What did Herbert L. Clarke Teach?

[@johnmohanmusic]

I studied with Claude Gordon for 14 years and as a result, enjoyed a wonderful career as a professional trumpet player, working and performing in nine different countries on two different continents. I sometimes think about sharing more often the things I learned directly from Claude and also indirectly from Herbert L. Clarke through Claude. But then I see the wonderful and extremely accurate material Jeff Purtle puts out on KZbin and his website. And I realize I don't really need to share my knowledge. I can just continue to be lazy about it. 😂🤣

[@JeffPurtle]

@johnmohanmusic thanks so much for your kind words. It’s my goal that all of this great info won’t be forgotten and more people will see how it can help anyone.

[@teammosin9999]

Great job! Thank you. I put the Clarke books and a number of Claude Gordon's book to good use for a number of years

[@JeffPurtle]

Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Please share the videos with others. I have more planned and I will be at the International Trumpet Guild Conference. Look for me if you go.

[@chasefreak]

One important aspect that seems to never be discussed is "why practice soft?" Practicing soft is not that easy but with diligent work, you will notice much overall improvement in virtually every aspect of your Trumpet playing. News flash for us "lead" type cats, practicing soft increases the hypersensitivity in your chops, which is what is required for playing efficiently from high C on up. HLC was doing all that over a century ago now.

[@JeffPurtle]

I think I covered that. I know I did in my longer conference videos. There are some great examples and demos in the CG Archives on my site. www.purtle.com/claude-gordon-archives

[@eltigredo]

I added this to my Trumpet Master Classes play-list.

[@JeffPurtle]

Thanks so much! I’m glad you appreciated it.

[@eltigredo]

Thank you for sharing this. It's great to hear these things from someone with a direct lineage from Herbert L. Clarke. I have been enjoying your channel.

[@JeffPurtle]

Thanks so much! It makes it worth the time to do when people appreciate it.

[@ggtrumpet]

Jeff, that is spot on a great analysis of the method and a great source for others to think about in order develop great practice habits. Thanks!

[@JeffPurtle]

Thanks! Please share it with others and subscribe. I have more things to post here and hope to reach 1000 subscribers and get monetized some day. My goal is for the content of my site and KZbin and Patreon supporters to eventually fund all the expenses of the site so this content will survive past me.

[@VoodooDewey69]

Thank you for sharing .This is vital information .Ive always thought that Mr. Clarke was a technical wizard many years ahead of his time .

[@JeffPurtle]

Thanks! Please share this video and others and encourage people to subscribe. I’m so close to the 1000 subscriber mark and hope to get monetized so all the CG content on my site can keep growing and last after I’m gone.

[@freetidjane]

Thank you so much for sharing !

[@JeffPurtle]

I am so glad you enjoyed it. I hope it helps you get more from your practice. Please, share it with others and subscribe. I’m working on a batch of four longer videos right now that should be posted soon. If you click the notifications bell you will be among the first to know when I post those.

[@peteestabrook346]

Excellent overview. How and where can one access the alternate fingerings beyond what is available in the systematic approach?

[@JeffPurtle]

There is another related video from one of my brass conferences that shows more details. I now added it to the end of this video since it's relevant. I will be releasing a PDF on my purtle.com website for anyone that creates a free authenticated account. Here's the other video to watch. I hope to see at the 2023 ITG Conference. I will be in booth 7 between Tom Hooten and Wiseman Cases. Here's the video. Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnPSpHiEbLaLgNU

[@peteestabrook346]

@@JeffPurtlethanks jeff. I'll create an account

[@JeffPurtle]

@@peteestabrook346 cool. You will also be able to listen all the free Claude Gordon audio on my site. There are over 200 hours of audio for anyone to listen to. The URL for the page to see all of that is www.purtle.com/claude-gordon-archives

[@peteestabrook346]

@@JeffPurtle got in. Send me a note when the pdf goes up.

[@JeffPurtle]

@@peteestabrook346 Ok.

[@jamescherney5874]

I knew Claude Gordon and have practiced many of his routines during my long trumpet playing career. My only beef is that if you try to do all the exercises he recommends you end up with no time to work on music, style and jazz. Sure it's nice to be able to tongue super fast and that was Claude's forte that he managed to work into his music but he was not a very musical player, did not have a big sound or great tone and could not improvise or play any jazz. One thing I don't understand is with all of the claims of his great range I never heard him play above a F on any of his recordings. In any event, he was a great teacher and a great guy.

[@JeffPurtle]

James. How did you know Claude? What years? Where?

[@jamescherney5874]

@@JeffPurtle My friend and teacher Jim Grafmyer got turned on to Claude while a Navy musician and suggested I go to a CG brass camp in Michigan during the summer of 1975. Another friend Larry Skinner was going to be there. I was waiting to go to Navy pilot training and with Claude being a pilot we hit off well. I kept in contact with him through Jim Grafmyer who would go out and take lessons from Claude. As you know Claude was one the nicest warmest people I have ever known. I live near Nashville and have a mutual friend that you know well-Steve Patrick. Glad you are keeping the CG system going but there still things that I still don' t understand. Thanks Jim Cherney

[@JeffPurtle]

@@jamescherney5874 very cool. Tell Steve I said , “hi”. Did you become a pilot? I’ve always wanted to do that and I have a student that flew a C130 for the Air Force and is now flying international for Delta. I need to post some video of Claude actually doing improv on I Love Lucy in a Latin tune. He didn’t do that much but actually sounded authentic. Some of his big band stuff is to square sounding for me but he was a great player. I personally heard him play to a double c a few times pretty effortless about 6 weeks after quadruple heart bypass surgery. I had a high school friend from Bakersfield, CA that told me about Claude doing a demo to a triple c with Bob O’Donnell also being part of the clinic. My reason for starting with Claude was from hearing Stan Mark with Maynard and wondering how come everyone could play a double c except me. 🤣 Range was a small part of my routine and sometimes we didn’t check it for months after it was all working ok. I was in high school and my mom asked Claude if he could cut my practice down because I wasn’t doing my homework. That set of routines took over 4 hours the first week because of doing Clarke Study 7 and the Etude “How You Practice”. My mom left us alone after that. I went through tons of etude books with Claude and more of the french Leduc published stuff later. I think Claude sounded like a combination of Harry James and Herbert L. Clarke. He appreciated good music and actually knew lots of the major orchestral works and I took him to a jazz band concert one time when a prodigy drummer named Jacob Armen played with the Northridge band when I think he was 6. Claude knew Louis Bellson and understood swing. I wish I would have taken him out for meals more after lessons. A few of us did that and our pedagogy classes were like a big all night dinner hang talking about teaching and books and dealing with various student issues. I have notes on all of that and video someone else took of their classes but with some really distracting stuff in the background. You know Claude was super kind and encouraging. However, at one point this person sounds pretty rough and Claude asks for someone to please shut the door and then says, “Who’s student is that?” You could see Claude’s face leading up to that and the person kept missing and wasn’t doing several things right. Once I edit that it should be useful to post I plan to first grab excerpts of his often repeated phrases to explain them. Be on the lookout for those as new KZbin Shorts that are under 60 seconds.

[@jamescherney5874]

Wow, thanks for the great feedback. I flew in the Navy for 6 1/2 years, freight for 2 then 24 years with American Airlines. Always had a pocket trumpet and a wispa mute with me to stay in some sort of shape. Jim Grafmyer would give the latest stuff to practice every time I' d layover in Denver. I know the feeling of you ain't nobody if you can't play a double C. I' ve been trying for 50 years and all I got is a double A that I can count on. I just think some got it and some don' t no matter how much you practice, how many mouthpieces and horns you try. You probably have heard many more recordings of Claude than I have and are a better judge of his playing than me. Thanks for your time and attention. I' d like to meet you sometime and maybe take a lesson. Best wishes. Jim Cherney.

[@JeffPurtle]

@@jamescherney5874 my girlfriend’s son is a pilot with American and doing PSA and working up to mainline probably in another year. A trumpet player I just hired for a Christmas gig is a mechanic in Charlotte for American. I feel I’m not the quickest at trumpet development but I went through an embouchure change with Claude and did it in months from playing ¼ top lip to probably ¾ top lip now. That and tongue level and KTM totally changed my playing. Within the first year or so I was doing some of the Systematic Approach stuff to triple c but actually using a G# took a few years in college and then an A was useable. During Covid I kind of got back on pushing myself and usually get to an Ab above double c everyday and more is usable. My focus is to play easily and in tune and with a free open sound. I want my students to go for it and not hold back but realize you have to do that in the practice room so you don’t sound ugly on the gig. Some people don’t put that together and play like they are in a marching band instead of a great horn section. I’m a big fan of guys like Jerry Hey and Harry Kim because they nail it and make it sound exciting and not gross. I think that’s some of the reason Claude and even Clarke could play to triple c but never wanted to play up there. You have to listen to the recording of Mike Paulson playing Maynard’s Give It One on my KZbin. Mike was a longtime CG student in Vegas and played that twice a day for years in a show and he sounds so effortless. That’s what I hope to get closer to each day no matter if it’s a high note or not. Take a listen to this. It’s crazy! www.purtle.com/give-it-one-mike-paulson-lido-de-paris