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lonelyangel · 01-14-2004, 03:56 PM

I just posted a long overdue reply in the orchestral forum. It was in answer to a question about my experiences studying under Maurice Murphy as a student at the Guildhall 20 years ago.

If you read that post you will see that i have been doing some thinking about where the knowledge that I am now passing on to my own students has come from. I made a list of all my trumpet teachers, mentors, heroes and influential colleagues and thought about what they had given to me. I asked myself to write a sentence summing up the essence of what I had learned from each of them.

As I stated in the other post, this has proved to be a thought provoking and rewarding exercise and is very much work in progress. I will be expanding each sentence into a paragraph and then possibly on to a few pages. This is basically for my own benefit, a kind of stock taking or clarification of my ideas about playing and where they come from. However, if anybody thinks it might be interesting I would be happy to share my thoughts as they take shape.

I just want to make it clear that the following are my own perceptions of what I have learned from these people and not necessarily what they thought they were teaching me. Some of them are well known to all of us, others may be a mystery to you but they all had very special gifts for me, starting with my first teacher, who is my dad.

Mr JW Langley: Stand up straight and point that thing at the audience.

Johnny Lawton: Isn’t music fantastic!

Eddie Atherton: Squeeze your buttocks together and BLOW

Tony Greening: Buy an alarm clock, a pencil and a rubber (that's an eraser in the UK by the way).

Bernard Brown: Always keep an open mind and treat yourself with love and care.

Maurice Murphy: Keep It Simple Stupid

Ray Simmons: Be prepared, respect the music and never let yourself down.

Wynton Marsalis: Play long tones.

Lionel Grigson: Knowledge = Freedom.

Ian Carr: Listen more than you play.

Paul Tunge: Consolidate what you already have.

Scott Stroman: Rhythm is more important than pitch.

Cliff Hardie: The trumpet is a physical instrument, put in the work and reap the rewards.

Jon Faddis: It’s a mind game, unlock the power of your imagination.

Randy Brecker: Study hard and thoroughly.

Kenny Wheeler: Play with courage and humility.

John Barclay: Nail the f***er!

Derek Watkins: Be better than the rest.

Uan Rasey: Music is a gift from God - play with grace and make each note a prayer.

That’s it so far. Cheers, Noel.

01-14-2004, 03:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
lonelyangel Pianissimo User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: London Posts: 196	What I learned from my teachers. I just posted a long overdue reply in the orchestral forum. It was in answer to a question about my experiences studying under Maurice Murphy as a student at the Guildhall 20 years ago. If you read that post you will see that i have been doing some thinking about where the knowledge that I am now passing on to my own students has come from. I made a list of all my trumpet teachers, mentors, heroes and influential colleagues and thought about what they had given to me. I asked myself to write a sentence summing up the essence of what I had learned from each of them. As I stated in the other post, this has proved to be a thought provoking and rewarding exercise and is very much work in progress. I will be expanding each sentence into a paragraph and then possibly on to a few pages. This is basically for my own benefit, a kind of stock taking or clarification of my ideas about playing and where they come from. However, if anybody thinks it might be interesting I would be happy to share my thoughts as they take shape. I just want to make it clear that the following are my own perceptions of what I have learned from these people and not necessarily what they thought they were teaching me. Some of them are well known to all of us, others may be a mystery to you but they all had very special gifts for me, starting with my first teacher, who is my dad. Mr JW Langley: Stand up straight and point that thing at the audience. Johnny Lawton: Isn’t music fantastic! Eddie Atherton: Squeeze your buttocks together and BLOW Tony Greening: Buy an alarm clock, a pencil and a rubber (that's an eraser in the UK by the way). Bernard Brown: Always keep an open mind and treat yourself with love and care. Maurice Murphy: Keep It Simple Stupid Ray Simmons: Be prepared, respect the music and never let yourself down. Wynton Marsalis: Play long tones. Lionel Grigson: Knowledge = Freedom. Ian Carr: Listen more than you play. Paul Tunge: Consolidate what you already have. Scott Stroman: Rhythm is more important than pitch. Cliff Hardie: The trumpet is a physical instrument, put in the work and reap the rewards. Jon Faddis: It’s a mind game, unlock the power of your imagination. Randy Brecker: Study hard and thoroughly. Kenny Wheeler: Play with courage and humility. John Barclay: Nail the f***er! Derek Watkins: Be better than the rest. Uan Rasey: Music is a gift from God - play with grace and make each note a prayer. That’s it so far. Cheers, Noel. __________________ Noel Langley - Eclipse Artist noel@eclipsetrumpets.com Eclipse Medium Yellow, scratch gold Eclipse Medium Heavy Red, custom 'Diamond Back' in 24ct gold Eclipse Red Brass Flugel Custom Scherzer piccolo with copper Wedgewood bell, finished in scratch gold Giardinelli 6S, 6M, 6FL Bach 3CW