Ep. 11 Shedding Solfege in the Practice Room

In my experience, few are willing to lay the foundation the way I describe in this episode . . . but those that do will experience tremendous growth on the horn. It may be the least glamorous episode so far, but it's the most likely to really change us as players. Today, I invite you into the woodshed with me: a practice session where I use solfege to coordinate my body as a trumpeter. The purpose of ALL practice is to the connect the creative mind to the body. That's it. That's the game. But as luck would have it, the creative mind happens to work like a super–powered 4-year-old. (So teaching it can feel . . . challenging . . . at times.) But as soon as you realize how 4-year-olds learn (i.e. how all of us are wired to learn skills), you get insight into much more effective practice, saving you hundreds of repetitions. This time, I find myself leaning on three helpful mentors: Carmine Caruso, John McNeil (who is my connection to Carmine's work), and Dave Hickman. Visit John @ www.mcneiljazz.com Or check out this remarkable book, synthesizing Carmine's principles for the modern trumpeter, which John wrote with his co-author, Laurie Frink (former lead trumpet, Maria Schneider Orchestra). https://mcneiljazz.com/flexus As always, you can find Dave Hickman here: https://www.hickmanmusiceditions.com I highly recommend "Trumpet Pedagogy" and "Trumpet Lessons with Dave Hickman." Ryan's Trumpet is a recurring series that shares ideas and practices that have been extremely helpful to Ryan as a trumpeter, musician, composer, improviser, and teacher. Have some questions about this episode? About the trumpet? Music? Performance? Jazz? Composing? Comment below! If your question captures Ryan's imagination, you just might get a free lesson and have an episode dedicated to you! Ryan Nielsen is the trumpeter in the Kobie Watkins Grouptet.Their first album, "Movement," received international acclaim and was selected by Howard Reich (former member, Pulitzer Jury) as one of the 10 best albums of 2018. Ryan has recorded and performed with Ra Kalam Bob Moses and the Summit Brass. In 2021, he was an adjudicator for the preliminary rounds of the Carmine Caruso Jazz Trumpet Competition, "The world's most prestigious competition for jazz trumpet." He has performed as lead and solo trumpet with Delfeayo Marsalis's Uptown Jazz Orchestra, and received the Doc Severinsen Award for Outstanding Classical and Jazz Trumpet. Ryan co-authored "The Classroom Guide to Jazz Improvisation" with John McNeil (Trumpet, Hush Point; frmr. trumpet, Horace Silver; Professor Emeritus, New England Conservatory). It is due to be released later this year by Oxford University Press. He is currently Associate Professor of Trumpet at Utah Valley University. Visit Ryan online at www.ryanstrumpet.com