🔥 Lifetime for Just $499 – Ends Sunday! Claim Offer →
tonebase Brass Course

Gershwin

Two Jazz-Inspired Excerpts

Taught by renowned trumpet player

Chris Gekker

In this course, Chris Gekker examines two of George Gershwin's well-known excerpts for the concert stage that draw heavily from jazz of the 1920s. He finishes by sharing some profound thoughts on practicing articulation.

  • checkmark icon
    Difficulty: 
    intermediate
  • checkmark icon
    Duration: 
    1
     hours 
     hour

Course Syllabus

Gershwin Concerto

Chris explores the trumpet solo in Gershwin's Concerto in F for solo piano and orchestra. He debunks myths about mutes, explains why this music should swing, and how to feather the valves in this excerpt.

American in Paris

There are two famous trumpet excerpts in "American in Paris," and Chris discusses how to play them in a style that's informed by jazz but not overly inflected. He goes on to share insight into a few other pieces in the trumpet literature that show a heavy jazz influence.

Language and Articulation

In this standalone lecture, Chris examines the significance of the articulation on our interpretation of sound. He also explains why he prefers warming up with articulation on the trumpet, sharing his complete practice routine.

Click here to download the course workbook PDF and see the full syllabus →
Chris Gekker
meet YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Chris Gekker

Chris Gekker has done everything a trumpet player can do – from playing Guest Principal with the New York Philharmonic to lead trumpet in the Count Basie band to playing with the American Brass Quintet for eighteen years – and everything in between.

read full bio →
Chris Gekker

Instant access to in-depth courses!

Preview our curated selection of trombone courses below. With lessons covering fundamentals, technical training, style and interpretation, you won't find a more thorough and enriching learning experience anywhere else.

Real reviews from real customers.

Our members rate us at 4.8/5 stars. Here’s how a few of them transformed their trumpet skills since joining tonebase.

“Instead of scouring the internet for hours for performance tips and tricks, I now have access to a wealth of high-quality content from renowned artists at my fingertips!“

Omid S.

joined Sep. 2022

“Sincerely speaking, a few months with tonebase help me solve many issues I have had with my fingers for years if not decades.“

Giao P.

joined Mar. 2021

“We [in the community] all give each other wonderful, positive feedback. The teachers also give incredibly detailed ways that we can improve our playing."

Eric P.

joined Apr. 2020