We we're recently pleased to have the opportunity to put the RPO trumpet section in touch with the fine trumpet manufacturer Stomvi, with the result that the whole section now choose to play Stomvi Titan Bb and C trumpets. This new model from Stomvi is an absolute triumph. Finally they have produced a Bb trumpet that we think will become as poplular as their smaller trumpets. The Titan Bb Trumpet is a great all rounder with fantastic projection, intonation and playability. The C trumpet has great intonation to rival the new yamaha range. The tone though is more subtle and richer and I think this certainly attracted the RPO section to this model over and above the Yamaha Chicago C. If anyone wants any more info or to give this new range of trumpets a blow, give us a ring or pop along to the Brass shop in Chesham. I have posted an interview that we were fortunate to gain from this great trumpet section below.
click this link for our web sit for more info:
http://www.prozonemusic.com/brass/
ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA TRUMPET SECTION TALKS TO WILL WATSON OF PROZONE MUSIC. Published in the Brass Herald.

Will Watson of Prozone Music recently managed to pin down Brian Thompson, Adam Wright, Mike Allen and Joe Atkins as they travelled off to Russia to talk about their hectic schedule, keeping their chops in shape, and their musical lives in London:

WW: Hi chaps. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. You’re just on your way to Russia, one of the many trips abroad that you and the orchestra will be making this year. Do you enjoy touring?

ANSWER MA: Generally yes. The section get on really well and there's always a lot of banter. Good repertoire can really make a difference too. In Moscow the programmes will include Don Juan, Till Eulenspiegel and Also Sprach, so we'll all be pretty busy. Sometimes though we fly out, do a rehearsal and concert and fly home the same evening. That can be pretty exhausting.


WW: Do you think that the demands on the modern orchestral musician are higher these days, what with more travel, higher standards etc? How do you cope with the schedule and manage to stay on top of your game?

ANSWER: BT: It certainly can be very demanding – our recent schedule has been ridiculously busy with trips abroad and quite substantial repertoire. I think any professional musician has a very high “bottom line” and I don’t suppose that has really changed but rather the conditions we live in and have to work with have. A freelance orchestra such as ours needs to work abroad to make ends meet so with the ease of flying trips abroad become more frequent. We’re probably under an increased public glare these days too so that adds a little extra awareness of standards to keep up. Coping with the schedule needs a little care – you don’t have to practise too much since you are playing a lot but rather a little balanced practise keeps the playing ticking over nicely. We cope with the physically tiring side of it by keeping fit – many of us run and hit the gym on tour, this really helps you feel better by increasing your energy levels when otherwise you might just feel like sleeping. This becomes more obvious when you are away for a prolonged period as we were in January with our month-long USA tour.


WW: The RPO seems to be going from strength to strength. What do you think are the driving factors in the orchestras current success?

ANSWER: AW: I think there are several key factors, such as good management and excellent conductors (continuing next year with the arrival of Charles Dutoit as Musical Director). From a playing point of view one of the things the orchestra does particularly well is to slip into many different styles so easily and still maintain an amazingly high standard. We can be playing a Mahler Symphony one day, a Symphonic Rock concert the next, and then some Beethoven straight after that. This versatility makes us very employable in the rapidly changing music business, and attracts a lot of excellent players because of that variety.

WW: When you do have time off, how do you relax? Or is it just more gigs outside of the orchestra?

ANSWER: MA: I still have a job with the Birmingham Royal Ballet so managing both the RPO and the BRB largely rules out other work. As for relaxing, I love going on holiday with my family, usually to Florida (although you can't do that all the time unfortunately). My twin sons are both brass players, and getting to their concerts whenever I'm free is a real treat. The boys also love cricket and watching them play for their school team is brilliant, although I get so worked up sometimes it can't be good for the blood pressure!


WW: With its abundant gig schedule, the RPO has always had a very generous extra players list, giving valuable work to freelance and new players. Do you feel it is important to give young players fresh out of college a chance?

ANSWER BT: Absolutely. These are often the only chances available to young players other than auditions and they don’t occur too often. Most London orchestral players teach in various colleges too, and since we are all mates we are aware of who’s up and coming so it’s nice to watch successful students progress into the profession. We need to maintain a battery of extras too since we have the RPO Concert orchestra as well as filling the section for bigger programs and requiring appropriate subs for our days off.


WW: So getting brassy for a minute. Are there any strict routines any of you stick to in order to keep your chops in check?

ANSWER JA: I find that a concentrated warm up of about 30mins early in the day helps set the chops up for most challenges. Not that I’m compulsive about this, but my trumpet travels with me on foreign tours and even family holidays! Warming up is quality time but it’s also great to get it over and done with!
AW: I agree with Joe, but also find it important to vary my warm up according to the sort of things we are playing that day or week. I always start with the same lip flexibilities (which most of the orchestra could probably sing to you!) and then cover things that I’m not going to be doing in the repertoire. For example if we are doing a few Beethoven concerts I will make sure I do a little more on my high range to keep it ticking over, and conversely I will do a few more low, quiet exercises if we are doing some film or pop music.

WW: Recently you were invited to visit the Stomvi factory in Spain to choose instruments and are now Stomvi artists. Can you tell us a little bit about the trip?

ANSWER: MA: We had a great time at the Stomvi factory. Vicent (the owners son) showed us round the factory in Valencia and it was fascinating to see how bells were bent, leadpipes manufactured, valve blocks assembled etc. We had a long session testing out B flat and C trumpets (only interrupted by a fantastic lunch). Vincente (the owner) was very keen to listen to us and hear our thoughts. They have a great set up there. The instruments we chose are great and getting better the more we play them.


WW: You chose Stomvi Titan Bb and C trumpets, a new range from the manufacturer. Can you tell how us what characteristics you like and how they respond in the Orchestra?

ANSWER: AW: From a players point of view they are lovely trumpets. They are extremely well made, in tune, and very even over the whole range. There are also plenty of different bell and lead pipe combinations, which is great for us as we all prefer slightly different characteristics in our instruments. I use quite a large mouthpiece, so have gone for a larger lead pipe and find they match up really well, enabling me to blow freely whilst still giving plenty of security over the entire range. As a section we have found the biggest difference is that they blend together into a homogenous sound, rather than being four separate noises. As a result, playing as a section and blending with the orchestra as a whole becomes very easy.

WW: Traditionally, London trumpet sections have played Bb trumpets. Seemingly more and more are turning to C trumpets. Why do you think this is?

ANSWER: BT: I think the tradition of using Bb trumpets is still very strong in the UK, it produces a very distinctive sound that we relate to as the basis of our orchestral identity and I’m not convinced that C trumpets are fully established here as they are in America. Indeed if you study here you will almost certainly leave College with a very strong sense of Bb pitch. While this forms the basis of your mental skills it can also make it difficult for some people to relate fully to concert pitch or other transpositions and it requires substantial practise for this to feel natural. That said I think more and more Trumpet players are making use of these skills for a variety of reasons. Personally I find it very useful to be able to pick up a different trumpet to make a passage more approachable, make it easier to play and produce an appropriate sound. For example, I would use a C trumpet for a tricky modern piece where the part is written in C, it’s just easier, or for Mahler 5 where I prefer the slightly brighter sound in the louder passages. The Eb can get you out of a lot of trouble too in higher passages such as the solo in the final movement of Bartok’s Concerto for orchestra and the Trumpet feature in YPG. Playing Mozart in a chamber-sized band sounds better on a lighter instrument, Brahms and Beethoven sounds great on rotary trumpets so its important to consider the setting you are playing in too, making your choice of instrument for musical reasons.


WW: Do you think London brass players are being more influenced by the American or European brass sounds these days?

ANSWER: JA: Certainly we are becoming more aware of our counterparts across the globe, but it seems that we London players maintain our own style and are not influenced by what we hear elsewhere. It’s important that brass players adopt the individual style of their respective countries.

WW: I understand you are shortly to do a charity bike ride from Lands end to John ‘o Groats. Can you tell us about it, and how readers could get involved?

ANSWER: AW: As Brian mentioned a lot of us find keeping fit is an excellent way of coping with the hectic schedule we have, and there are quite a few keen cyclists in the Orchestra. We got talking a while ago and decided to give ourselves a bit of a challenge! There are eight of us going to be riding the 1000 miles up the country in August (10th-21st) and we are hoping to raise lots of money for Leonard Cheshire Disability to fund more of the amazing music projects they run. If anybody wants to find out more about the ride, or maybe sponsor us (please!) you can click onto www.justgiving.com/symphoniccycle

WW: Well good luck with the ride, enjoy Russia, and thanks again for stopping to chat.

Prozone Music News
August 2008-08-28


It’s been an exciting summer here at Prozone Music. We have not been idle and are very pleased to announce the launch of our new web site. You will now find four separate Zones on our new site http://www.prozonemusic.com/ Brass; woodwind; Strings and Percussion and Recordings. Each Zone works independently and the thought is that someone looking for a trumpet mute, won’t get lost in a sea of saxophone reeds! On the pro-side we still maintain our focus on the Brass Instrument and accessory catalogue but due to customer demand have branched out into other instruments and accessories, all at our usual great prices! We will over the coming months be increasing our features such as free downloads; ring tones and interviews with top pros, so keep logging on to find out what’s new.

On September 1st 2008 we will be opening a new music shop in Watford. It is located in a brand new centre for music in Watford and the surrounding area, “The Clarendon Muse”. The building is the new home of the Watford School of Music and the music department for Watford Boys Grammar School. Following our success in being awarded the tender to supply musical instruments to Hertfordshire County Council, we are pleased to open this great new resource for the music schools and surrounding community. In the shop we have 1000’s of sheet music titles and books; CD’s; instruments of all kinds from trumpets to violins to electric guitars! We will be offering VAT free purchasing through the assisted purchase scheme offered by Hertfordshire Music Service and also through Watford Grammar School for Boys. This means customers will be able to save the VAT on top of our usual discount prices. Please contact us for more details. The Address is; Prozone Music @ The Clarendon Muse. Watford Grammar School for Boys. Rickmansworth Road. Watford. WD18 7JF
We are also offering an instrument Rental Scheme. Prices start from £12 per month and all instruments are available. Contact us here at the shop in Chesham or down at the Clarendon Muse for more information.

With regard to the recording side of our business, Tom has been increasingly busy working with some of the country’s best bands, choirs, ensembles and session musicians. Recent clients include; Desford brass band, The Milnrow Brass Band, Bones Apart trombone quartet, The Camarilla Ensemble, The Korros Ensemble, Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra……. The list goes on. For great deals on location or Studio recording please email or call: info@prozonemusic.com; 01494 776262.

Keep an eye out for our new product news and September Sale coming soon.

Welcome to Prozone Music

Prozone Music is a music shop company started by two professional musicians, Tom and Will Watson, with the goal of supplying the best quality musical instruments, accessories and sheet music at great prices. All major manufacturers are supplied in the four musical instrument/accessory segments of the music shop; Brass, Strings and Percussion, Woodwind and Recordings.

Bach, Conn, Yamaha, Stomvi, Edwards, Denis Wick, Jo Ral, Best Brass Mutes, Marcus Bonna Cases, Buffet Crampon, Besson, York, Stentor, Humes and Berg, Ritter, Pro tec, Reunion Blues, GIG, Fox Bassoons, Schreiber, Adler and many more...