Group 1
Description
Join Chris Gekker, virtuoso soloist and professor of trumpet at the University of Maryland School of Music, for a three-week intensive class designed to improve your articulation. Whatever style you play, get your tongue in shape with structured exercises to work on a new area of tonguing each week: flow, speed, and response. At the end of the window, Chris personally responds to all video assignment submissions!
What to Expect:
- 🔗 Guided Exercises: Each week, enjoy one new video where Chris outlines a structured theory of practice, and demonstrates a simple, concrete exercise designed to amplify a specific articulation-related skillset.
- 🎶 Expert Guidance: Led by Chris Gekker, Distinguished University professor, 18-year member of the American Brass Quintet, featured soloist at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and across the world. Dozens of his solo recordings have received international praise, and he’s featured on the 2005 Deutsche Grammophon compilation “Masters of the Trumpet.” He’s performed as principal trumpet with countless major orchestras, and he even performed a year performing with the Count Basie Big Band. Chris’s books include his Articulation Studies, 44 Duos, Endurance Drills, Slow Practice, Trumpet Talk, and more are published by Charlies Colin.
- 🤝 Community Interaction: Share your experiences, receive feedback from peers (and from Chris himself!), and engage in a supportive community of fellow music enthusiasts and aspiring performers.
Who Should Attend:
🎺 This course is tailored for a trumpeter at any level looking for some structure toward their pursuit of improving or refining the fundamentals of their articulation. No pre-requisite knowledge is required, though basic proficiency with the trumpet is highly recommended.
What is Covered:
📚 Participants will explore how articulation defines our sound, explore concepts of flow passed down directly from Herbert L. Clarke, learn how to improve speed by working on efficiency, and how intelligent applied work on articulation can improve your overall tone. At the end, you’ll be asked to submit a short optional video assignment for direct feedback from Chris Gekker.
No special equipment is needed to get started; just bring your enthusiasm, a working trumpet, some curiosity, and whatever recording tools you have—your journey to a refined articulation begins here!
Timeline
- Sign-Up Begins: Monday July 22nd
- Course Period: Monday July 29th - Friday August 16th
- Last Day for Feedback from Chris on Final Assignments: Sunday August 18th
Scores:
gekker_articulation_3wi_scores
Lessons
Lesson 1: Flow
Monday, July 29th, 2024
In his first lesson, Chris opens discussing how important articulation is to the nature and quality of our sound. He describes how legato tonguing, smoothly articulating flow studies, scalar and chord patterns, as his “central default practice protocol.” Chris is a “grandstudent” of Herbert L. Clarke himself, and can recommend an authentic interpretation of Clarke’s studies to work on flow.
Lesson 2: Speed and Efficiency
Monday, August 5th, 2024
Gekker’s famous “one-minute-drill” actually comes from Clarke himself! In this lesson, Chris explains how we can patiently use this simple exercise over several weeks to achieve a more comfortable and efficient single tongue at higher speeds. He also provides a few of his own articulation studies to help the student expand on Clarke’s original exercises. Finally, he discusses how articulation is dependent on the language you’re trying to speak.
Lesson 3: Response, Intervals, and Beyond
Monday, August 12th, 2024
Any exercise done in a delicate manner is excellent at training response, or the ability to touch notes delicately. Chris shares some tips on this, intervalic practice, and multiple tonguing to round out your articulation practice routine! Finally, Chris shares some thoughts on why trumpeters should warm up with more soft articulation.
Final Assignment:
Your final assignment for this class is to submit a video of yourself performing a piece, etude, exercise, or improvisation that significantly features articulation – from any style! Chris Gekker will be responding personally to every video that’s posted and offering some feedback. Videos must be uploaded by 11:59 PM PST on August 18th to be considered for feedback.
How to Submit A Video
Upload your finished video you youtube.com as Unlisted.
Then, copy the link and paste it into a comment below, with a brief description of what you played and what improved while going through this course!
Please reach out to Ethan via e-mail if you have any further questions!
12 replies
-
Articulation Exercise - Cichowicz flow study
-
Snedecor Lyrical Etudes, Number 3 complete with mistakes!
-
Short excerpt from Howarth Study 8 (8ight)
-
https://youtu.be/HQ-yZAc-grM?feature=shared
fragment of Gekker Etude #3
-
Thank you, Steve. You have a warm sound, which is always going to be appreciated by almost everyone listening to us trumpet players! 1. Slur: fine vocal sound - this sort of pattern asks us to "radiate" outward from a central register - focus on both the top and bottom note (in this case, your Ds). Don't actually do anything different, just center your focus on those two notes, so the entire line is "bracketed." 2. Single tongue: also fine, most people actually lose some resonance when going from slurring to tonguing, and your core tone quality stays well focused. 3. K tongue: here you are on less familiar territory, and I firmly believe that as your tongue strengthens and grows more familiar with the required arching posture, your overall tone will improve - I've witnessed this many times over the years. You will find changing registers to be enhanced by K tongue practice - again, don't "do" anything different, just a bit of K tongue every day, let it evolve - physical improvement often occurs in six week (or so) segments, so have patience and perspective. Be grateful you've found a "soft spot" and I believe you'll be pleased with your progress. The double tongue version (your 4th time through) is simply an opportunity to listen to yourself and gauge your progress. You'll find, I firmly believe, that slow, deliberate multiple tongue practice results eventually in quick, fluent facility.