LIVE Historical Instrument Demo!
Happening LIVE (as of 4.22.20), Vince DiMartino demonstrates his collection of rare and and historical trumpets, including some 150 y/o designs that are being reintroduced by well-known modern trumpet makers.
Inspired by composers such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Tys Music and Brandon Ridenour, this flashy duet never stops! It takes advantage of finger combinations that sound harder than they are, enabling blazing speed and constant motion.
The world premiere was done at Rafael Mendez Summer Brass Institute 2024 in Denver, CO and was part of an ongoing experiment to create content using gear I always have on my person.
Warning: This étude is HARD.
Florestan, the 6th movement from Robert Schumann’s famous (and EPIC) piano work, Carnaval, is not the first piece you might want to make into a trumpet étude, but after recording it with Canadian Brass on this album here, I couldn’t help but play as many of the parts as possible, trying to fill in as many of the moving lines I could. This evolved into the etude below–definitely one of the most difficult I’ve ever arranged.
If you think you might want to take a crack at it, I’m practically giving it away (you can download it for just $3).
I’m also hosting a contest to see who (if anyone) can make musical sense of it. Enter to win by recording a video and posting it anywhere on the internet. Just be sure to use the humble hashtag #BestEtudeEver so I can find it.
The prize is negotiable (i.e. it’s up to the winner!) but will be cool, I promise.
Some trumpet tips:
Keep it easy. This étude is all over the map; play nice and light or risk ruining your chops forever (hehe, dramatic, I know)
Focus on the contrasting musical styles–tyhey change quiet frequently and sporadically. Listen to a sample of Canadian Brass’ version below.
Good luck!
-Chris
PS You might also like Coquette, another difficult etude from Carnaval.
The challenge in this étude is real: to bring out 2 distinct voices--at the same time.
Bach's violin partitas are notoriously difficult for many reasons, but the "implied counterpoint" makes them particularly challenging and beautiful. In this trumpet étude I borrowed this concept from JS Bach, and downright stole the notes from his Well Tempered Clavier.
I hope you enjoy playing this beautiful piece of music as I do. Your musicianship and trumpet playing skills will certainly benefit from working on it!
Bach BWV 972 after Vivaldi Violin Concerto RV 230 arranged for brass octet by Chris Coletti
Use this card towards any product or service on this site now or in the future!
New live recording of my arrangement of HIDE AND SEEK by Imogen Heap! Live from BRASS DAY at Ithaca College!