I learned of Monster Oil several years ago. The company was formed by 3 trumpet players from The U.S. Coast Guard Band and their first products were some very fine synthetic oil. They also had a Doc Severinsen model that was very thin and fast. At some point early on they came out with a synthetic slide grease. Back then I did not want to use synthetic oil, but I really liked their slide grease. It had just to viscosity I was looking for. I've been on the Monster email list since then and recently heard them bragging about their new "Eco" line, which is vegetable based. They said that players ..read more

Two Books by Adam Frey:The Art of Practice The Game of Practice Most readers here probably know that Adam Frey is a long-time, dedicated educator. He is very articulate about a great many sub-topics in the realm of music practice, and he used these talents to create a pair of books: "The Art of Practice" and "The Game of Practice." The former describes practice techniques and concepts, and the latter is an aid to put the various concepts into your daily practice. My first impression as I read the Art of Practice is that Adam's teaching is very much like mine. However, I tend to use "wispy ..read more

I just came across the review of my "International Songbook for Euphonium" from the online journal of the International Tuba-Euphonium Association. You would need to be a member to see the whole journal, but I have their permission to reprint reviews of my own material. International Tuba-Euphonium Association Journal (online edition), July 1, 2023 The International Songbook for Euphonium. Euphonium and Piano. Traditional. Arranged by David R. Werden. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5374. 2022. Range: B-flat – g1 Difficulty Level: II-III Piano Difficulty: Easy-Medium The In ..read more

We made the big jump this week to a secure (SSL, https) site. We don't handle financial information, but a secure site is friendlier (because you don't see scary "not secure" messages in your browser). Also Google is pushing very hard to have all sites running in https, and will downgrade search results for a site that is not. There are probably some "holes" in the far corners of the site that I have not found yet, but I'm checking everything as quickly as I can. There are about 2000-3000 pages and page segments that make up the main site (i.e. not the forum and blog) and it takes a while ..read more

Hang onto your hats! There is another fine choice now in the realm of Wick/Bach size 4 mouthpieces. This one is made by Ultimate Brass for Adam Frey. Changing my pattern a bit, I'm relaying on the video for most of the review. I'll say first that the mouthpiece is a good competitor and is fairly comfortable to play if you are already accustomed this general size. I'm comparing to my Alliance DC4, which seems to be the closer of the 2 mouthpieces I'm using now (my other, the DC3, is a larger mouthpiece and would not be a fair comparison). As I show in the video, the cup is a bit larger than th ..read more

REVIEW OF AUSTIN CUSTOM BRASS EUPHONIUM MOUTHPIECES: #1, #2, and #3 Our friends at Austin Custom Brass have been busy! A while ago we learned they produced some nice euphoniums as part of their "Doubler" instrument line. Now we learned that ACB has produced an interesting line of euphonium mouthpieces! There are three models, numbered simply 1, 2, and 3. However, what is not so simple is the way the numbers relate to each design. ACB says... #1: This has turned out to be the most popular model. This one has been very popular with euphonium players and trombonists who double on euphonium ..read more

NOTE: this article assumes your playing is already at a high enough level to be a soloist. I want to discuss other considerations. But even if your playing is not there yet, the tips below are good to keep in mind! Many euphonium players hope to become a featured soloist with a wind/brass/military band, and there is a good reason for that. Euphoniumists have been soloing with bands since the 1800's, and our history is rich with accomplished soloists. A few very old recordings, and many more not-so-old recordings, of these soloists are available, but they don't tell the whole story of the requ ..read more

Adams has created an instrument that is unusual and useful. As far as I recall, this is the first time a fully-professional euphonium has been built with a 3+1 valve system that is non-compensating. Normally we in the euphonium world think of non-comp euphoniums as being student or intermediate instruments, so Adams apparently decided to go a step beyond that concept with the Sonic. "But, why?" you might ask. I asked myself that same question! In my opinion (I did not yet have a chance to hear Miel Adams' goal for the horn) the Sonic is not geared for young students, so they could start on a ..read more

Here is a nice review from the ITEA Journal, Volume 44, #1. Used with the permission of ITEA: 13 Selected Rose Etudes by Cyrille Rose transcribed and edited for euphonium by David R. Werden. Cimarron Music Press. 15 Corrina Lane, Salem, CT 06420. 860-536-2185. Fax: 888-235-1772. sales@cimarronmusic.com. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM 2703. 2015. $20. David Werden served as the euphonium soloist with The United States Coast Guard Band and is an active euphonium soloist and educator based in Minnesota. He has published many arrangements for solo euphonium and ensembles, and has brought another exce ..read more

Many of you know I recently became (officially) an Alliance Artist. I was using an Alliance DC4 and now use the DC3, after many years of playing other mouthpiece from the Denis Wick brands. It is an usually comfortable mouthpiece! I don't know if it is because of the rim width or contour alone, or if the cup and backbore contribute to comfort by the way the respond. Whatever the case, it surely feels great! I have to thank David Childs for putting me on that track, because I had become skeptical that I would find a non-Wick mouthpiece that I wanted to use. My love of David's playing and sound ..read more