Although you might still be considered a beginner, you are actually gaining a lot of knowledge in the first 3-4 months. You've learned how to produce sounds consistently and are getting the hang of scales and rhythm, which means you’re starting to play some songs. You’re also figuring out how to deal with sticky valves, slow slides, discovering the importance of the spit valve, and some of you may have already experienced getting your mouthpiece stuck at least once. While you’re not professionals yet, you’ve reached a stage where it might be time to start considering your first accessory upgrades.

As a professional musician, there is no shortage of things to practice. We have scales, flexibility, sound production, range, articulation, technique, extended technique, etudes, excerpts, solo repertoire, improvisation, ii-V-Is, and on, and on, and on! Sometimes this list can feel overwhelming and like there is never enough time to get everything done.

Unfortunately, I must add one more thing to the list – possibly one of the most important, but often overlooked elements of music: Intonation.

In our many years of service to brass communities around the world, these  might be the 3 most significant questions that are posed by players young and old. You probably have asked these questions yourself, and the answers are waiting for you here.

One is a brass instrument, one is a string instrument. Both are pretty rock-and-roll, but that is not the similarity we are talking about. Think sound production and you are getting close. Watch this Denis Wick Quick Clinic with DW artist Chris O'Hara and gain a new understanding about your trumpet and your mouthpiece too!

Denis Wick artist  Steven Mead discusses Denis Wick Euphonium Mute options, the various ways he uses them, and what mutes support different types of music best. You'll even get some recording behind the scenes secrets we bet you didn't know!

Denis Wick artist  Steven Mead  discusses his origins with Denis Wick Products, as well as the process and origins behind each mouthpiece he's designed with Denis Wick Products.

With horn players, what we put in the bell is very important. It starts at the very beginning with how to hold the instrument. The right hand position can make or break things like tuning, tone quality, projection, how easily the instrument plays, and even the range.

While muted passages become more common as players advance, the need for a mute in band or orchestra can happen after only a couple years. As with the position of the hand, the mute choice makes all the difference in how the horn plays.

Music is imaginary. It is created in our imagination. "If we want to have the greatest amount of success manifesting our imagination into reality, we need a strong connection to the physical world." Enter the mouthpiece. What you buzz is what you hear. "Buzzing is like singing for your lips." Continue the discussion in this video clinic title Buzzing - the Secret to Brass Playing Success with long time Denis Wick artist, Victor Haskins. Make sure to follow his YouTube page and access a huge library of performance and career advice for brass players.

The rim is the part of the mouthpiece that physically contacts our face. As a result, it is the part of the mouthpiece that effects our comfort most. So what makes a rim comfortable?

Laughter is the best medicine, and an excellent teacher. Laugh and learn while you explore these 9 pieces of performance and career advice. All that extra laughter is good for the chop muscles too!