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I always practice etudes like this at a very slow tempo (half of the marked tempo), ensuring that I'm not playing any incorrect notes or rhythms, then slowly increase the tempo by 1-5 bpm until you reach the recommended tempo on the music.

@@ericmpenathank you!!

@@Oscarggarcia1 I can hear that also. The Silver Flare has a bit more brilliance, while the Thane has a bit more core. The Universal maybe doesn’t have enough brilliance or core. It’s also the lightest horn and feels like it has the least note stability. I’ve used the Silver Flare on a few gigs already and my only complaints are that it’s a bit heavy (2lb 10oz) and it takes a lot of air to play. It sounds and feels like a large horn. Overall I still prefer my Thane for most situations. It’s the easiest to play and gives me a great balance of brilliance with a good amount of core to the notes.

@@Alex-hp5rs I have a video comparing the 37 and 72 bells on Performance series horns. The 37 bell will have a smaller sound, more narrow and focused sound cone, better forward projection, slightly clearer articulation clarity, and a bit more blow resistance. I think the 37 bell is a great choice for all purpose playing. It can really fit any role you want. The 72 bell has a larger sound, wider sound cone, and a more open blow. I think the 72 bell is great for a soloist, or anyone who prefers the feel of a bigger horn with a huge sound. Red brass would be ideal for a soloist horn. My personal horn is a 72 gold brass bell, which gives it some of the best characteristics from both the 37 and 72 bell.

@@Alex-hp5rs Here’s a link to that video: th-cam.com/video/NP2sQ8nLknc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=H-f2lvEAFZ_F9gZb

@@chrisguerra9501 Hey Chris, I’m not aware of any recordings at the moment, but I have a friend who said he plans on recording the armonia etudes. I’ll check in with him and see if there is any update on that.

@@ericmpena Ok thank you so much i’ll be on the lookout when they release

I thought the same thing, so I asked John Nieto about it and he responded: “These are the suggested speeds but if it sounds decent slower I’m ok with that.” I feel that 115bpm might be a little more reasonable. Just try to play it fast, but not uncomfortably fast. I wouldn’t suggest any student try to play it at 126bpm unless you are comfortable with doing so.

@@ericmpena oh ok so the way you played it is the correct tempo, but if needed we can go slower. Ah ok thank you ❤️

@@Lock_bh correct! I would recommend trying for 110-115bpm. That should be acceptable.

Do you live in Texas? If so, you’d probably have to ask your band/orchestra/mariachi teacher how to audition. I’ve never auditioned myself for mariachi, so I’m not sure what the process is like these days.

@@ericmpena alright thx

The etudes have been available since May 15th! I’ve been slacking a bit on getting them recorded though. I’ll try to get Etude #2 done this week.

@@ericmpena Ah, still surprising

@@50JJRodriguez I just uploaded Etude #2. Go check it out!

Yes, I’ve been meaning to get them recorded. I’ll try to get them uploaded by the end of the week.

I just uploaded Etude #1. I'll try to get #2 uploaded ASAP.

@@ericmpena cool thank you

No, but he should have! He was loving it! He let me borrow his sterling Bach for a while, so it’s coming back to Texas with me. I’ll probably make a video with it once I get used to it.

That sounds close to what I remember. The Thane in this video is the 37 taper, which is a bit tighter feeling than what I’m currently using these days. The Lotus Classic compares better to my current Thane which has a larger bell. If you’re talking about a Martin Committee, I’m not too sure how the Thane compares. I’ve never owned a Martin. If you’re talking about a Martin Böhme horn, then no…the Thane has classic tone while Martin Böhme’s horns have a darker tone. Between the two horns in the video, I was absolutely more confident when playing the Thane. This Lotus Classic (old gen) did not slot too well. I consistently missed notes on that horn. The newer Lotus models have better slotting. Even then, I’d still pick the Thane for its better build quality, versatility, and playability.

​@ericmpena I thought Lotus was a more expensive horn? 😯. In your opinion, what would you use lotus horns for?

@@da11king The Lotus is $5700 and the Thane Performance is $3850. I wouldn’t choose a Lotus for anything since I feel that my Thane does everything better. If I didn’t own a Thane Performance, then a newest generation Lotus Universal wouldn’t be a bad choice for all around use. I think the Lotus Universal is a fantastic playing horn, but the Thane is still my pick for multiple reasons.

@ericmpena never heard of Thane horns before. How does it compare to Bach or Yamaha? I will check it out thank you, sir.

@@da11king Thane’s quality is superior since it is a hand crafted trumpet versus factory made. Every part on the Thane is hand fit. This quality carries into the horn’s playability. Tuning is better, note resonance is more even, etc.

These two horns felt very close in comparison. The Thane Performance in this video is the 37 bell, which has a ML feel to it. The Chicago Monette’s bell seemed to be a similar size. Efficiency: For some reason, I struggled to play the Monette for more than 2 hours at a time. After 2 hours, the horn would choke up on me. I think it might be because the horn had a slightly tighter blow than the Thane. This was one of the main reasons for selling the Monette. Within the first 2 hours of playing though, both horns felt very efficient and my playing was consistent. The Thane was just easier to play for longer periods of time. Intonation: Both horns were fantastic. You wouldn’t be unhappy with either. There weren’t any notes that needed to be uncomfortably adjusted to be in tune. Feedback: I want to say that it’s also about the same with both horns. They both had a brighter tone with great projection. I’d maybe give the edge slightly to the Thane, just because it was a bit more open so it allowed you to get a powerful sound easier. Openness: Very close again. I think the Monette was slightly tighter, but it wasn’t something I’d notice until hours of playing the two side by side. Both horns were very comfortable to play at the start of the day. Like I said, the Monette didn’t seem to work for me after 2 hours…so eventually the tightness of the horn would catch up to me. Ergonomics: Here’s another main reason I sold the Monette. This horn felt like it was made for someone with tiny hands. The 3rd slide ring was very close to the valve block, and it was too small to fit my finger into. The wrap on the horn also felt narrow, so I couldn’t comfortably hold the horn. It was a bit annoying. The Thane is a more modern feeling instrument. The ergonomics on Thane are leaps ahead of this Monette model. I’d be interested to see if the MB-111 addresses some of the issues I had with this Chicago Monette. Still, with the MB-111 being almost $10,000…I can’t imagine it’s worth investing in over a Thane trumpet that will perform the same or better.

@@ericmpena Very helpful.. You've written elsewhere that your Thane has conventional valves (non-MAW, to be specific) so the comparison there is apples-to-apples. I notice that you don't use a pivot, either, which is the preferred playing position for Monette instruments. Great information, thanks again.

@@gregorysolman7404 I go back and forth between MAW pistons, but only on my newest Thane with the large, gold brass bell. In this video comparing the 37 Thane to the Chicago Monette, the Thane was using standard pistons. MAW pistons are still a weird thing for me. I like them sometimes, and then other times I prefer the standard pistons. There’s no clear better choice when it comes to the pistons. It’s largely a personal preference choice.

Should play different styles.

I believe the large, red brass bell would be very warm sounding. The medium, yellow brass bell should be a “bright” sounding Tumultus, but it’s still a dark sounding trumpet. I can only imagine how much more mellow the sound would get with a larger bell. The Thane was probably the brightest sounding of these three horns. The Lotus Universal wasn’t far behind though. I was a bit surprised at how different the Tumultus was when compared to these two, considering the Tumultus was a “bright” configuration.

@@ericmpena Thanks, Eric. To my ear, the Lotus sounds as if it is giving you a very slight edge in the upper register passages. Any notes on efficiency?

@@gregorysolman7404 I’ve found after about 5 months of testing that the MAW pistons help my endurance overall. Standard pistons feel like the horn has more horsepower, while MAW pistons feel like the horn has better efficiency. How does that apply to these horns? Well, the Lotus and Tumultus use MAW pistons…so both horns feel very efficient. The one downfall (IMO) of the Tumultus is that it’s too free blowing (reversed leadpipe). The Lotus feels more like a ML horn, thus making it feel even less tiring to play for long periods. For my Thane, I have a set of standard pistons as well as a set of MAW pistons. Typically I like the standard pistons due to the more powerful, open sound I get with them. However, the MAW pistons in the Thane work very well also. You have to adjust your playing efforts a bit, but after 30 minutes or so your body adapts to the quicker response of the MAW pistons and you start to play more efficiently. It’s a preference thing from my experience, just like cars. Do you like cars with powerful engines or fuel efficient engines? No choice is the right choice for everyone. It depends what YOU want as a player.

@@MultiTrumpetman I wanted to throw in some classical examples, but the Lotus and Tumultus sold so quickly that I didn’t have much time to record. I spent maybe an hour figuring out what to play, then getting clips from all 3 horns…then I had to speed to UPS and get the horns sent off to their new owner. (Yes, one person bought both the Lotus & Tumultus) Next time I’ll try to include some classical etudes as well. I’m not much of a jazz player, but maybe someday I can throw in a jazz example or two.

I agree! The Thane is absolutely the more versatile instrument with a wider range of colors. I was hoping the medium, yellow brass bell on the Tumultus would have some versatility to it, but honestly it's simply a warm, dark sounding trumpet. I can still get a very warm sound on my Thane when I want, or I can make it sound bright and cut through crowd noise when needed. Just being able to have that type of versatility in my sound makes the Thane the winner for me.

Usually I play identical examples with each horn, but for this video I wanted to try playing straight through a song while alternating horns in the process, that way viewers only have to watch the video once rather than skipping back and forth to compare the horns.

Both Feroce’s played very smoothly. Between the two Feroce’s, I preferred the larger bell since it had a bigger sound. When compared to my Thane Performance, I feel that the Thane has a clearer, more defined tone. Playability also feels easier on my Thane. I liked that the Feroce has different gap options for the receiver, so you can experiment with changing how the horn slots. While it sounds like a good idea on paper, I felt that it lead to inconsistencies with my playing. I jumped frequently between the 3 and 4 gap, but neither choice felt optimal for me. With the Thane, it’s ready to go right when you pick it up. No need to mess with configurations. It’s a simpler horn, and that seems to work better for me. In the end, I sold the Feroce and kept my Thane. Aside from the playability, the Thane also had better tuning and ergonomics. The 1st slide ring on the Feroce is a bit narrow and sharp on the edges, which was uncomfortable to hold after a while.

Thanks! Phrasing is something that I constantly think about. I’m glad you noticed that small detail in my playing!

The 16th at the beginning and ending are double tongue. I used single tongue during the slower, middle section.

I’m liking the gold brass a lot. The yellow brass is very traditional sounding, and red brass was a bit too warm. The gold brass seems to be a great balance of the two. Lots of core to the tone without it being overly bright or warm.

@@ericmpena Agreed. I've never considered a gold brass bell before but it's something I'd definitely consider.

Based on how many attempts it would take me to record each section, the Thane was more consistent at getting the job done. I fumbled quite a bit more with the Lotus Solo. Regarding sound, I’d say the Lotus is great at filling up the space around you, while the Thane is great at filling up the space in front of you.

Yeah, I’m aware!

I agree!

I think I’d like the lacquered one for classical or ensemble playing. The raw horn brightens up better for lead playing, but also has a great solo sound if you back off. You can’t go wrong with either though!

No, I used my Austin Custom Brass mouthpiece. The size is 0B, similar to a 1.25B

I’ve tried a lot of Lotus sizes but was not able to find something comfortable. I’ve learned that short shank mouthpieces (Lotus, Monette) don’t give me the tone I like.

@@ericmpena then why but a lotus trumpet ?

@@javiermanzanares4798 Because you do not need to play a Lotus mouthpiece in order to play a Lotus trumpet. Use whichever mouthpiece is the most comfortable for you. Matching the mouthpiece brand to the horn has never given me better results than just using what I’m most comfortable with.

No, this Chicago Monette is from 1985.

They are written from scratch each year. I have the 2022-2023 music in my Dropbox. I’ll upload the 2024 audition music once it’s available. www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/72j2bfq6tzer4m8sozqvl/2024_Trumpet_Etude_Packet.pdf?rlkey=15r32pv6jquk55dym6b54hk10&dl=0

Ah ok. Do you know who the composer is?

@@robgreaney3203 John Nieto who teaches at Brackenridge and Josue Eddy Lopez who teaches at Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy

@@ericmpena awesome thank you so much!!!!

@@robgreaney3203 No problem!

www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/72j2bfq6tzer4m8sozqvl/2024_Trumpet_Etude_Packet.pdf?rlkey=15r32pv6jquk55dym6b54hk10&dl=0

Thanks for the comment! I’m actually the player in the recording. This audition music was for the Texas All-State Mariachi for High School. I was not auditioning, I am a professional mariachi based out of Austin, TX. In traditional mariachi music, it is rare that the music ever goes above a high B. Mariachi music tends to be scale and arpeggio heavy, which is why these etudes are written this way. I agree about the difficulty. I learned this piece in maybe 2 hours and had it ready for recording in a day. Classical etudes require a greater amount of control and endurance. If you see my other videos, there are a few classical etudes that I’ve recorded. The purpose of this video was not to bring attention to the difficulty of mariachi etudes, but simply for the students to have a reference on style. The All-State mariachi etudes are unique and written from scratch every year, unlike classical etudes where you can find multiple recordings for reference online. That’s why I took the time to record this.

está de vacación para estar con su familia que vive en los ángeles

Here’s a link to my Dropbox: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/72j2bfq6tzer4m8sozqvl/2024_Trumpet_Etude_Packet.pdf?rlkey=15r32pv6jquk55dym6b54hk10&dl=0