derekkress

I'll do my best here!First of all if you don't have his method book get it and read/hear everything you can about this man.If possible study with someone who has used his method thoroughly.There are things he repeats constantly. Chest up, blow to the end and past that point to build the muscles that compress all that air, always "feel" the notes and never go past the "feel" especially in the high register.Tongue levels(aah/eh)As for the range going down, its progressive.If you check out his method book you'll see what I mean. Systematic Approach to Daily Practice, it is a book on how to practice."By developing strength and muscle coordination along with wind control the student will play naturally and easily as his fears disappear" Read the preface and instructions over and over.Eventually we get it!The exercises will take you there over time.Refer to the octave above and "feel" flat when playing the pedal. With time you will center those pedals with more and more of your chops in the mouthpiece like the regular range. Of course the lower you go the more you need to "flap" those chops.Eventually you will be able to synchronize the entire range.In the video he never says it will take weeks or months but a year, 2, 3?? I studied with one of his former students and practiced the entire routine for about 4 years.By the way you do everything! Starting the day with the exercises going down pedals(on average 30min-Min), 15-Min rest followed by 2nd part range going up(on average 20-Min) followed by at least an hour rest.These exercises are calisthenics for the trumpet you must rest.Followed by simple flexibility to get you warmed up a bit. By lesson four you start Clarke studies with proper fingerings.(Each week is different).By lesson ten you are probably working on Clarke's seventh study.By lesson 13 all of the above(more Clarke's) plus lip flex re Walter Smith,lesson 24 all of the above and he tags on Saint Jacombe.There are 52 lessons(doesn't mean weeks!!!)Depending on your progress studies are added, repertoire, etc.... Once I was fully into the routine by the 6-7month I was easily shedding 5-6 hours on the horn.Don't be discouraged! I remember those early mornings in the practice room with a lot of the other players thinking we were crazy(me and Jocelyn Couture) playing as low as possible then as high as possible plus all the rest!I never buzzed.My warm-up started with the first study period!It was after this jazz cat at McGill in 91 won the Mahler spot for the backstage fanfare over the classical cats who were practicing in fear all the time, that people took notice of the results.I remember Karen Donnelly(principal trumpet National Symphony) freaking out at all the endurance I had on a salsa gig I did with her to the wee hours in the morning 3am and then showing up at wind band the next morning feeling even better than the night before.Why? You develop no fear and nothing but confidence.It's how to practice, what to practice and when to practice all the while thinking when you practice! Sound simple it is! There is no holy grail, just hard smart hard work!There are other sound approaches out there and amazing teachers all of whom I respect dearly, but they do all have one thing in common, the How, What, When and Think of playing the trumpet.Oh ya don't think I was coming down on my classical friends.It was just an empowering time when everything came together.It felt good to feel good.And not too far down the hall in the same practice studios was Jens Lindemann practicing similar approaches a la James Thompson!A last word of advice watch the video more than once! He does explain how to pop out the pedals. Repetition=Revelation. I believe that's what Claude was all about for me!

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Celebration Bflat by Flip Oakes
Early Yamaha Flugel prototype(Guido Basso)
GR and Stork mouthpieces