Clarke, Schlossberg, and Lip flips.

The session today is based around some of my favorites, Clarke, Schlossberg and others. This is a “primary session” so it is based around the nuts and bolts of playing.

The Routine

  • Some breathing, your choice, I also threw in some constructive rest (Alexander technique) today.

  • Clarke 3 - Play each one twice, once slurred, once tongued. Aim for keeping these as soft as possible.

  • Schlossberg - No. 13 Quarter = 40 try to not telegraph which way the slur is about to go.

  • Schlossberg - No. 20 Half = 60 Legato tongue

  • Schlossberg - No. 64 Quarter = 60 mf only, Final note down two octaves (harm 2)

  • Schlossberg no.62 - First two lines, as fast as you can do them clean. All lip slurs, as written and down the octave. Once slurred, once tongued.

  • Schlossberg no.59 - As written, fast as clean. One time slurred, one time tongued.

  • Brass gym - Lip flips. Major third, Perfect fourth low, octave (on 1 side of the horn only), perfect 5th low.

  • Flutter tongue scales in the low range. (can’t flutter?)

That is it.

Comment, share, leave a like, and thanks for stopping by.

Practice session - General morning

Today’s session is another mixed bag. It isn’t based around anyone book, it is “practice aid heavy” but that is alright. It is also going to be a pretty quick one, so lets go.

The Session

  • Breathing exercises (5 min)

    • Inhalation with a Triflo

      • 4 reps with each ball

    • Peak flow meter 8 reps going for target

  • Long Tones (pick 4 pitches, do them in all octaves with hairpins)

    • Do these with a tuner or pitch visualizer for stability

  • Scales numbers are scale degrees

    • 1-5-1-5-1-9-5-9-5-9-1-3-5-8-10-12-10-8-5-3-1 (in 16th notes, various articulations, pick several scales)

    • Major Pentatonic scales over 3 octaves

    • Whole tone scale from G over the entire range of the horn slurred and tongued

    • 1 octave descending scales with flutter tongue, going over the break

  • Lip slurs (recorded and reviewed.)

    • Farkas style

      • Play the quarter note version that starts on middle C (or Harm 5 of whatever valve combo you are using) complete the exercise. Take a deep breath and do the 8th note version from the bottom (harm 2)

  • Etude

    • Kopprasch no.13 with repeats

      • As written and down the ocatve.


That is it, another quick and focused one, the next post will be some insight into why I don’t have a set routine. So until then, happy horning.




Rehearsal day morning session

So, a reason there haven’t been tons of practice logs this week, I have been busy in rehearsals for a show with Timepoint next week in Edmonton, as well as preparing for giving a masterclass. This all leads to this post. I have a few short routines I like to do really early in the morning, we are talking around 6 or 7am on rehearsal days.

Leave a comment, hit like, or share, enjoy the session below.

The Session

Done best with some caffeine

  • Stretch and breath.

    • The goal here is to jump start in to the day. Focus on air.

  • Adams Simple long tones (you may notice I really like these…)

  • Teuber 7a and 7b

  • Remington slurs, starting at T0 and work down

    • Slurred and tongued

  • Scales (use dice, or another random way to pick scales) About 5 minutes worth.

    • Do lots of different patterns, throw in arpeggios, etc.

    • Lots of different scales, the random choice can be the starting note for pentatonic, limited transpositions, etc.

  • Some kind of power work/loud playing for a few minutes.

    • Stamp Power exercise or Schlossberg no. 17 (in a bunch of diff. articulations) are some of my go to choices.


That’s it, short and sweet, but it gets me locked in. I vary this a bunch, but the elements remain the same.

Happy Horning