It is probably no surprise to you that I play the trumpet. In reality, I eat, sleep, breath, drink and dream trumpet while doing my very best to maintain a healthy balanced life. I personally have become one with this instrument in more ways than I can articulate. What was once the most difficult, frustrating and sometimes disappointing aspect of my life, trumpet, is now one of my better strengths. You see, I was the world's worst trumpet player for many years. In fact, I sat 13th chair in my high school band at the beginning of eleventh grade. I was so bad that I literally sat next to the door that exited the band room. My placement by the door was symbolic and reflective of my effort. I loved the sound of band rehearsals...thick sonorous textures, resonant upper overtones fluttering in the air while solid harmonies pressed against my chest. I was hooked on rehearsals, but my home life at the time was more about family and learning stability than about school work or band. We had moved all over the country up until I started fifth grade, living with numerous relatives in cities and states scattered around the United States and living in the semi truck. My parents were truck drivers and we didn't stop moving! So what changed? Well, everything once I decided to begin practicing the trumpet! But that is a very long story that I will save for another blog entry. Today, you only need to know that I began taking trumpet seriously when I was 16 and here I am today serving you, the brass musicians of the 21st century. My weaknesses on trumpet have been replaced with knowledge, experience, an understanding of science, psychology and self control. Trumpet is now one of my greatest strengths and I work hard every day to increase my musical and technical growth on the world's most difficult instrument. The real question today is, "How do I stay in shape on trumpet?" when I have so many other things to do. Clients visit my shop from all over the world on a regular basis and they have a reasonable expectation that I can and will demonstrate my techniques, theories and instruments proficiently. Unlike a trumpet factory that relies on generations of manufacturing and reputation, I take full responsibility for my instrument designs, Standing Wave Efficiency technology, Aperture control theory (my physics-based brand of understanding the embouchure), manufacturing, assembly, finishing, repair, sales, service, etc. In short, I do everything at Harrelson Trumpets. And though HT is made up of the entire Harrelson Trumpets family with James Soh and Jake assisting on finishing a prep work, James Knabe on the road showing horns and educating clients, Christine and Jen promoting and working with clients via phone, email, facebook and such, in the end I do all of these things on a daily basis. This leaves little time for practice. In fact, there is rarely more than one or two hours available per month for practice. So how do I stay in shape? By not practicing! Jake has mentioned more than once that I do not warm up as if this is an anomaly. However, I have heard there are others who do not warm up and someday hope to meet one or two of you. I don't practice either. Instead, every time I pick up a trumpet, I imagine what I want to play and become one with the horn. There is no reason any of us cannot start the day on any note. My first note of the day is always a surprise as I like to be spontaneous. Why do the same thing twice when we learn faster by creating new challenges. I usually start on a different note every day. I have about a 50% chance of starting my day on a note above the staff since half of my range is above the staff. With that said, I may start on a note in the bass clef as I play the entire bass trombone range daily. The only exception is when I have a problem with something specific. For instance, last summer I recall having difficulty playing my "B" on one of my Bb trumpets. Then I became obsessed with this note playing everything imaginable while always beginning and ending on B in any octave. I think I drove everyone nuts that week as I would play all of my B's again and again...below the staff, an octave lower, two octaves below the staff, above the staff, in the staff, double B, triple B, below the staff again, odd variations of whole tone intervals, then more B's in various octaves. It was therapeutic and I haven't missed a B ever since. In essence, I practice when I am testing trumpets or between machining jobs when something is cutting loudly in the background or in the two minutes everyone is getting ready to leave for lunch. I do in fact practice all the time, but it never looks like practicing. There is no regular place and time designated for learning at HT. I learn on the fly all the time. This environment is designed for growth, movement and innovation. I practice while cutting, sanding, soldering, eating, driving, sleeping etc. When I hear Jake, Christine or any of our visitors play something I want to learn, I remember it immediately and work it out long before I ever touch one of the many trumpets scattered about the shop. I know what I want to play before I ever play it at least half of the time. The rest of the time is usually free improvisation trying things I have never done or heard. I play A LOT of things I have never heard. When someone tells you that everything has already been done on trumpet (or anything), please smile and thank them for the advice. Then remember these words... "There is always More to learn the YOU can ever imagine!" Trust me, I have attempted to do the math and the number of possibilities for growth within the confines of the human reality is staggering. We are not physically capable of IMAGINING the full capacity of our own individual potential. Consider the following: - Isaac Newton (born in 1642) IMAGINED Einstein's theory of general relativity and photoelectric quantum physics almost two centuries BEFORE Albert Einstein provided a mathematical explanation. - Johann Sebastian Bach (born in 1685) CREATED hundreds of musical works that essentially define the majority of 20th century Jazz harmony and improvisation. - Radio waves, Micro waves, Ultrasonic waves, Trumpet Sound waves and Light waves are essentially variations of the same thing. All of these mediums are used for ALL communications in the known universe uniting all living beings within the energy web seen and unseen. - The human body has been fighting (and winning) against every known type of disease and ailment for thousands of years before anyone ever discovered the source of any disease known to man. - The earliest rendition of Standing Wave Efficiency was likely the most crucial concern when creating the first "brass" instruments as these evolved from horns and wooden instruments, the majority of which have not survived in physical form. - The largest commercial passenger aircraft in production today, the Dreamliner, was inspired by the aerodynamics of a living bird that has been testing physics for thousands of years. It seems obvious that flying birds were the inspiration for human flight in the beginning, but after 110 years of flight we look to nature for solutions. - Thomas Edison's most popular and successful invention was not the light bulb. Ironically, he didn't really understand the physics involved in creating this innovation. However, he did personally invent the screw type base for the light bulb which is the most popular in use even today. - Nikola Tesla (born in 1856) was rudely dismissed and publicly shamed repeatedly by none other than the "Greatest Inventor in the World" aka Thomas Edison. Despite Edison's jealous attempts, Tesla's true genius brought us the standard Induction Motor and Alternating Current electrical transmission systems in use throughout the US and world today. What you imagine today may or may not become physical reality in your lifetime. What you imagine on trumpet this very second may or may not become sonic reality today. Both are partially your decision within reason. I find that most people who bring their ideas to fruition begin with simple ideas, growing a library of small pieces of success that are later assembled into larger visions of innovation. Transcribe any Louis Armstrong solo and you will find that he was primarily outlining chords in the form of inverted arpeggios and following the melody while coloring with chromaticism. So why then do we consider him a genius and one of the fathers of Jazz Music? Because he mastered small pieces and assembled them into beautifully complex rhythmically compelling strings of sonic expression. So you want to design the next high efficiency car that runs on water? Or become the next John Coltrane? Go do it, one small imagined piece at a time! You could achieve your own seemingly impossible goals while doing other things necessary to life today. I learned to build and play trumpets throughout my entire life of realities including my time spent as a waiter, fork lift driver, police officer, Grand Canyon tour guide, dish washer, carpet installer, janitor, school teacher, woodworker, caterer, cook, security officer, student, graphic artist, machinist, auto mechanic, etc. I simply keep my eyes open and question everything in our world so that I have a better understanding of how and why our physical, social and psychological systems work together to produce success. You are potentially your best teacher, it is your choice to question, learn, repeat and apply.
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We've had the idea around HT to create a series of "How to" demonstrations on trumpet-related topics. Since projects like this take time and get lost in the shuffle of a very busy office dealing with multiple daily orders, I thought I'd start here in my blog. Feel free to chime in with suggestions on topics or critique my demonstrations.
A few topic ideas include;
This message is for everyone. Yet it is mostly directed to those in a hurry to receive a unique custom-made brass instrument built to their exact specifications. Do you have what it takes to be patient? To illustrate, I would like to share with all of you one of my favorite holiday memories.
Two years ago, Cindy and I thought it would be fun to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center. I flew into Newark, met her in Rutherford then we took a bus into Manhattan and walked down to 5th and 48th. It was a cold sunny day in December and NYC was buzzing with Christmas shoppers. We arrived to find a very long line and a ton of people filling the square. After a brief huddle, we decided we definitely wanted to wait in line no matter how long it took to get on the ice. We were in the midst of making a great memory so nothing would stop us. After we stood in line for about half an hour, we started asking people if they had noticed the line move. Nope, nobody noticed it move one inch. An hour went by, nothing. Then about 90 minutes into waiting, the line started moving...finally, we'll get close to the ice soon! Or not, we had moved up one row. We entertained each other as we passed the time and it eventually got dark. Hours went by and we forgot how cold we were, now it was time to find a restroom! After 4 hours (I am not exaggerating), we finally got into the little run down room at the bottom of the stairs to fork over our $42 plus the cost of renting skates! My day had begun at 5am getting on a plane to do this and, at maybe 7pm, we finally hit the ice. That night was magical. Cindy wasn't much of an ice skater, so I mostly pulled her round and round the rink while we laughed and played. It was one of those moments that makes all of life's hard efforts worth while. We stayed on the ice for two hours only getting off because we couldn't stand anymore. Our photo in front of the lit up Christmas tree truly tells a thousand words. :) I could have told you how much I disliked standing in the cold for hours on end amidst strangers who often cut in line using every trick in the book. How there were no restrooms and the employees were rude or did not attend to our needs. I could have suggested we leave and find something better to do. After all, NYC has a lot to offer over some expensive crowded ice time! I could have remembered this experience as one of the worst customer service situations in all of history. But I didn't for two reasons...I was with someone who cared about my moment as much as I did hers AND I chose to make a good memory. Hiring me to build your trumpet is very similar to skating at Rockefeller Center. I am 100% committed to fulfilling your needs and expectations in your new trumpet. After all, it is my trumpet too and I take great pride in everything I do. However, like waiting in line to skate, there is sound logic in place here. Not everyone will fit on the ice at one time and there is no room to make the ice rink any larger. There is magic there, you simply must wait your turn. And when it is your turn, the world is yours! Some trumpets get on the ice (my work bench) once and then they are finished. But the special projects with receiver text or art must wait in line twice. There is no way around this. I am one man designing and building all of these parts myself. I could hire twenty people to man the phones in the office, yet calling will not speed up the process. Not even calling every single day for months, will your order go any faster. Most likely, it will slow down the entire waiting list because more of my bench time will be taken up working with Jen and Paul answering repetitive facebook messages and phone calls. I encourage you to check up on your order if you want to hear some news, but that does not mean there is news to be heard. ;) Ask Cindy herself, she waited an entire year for her trumpet with anxious phone calls, re-scheduling photo shoots and recordings that were missed again and again. Her horn was the most complicated ever at the time it was built and the build process was slow. Now ask her if it was worth the wait. The simple truth, there are 200+ individual extremely important people ordering very custom trumpets each year and ONLY ONE OF ME. Just like the ice rink, you will not all fit on my bench. I must take each of you individually, one at a time, sometimes more than once, maybe more than twice and for the Summit One and Art projects, as many as 14 times! It cannot all be done at once due to the nature of the building process. I have dedicated 80-100 hours/week of my life to your individual unique needs in your trumpet orders. I AM FULLY COMMITTED TO YOU. I receive a great deal of beautifully written praise and testimony on a daily basis. In fact, my collection of notes and letters is in the thousands. Sometimes these are written by people who have only briefly tried one of my horns or accessories, yet they feel compelled to share. Happy customers raving about their new equipment is really good for business and boosts company morale, so we look forward to hearing from our clients. However, a small percentage of soon to be new owners crack under the anticipation of receiving their dream horn. Patience is perhaps not a refined trait or possibly forgotten in our world of fast anything if you flash the cash. That attitude doesn't get you any further ahead in my shop. I guess I'm old-fashioned in some ways and waiting in line has always been a fair system. So every month or so, someone calls or writes quite upset that their 4-month order is now overdue. In almost every case of a late order, either all orders are running behind for good reason OR they modified their order to include elements that add to the wait time. In both cases, manufacturing is a physical process that cannot be easily rushed. Getting upset about this does nothing to solve any problems. When this happens I usually wonder how anyone (no matter your stature in the "trumpet" world) could say or do some of the negative things I have heard and witnessed. Did they lack the simple patience, understanding and mutual respect for a process that is both logical, necessary and inherently slow? Would they rather I rushed every horn out the door cutting corners? Am I expected to compete with the speed by which their fingers can type an angry message and press send to all of the world via facebook or an online forum? Would anyone want a trumpet built that fast and easy? I have heard complaints that my work is too slow since I began working when I was 11 years old. Take a moment to consider the facts and someone out there may someday realize that I could in fact be very productive and efficient...maybe even prolific. Very few people comment on speedy production of their dream horn, but if you could see everything I design and build in a week, you may start to wonder why anyone would say I am, "slow". I challenge anyone reading this to introduce me to the one person (not a factory) on this planet that will produce the trumpet you ordered built with better craftsmanship, design and care, faster and with better customer service. I'll make it easy, just give me the name of the person that will build you a simple custom horn with no innovations in less than six months. There's only one of me and it is somewhat on your shoulders to give me the benefit of the doubt now and then. I am the one taking all the risk learning new techniques, manufacturing processes and putting up the capital to purchase machinery year after year to make your dream trumpet a reality. I have a proven track record of extremely satisfied customers from all walks of life in over 50 countries. I am here for you. Happy Holidays and please remember Rockefeller Center :) Jason Harrelson I just play-tested my HT30 trumpet, which we have put up for bid on Ebay. I've played this horn several times before and this was a simple video we recorded for our facebook page. THIS HORN HAS SURPRISING SIZZLE! Now, the sizzle is no surprise to me as I designed it to be a focused, screaming lead horn to make the Calicchio 1S/2 and Schilke S42 feel like toys. But I have always wondered how it came to be that so many misinformed trumpet players assume an efficient horn with mass cannot be bright, focused and perfect for lead. I have heard hundreds of times statements similar to, "I could never play one of your horns since I mainly do lead work" or "those heavy horns are too dark for my taste". Well, this is simply bad information. The weight of a trumpet really has almost nothing to do with the vibrancy of the tone, its suitability for lead work, nor does it affect much of the upper partials in the overtone series with the exception of amplitude. I have been building great lead horns as long as I've been build any horns. And the HT30 is an exceptional lead horn that I would choose over anything built in a factory. I also recorded a short video on Acclimation Exercises and my personal Embouchure Exercises. I have recorded similar clips before as I teach these in my lessons and offer this service with every consultation. But this time, I played them on the latest Gravity trumpet. All I can say is, "I want one!". The Gravity is so incredibly efficient that it takes me a few minutes to adjust. I have to literally think about putting half as much effort into playing or I am over-blowing (and hurting everybody's ears). And in these videos, I was playing very soft, yet the recording is really loud. I'll hit on embouchure exercises again and again, especially if you ask for more information as these are a key to playing efficiently.
So what else is on my mind today? One of the comments on my first blog caught my attention...from AEG: "Please excuse/ignore question if inappropriate. Am working on libretto, "Einstein's Wives", and generally intrigued by question of relationships between highly creative people (the Curies, Marilyn and Miller, O'Keefe and Stieglitz, etc). Any thoughts on this?" I have to say this has been a difficult area in my life and I'm not sure I know how to consistently give what is often required for a healthy relationship. I deserve some credit for trying as those close to me know that I probably want a family more than anything in this world, but time and time again, it doesn't work out. I can't really compare myself to Einstein, which was the basis for the poster's question. But, as was common for AE, I disappear from the world working on a project or several projects for weeks or months at a time. I give my all in a relationship, then I go back to my work remaining completely focused, then back to the relationship and it is back and forth like this until my girlfriend loses her mind and leaves me. Wow, that brutally honest and unexpected, but what can I say? That's how it happens. Sometimes I blame myself entirely. I know I'm intense and this can create the illusion that I'll be maintaining this intensity on a daily basis, but at this point I am careful to explain this will not be the case. Regardless, your question is less likely aimed at my lack of success with relationships over time and more an observation of my personal traits. From my perspective, I give the same effort, energy and love in my relationships as I do in my work. Life is about living in the moment, making things happen, creating exceptionally memorable experiences even while making a homemade pizza or a trumpet with 4 bells. It's all the same to me and I love it. I hear that my VMC stopped running, time to go setup another project... Jason |
Jason Harrelson
Inventor, Musician, Educator and Founder of Harrelson Trumpets, Trumpet Momentum and Harrelson Momentum. Archives
April 2024
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