Sorry Tuba players - it's nothing personal. In the realm of mouthpiece choice, your favorite tuba player will not be able to help you out, as Nick Hudson learned early on. Read on to find this and the rest of Nick's advice to players looking to find their perfect match in a mouthpiece.

We recently polled the Denis Wick artist group asking who had the oldest mute. What we received were a series mute pictures ranging from just a few years old to over 30 years old, and a variety of stories to go with them. Do you have a mute that has stood the test of time (let us know below!)?

Denis Wick Artist duo Dopey Monkey pull from a variety of musical genres in their many compositions. As such, they need to be able to perform it all! In this Denis Wick quick clinic, Martin and Danielle share some of their favorite practice drills that keep their technique in shape for all their musical challenges.

Meet Jay Jennings, trumpeter for Grammy award winning group Snarky Puppy, composer, and teacher. Learn about Jay's early inspirations, the product that supports his many musical adventures, and insider detail on his newest album that was just released in March 2023.

While every gig has its challenges, the Sunday morning church gig has some unique surprises that you won't find anywhere else. First, the sanctuary where you will be seated is a big echo chamber where the smallest sound carries forever. Sanctuaries can be drafty, be too hot, too cold, have horrible site lines, and a host of other surprises. Pack these supplies to keep you prepared for every scenario at your next church gig.

When preparing to perform a solo or a whole recital, there are a lot of factors that motivate our practice. To have a polished end product we meticulously learn notes, rhythms, and technique, with metronomes, recording devices, and more.  And, if you are like me, I practice getting through the complete solo or program to make sure I have enough endurance.

What happens when your endurance hits a wall?

While we like to define success by the outcome of our goal, it is actually the process that leads to the outcome which truly defines our success. While every goal may have different deliverables along the way, here is some great advice from Denis Wick Artist Aaron Tindall on how to keep in a mindset that breeds success in every event and goal in your life.

The focus of mute usage has shifted from changing dynamics to manipulating the colour of sound in a variety of directions. Composers expect you to use mutes through the full range of a brass instrument, and require an ever growing need for blending with different instruments and effects. With all these challenges in mind, Denis Wick has created a wide variety of mutes to help fill out your colour pallet and get the job done with minimal work for you.

 

Since the straight mute is possibly the most commonly used mute in composition, let’s take a look at the full colour pallet the Denis Wick line offers you.

The key to progress is often what we as musicians do between lessons, not what we do during lessons. Musicians often assume the more time they spend practicing, the better they will become. While we know that practice is needed to progress, how we go about this practice is key to how quickly the progress is made.