NickD

I post this here with a modicum of trepidation. I don't mean to imply by this that my way of playing is the best thing out there. It is simply what I do that works for me. In any case, after much careful thought, I have decided to honor the request of the students who have come to me asking me to do something like this - online trumpet lessons. I opted into a sort of video blog online text book. I am offering it totally for free.

http://www.nickdrozdoff.com

OK, I have the first four video clips up. Here are the general ideas covered.

Long Tones - sotto voce
Clarkes studies - sotto voce
Chord studies for range building - up to F over double C
Embouchure Design covering lip buzzing, ring buzzing, BERP, lead pipe buzzing and false scales.

This is a work in progress and I'll be refining and adding to it on almost a daily basis for a while. Here is the website:

http://www.nickdrozdoff.com

Follow the menu bar at the top to "Online Lessons." Be sure to READ THE TEXT for each video clip. There will be important added information there as well.

To my friends who are not trumpeters and just jazz fans who might be reading this, thanks for your patience on this. This effort is in answer to the request of many trumpeters who have contacted me at one time or another.

Peace.

Nick Drozdoff

PS:
All I ask for in return is that anyone who uses this material and finds that they are benefited even slightly, consider buying a CD. The CD's cost $15 and you get a hard copy CD sent to you, in addition to the free-trumpet lessons (I charge $50 per hour for private lessons). If you read and watch the material and can honestly say, "forget it! I already knew all of this and there is nothing here to help me. I'm not buying anything," no worries. This is an honor system and it good you at least looked it over. There is an expense in maintaining the site and an expense in time and effort to put the material together. I hope folks who benefit consider this tiny way of helping out. 'Nuff said.

Impact9

Nick thanks a ton for the site! I've been away for decades and my kids starting band in the 5th grade brought be back to the music. Your site is a great help to getting me back in shape. Thanks!

Richard Oliver

Sounds great Nick. I couldn't get lesson clips to play. :(

Skip

Neither could I. Glad that I'm not the only one.

NickD

Folks, after I posted in the forums, thgere were so many hits to my site and so much data transferred, that the webmaster shut the video feeds down till things get sorted out. I hoped to get some more visitors, but apparently the srever got toatlly overwhelemed. I'll get it sorted out ASAP.

Thanks for your patience and hang in there.

Nick

NickD

My webmaster, Joe Auty, and I have sorted things out, and all of the videos are back up and running again.

I'll be adding two more later today. Stay tuned.

BTW, I had had some inquiries about DVD's. That was never the plan, but this is the 'plan B' I am considering.

Time for some explanation, though I'm sure most of you understood this. I SINCERELY wanted to give something that MIGHT have some value to the trumpet world - some free-lesson demos of what I do that works for me in an effort to help other players who lead "dual career life-styles" like I do. When I comment about the CD sales, I was simply hoping a few people might consider simply buying my CD, "No Man Is An Island" in return for the free and unlimited use of my lesson videos. Yes, this was a promotional stunt but an honest and sincere one.

The problem is that many folks, in spite of my attempt to be clear on the web site, were expecting a DVD to be available for purchase. This wasn't my original intention. I didn't think there would be a demand for it, so I figured I'd just give this all away as a perk. I might have misread that, so I'm going to look into possibly doing a DVD.

The clips I have up now, and the ones to follow this weekend will be left up on a semipermanent basis, though. I'm not going back on my word here.

Thanks for your patience.

Nick

BergeronWannabe

Nick,
Thanks! great stuff, and I'd be happy to buy a CD from you...as soon as I get my allowance.
Did you make up those chord studies for range or is that from a book?
-Andrew

NickD

The so-called "singing exercises" were invented by Neal Dunlap, who ws the professor of trumpet and, interstingly enough, science, at Vandercook College for many years. I met Neal in the late 70's and he took me under his wing and taught me the jobbers trade in Chicago.

TTFN...

ND

TrentAustin

Great stuff Nick! Keep on keepin' on!

Schwab

Yeah, sounds good Nick! Lots of good stuff in there.