PDF eBooks and Printed Books are available for each edition:

New from Airflow Music: “Finger Flexes” by Bryan Davis. Available now as a PDF ebook or printed book.

Trumpet Lessons with Bryan Davis are available in-person, if you’re in the New York City area, or via Skype if you live elsewhere. For more information, please visit: http://bryandav.is/teaching

Follow Airflow Music on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

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What’s The Best Mouthpiece for High Notes? | #TrumpetProTips E16

This video is Bryan Davis’ response to a most frequently asked question – “What’s The Best Mouthpiece For High Notes?” Included are tips for what to look for when trying trumpet mouthpieces.

Watch “M for Mouthpiece” from the Trumpet A-Z: https://youtu.be/b78U1z4TM7Q

If you have questions or comments about this video, we want to hear them! If you have a topic you’d like Bryan Davis to make a video about, please let us know – your suggestion could be the subject of a future video!

Trumpet Lessons with Bryan Davis are available in-person, if you’re in the New York City area, or via Skype if you live elsewhere. For more information, please visit: http://bryandav.is/teaching

Join us on Monday for another Exercise of the Week. You can watch all the previous episodes at: EOTW Playlist

Watch the 1st season of Trumpet A-Z at: Trumpet A-Z playlist.

#TrumpetProTips with Bryan Davis is presented by Airflow Music.

For information on all our products, please visit: https://AirflowMusic.com/. Please Subscribe to our Youtube channel, to be notified of upcoming episodes.

If you’ve found this or any of our videos helpful, please share with your friends, and consider supporting us by making a purchase from the Airflow Music store.

New from Airflow Music: “Finger Flexes” by Bryan Davis. Available now as a PDF ebook or printed book.

Buy “Combination Drills: Developed Scales in Odd Meters” by Bryan Davis. PDF eBooks and Printed Books are available for each edition:

Follow Airflow Music on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

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A Different Approach to Range on Trumpet! | #TrumpetProTips E15

Following on from the last #TrumpetProTips, about how to avoid overblowing, Bryan Davis is here with a different way to think about range on the trumpet.

If you missed the last #TrumpetProTips – “How to Avoid Overblowing on Trumpet!” – please watch it at: https://youtu.be/iV3eRn8v17Q or here.

For many of my students who’ve developed the feel for the “sigh” breath, this distance based approach to range has been very successful!

If you have questions or comments about this video, we want to hear them! If you have a topic you’d like Bryan Davis to make a video about, please let us know – your suggestion could be the subject of a future video!

Trumpet Lessons with Bryan Davis are available in-person, if you’re in the New York City area, or via Skype if you live elsewhere. For more information, please visit: http://bryandav.is/teaching

Join us on Monday for another Exercise of the Week. You can watch all the previous episodes at: EOTW Playlist

Watch the 1st season of Trumpet A-Z at: Trumpet A-Z playlist.

#TrumpetProTips with Bryan Davis is presented by Airflow Music.

For information on all our products, please visit: https://AirflowMusic.com/. Please Subscribe to our Youtube channel, to be notified of upcoming episodes.

If you’ve found this or any of our videos helpful, please share with your friends, and consider supporting us by making a purchase from the Airflow Music store.

New from Airflow Music: “Finger Flexes” by Bryan Davis. Available now as a PDF ebook or printed book.

Buy “Combination Drills: Developed Scales in Odd Meters” by Bryan Davis. PDF eBooks and Printed Books are available for each edition:

Follow Airflow Music on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

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Chord Tone Etude #1 for Trumpet | Exercise of the Week #39

For this Exercise of the Week, Bryan Davis presents a new Chord Tone Etude based on the harmonic progression of a well-known jazz standard – “There Will Never Be Another You.” The note choices are limited to chord tones specifically indicated by the chord symbols, which are included. When learning new tunes, it can be extremely useful to arpeggiate through the changes to develop a sense of the voice leading, particularly if you are not proficient on the piano, or another chordal instrument. By incorporating different inversions of the arpeggios, you can arrive at something “almost melodic” like this!

Download the PDF of “Chord Tone Etude #1“

We want to hear you playing this exercise! Video yourself playing a key or two that you find challenging and share on Facebook or Instagram, tagging @AirflowMusicNYC. We’ll repost our favourites!

Check back every Monday for a new Exercise of the Week! #EOTW #GoPractice

If you have questions or comments about this video, we want to hear them! If you have a request for an area of technique you’d like an EOTW to address, please let us know – your suggestion could be the topic of a future video!

Exercise of the Week with Bryan Davis is presented by Airflow Music. For information on all our products, please visit https://AirflowMusic.com/

Exercise of the Week with Bryan Davis is presented by Airflow Music. For information on all our products, please visit: https://AirflowMusic.com/. Please Subscribe to our Youtube channel, to be notified of upcoming episodes.

If you’ve found this or any of our videos helpful, please share with your friends, and consider supporting us by making a purchase from the Airflow Music store.

Watch the entire 1st Season of Trumpet A-Z at: Trumpet A-Z Playlist.

Buy “Combination Drills: Developed Scales in Odd Meters” by Bryan Davis. PDF eBooks and Printed Books are available for each edition:

New from Airflow Music: “Finger Flexes” by Bryan Davis. Available now as a PDF ebook or printed book.

Trumpet Lessons with Bryan Davis are available in-person, if you’re in the New York City area, or via Skype if you live elsewhere. For more information, please visit: http://bryandav.is/teaching

Follow Airflow Music on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

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How to Avoid Overblowing on Trumpet! | #TrumpetProTips E14

In this week’s #TrumpetProTips, Bryan Davis discusses a different way to avoid Overblowing on the Trumpet, or any brass instrument. This is a tip anybody can employ to play easier and sound better!

If you have questions or comments about this video, we want to hear them! If you have a topic you’d like Bryan Davis to make a video about, please let us know – your suggestion could be the subject of a future video!

Trumpet Lessons with Bryan Davis are available in-person, if you’re in the New York City area, or via Skype if you live elsewhere. For more information, please visit: http://bryandav.is/teaching

Join us on Monday for another Exercise of the Week. You can watch all the previous episodes at: EOTW Playlist

Watch the 1st season of Trumpet A-Z at: Trumpet A-Z playlist.

#TrumpetProTips with Bryan Davis is presented by Airflow Music.

For information on all our products, please visit: https://AirflowMusic.com/. Please Subscribe to our Youtube channel, to be notified of upcoming episodes.

If you’ve found this or any of our videos helpful, please share with your friends, and consider supporting us by making a purchase from the Airflow Music store.

New from Airflow Music: “Finger Flexes” by Bryan Davis. Available now as a PDF ebook or printed book.

Buy “Combination Drills: Developed Scales in Odd Meters” by Bryan Davis. PDF eBooks and Printed Books are available for each edition:

Follow Airflow Music on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

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Clarke #2 – Blues Scale Version for Trumpet | Exercise of the Week #38

Download the PDF of “Clarke #2 – Blues Scale Version“

Recent videos have focused on the Blues Scale and Clarke #2. For this Exercise of the Week, Bryan Davis combines them, presenting an adapted version of the Clarke #2 pattern following the blues scale. It makes for some interesting corners to play your way through.

We want to hear you playing this exercise! Video yourself playing a key or two that you find challenging and share on Facebook or Instagram, tagging @AirflowMusicNYC. We’ll repost our favourites!

Check back every Monday for a new Exercise of the Week! #EOTW #GoPractice

If you have questions or comments about this video, we want to hear them! If you have a request for an area of technique you’d like an EOTW to address, please let us know – your suggestion could be the topic of a future video!

Exercise of the Week with Bryan Davis is presented by Airflow Music. For information on all our products, please visit https://AirflowMusic.com/

Exercise of the Week with Bryan Davis is presented by Airflow Music. For information on all our products, please visit: https://AirflowMusic.com/. Please Subscribe to our Youtube channel, to be notified of upcoming episodes.

If you’ve found this or any of our videos helpful, please share with your friends, and consider supporting us by making a purchase from the Airflow Music store.

Watch the entire 1st Season of Trumpet A-Z at: Trumpet A-Z Playlist.

Buy “Combination Drills: Developed Scales in Odd Meters” by Bryan Davis. PDF eBooks and Printed Books are available for each edition:

New from Airflow Music: “Finger Flexes” by Bryan Davis. Available now as a PDF ebook or printed book.

Trumpet Lessons with Bryan Davis are available in-person, if you’re in the New York City area, or via Skype if you live elsewhere. For more information, please visit: http://bryandav.is/teaching

Follow Airflow Music on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

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(Post-)Midnight Musings…

Often, late nights in random hotel rooms are the rare, quiet moments when my mind is free to wander, and to ponder the peculiarities of my life…

How is it that somebody who grew up in a random English resort town, and was a handed a trumpet as a child, with no previous interest or impetus to play it, now resides on a different continent, and regularly makes music with, and is accepted by, some of the greatest musicians one could ever hope to encounter?

It makes no sense, yet this is where I find myself. To say I’m fortunate would be the understatement of the century…

If you have children, always encourage them to follow their passion. I was lucky that my parents did and do. There were times when they, and I, were unsure but it has, undoubtedly, panned out. It could be music, or it could be literally anything else. Just know: if you love what you do, then you’ll never resent a days work, in your life….

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I Should Be Sleeping…

I’ve been making an effort to consistently sleep a little more, lately. Between playing rehearsals and gigs, teaching trumpet lessons, making YouTube videos, running my social media, and the myriad other things that fill each day, it’s easy to let it slip. It had become habit to regularly only sleep 5 hours a night, at most.

While I was trying to recover from the jet lag associated with my recent trip to Abu Dhabi, I really tried to sleep more than that. I was, honestly, exhausted. What has been noticeable is how much more productive I’ve been during the days since, which have generally still been pretty long.

With that being said, there are still clusters of days where there is lots to do, to get ahead of the upcoming schedule, and sleep has to slide a little. The last few have been that way. I had hoped to be finished and in bed an hour ago, as I have to get up at 5am to go to the airport – tomorrow is an out-of-town gig day. Writing something here was the last remaining thing on my to-do list. I enjoy the satisfaction of crossing everything off that.

Time to post this, and go close my eyes. I really should be sleeping…

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Blocked Buzzing 101 | #TrumpetProTips #12

It’s been some time since we talked about Trumpet Isometrics – exercises to strengthen and rebalance the embouchure. In this video, Bryan Davis explains to do the isometric exercise known variously as “Blocked Buzzing” or the “Hermetic Seal”. It’s a great way to build and engage your embouchure corners.

If you have questions or comments about this video, we want to hear them! If you have a topic you’d like Bryan Davis to make a video about, please let us know – your suggestion could be the subject of a future video!

Trumpet Lessons with Bryan Davis are available in-person, if you’re in the New York City area, or via Skype if you live elsewhere. For more information, please visit: http://bryandav.is/teaching

Join us on Monday for another Exercise of the Week. You can watch all the previous episodes at: EOTW Playlist

Watch the 1st season of Trumpet A-Z at: Trumpet A-Z playlist.

#TrumpetProTips with Bryan Davis is presented by Airflow Music.

For information on all our products, please visit: https://AirflowMusic.com/. Please Subscribe to our Youtube channel, to be notified of upcoming episodes.

If you’ve found this or any of our videos helpful, please share with your friends, and consider supporting us by making a purchase from the Airflow Music store.

New from Airflow Music: “Finger Flexes” by Bryan Davis. Available now as a PDF ebook or printed book.

Buy “Combination Drills: Developed Scales in Odd Meters” by Bryan Davis. PDF eBooks and Printed Books are available for each edition:

Follow Airflow Music on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

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The Cuban-Khaleeji Project at NYUAD

Last month, I spent 10 days in Abu Dhabi, in residence at NYU Abu Dhabi’s Arts Center with the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. With our director, Arturo O’Farrill, and a number of guest artists, we explored the middle eastern roots of, and parallels with, Latin Jazz.

The rehearsal process and resultant concert was a remarkable experience. It was broadcast live on Facebook and, subsequently, it’s been uploaded to YouTube. If you missed it, here it is for you enjoy in its entirety.