Acclimating To Your Harrelson Trumpet
This guide will discuss how to successfully acclimate yourself to playing your new Harrelson Trumpet.
If you encounter questions or concerns, please contact Jason Harrelson at 303-657-2747.
1. Play on your Harrelson Trumpet every day for the first 6 weeks. If possible, play exclusively on this horn. Switching between standard trumpets and your Harrelson Trumpet may make the acclimation process difficult.
2. Play in large or resonant rooms for the first 1 to 2 weeks. Gradually move to smaller practice areas as you gain an understanding of the tone, dynamic range and overall response of the horn. Playing in small rooms from day one will likely result in overblowing since the tone and dynamic range of your Harrelson Trumpet is not yet familiar.
3. Practice playing scales and intervals in every key. I have written a series of acclimation exercises which are included. Practice these exercises daily in conjunction with your own music.
4. Do not switch mouthpieces. I recommend using the same mouthpiece for the entire acclimation period. Choose the mouthpiece that is most comfortable and enduring to you. Do not choose a mouthpiece that is too wide a diameter or too deep a cup. Though large mouthpieces produce a very nice sound, only a small percentage of players find them suitable for daily playing. Choose a mouthpiece that feels comfortable first. Your concept of sound will develop into reality with almost any mouthpiece.
5. Record yourself once a week, beginning the very first day. As a brass instructor and performer, I have found recordings to be invaluable in self-improvement and as a historical reference. Play something musical and compare recordings from week to week noting tone, range, dynamics and musicality.
6. Be patient and relax. Your horn is designed to be efficient and playing it will require you to do less - not more.
WHY DO I NEED TO ACCLIMATE?
Imagine that day after day, you commute to work in an old pickup truck driving a dangerous mountain pass. One day, you win the lottery and trade in your truck for a luxury sports car. Performance in handling, acceleration and braking are much improved. If you drive the same pass without getting a feel for your new car, you could easily drive yourself off the mountain. Likewise, your modified trumpet was designed to be the ultimate in efficiency and handling. An acclimation period is necessary to break the old habit of adjusting for every note. A high efficiency trumpet requires more finesse and sensitivity than a factory horn.
LEARNING TO LISTEN
Your Harrelson Trumpet is designed to project sound directionally out the bell towards your audience. Factory trumpets seem loud because much of the sound is generated from the tubing itself. That is why factory horns often sound better from behind than in front. Try having someone else play an excerpt on your horn while you sit next to them. Now, have them play it again, but sit a distance in front of the bell. The enhanced projection is very noticeable to the audience yet hardly perceived by the player. Your goal is to fine tune your senses to better perceive tone and dynamic range. It is common for new clients to overblow in hopes of recognizing their "old" sound. Play in a live room
at mf or softer until you feel your playing is efficient and in sync with your new horn.
TONE QUALITY
You must open your ears and fine tune your senses to recognize your new tone. Trumpet players are so used to hearing the horn vibrate from behind, that they rarely ever think about how they sound to the audience. Playing in larger rooms will allow you to truly hear the tone, but it is paramount that you develop a sense of your sound from
behind the horn. The audience and orchestra/band members will notice that your tone has darkened and solidified. Just ask them. Harrelson Trumpets sound and play different than conventional instruments. The tone is both darker and brighter. This is because the
harmonics in every note have a greater amplitude, which sounds more colorful.
WHY DOES THIS HORN SEEM OUT OF TUNE?
It is not possible to build an acoustic instrument that will be in tune in every key without some adjustment. This is true of all trumpets. You had to adjust intonation for many notes on your old horn and you must now let go of your old habits and listen closely to intonation on your Harrelson Trumpet. Have you ever noticed that the higher you play, the more notes need adjusting? This is due to nodal vibration of the tubing. Higher notes produce more nodal points and excess vibration which translates to more energy loss. Your Harrelson Trumpet was designed to reduce or eliminate this nodal vibration and resulting interference, thereby improving efficiency, tone, response, flexibility, slotting, range and endurance. Once you learn to relax and focus on air speed and pitch, intonation will no longer be an issue.
This guide will discuss how to successfully acclimate yourself to playing your new Harrelson Trumpet.
If you encounter questions or concerns, please contact Jason Harrelson at 303-657-2747.
1. Play on your Harrelson Trumpet every day for the first 6 weeks. If possible, play exclusively on this horn. Switching between standard trumpets and your Harrelson Trumpet may make the acclimation process difficult.
2. Play in large or resonant rooms for the first 1 to 2 weeks. Gradually move to smaller practice areas as you gain an understanding of the tone, dynamic range and overall response of the horn. Playing in small rooms from day one will likely result in overblowing since the tone and dynamic range of your Harrelson Trumpet is not yet familiar.
3. Practice playing scales and intervals in every key. I have written a series of acclimation exercises which are included. Practice these exercises daily in conjunction with your own music.
4. Do not switch mouthpieces. I recommend using the same mouthpiece for the entire acclimation period. Choose the mouthpiece that is most comfortable and enduring to you. Do not choose a mouthpiece that is too wide a diameter or too deep a cup. Though large mouthpieces produce a very nice sound, only a small percentage of players find them suitable for daily playing. Choose a mouthpiece that feels comfortable first. Your concept of sound will develop into reality with almost any mouthpiece.
5. Record yourself once a week, beginning the very first day. As a brass instructor and performer, I have found recordings to be invaluable in self-improvement and as a historical reference. Play something musical and compare recordings from week to week noting tone, range, dynamics and musicality.
6. Be patient and relax. Your horn is designed to be efficient and playing it will require you to do less - not more.
WHY DO I NEED TO ACCLIMATE?
Imagine that day after day, you commute to work in an old pickup truck driving a dangerous mountain pass. One day, you win the lottery and trade in your truck for a luxury sports car. Performance in handling, acceleration and braking are much improved. If you drive the same pass without getting a feel for your new car, you could easily drive yourself off the mountain. Likewise, your modified trumpet was designed to be the ultimate in efficiency and handling. An acclimation period is necessary to break the old habit of adjusting for every note. A high efficiency trumpet requires more finesse and sensitivity than a factory horn.
LEARNING TO LISTEN
Your Harrelson Trumpet is designed to project sound directionally out the bell towards your audience. Factory trumpets seem loud because much of the sound is generated from the tubing itself. That is why factory horns often sound better from behind than in front. Try having someone else play an excerpt on your horn while you sit next to them. Now, have them play it again, but sit a distance in front of the bell. The enhanced projection is very noticeable to the audience yet hardly perceived by the player. Your goal is to fine tune your senses to better perceive tone and dynamic range. It is common for new clients to overblow in hopes of recognizing their "old" sound. Play in a live room
at mf or softer until you feel your playing is efficient and in sync with your new horn.
TONE QUALITY
You must open your ears and fine tune your senses to recognize your new tone. Trumpet players are so used to hearing the horn vibrate from behind, that they rarely ever think about how they sound to the audience. Playing in larger rooms will allow you to truly hear the tone, but it is paramount that you develop a sense of your sound from
behind the horn. The audience and orchestra/band members will notice that your tone has darkened and solidified. Just ask them. Harrelson Trumpets sound and play different than conventional instruments. The tone is both darker and brighter. This is because the
harmonics in every note have a greater amplitude, which sounds more colorful.
WHY DOES THIS HORN SEEM OUT OF TUNE?
It is not possible to build an acoustic instrument that will be in tune in every key without some adjustment. This is true of all trumpets. You had to adjust intonation for many notes on your old horn and you must now let go of your old habits and listen closely to intonation on your Harrelson Trumpet. Have you ever noticed that the higher you play, the more notes need adjusting? This is due to nodal vibration of the tubing. Higher notes produce more nodal points and excess vibration which translates to more energy loss. Your Harrelson Trumpet was designed to reduce or eliminate this nodal vibration and resulting interference, thereby improving efficiency, tone, response, flexibility, slotting, range and endurance. Once you learn to relax and focus on air speed and pitch, intonation will no longer be an issue.