Having custom built mouthpieces for thousands of trumpet players, I have some insight I would like to share with you. Despite the great number of professors and self-proclaimed experts spouting that equipment cannot solve range and endurance challenges, my experiences working with players of all levels has proven that Rim shape and Cup depth are almost always contributing limiting factors. By adjusting these two components, I have witnessed amazing breakthrough moments by players almost daily for the past two decades. Is it possible that Rim shape and Cup depth changes could unlock your potential to play higher and longer? The answer is quite possibly yes, but often this depends on a full range of factors including your approach to producing tone and your willingness to break old habits. Finding the correct Rim shape requires some experimenting with variations based on your personal history. I typically collect information on what has and has not worked for you in the past including the time periods in your life that major changes occurred. For instance, telling me that you regularly played above high C through your late teens and 20's before taking 20 years off the horn is very helpful. You may go back to your original "go to" mouthpiece only to find it feels limiting. The reality is that your body, dental structure, physical approach and mind set have changed since your last successful period of playing. Why do we expect everything to work with generic equipment in the first place? Seriously consider this question for a moment before reading any further. Would you expect your grade school shoes to fit you today? Take that concept a step further. Would you get on the highway and drive 75-85mph every day in the same car you drove when you were 18 years old? If you are 18 years old, would you drive that fast in traffic in this 1970 Buick? Common sense would tell most of us that what worked in the past should work again, today. Why fix something that isn't broken is what I've head from most educators and professors. It really bothers me that these words are spoken in the context of a private lesson where the student (you) is clearly stating that something is not working properly to produce your personal range and endurance goals. The arrogance of such a statement is 1) dismissive and 2) lacking in understanding of your personal situation. You are there, after all, to overcome challenges with the assistance of a paid professional. Yet this attitude is persistent in the western world of trumpet playing and teaching. So let's first admit that something is in fact "broken" and that we intend to diagnose the problem by exploring all contributing factors of tone production. Now let's list these contributing factors so we can get started.
1) Your specific approach to tone production (your technique in forming an embouchure and setting the air column into motion) 2) Your physical nature (state of your lips, tongue, dental structure, lungs, etc.) 3) The instrument determining the wave length variations and amplification (design, length, condition, etc.) 4) The physical design of interface between the player and instrument known as the mouthpiece 5) The environment in which the tone is being produced Once we break down the system into components, it become clear that every contributing factor is somehow related to another factor. Considering the environment, if we are playing underwater we will surely have trouble creating a tone due to the lack of air. A more realistic concern is playing in a very cold building with an organ that is low in pitch until the room warms up. While this is inconvenient, it is unlikely to be a major contributing factor to tone production, but I have encountered players who have difficulty getting their lips to vibrate against a cold mouthpiece. Now let's consider the instrument determining the character of the standing wave and amplification. You've probably heard that "insert name of famous trumpet player" can easily play a double high "insert note" on his/her "insert name of make and model" trumpet. And you've probably also heard something similar to, "Well that player could play that high on a garden hose". In reality, this is not entirely true. In fact, the success of anyone playing a specific range of notes on a trumpet or a garden hose is directly related to the design and integrity of the instrument. A garden hose 50' in length will play completely different than one that is 10' long. Likewise, a trumpet designed with a very small venturi, leadpipe and bell will play completely different than one designed .005" larger on the venturi, .020" larger on the leadpipe and with a faster tapered bell. In fact, it is quite possible that many players will find success on one of these variations while almost no success on the other when producing a specific type of tone color. Playing on the instrument that does not match the player's natural or preferred impedance can in fact reduce range, endurance and degrade motivation to play in general. For now, let's assume the environment is acceptable and the musical instrument in question is a perfect fit for the player. What can go wrong at this point? You could have a flawed approach to your physical performance technique, deficiencies in your physical nature or have mismatched mouthpiece design factors. Can we overcome our technique challenges? Yes, of course we can by educating ourselves on the factors involved and working on them thoughtfully over time. Can we change our physical nature? In most cases, the answer is no. We almost always have to work with what we're given with the exception of dental work and muscle development. And can we change the mouthpiece design? Yes. Of the three major factors that limit range and endurance, making changes within the design of the mouthpiece is the most straightforward approach to experiencing results quickly. In fact, the reason many players require many years to achieve measurable results in terms of range and endurance is directly related to the player building up embouchure and technique to overcome the mismatched design of a generic instrument interface (mouthpiece). By finding the best shape and size early on in the process, players can achieve results more quickly as they work towards strengthening their technique. In my next blog, I will discuss the advantages and pitfalls related to various mouthpiece Rim shapes and diameters. Cup depth and shape will be presented in a dedicated blog entry as well. Until then, please comment with your experiences and questions below. If you are ready to explore the advantages of a custom mouthpiece fit to your personal needs, give me a call at 303.657.2747 or email me at harrelsontrumpets@gmail.com.
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Choosing the 5MM Body style that's best for your playing situation can make or break a performance. Projecting too little or too much results in more or less feedback to you, the player, and your ensemble. Small rooms often require us to play with finesse in a way that communicates with the audience with care. Medium and large rooms vary greatly in acoustic character posing even great challenges when balancing projection, efficiency and feedback. To simplify the selection process, I have created the following three question process that charts out the most common performance situations. #1 - Does your performance feature trumpet as a primary voice in the ensemble? #2 - Is there potential that musicians in your ensemble may have difficulty hearing you play? #3 - Is there potential that you may have difficulty hearing yourself play? We launched our first Trumpet Challenge on YouTube this week. This project has been on my mind for years. I envision a fun, collaborative community of brass players sharing and learning along the way. The first few challenges will be simple with an element of humor. As we progress, they will become increasingly more difficult with crazy ideas mixed in here and there. In the spirit of the New Year, I will be working towards my resolutions, which include three new YouTube projects:
I have prioritized these projects so you will see the Trumpet Challenge take form first and Let's Make This develop last. Ironically, I spend most of my time engineering, inventing and making things while playing trumpet only a few minutes a day. My goal is to bring balance to the various aspects of my professional life while sharing my knowledge with you.
I would really appreciate your insight and comments on these projects. Do you have a suggestion on a topic to be covered? A burning question about physics or brass playing? Would you like to see me create a fork and knife with a CNC machine or get the inside scoop on hand carving a wooden frisbee? Post your ideas in the comments below and we'll get started! Are you ready to build your new Harrelson trumpet or flugelhorn? I'll guide you through the process while highlighting features designed to take your playing to the next level. Let's start with what makes Harrelson different from any other trumpet company... We take great pride in leading our industry in design, manufacturing and personalized customer service. SWE and VPS Technologies both set Harrelson apart in playability, efficiency and versatility. In addition, our manufacturing process incorporates the latest CAD/CAM software and precision CNC machining technologies. We are the only brass manufacturer to fully machine the leadpipe, tuning slide, bell crook and bell. Understanding our approach will reveal how Harrelson has created innovative solutions to your brass performance challenges. harrelson advantageIn addition to embracing physics and important modern technologies, we strive to offer solutions that meet your needs. Our motto at Harrelson Trumpets is three-fold... 1) We have your size. 2) Every instrument and mouthpiece is completely adjustable. 3) We guarantee a perfect fit. Let's start with We have your size. We mean this literally. Our designs incorporate modular components allowing the instrument to fit YOU rather than the other way around. The traditional one-size-fits-all approach used by large corporations is streamlined for profitability whereas we build our instruments around the individual player. Every Harrelson instrument is completely adjustable in terms of air flow, flexibility, slotting, tone color, projection and even intonation tendencies. We guarantee a perfect fit to YOU and back it up with a 12-month exchange policy on all instruments and a 30-day exchange on all mouthpieces. UNDERSTANDING VPSVPS Series Instruments include all Harrelson trumpets built after 2015. VPS is short for Variable Performance System, which encompasses a series of inventions that allow any player to find the right balance of flexibility, slotting and air flow. Harrelson is the only manufacturer in the world incorporating VPS Technology into brass instrument design. This revolutionary approach guarantees that every one of our clients will find the perfect horn that exceeds their expectations. Harrelson VPS Instruments include the entire Summit and Muse series. We offer configurations in the keys of A, Bb, C and Eb designed for Jazz, Orchestra, Big Band, Solo, Symphonic Band, Commercial, Lead, Latin and Brass Quintet. We also offer a VPS Flugelhorn in the Bravura Series that will be introduced in late 2017. WHAT IS A CUSTOM HORN?Are Harrelson Trumpets custom? Yes! In fact, every Harrelson instrument is custom built to your exact specifications. The Summit and Muse models offer more custom options than all other trumpet builders combined. This is a true statement and I've done the math. If you take every custom option available from every single company worldwide, you are left with a fraction of options when compared with Harrelson. A personal consultation is included with every order Almost every client has a conversation with me directly to clarify options and expectations. This ensures that I build exactly what YOU want in terms of playability, tone, projection and aesthetics. We also discuss the model variations to find a balance between efficiency, price and wait time. The more efficient models like the Muse and Summit One require more time and machining whereas the standard Summit is usually the quickest build time available. Which model is right for you? I have recently discontinued all instruments not designed with the Variable Performance System so that every customer receives the latest technology available including...
What is the difference between the Standard, Jazz and Lead models? There is no difference in build or overall design when ordering these three variations. The real difference is only the way you configure the leadpipe, bell, tuning slide and trim options. The Standard Summit IS exactly the same as the Jazz and Lead versions. I have given them different names since trumpet players are accustomed to seeing these words in the model descriptions. I could generalize by stating that most Classical players use a specific leadpipe and bell, but in reality that configuration may be the perfect setup for a Jazz or Lead player. So I refer to all of these models as the "Summit" trumpet. Likewise, the Muse model is easily configured for any genre by adjusting the mouthpiece, leadpipe and bell. What is included? Just about every option is included on all Summit and Muse models...
What is not included? The final finish is always an up-charge on Harrelson instruments. Options include Acoustic Armour, Brushed Brass, Silver or Gold plate. Other options available include additional text, graphics, art, special bell bends, custom bracing shapes and just about anything you can imagine. What is the price? The entire Harrelson line is the most reasonably priced instrument available today when you consider our custom options, service, playability, energy efficiency and quality. There is no competing model available anywhere in the world and thus Harrelson is in its own class. Pricing of each model varies based on the time and materials invested into the design and finished instrument. You can see our ever changing inventory of instruments here. Understanding options? At first glance, the sheer number of options available may seem overwhelming. I assure you, this is more fun than work. There are no right or wrong answers when choosing components and I will guide you through the entire process. It's almost like designing a custom home and the goal is for your horn to feel like coming home. The following is a brief overview of every option included on all Harrelson trumpets including links to resources within the HT website. Leadpipe options There is a leadpipe and bell configuration to meet the demands of every player. I will walk you through the options that will best fit your needs helping you make the final selection. Understanding Bell Options This in-depth overview will help you determine the bells that will best fit your needs. Tuning Slides The latest SWE tuning slide options include styles A, D and R. Style R designates the "Ripples" design that matches the new SWE Bell Crook available on all Summit trumpets ($600 option). Finish Options Finishing your trumpet in silver, gold or Acoustic Armour may be preferable if you want a clean appearance. Mixing brushed and polished accents in any combination is common except in raw brass. Silver will tarnish over time, but much more slowly than raw brass. Adding carnauba wax to brass and silver finishes will also prevent tarnishing. Gold plate never tarnishes and looks great in a brushed finish. 5MM Modular Mouthpiece Guaranteed to fit YOU, the 5MM will allow you to play dark to bright, soft to loud, broad to focused and it is included with every Harrelson VPS Instrument. VGR Receiver Your choice of tapered or cylindrical shapes in two diameters, the AGR Receiver is available plain or with text and/or model logo engraving. VGR Inserts A full set of 9 AGR Inserts is included with every Summit trumpet. After you have had a few weeks to acclimate, we will send you 9 more inserts in your choice of venturi and size to continue fine tuning air flow, flexibility and slotting. Custom Text Including with every Summit, your name or a small graphic may be engraved or milled into the receiver, top bracing or trim kit. In addition, you choose what will be milled into the top bracing. The standard setup includes the Harrelson logo, Leadpipe and Bell designations on the top and the build date and Denver, Colorado on bottom. Water Keys We now offer 4 water keys including the Saturn, Harrelson, Pollard and Amado designs. Finger Rings Our standard option is the original ergonomic design. Variations include the pinky rest with or without an open ring, cylindrical rings in 1/3" and 1/2" and the following custom styles; Flames, Summit One, Skeletonized and Ergonomic Arch. Top Caps Top caps are available in standard recessed 1/2", classic 1/2", tapered and low profile versions. Updated photos will be added to our website soon. See our Facebook pages for a sneak preview! Bottom Cap options Bottom caps are available in standard cylindrical and classic styles in sizes ranging from 1/4" to over 1". We also offer numerous designer options including tapered, tapered groove, grooves and the new organic curves styles that will debut this coming summer. Updated photos will be added to our website soon. See our Facebook pages for a sneak preview! Finger Buttons Finger buttons are now a modular 2-piece design allowing interchangeable threaded "bottoms" with inlaid or styled "tops". Button Inlays Finger Button inlays options include everything from vintage dimensional glass to shells and semi-precious gemstones. We literally offer over 200 inlays and we perform extensive lapidary work in our Minneapolis shop. Updated photos will be added to our website soon. See our Facebook pages for a sneak preview! Third Stop Mechanism We offer 2 options to keep your third slide from falling onto the floor. The spring ball stop is the most popular allowing you to set a tension screw once. Then you simply pull the slide with extra force to remove for cleaning or greasing. The screw stop is a much improved version of the industry standard. 12-month Guarantee Every new Harrelson Trumpet includes a full 12-month guarantee. You may exchange your trumpet for full credit towards another new Harrelson Trumpet based on your original invoice amount, allowing you to upgrade to a more efficient or different configuration without risking any of your investment. How will you set up your Custom Harrelson trumpet? Feel free to share your ideal Harrelson trumpet configuration by leaving a comment. I also encourage you to check out my Facebook pages "Harrelson Trumpets" and "Jason Harrelson" where you can share ideas with current Summit trumpet owners. limited production vs. in-stock instruments Beginning in 2017, we have limited custom trumpet and flugelhorn production to 24 orders per year. In addition, we will begin charging extra for option to have your trumpet designed and built "custom" in 2018. Please note that we invest a great deal of time and energy into fully custom built trumpets designed specifically for one person. For this reason, we adhere to strict cancellation policy to ensure your order receives the attention required to create the highest quality instrument possible.
We encourage most of our clients to visit our Denver showroom to try out a full array of Harrelson trumpets and choose one in person. This will allow you to find the best fit, work through the 5MM Mouthpiece setup and VPS options with us in person. We can have your receiver custom engraved the same day so you can leave with your trumpet in your case. 48 winners have won prizes valued at over $5800
Winners so far...
Keep in mind that we can only see your name and unique link on the registration. We do not have access to your email address so it is recommended that you enter your first and last name so we can find you on social media. If we cannot locate you, it is your responsibility to check this blog for future updates and contact us with the information below. To claim your prize, please email your name, shipping address and unique link to harrelsontrumpets@gmail.com. Thank you!
We have had 14 winners chosen so far in our random drawing.
Remember, we are giving away the following 48 prizes valued at over $5800 and your entry is free!
Winners so far...
Keep in mind that we can only see your name and unique link on the registration. We do not have access to your email address so it is recommended that you enter your first and last name so we can find you on social media. If we cannot locate you, it is your responsibility to check this blog for future updates and contact us with the information below. To claim your prize, please email your name, shipping address and unique link to harrelsontrumpets@gmail.com. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing my current Kickstarter campaign. If you haven't seen the video yet, please watch below...
You can copy and paste this link to share Momentum... http://kck.st/1Rlk7zE
Who will win a FREE VPS Summit Trumpet next Thursday? It sounds too good to be true, but this WILL HAPPEN if we all pull together and work as a team. Who is our team? Brass players, musicians, friends and family from around the world. We have 8 days to mobilize our efforts and share the rewards. Some of you will give up, while others will carry on strong until the end. But only one of you will win a brand new Harrelson VPS Summit trumpet. Wait a minute, make that TWO of you will win trumpets when we reach our goals outlined below. What are you waiting for? Let's make this happen! Hint: No purchase necessary. You will have much better odds of winning if you read this entire page. Why is Harrelson giving away a FREE Trumpet? Some of you may not realize this, but Harrelson Trumpets is made up of 5 highly skilled members devoted to building the world's finest high brass instruments. We are a small team facing extremely difficult challenges on a daily basis. I have personally built over 1000 trumpets and to this day, I perform most of the machining and final assembly myself. This is no ordinary machining and assembly. Harrelson Trumpets are designed to offer versatile modular options that are not available from any other manufacturer. And the machining is on a level beyond traditional metal forming, bending and soldering. We build the best of the best and this comes with a price, my personal time. Training an apprentice to perform these delicate processes has not been successful despite 15 years of efforts. And this is why Harrelson Trumpets take so very long to build. Why am I giving away a free trumpet worth six thousand dollars? The answer is simple. I would rather give it to one of my clients, supporters and fans than pay it to a PR Advertising agency. What? A PR Ad agency? Yep! I'll explain, but to see the big picture, I will have to give you some history. Trumpet Momentum You see, I began developing a program known as Trumpet Momentum over 15 years ago. Trumpet Momentum is a physics-based approach to brass playing and my original business model would have developed this educational resource right along with my trumpet research and development. But I didn't have the time or financial resources to pursue both Harrelson Trumpets and Trumpet Momentum so I set one project aside. I decided to make 2016 the year I set Trumpet Momentum back into motion. I have developed the program over the years, but key components have not yet become reality. These include:
All three of these tools are essential in applying the Trumpet Momentum approach to each participant's practice and performance. In short, Trumpet Momentum is the only comprehensive physics-based approach to brass playing ever created. The success rate of this program has been extremely high. If you want to become a better brass player, I encourage you to review the past five blog entries to learn more about the Trumpet Momentum program. Momentum Top Production So here's the really cool part. The first component, the Momentum Top is in production right now. It is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter and depending on its success, the MiniBell could launch in September and the ASAT may follow this winter. Again, why am I giving away a six thousand dollar trumpet? Or possibly two trumpets? The answer may surprise you. We already met our funding goal for the Momentum Top on Kickstarter, which was the amount needed to fund the first production run including retail packaging, brass stock, supplies and labor. But the Momentum message is universal and the value of this system is immense once you know more. Momentum literally has the potential to teach every single person how to shatter their own personal glass ceiling and move on to the next level of anything; trumpet playing, happiness, success, etc. So the first reason I am mobilizing an army of Harrelson supporters is to spread the word so more people can benefit from Momentum. And the second reason is to speed up production at Harrelson Trumpets. If we can work smarter rather than harder, HT will ship Trumpets, 5MM Mouthpieces, Mod Kits and accessories faster. And this will give me more time to finish the Trumpet Momentum program. Laser Welding & Hybrid 3D printed Trumpets How can we speed up production? By purchasing better tools. But not just better tools, cutting edge tools that set us apart from everyone. We are known for reinventing the trumpet production process and this is our opportunity to take innovation one step further. Our goals of implementing laser welding and 3D printing in Kevlar and Carbon Fiber will soon become reality. We will become the first manufacturer to laser weld CNC machined tubes and bells this summer. If you didn't know, we were the first (and only) shop to CNC machine tubes in the first place. And with your help, we will create the world's first Hybrid CNC machined + 3D printed Carbon Fiber trumpet. We have our sights set on introducing a new line of Harrelson Trumpets priced in the $2500 range that could be released as early as February on another Kickstarter campaign. But this will only happen if we can reach our financial goals with Momentum by June 22nd. Yeah, that was a lot of information! But you needed to hear it. Knowing how and why Harrelson Trumpets is growing and changing is essential to our success as a team. You can consider this our "annual report" of sorts. And we see you, our fans and customers, as the driving force for innovation, collaboration and the reason we produce the highest quality brass instruments and mouthpieces. Together, we are the Harrelson Family that has re-shaped trumpet playing forever. How can you help and what about that FREE trumpet? I am eternally grateful for all that so many of you have done to support my vision and efforts in the past. So here's where I ask for your help. I know for a fact that I have over 30,000 combined followers on Instagram and Facebook with thousands more not on social media. And we all know the power of word-of-mouth advertising as it has grown Harrelson Trumpets from an idea into the world's most innovative brass instrument powerhouse. Share and make a pledge in support Now I am asking each and every one of you to join me in sharing my Momentum project on Kickstarter. The way Kickstarter works is simple. Smart people like yourself hear about an amazing new product or invention and visit the page to view more information. Then they make a pledge in support of the project in any amount from $1 to $10,000. Most people make pledges of $20-50 average. When the funding period ends, the pledges are collected from all participants and the project owner begins producing the new product. A month or two later, the project owner (me) begins shipping rewards. I am personally asking each of you to make a one dollar pledge. If you are interested in taking your brass playing to the next level and see the value in the Momentum system, then make a higher pledge and I will reward you accordingly as stated on Kickstarter. But if each and every person pledged only $1, my campaign would be featured at the top of the Kickstarter page and it would go viral. This means we would raise our goal much faster. This is our chance for trumpet players around the world to unite and make a difference. If you help me, I will build the next generation of amazing trumpets that are in YOUR price range. I'll pay you a commission Remember when I mentioned paying a PR Advertising Agency at the beginning of this blog entry? Well get this... the Ad agency wanted to charge me 35% commission plus $2500 to have their firm advertise my Kickstarter campaign. Any of you versed in business know that this is simply too much for a start-up project. Kickstarter already gets 5% plus another 5% for credit card fees. Adding the two would have been a 45% cut into my production budget, which would make the project impossible to produce financially. And I personally don't believe that paying for clicks on the internet is the right way to spread my message and product. Momentum is far more valuable and a pay-per-click money-making scheme offer is insulting. I have a better idea. I will pay each of you a 10% commission on every pledge that results from your individual efforts. Simply sign up, share your unique link to my Kickstarter project and get paid 10% of all pledges made by people who followed your link. If you make a pledge, use your personal link and get a 10% commission on your own pledge. And if you post your link on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. and your friends pledge $50, you get $5 cash back in your PayPal account. If they pledge $500, you get $50 and so forth. I would much rather pay my friends, fans and clients to advertise than some PR ad guy living the high life! You deserve to be rewarded both financially and by reaping the collective rewards of my Trumpet Momentum program, which is currently being offered in an abbreviated video format for free right here on my blog. Yes, the potential does exist to make money here and I'm certainly not against this idea. I know some of you are thinking, "I could potentially make a thousand dollars if I share this link in the right places". Go for it! I'm happy to share because I would rather you make money from your efforts than pay it to an agency. This could be your chance to raise money for a new horn, lessons, a mouthpiece or pay some bills. I wish you the best and I'm happy to share insight on how to do this effectively. Tell me about the FREE trumpet already! Okay, you've read this far and you deserve to know how to win this brand new silver VPS Summit trumpet. Well, that part is pretty simple. Just follow the instructions below for the first drawing, which will award the first trumpet. And if we reach our Stretch Goal of $125,000 there will be a second drawing for another brand new VPS Summit trumpet. 1) Sign up here
2) Share your personal unique link on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (or any other social media) 3) Tag HT in your social media post(s) including one sentence telling the world why you support Harrelson Trumpets and/or Momentum (tag "Jason Harrelson" or "Harrelson Trumpets" or "Harrelson Momentum") A pledge is not required to participate and there is no purchase necessary to win. 4) The FREE Trumpet drawing will become valid only when the Momentum Kickstarter project is funded with at least $75,000 on June 22nd, 2016. (the more we share, the more likely we will give away a new trumpet) 5) A second FREE VPS Summit Trumpet will be given away if we reach our Stretch Goal of $125,000. (The second drawing will require one more simple step, which will narrow the numbers and increase your chances of winning. I will announce more information next week.) Our success will be determined by our team efforts. If each of of you pledge only $1 to the Momentum Kickstarter campaign, then thousands of pledges will bring us to the front page of Kickstarter and the rest will become history! The sooner each of my clients and fans does this, the sooner we will qualify for the free trumpet drawing(s). EXTRA REWARDS I will be posting daily (and sometimes hourly) bonus rewards on my Facebook (Jason Harrelson) and Instagram (Harrelsontrumpets) accounts so watch and participate to win free key chains, 5MM Modular Mouthpieces, Momentum tops and full Momentum Inventor's Sets! These include the following valued at over $5800...
Father's Day It's no coincidence that my Momentum Kickstarter project is ending right after Father's Day. I timed this to celebrate Fathers everywhere and to say thank you to my Dad, John Harrelson, who taught me that learning is a pursuit, a privilege and a responsibility. Thank you Dad for giving me more education than any college or university could ever provide. Happy Father's Day everyone! YouTube Live drawing for Free Trumpet(s) Remember, the free trumpet drawing will only happen if the Momentum Kickstarter campaign closes at $75,000 or more on June 22nd. The FREE Trumpet drawing will be broadcast live on YouTube on June 23rd at 7pm mountain time zone. I will print every single name and place them into a container and mix them up. The first name I draw wins this Harrelson VPS Summit Trumpet including a ProTec Contour case in black and shipping worldwide. You are responsible for any taxes or duties incurred by your country or local government. Mouthpiece is not included, but you can win one in our daily bonus events mentioned above. The potential for a second trumpet drawings exists if Momentum closes at more than $125,000. Where does the money go? As mentioned above, the funds raised by this Kickstarter campaign will fund new equipment purchases, the cost of producing and delivering Momentum and the costs associated with the campaign itself (Kickstarter and credit card processing fees). Here's a breakdown of estimated expenditures if we reach the $125,000 Stretch Goal. $35,000 - cost of Momentum launch & production including retail packaging, brass stock, cutting tools, bearings, ruby, sapphire and Si3N4 balls, springs, concave mirrors, Kickstarter fees and advertising $25,000 - labor and logistics $10,000 - shipping rewards $35,000 - new laser welder, training and supplies $20,000 - new 3D printer capable of printing Kevlar & Carbon Fiber thread, training and supplies Trumpet Momentum Volume 5 - Oral Cavity Trumpet Momentum Volume 4 - Lip Length Today we are discovering ways to correlate lip length to pitch. Think of the vibrating surface and imagine how much of it vibrates for a specific pitch. This is the "lip length" we are focused on in this exercise. Again, we're jumping straight to the video... Missed Volumes 1 through 3?I have an opportunity for 10 volunteers to work through my Trumpet Momentum approach to brass playing. This is a 12-week beta-testing program for a new series of assets that will become available to the general public this coming Autumn. All content and accessories will be provided at no charge. Each volunteer participant will collaborate in the following ways: 1) Apply principles and exercises provided in text and videos sometimes using new Harrelson products on a weekly basis. 2) Complete a weekly self-assessment and provide feedback on content and materials. 3) Meet online as a group to discuss experiences, ideas, struggles and triumphs three times throughout the testing program. 4) Have a 5 to 15-minute monthly phone call with me to discuss your personal challenges and experiences. This may be a Skype call if that is more convenient. What is Trumpet Momentum? The answer is simply, "forward moving progress based on finding balance and reducing drag to improve overall understanding and facility on trumpet". Who am I? My name is Jason Harrelson. I founded Harrelson Trumpets in 1994 with the mission of building the most versatile high efficiency trumpets possible. I am also a musician, inventor and engineer among other things. You can read more at www.whyharrelson.com and www.harrelsonmomentum.com Why am I qualified to help you attain better results in your brass playing? I have personally worked with thousands of brass players seeking solutions to their embouchure, technique, equipment and approach challenges. These musicians are from over 40 countries and represent all skill levels. I have been guest clinician and lecturer at numerous institutions around the world including ITG, Satchmo Summerfest, UNT, dozens of universities with highlights and reviews in the ITG Journal, Downbeat, PBS and soon Audi magazine and Makercast. What is the History of Trumpet Momentum? My studies in brass instrument acoustics and design began 22 years ago in a physics lab at St. Olaf College. I was originally studying the physical mechanics of brass playing to improve my personal tone, flexibility, range and endurance. These studies were expanded to include the entire instrument, both human and brass. A few years later, my studies evolved into teaching a brass studio of 80 students while I built trumpets on the side. As I worked with more players of all skill levels, I refined my notes and approach to fit the needs of a more diverse audience. I openly experimented with various approaches to brass playing with my students and soon discovered that a physics-based approach offered the most impressive results. Beginning students in 4th and 5th grade were often playing the C and C# scales two full octaves in the very first month. Trumpet Momentum has evolved considerably in recent years. I am now prepared to share these results the brass playing world. This approach is comprehensive in terms of understanding the physical components (both human and instrument) of tone production, partials, pitch, intonation, tone color and projection. Trumpet Momentum incorporates the use of the Harrelson ASAT (Air Speed Aperture Trainer) and Harrelson MiniBell. How do you participate? I will select a team of 10 trumpet players to collaborate and share as individuals and within group discussions. You may apply by sending the following to harrelsontrumpets@gmail.com. 1) Name, age, email address, city, country and primary language (if not English) 2) List all instruments you play in order of priority. If you play trumpets in multiple keys, please list each. If you only play Bb, that's perfectly acceptable. 3) In one or two sentences, explain why you would benefit from the Trumpet Momentum beta program. 4) In one sentence, explain your greatest challenge playing your brass instrument(s). 5) How will your feedback and participation be of value to Trumpet Momentum? 6) List all musical instrument companies, books, authors and publishers with which you are or have been affiliated. It's okay if you have worked with other companies, but for legal reasons we may need to have a signed release statement. If this doesn't apply, simply let me know you are not affiliated with anyone in the industry. Legal Disclaimer: You agree as a participant of the Trumpet Momentum beta-testing program not to share, sell or provide any information to any third party with the intent to create competing products, services in any likeness whatsoever. Every participant will be required to sign an NDA or non-disclosure agreement as well as a non-compete agreement. All feedback from participants both written and verbal will become the property of Harrelson Trumpets. All participants agree to keep their experiences with the Trumpet Momentum program confidential until completion in September, 2016. It's okay to have a ton of fun with Trumpet Momentum now that we have the legal business done! |
Jason Harrelson
Inventor, Musician, Educator and Founder of Harrelson Trumpets, Trumpet Momentum and Harrelson Momentum. Archives
April 2024
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