5 comments about Under the Baseball Moon.

1. The finest contemporary author of baseball books for teens has written not just another baseball - or, in this case, softball - book; rather, a multilayered and thoroughly engrossing love story starring two 15-year-olds determined that this will be their "breakout summer."
   
   Freestyle skateboarder Andy Ramos "paints the town" with his old trumpet and his unique style of music, "cultural fusion." Glory Martinez also has grand dreams, of a career in fast-pitch softball. Yet first she needs to make the travelball team and impress the scout from UC Berkeley.
   
   Andy and Glory soon realize that each makes the other's craft better - takes it to a higher level. But is some strange "outside force" responsible for Andy's breaks, or Glory's shoulder problems? Did Andy make a deal with the devil? What's going on in this "organical beach town filled with soul," Ocean Beach, California?
   
   This magical mystery tale is told with brilliance, grace and style, from the lyrical first page to Andy's song lyrics that end it. "Under the Baseball Moon" gets my vote for breakout book of the summer.
   
   (A version of this review originally appeared in the Palo Alto Weekly.)



2. John H. Ritter returns with another great baseball fable, this time adding the elements of jazz music and a little more romance. Just as in THE BOY WHO SAVED BASEBALL, there is still a bit of possible magic and some very quirky and entertaining characters, including a protagonist on a mission, Andy Ramos. According to Andy's heartthrob, Glory Martinez, when the moon looms large during a daytime baseball game, it is what fans call "a baseball moon."
   
   Just as Andy and his friends, Tran and Lil Lobo, hope for the success of their garage band, Glory also dreams of being a big softball star. She and Andy discover that his trumpet seems to infuse her softball playing with magical power. A few musical "improvs" on Andy's trumpet, and Glory's pitching and hitting improve "two hundred percent better," according to her best friend, Kayla. Together, the two will do amazing things, under the "baseball moon".
   
   John Ritter weaves his usual magic and creates an even better novel--a little more literarily complex, just as magical, and even funnier than his earlier works. Recommended for ages 11 to 18. (Please see the latest issue of VOYA for even more details.)



3. I have never enjoyed a book so much or been so surprised by a book as I was by Under the Baseball Moon. You start off thinking it's a sports story, then you realize it's a musicians story, then you see that it's really both mixed in together and SO MUCH more. It's very difficult for me to descrbe it, only to say this book now stands as my favorite book of all time. It's humorous and mysterious and has the most amazing plot and so many interesting characters you really like. You get so taken away by this mysterious thing that's happening to Andy and Glory that they become like your closest friends since it sweeps you away too.
   
   I won't spoil it for you except that you need to pay attention all the way through tthe book because the ending will ASTOUND you. I hope they make a movie out of this book real soon so then I can see everything that happens in real life. I would say ten stars if I could its such a good book!!



4. My review of this fantastic book:
   
   There are a lot of books out there on the market. There are good books, there are bad books. Sometimes there are books that stand out as great. "Under the Baseball Moon" by John H. Ritter is one of those stand out books. It's about a teenage boy named Andy who has dreams of using his unique style of trumpet playing to become famous. Things become complicated when Andy crosses paths with his childhood friend, Glory Martinez, who has a dream of her own of becoming an Olympic softball pitcher. Things are further complicated when Andy meets a mysterious man in black who offers Andy fame and fortune for free. BUT what's the cost of free? This book is exceptionally well written and easy to follow. There are many dynamic characters with their own personality. This combined with the author's witty remarks makes an awesome duo.
   
   What I liked most about this book is that it's captivating. In many sports books you lose interest due to predictability and cliche endings. Overall this book was fantastic. I would definitely recommend "Under the Baseball Moon" to anyone looking for a fun read.



5. When Andy Ramos was in grade school his parents were friends with a woman whose daughter was a little loco. Unfortunately, whenever crazy little Glory had a meltdown Andy was the one they got to calm her down, earning both of them embarassing reputations. When the mother and daughter left, Andy re-invented himself. Taking the trumpet lessons he took from his grandfather and melding music and talent Andy became the skateboarding trumpter "painting" the scenes around him with his own blend of musical instrumentation.
   
   The summer that Andy and his band are ready to "break out" who comes back but Glory. However, the Glory that has returned is not the crazy little girl Andy knew, she's now a driven softball player obsessed with becoming a leading pitcher on a national team. As fate would have it Andy and Glory learn to play off each other, inspiring and driving their respective abilities to new heights. But, is this effect a mystical connection or are they being manipulated by another force?
   
   Under the Baseball Moon has got to be one of the most unusual stories I've read in a while. The content involving a trumpet player and softball player, the music, the language and storytelling are all unusual and inspired. Although the Crossroads references are something I'm familiar with, not much else was. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and think it would be a great recommendation for kids pre-teen and up.

2 comments about Essential Elements 2000: Comprehensive Band Method: B Flat Trumpet Book 1.

1. First off, this book is for TRUMPET.

   The "Essential Elements 2000: A Comprehensive Band Method" is a great book for a young person who is learning an instrument for the first time. There is a fingering chart in the back of the book to make looking up fingerings quick and easy. The book starts off very basic with the parts of the instrument. The easiest notes to play and finger are presented first with exercises to practice them. This book comes with a play-along CD. This CD includes all solo exercises.

   Hal Leonard also offers (though not through Amazon) band sets for band directors. They are simple arrangements of music that correlate with the book. They are great for the first concert.

   There is an older version of this book called "Essential Elements: A Comprehensive Band Method". The book is purple and has many of the same features as this one, but the CDs have to purchased separately.




2. This is a pretty good book for beginners and has many of the essential elements necessary to begin playing trumpet, like fingerings, posture, and related basic material. That being said, more explanation of some techniques would be helpful, as well as suggestions about ways to practice, recordings to listen to, and maybe even some trumpet history. Though I recommend this book for beginners, a good supplement to it that includes all of the items listed above is: 'Sound the Trumpet: How to Blow Your Own Horn."

5 comments about The Art Of Jazz Trumpet.

1. Fellow Travelers -
   
   I have found John McNeil's "The Art of Jazz Trumpet" to be truly helpful and inspiring. The exercises presented are tough, though-provoking, and very cleverly focused on amplifying skills that appear - to me at least - to be genuinely useful in a jazz setting. Personally, I see the value of this book less in the applicability of specific lines ("licks") to tunes, and more in improving the improviser's ability to present his/her own ideas with more propulsive articulation, fluidity, and melodic confidence.
   
   There is, of course, a significant (in terms of wood shed frustration) cost factor here - but most players, I suspect, will feel that the improvements are deep and fast enough to fall well within our pain and patience thresholds.
   
   Thanks John for a terrific contribution to the field, and for my (small but enjoyable) personal mini-breakthrough - it has been a long time, and I'm really enjoying the experience.
   
   Bravo.
   
   Jim Stagnitto
   www.stagnitto.newhopecollective.com



2. I fell in love with it since I bought it on Amazon.com. It quite amaze me since I wanna learn more about jazz. This book would definitely take u far as being the best trumpet player u'll be. I'm also a trumpet player, and 'specially play other instruments I self-taught like the piano, keyboard, organ, harmonica, recorder, trombone, mellophone, French horn, euphonium, percussion, drums, flugelhorn, guitar, etc.
   
   I'm not gonna say "I don't like this or whatever". I think it's a great introduction showing some basics and material work on how you 'gon be good at it. I know a lot of people don't agree what I'm saying. I believe that every trumpet player or music learner perhaps should have this along with Jazz & Blues, Arban's Conservatory Method for Trumpet, 1001 Blues Licks, 1001 Jazz Licks, Building a Jazz Vocabulary, The Jazz Fakebook, 28 Modern Jazz Trumpet Solos, Bks. 1 & 2, 14 Blues and Funk Etudes, and 14 Jazz and Funk Etudes all by Bob Mintzer.
   
   Like this is definitely a book I should keep even tho I wanted practice some more I believe.



3. Without a doubt, John McNeil has done something with this book that has long been overdue. With the advent of jazz education, so much focus has been put on what to play, rather than on how to play it. McNeil presents exercises that go beyond the simple articulation of scales and puts them in real world situations. Furthermore, the author addresses technique issues that most other jazz trumpet books fail to even acknowledge exist. The section on alternate fingerings and different ways of tonging, that are so important to today's jazz improviser, are throughly covered through simple explanation and execution. Not to mention, the accompanying CD has several examples being performed by astute trumpet players who play through them with the ease of a basic stamp warm-up routine.
   
   Quite possibly, the most important part of the book is the section on finger technique. With three pages full of finger twisters for the jazz trumpet player to navigate, the trumpet player will find more fluidity in their performance, resulting in better solos and overall better trumpet facility. This book should be required to be used by every trumpet player, commercial or not. The result will be a much more technically proficient musician, no longer hindered by a lack of technique, but rather, aided by a plethora of it.



4. This book is great! The articulation studies are hip and tricky, and you can actually use them in a "real life situation". There are also some interesting articles on various jazz trumpeters. I highly recommend this book.



5. John McNeil is a highly respected Jazz trumpeter and his book is a classic that every aspiring jazz trumpet player should own. I love this book and use it often.
   
   It is important to realise that unlike many other jazz books this book does not set out to try to teach you how to improvise, nor is it a jazz theory book. You would benefit from at least some working knowledge of both these topics before you embark on this book (I would recommend something like Levine's The Jazz Theory Book if you need more background). Instead it helps you to develop the more technical aspects of jazz trumpet playing through exercises, etudes and well-written text.
   
   The first part of the book covers the history of jazz trumpet from about the bebop era onwards, through some discussions of the musical styles of a number of key players and some musical examples.
   The hard work starts with a large section on jazz articulation, in which you learn to control your placement of accents on different notes in a phrase and develop a polyrhythmic feel. He provides exercises for wide interval playing - something that is quite hard on trumpet compared to an instrument like the saxophone. Alternate fingerings are covered along with some exercises. He also discusses doodle tonguing made famous by especially by Clark Terry. This is the jazz player's way of tonguing fast passage as opposed to the multiple tonguing used by classical players. He has a useful section on tricky fingering studies which you can even practise without blowing into the horn (useful when the chops are tired).
   
   Although I said that he doesn't try to teach you how to improvise, there are a few useful ideas scattered through the text. For example, after his first articulation study, he gives an example of how you might shift sections of it up or down a semitone at random when you are playing to get an "out" feeling. Putting some randomness into a fixed exercise helps you to exercise the parts of your brain that are needed for improvising without throwing you completely in the deep end. Another exercise he mentions is to play a 1235 or 1535 pattern around the cycle, alternating at random between 1235 and 1535 at random. McNeil describes this particular exercise in more detail in a 2002 journal article for the International Trumpet Guild entitled "Creative Pattern Practice" which is worth scouring the web for - it will give you a good taste of his writing style and his way of thinking about improvisation.
   
   The book also comes with a CD demonstrating some of the exercises and etudes so you can hear what they sound like when performed correctly.

No comments about Delightfulee: The Life and Music of Lee Morgan (Jazz Perspectives).

5 comments about Sound the Trumpet: How to Blow Your Own Horn.

1. This book is the most thorough treatment of the various aspects of trumpet playing that I have seen. Very informative and helpful. Even my current teacher, who has played with the Metropolitan Opera (NYC), was impressed.



2. All you want to know about the trumpet. Not a method book, but a great reference book. It gives much information that method books leave out. Recommend for all trumpet players.



3. This book is not only enjoyable and info-packed it will remain in my music library as a great reference book. I have been buying a lot of trumpet books lately and, thanks to Amazon reviews, have been very fortunate in my selections. This one,though, is a standout.
   One of the threads through a number of the books I have read is that,as in this book, the writers realy project a love for the instument.



4. no question about it, this book is everything it's cracked up to be! i highly recommend the book for any player, young or old, beginner or in my case,a 35 yr comeback player.



5. I have played the trumpet, as an enthusiastic, largely self-taught amateur, for many years and own a whole variety of trumpet tutor books; most are incredibly daunting, immediately too demanding and are, all-in -all, not much fun!
   
   This book is quite different - it has a very attractive, friendly approach, is extremely well presented (although I do wish it had been spirally bound), deals with all the basics and more and has plenty of tips and simple, attractive 'how to do,' 'how to approach' ideas. The book is thorough and covers all the basic techniques of playing and the usual pitfalls and problems, but in an attractive, friendly way. There are also, within its pages, pentatonic chord charts, listening suggestions, further sources of study and music, suggested practice routines and charts etc. and even instructions on how to correctly clean and maintain the instrument!
   
   This book will be useful to both the beginner and the more experienced player, is excellent value, and I give it my highest recommendation, but do so wish that it had been in print 30 years ago!!

2 comments about Amsco Trumpet Fingering Chart (Amsco Fingering Charts).

1. This is an excellen quick reference to having trumpet fingerings when you immediately need them.



2. The chart is excellant, helpful and descriptive, it shows what to do with your instrument to use for the note that you require such as all three fingers down for a Bb Trumpet to get a b note, can use for cornet and others also, all on one chart - great concept. Can be placed on the wall so that your child can use it to understand how to play first time instrument. I bought this product for my son who is 11 and he can understand what he needs, he is a first time learner and will learn more as he understands the notes. So this item will continue with him as he learns more.
   I must say that the packaging from Amazon is the best, all books come with air wrap and in a box to fit so that the books etc.., are not damaged in anyway. The service is impecible and the communication is the best ever. I am completely satisfied with all their products I have purchased. Amsco Trumpet Fingering Chart (Amsco Fingering Charts)

5 comments about Play Trumpet Today! Beginner's Pack: Book/CD/DVD Pack.

1. Play Trumpet Today! - Level 1 (The Ultimate Self-Teaching Method)
   The best - the DVD is excellant and so simple to understand. The CD is terrific and the book is wonderful but you do need to be able to read music for the book as my son only started the DVD was the best part as it did describe everything he needed to understand with first time trumpet.
   He has played this to his friends that come over and rehearse with him and they also found it wonderful, they are only 10 and 11 years old and understand it easily.
   Also Amazon products arrive in the best packaging and safely delivered by courier, the books and items will never be damaged due the terrific packaging and their impecible service and communication is just refreshing to come across. Thanks for such good service and products and undersstanding when being asked many questions with fast and speedy answers



2. Received my copy and cannot say enought good things about this book. The CD is the key to the teaching method, as with out it, a student wouldn't know if they were playing the right sound.It's like having your own teacher next to you, and one can learn at their own pace. Highly recommend it.



3. Got this for someone who wants to learn how to play and he really liked it.



4. I bought this method for my eleven year old son, who is learning trumpet as his third instrument. I like the selection of songs and the easy pace of the book. Also, the video isn't bad, but disappointing from the fact that the video and CD both primarily cover only the first few pages in the book.



5. I never considered "Gently twist the mouthpiece into the mouthpiece reciever," to be instructions for trumpet assembly before. I have been away from playing for 10 years and thought this might be a good book to help me get reaquainted with the horn. I was wrong...this book is VERY VERY simplistic.
   
   If you are an absolute beginner, who has never even handled a trumpet and does not know anyone who plays trumpet, then get this book. If there is ANYONE that you can ask questions, who reads music or plays trumpet, then you can skip this book. Get something a little more complicated and just ask questions. If you are going to be taking lessons DEFINITELY do not buy this package. You will learn more during the first half-hour of your first lesson.

5 comments about Arbans Complete Method: Trumpet, Platinum Edition (Book & CD).

1. I have been playing for over 40 years and have always used the Arbans book. This volume is long over due. The new binding which allows for the book to lay open on a music stand and the CD make this package well worth the extra money over the price of the regular issue.



2. I was told to purchase this book by my trumpet teacher, even before we started lessons. I have only beeen taking lessons for a couple of months, but I have already learned quickly from this book and this book has everything from the first scales and fingering charts to a plethera of exercises for the best trumpeters, so I'm sure that I will be using this book for a very long time. I would recomend this book to any beginner.



3. I was very please with the timely manner which this book was delivered and delighted with the content.



4. This book is by almost all accounts the Bible of the trumpet world. It is comprehensive, and cognitive in its presentation. There are several hundred pages of practice score and a good amount of comments to guide.
   
   This particular edition is a worthwhile purchase as it is spiral comb bound, so it lays open better, it is chock full of updated, editorial comments that explain and clarify some of the things Arban said that don't apply or possibly don't, and it includes a cd with accompaniment for the practices in the book.
   
   Great book, well worth the price!



5. The Arbans Complete Method Trumpet continues to be the standard for all trumpet practice books. This time tested publication continues to be the best available.

5 comments about Miles.

1. MILES reads like a discography with transcribed, unedited interviews; however, a few fantastic observations manage to show up. For example:
   
   "'Bird of the Cool' became a collector's item, I think, out of a reaction to Bird and Dizzy's music. Bird and Diz play this hip, real fast thing, and if you weren't a fast listener, you couldn't catch the humor or the feeling in their music. Their musical sound wasn't sweet, and it didn't have harmonic lines that you could easily hum out on the street with your girlfriend trying to get over with a kiss. Bebop didn't have the humanity of Duke Ellington. It didn't even have that recognizable thing. Bird and Diz were great, fantastic, challenging--but they weren't sweet. But 'Birth of the Cool' was different because you could hear everything and hum it also."
   
   MILES could have been 200 pages shorter and only focused on Davis' thoughts about music--perhaps as a musical memoir?--and it would have said a whole lot more.



2. Not enough can be said about the Music of Miles Davis and it's impact for the rest of time. This book will give any Jazz fan an insight into a fabulous era in Jazz as well as it's evolution. I absolutely love all of his music, the Bands that he put together over the years, and the Musicians that he literally discovered who went on to infamy. But I have to be honest, I just wish that there was a little more to the man in regards to human qualities.



3. Although conventional wisdom may indicate a pathway to genius as a strait line, point A (prodigy) to point B (fame and renown), it's actually one motherf****er of a zigzag. It ain't a matter of black and white neither, although Miles Davis would have you believe that he was in the middle of a race war conducted at his expense where his climb to glory was clouded behind a storm of white critics, corporate America and the perceptions of white Americans (he became the highest paid jazz performer in history). The picture that does come to focus is one of focused dedication, unique intelligence and an astonishing series of musical visions which carry a young dentist's son from East St. Louis to worldwide fame.
   
   Miles takes us on his journey in his own colorful vernacular from day one to the year before his death, a rare, delectible treat in an autobio. Redacted are specific musical methods and cumbursome jazz theory, but the discussion is generous in his crediting others who have come in and out of his bands and contributed to the music he made: Gil Evans, John Coltrane, Dizzy, Bird, Shorter, Hancock, even his own nephew, who he eventually fires. The man is not the loner one might think and thrives in the company of musicians and artists but sadly succombs to the artist's best friend: drug dealers.
   
   His mistrust of the world around him was exacerbated by prodigious drug use and sad realizations of who got what for the art form he helped create. Elvis is tossed aside, "lazy white musicians" performing crap, but he's at his most loquacious when describing his visions of a musical chart for his art and his heartfelt recollection of collaborators gone by, many lost to the same drugs in which he wallowed, many white. The language goes into full bloom as he recounts the many women he either married, had children with or simply bedded. He claims to have never gone after another band member's lady, but anyone else was fair game.
   
   What makes Miles, the book, most appealing is his humanity, his stark feelings on his fellow man and the insight one gets from hearing a smart guy tell his tale of an artist's circuitous journey to legend. Not once do you hear a dishonest note and we're party to a vibrant blueprint that now, after his passing, makes me Kind of Blue.



4. Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis and Quincy Troupe *****
   
   
   Miles Davis has always been a fasinating character to me so when I realized that there was an autobiography of him I tracked it down and bought it. While and after I read the book I didn't know what to think. I mean it is not your typical autobiography. It doesn't talk about most of the stuff you would expect him to talk about and when he does talk about it it's very brief and not in depth in the slightest, but at the same time it is still very interesting. The drug addiction, the women, the violence, the racism, everything the man went through is here. Not much is said about his children how ever, I'm not sure if that is purposeful or not but he does say that his sons are "screw ups" so it is all possible that he just didn't give to nothings about them, though when he briefly mentions his daughter he seems very proud of her. So all in all Miles is a great and interesting tale of one of the most important, original, and influential musicians of all time.
   
   My only complaints are that Miles comes across as an ego maniac though he claims he is not several times in the book. The other one is that Miles Davis is one of the biggest and most racist men in all of history. Everything he says about being treated like nothing because he is black is the same way they he treated white people and the saddest part was that he couldn't even see that he was doing it. He claimed that blacks did everything better and white people stole everything. I will admit white people steal a lot, whites are essentially the `vultures of culture' but blacks did not invent everything, whites, Mexicans, and every other race invented things, and just because some one was influenced by it doesn't mean they copied it like he claims. Also just because someone invented something does not mean they do it the best, to even say that applies prejudice. It depends on the person not what color they are. As a musician Miles is killer, but as a person he really just sucked.
   
   So if you can get past this then Miles is a great and interesting read.



5. excellent choice if you want to know the true story. it is amazing how well written (for a musician) it is and how Miles remembered things with an awesome precission.

5 comments about Arban's Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet (Cornet) or Eb Alto, Bb Tenor, Baritone, Euphonium and Bb Bass in Treble Clef.

1. I have had my Arban's since I began playing the trumpet. My copy was passed down to me by my band director Mr. Kilmury who was also a trumpeter. He told me upon giving it to me that I was to cherish it and learn from it because it was like the bible of trumpet playing. To this day those words hold true. Arban's has everything a trumpet player needs to help them from the beginning onto professional playing. My copy is old now and falling apart... but I still play from it and hold it dear to my heart.
   
   If you are a trumpeter, buy this for yourself. If you know a trumpet player, surprise them with a copy of this. Believe me they will thank you for it.



2. As a professional trumpeter and trumpet instructor, I've found no other book that even approaches the Arban. From Doc Severinsen to Maurice Andre to Chris Botti and every kind of trumpeter in between, this is the book that created a foundation for all of them. Reading the other reviews here, I understand that (with exception of the characteristic studies, duets, and solos in the back of the book) this is a book of exercises. In fact, it's sort of a "Sears catalog" of trumpet exercises. And no, exercises are usually not very interesting or fun. However, it's the gains you make from the exercises that matter, and most kids age 12 and up actually appreciate the structure and routine. Once students have a correct embouchure, range to the top of the staff and basic articulation, they should move on to the Arban book. The sky is the limit from there.



3. My daughter has been using this book ever since she was fortunate enough to meet a certain famous trumpet player from New Orleans when she was 11 years old. He took the time to speak one on one with her and after hearing how dedicated she was to practicing, told her he wanted her to start using this book. Very cool! She began using it with her private teacher and just as Brian Tomcik said previoulsy, had taped pages all over the place. (I would recommend getting the book spiral bound, as my Arban's is covered in all types of tape. A previous reviewer said that the Arban's wasn't her trumpet bible - I'm willing to bet she stinks at playing the trumpet because of it. ) I took it to Kinko's had them laminate the covers so they would be sturdier and then spiral bind it, and it has been MUCH easier to use! It has been 5 years since she first got the book, and besides her high school and lesson music, it is THE book that lives on her music stand at home! It IS the trumpet bible!



4. I am a euphonium player. I purchased Arban's method book for trumpet to read trebel clef. This older edition of Arban's, while inexpensive, used a glued binding. The stiffness of the binding made it inconvenient to position on the music stand. I subsequently purchased the more recently published edition in bass clef for euphonium and trombone. This version was about twice as expensive, but is spiral bound and is very convenient to use. BOTH BOOKS ARE THE STANDARD METHOD BOOKS FOR BRASS PLAYERS AND ARE EXCELLENT IN THAT REGARD.



5. This book was recommended to me by my sax teacher, who also plays trumpet. It is a well compiled source of exercises that augments the existing library of saxaphone methods and there are great classical excerpts for reading exercises