Trumpet Lessons by Web Cam or Phone

People can improve all of their life. Keith Fiala has toured with Maynard Ferguson and yet he was here last week (Sept 2012). He learned something too.

Why me? You don't know me and want some proof of who I am.
Some teachers have references like JB in New York, which seem shady. One teacher even gave himself a fake award on one of his websites.
My references come from real players that you have heard of.
I met "POPS" on the Internet and he helped me through some frustrating problems that I was struggling with on the horn.
Herb Alpert
Pops is one cool trumpet teacher. Here I am, a long time student of Claude Gordon and what's my problem?? Tongue levels!! Pops diagnosed me right away and helped me out tremendously in a short time. Thanks!!~
Eric Bolvin
Hey Pops, keep up the good work. Even us "old pros" need a little help every now and then. I check in with your site regularly. Thanks.
Bill Churchville
Pops: I'm so glad I got your books - some great stuff in there for every trumpet player!!! Keep up the great work!!!
Kiku Collins
Many, many thanks to you and your knowledge of the trumpet and the embouchure. It has helped me immeasurably since my lesson with you!
Mark Curry
Pops: You have single-handedly given me the confidence and the ability to meet - EXCEED my wildest dreams. When I first came to you I never would have believed I would tour with Maynard Ferguson!!!
Keith Fiala
"Clint McLaughlin is one of the leading experts on embouchure. His books discuss many of the embouchures used by leading trumpet players. I consider his publications excellent resources!"
David Hickman
It was only after reading/playing your books, did I get the range thing!
Roddy Lewis
Check out Pop's trumpet books. This guy knows what he is talking about and can write it!!!! Thanks for all your intelligent advice.
Jim Manley
I think you're doing a great service for the brass community. I once heard that the art of teaching is in finding out how to explain the same thing in different ways to have it hit home for each individual student.
Matt von Roderick
You have said two things which have really helped me and have brought about an instant improvement in my trumpet playing. It's all 20% easier! So thanks again for your positive contribution to the brass world.
Eddie Severn
I have also been in the ITG Journal multiple times and written about in several books.
Article by 'Pops' in The ITG Youth Journal: Jan. 2008.
Article by 'Pops' in The International Trumpet Guild Journal: March 2010.
Book review of Trumpet FAQs by Clint 'Pops' McLaughlin, in the ITG Journal: Jan 2002.
Book review of The Pros Talk Embouchure by Clint 'Pops' McLaughlin, in the ITG Journal: June 2004.
Article about 'Pops' in Overture Magazine AFM LA,CA: May 2001.
Article by 'Pops' in Windplayer Magazine issue #64.
Bolvin, Eric (2007) "Tongue Level and Air", Faded Duck Publishing.
Harnum, Jonathan (2006) "Sound the Trumpet: How to Blow Your Own Horn". Sol-Ut Press.
Hickman, David (2006). "Trumpet Pedagogy: A Compendium of Modern Teaching Techniques", Hickman Music Editions.
Hickman, David (due in 2013). "Trumpet Greats", Hickman Music Editions.
Lewis, Roddy (2003). Embouchure Enhancement
Pocius, Jeanne, G (2007). "Trumpeting by Nature: An Efficient Guide to Optimal Trumpet Performance", Outskirts Press.
I also run a free Trumpet Ezine where many Pros participate.

1 Hour Lesson $ 100.

I get asked all of the time if high notes can center or sound fleshed out.... So here is a clip of Me playing part of the Hummel up 2 octaves. I start on F over High C and end on A over Double C (that's 2 notes from Triple C). It is up to you to decide if they are real notes or not.

Half Hour Lesson $ 55.

Andrea Tofanelli & Greg Kuehn playing a little duet. Andrea is a STAR in Europe and will be here. Greg was a Vegas pro who is now playing in New Mexico.

15 Minute Lesson $ 30.

Rex Merriweather. Rex is in LA and has done Club, Studio, TV and Movie work.

Anne King. Anne is another LA musician. She has had many TV appearances and done tours with Guns and Roses, Don Henley, Ray Charles...

1 Hour Lesson $ 100.

Keith Fiala. Keith did a couple of tours with Maynard Ferguson and he is now playing in Austin Texas with a group call Memphis Train Revue.

2 video clips of Keith Wood at the end of an all day a lesson with me.

Half Hour Lesson $ 55.

Short lick and how he feels with the new set.

15 Minute Lesson $ 30.

Arpeggio Low G up to Double D and down to Pedal D.

Unbelievable trumpet lesson, man!
Clint is a long-range thinker. He told me that he had a plan from our first lesson together, but it had to be in stages. First, he had to get my belly button (breathing) to work right. Then, straighten out my tongue arch. (and how he used compression) And finally, relax my facial tension.
If he had told me the whole plan, I would've wanted to rush things, just like a college kid. The kicker was when he said, "If you lived here in the area, we could've done all this in 6 months"! Oh well... The only thing I have to battle now is the habit of tensing when I see certain things coming up in the music.

One of the craziest things is that I feel warmed up all the time now. It's WILD! I just buzz in the pedal area and my lip hums all the time. I feel like the Ice Man who just broke out of his "wintery coffin"!
The hardest part was the first hour of our lesson. I could not play a note (even make a sound) for the first hour. Man, I was close to tears. It felt like he wanted me to change my embouchure - I saw weeks or months of trial and error ahead of me. UGH! Then it just seemed to click. A low G came out that made us both smile - BIG! For the remainder of our 8 hours together (including a couple of hours on trombone), I never got tired. I have only gotten fatigued once since, and that was our last song on New Year's Eve -
I haven't even been able to get a good practice in since then. All I've been doing is buzzing. Relaxed feel, dude!
It has truly changed my entire musical life.
God bless,
Keith

The most important part of what I do is LISTEN to the player and decide how much is enough for him to handle. Overload the student and they crash and under load them and nothing happens at all. That is why most people can not teach themselves they do not know where that line is. It took a few THOUSAND lessons for me to learn it.
Warm ups are to fix the problems you caused in yesterdays playing. No problems means no need to warm up.
Audio of me teaching a comeback player tongue arch using line 1 page 125 of the Arban book. The comeback player did all of the playing in the trumpet lessons. I left out the 2 tries in the middle to save time.
Audio of why all players learn to be tense and how to stop.
Video clip of the loose buzzing that started the day off.
Pops

I met "POPS" on the Internet and he helped me through some frustrating problems that I was struggling with on the horn.......
Thanks Pops..................
Herb Alpert

It was a pleasure to work with you Herb and I LOVE the Remix CD Whipped Cream and Other Delights: Re-Whipped that you recorded during our relationship. Congratulations on the CD making it to #5 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart. You continue to be an inspiration to all brass players.
Pops

I have been giving lessons by phone since the early 90s. I have given them to comeback players as well as pros on tour.

I have given web cam lessons on Skype for a couple of years now.
The response to these have been great.

With web cam or phone lessons out of town students can do checkups, tune-ups and follow ups on a much more regular basis than if they travel here. After all the real expense of the lessons is in travel and hotels and time away from work.

My students have recorded movie sound tracks, tv shows, CDs, been on the Tonight Show, toured with bands like Maynard Ferguson, Guns and Roses....
People fly in to Dallas from around the world to take lessons. However; you can save the expense of a flight by taking advantage of a phone lesson.

You do fine with using a regular phone because I use a conference phone with multiple duplex microphones, a dual cone 8" speaker, auto sound level adjustment (so when the student stops talking and starts playing it doesn't blast and distort) and even jacks to patch it though a recorder, computer or even my stereo. My phone adjusts the levels so yours doesn't have to.

Web cam lessons require that you have a web cam and download Skype. I would advise that you do a web cam with a friend before your lesson so you can adjust the camera.....

Please email me and we can set a time for me to call you if you are in the United States.
If you are over seas then you must make the phone call or do a Skype web lesson.

Thanks;
Pops