VIDEOS
Kevin Day: PYROTECHNICS - I. SPARK | Chris Coletti, solo trumpet | Ithaca College Wind Ensemble conducted by Louis Menchaca
Kevin Day: PYROTECHNICS - III. BLAZE AWAY | Chris Coletti, solo trumpet | Ithaca College Wind Ensemble conducted by Louis Menchaca
Kevin Day: PYROTECHNICS - II. EMBERS | Chris Coletti, solo trumpet | Ithaca College Wind Ensemble conducted by Louis Menchaca
Mahler 5 Trumpet Excerpts with orchestra Chris Coletti, principal trumpet .
SHOP
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!
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.