“Don’t Be A Professional Musician Unless You Have To”, Plus A Deep Dive Into the Kinetic Transference of Energy Into Trumpets with Ken Larson!
“Half of trumpet playing is 92% mental.”
That Berra-esque butchering of a common refrain of trumpeters is brought to you by Ken Larson’s Brasswerks, and today we’re honored to feature the one and only Ken Larson on the podcast.
This interview was a long time in the planning as it took quite a bit of time for our schedule’s to align (see what I did there?), but we finally made it work and my goodness, it didn’t disappoint!
Ken is one of a kind, and as you’ll hear in this interview, a trove of knowledge regarding the physics and physicality of playing, and a very practical, no-nonsense approach to whether or not one should pursue the profession of music-making.
I enjoyed this one, and know you will too. (As a gentle reminder, true listeners listen to the podcast at 1x speed, just saying 😉
What you’ll hear in this episode:
-Using orchestral auditions to test out new horns lol…03:15
-Success as a musician is 92% mental…05:30
-Ken shares his founding origins as a trumpeter….09:05
-Learning to play efficiently after a major car accident…16:30
-We all have the ingredients; it’s up to you to make it happen!…20:30
-How Ken cut his teeth in modifying horns, and working for Bob Malone…23:10
-Why your horn will break into you, not the other way around…27:15
-How the energy of one player is “captured” in the metal of a particular instrument….31:00
-How Ken defines himself as a trumpet player and builder…37:15
-How to tell a client what they need vs. what they think they want…39:30
-How your physiology, fitness, state of mind, even the time of the month can affect your music-making…42:30
-How Ken simplifies things for his trumpet students…48:40
-Music a means of preserving community…52:30
–Plus whatever your discerning ears deem worthy of your time and interest…
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