davewerden

There are a great many movies where an actor will pretend to be performing onscreen, but in reality there is another musician doing the actual performance. As brass players, many of notice people doing a not-so-good job of pretending. Some are better than others.


One of the more famous examples is in the Benny Goodman story, where Steve Allen is the actor playing Goodman. Benny was a famous jazz clarinet player, and Steve Allen actually was an amateur clarinetist, so his pretending ...

The 6th annual Tubonium event is coming up on March 13-15. It is a must-attend event for tuba and euphonium players in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. This year they are featuring Brian Bowman on euphonium, Dan Perantoni on tuba, and the University of Wisconsin - Madison Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble under the direction of John Stevens.


As usual there are many other artists around who you will want to meet and chat with. There will be several vendors, and it's a great chance to try out ...

This chapter discusses a low brass icon that we should all know: Tommy Dorsey. He was one of the most popular big band leaders in the 40's (and earlier and later), called the sentimental gentleman. His sound was very nice, especially given the small horn/mouthpiece he used, but he was especially famous for his breath control and phrasing. I have heard him play beautifully up to around a high F or F#, and he always seemed to know just how to use his vibrato.


Frank Sinatra came ...

Brass mouthpieces come in a variety of materials and plating these days, and it is nice to have such choices. Each choice has something to offer.


First, it is important to understand the difference between material and plating. Traditional mouthpieces are made of brass. However, brass is not safe to play on - it is irritating for your chops and can actually be poisonous for some people. Brass mouthpieces are therefore coated to protect the player (and to keep them looking nice). ...

We have another in our series of articles by the great Arthur Lehman, retired euphonium soloist with The United States Marine Band. This one discusses some of the best soloists (on various instruments) that Arthur worked with while he was in the band.


The Best Marine Band Soloists