12 responses so far ↓

• 1 Erskine

  I am an avid amateur trumpet player and own around 100 trumpet albums. There are not many recordings of some of these works available except on this CD and the performances are, for me, the definitive performances of these magnificent baroque master pieces. This CD is the best trumpet ensemble album I’ve ever heard and I’ve been listening to these things for 30 years. Even though the album is a reissue of an earlier vinyl LP the sparkling sounds of the strings and trumpets is undiminished. The performances are all first rate. Not only do the performers play all the pieces in their original keys (the Altenburg in D!)but the baroque ornamentation on the Vivaldi is like nothing I’ve heard before! It is wonderful. Of interest to the trumpet player will be the fact that the type of trumpet used to play each piece is listed. For instance they do the Vivaldi on Schilke G piccolo trumpets. Get it before it goes out of print.

  Emmett Anglin
  (…)

• 2 Ji

  I play the trumpet, and own many trumpet CD’s, and this one by far is the most astonishing, and amazing. I highly, highly recommend it.

• 3 Eaves

  This is an excellent book for a beginner or anyone else. I’ve learned so much with it. I had no prior music experience and this book has introduced the trumpet to me very nicely. Jonathan breaks it down so that it is easily understood and fun to read. It’s been my constant companion since I received it and I am progressing nicely.

• 4 Mueller

  This has been a great purchase for me. I’m 28 and have just made my first approach to the trumpet, though I’ve been playing the piano for twenty years. I can’t pay a teacher for now and wanted something that would encourage me to face the most difficult part: the beginning. This book deals with everything you need to know about trumpet playing, from the basics to a large number of strategies to improve your performance. It functions well as a reference guide, and in my case is an excellent starting point towards the discovery of this wonderful instrument.

• 5 Alex

  I’m returning to trumpet after 20+ years away. The last time I seriously played was in 8th grade, when braces made it less and less fun.

  This book fit my background pretty perfectly. It explains the why, and not just the how. After all these years, it’s extremely helpful to see what those exercises were about, and what some of the people around me were talking about. I also like that he’s included a large dose of music appreciation in the book, recommending albums and performers to explore, and telling stories that help keep the memories around.

  This is a text-heavy book, not a set of musical exercises. Harnum points to a lot of other sources for music, though I think they’re largely too advanced for real beginners. (I’m personally getting started again with the Breeze-Easy book I used in 4th grade, which advances pretty slowly. That gives me time to rebuild muscles and remember what I used to know.)

  I don’t think I could recommend it for a complete beginner. I’d have been overwhelmed if I tried to learn everything from this, as there’s simply so much covered. I’m happy to see detailed information on cleaning a trumpet, something I’d never learned before, as well as whole chapters on key techniques, equipment, and outside the trumpet aspects like transposition and performing.

  One unfortunate thing, though I don’t think it wrecks the book, is that the website now redirects to a site for another book. A lot of the same stuff is there, but I don’t see the sample music, which I’m guessing is now on the CD for that book.

  Overall, highly recommended!

• 6 Chow

  Very informative book on mny aspects of the trumpet and trumpet playing. An excellent resource for beginners and mid level trumpet students. Lots of information nicely divided into easy digestible pieces.

• 7 Dyer

  Bach wrote such sublime music that it translates to just about any kind of interpretation. Often, however, someone overreaches and tries something like doing the St. Matthew Passion on harmonica or duplicating a Brandenburg on a piano with only two hands. Hence, I approach nontraditional arrangements with caution.

  However, in this DVD the German Brass carry off an absolutely virtuoso performance. They perform compelling arrangements of several familiar works and do it in front of a live audience at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. This is the kind of solid popular Bach that would make this DVD an inspiring gift to a Bach novice or a student of any brass instrument.

  They do not force the music. The playing is absolutely flawless and with such perfect ornamentations that I believe the master would be pleased; these artists truly understand the music. The arrangements respect the originals and provide what was to me a surprising depth and range from only brass instruments.

  All too often the DVD versions of the great works are OK but are eclipsed by audio recordings–however, this DVD should be in every library, it is really that good.

  Highest Recommendation

• 8 Haley

  Great Book! All the greatest players are included, with a selection of their most important CDs.

• 9 Eddy

  Fans of jazz music in general and the trumpet in particular will appreciate this survey of the great jazz trumpeters from Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis to lesser-known players. The profiles read like fiction, providing dramatic biographical coverage of each player’s life and musical abilities. An A-Z reference type approach makes this easy to quickly access.

• 10 Ingram

  This is an excellent book for a beginner or anyone else. I’ve learned so much with it. I had no prior music experience and this book has introduced the trumpet to me very nicely. Jonathan breaks it down so that it is easily understood and fun to read. It’s been my constant companion since I received it and I am progressing nicely.

• 11 Greenberg

  This has been a great purchase for me. I’m 28 and have just made my first approach to the trumpet, though I’ve been playing the piano for twenty years. I can’t pay a teacher for now and wanted something that would encourage me to face the most difficult part: the beginning. This book deals with everything you need to know about trumpet playing, from the basics to a large number of strategies to improve your performance. It functions well as a reference guide, and in my case is an excellent starting point towards the discovery of this wonderful instrument.

• 12 Lindley

  I’m returning to trumpet after 20+ years away. The last time I seriously played was in 8th grade, when braces made it less and less fun.

  This book fit my background pretty perfectly. It explains the why, and not just the how. After all these years, it’s extremely helpful to see what those exercises were about, and what some of the people around me were talking about. I also like that he’s included a large dose of music appreciation in the book, recommending albums and performers to explore, and telling stories that help keep the memories around.

  This is a text-heavy book, not a set of musical exercises. Harnum points to a lot of other sources for music, though I think they’re largely too advanced for real beginners. (I’m personally getting started again with the Breeze-Easy book I used in 4th grade, which advances pretty slowly. That gives me time to rebuild muscles and remember what I used to know.)

  I don’t think I could recommend it for a complete beginner. I’d have been overwhelmed if I tried to learn everything from this, as there’s simply so much covered. I’m happy to see detailed information on cleaning a trumpet, something I’d never learned before, as well as whole chapters on key techniques, equipment, and outside the trumpet aspects like transposition and performing.

  One unfortunate thing, though I don’t think it wrecks the book, is that the website now redirects to a site for another book. A lot of the same stuff is there, but I don’t see the sample music, which I’m guessing is now on the CD for that book.

  Overall, highly recommended!

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