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Associate Professor of Trumpet at the Hartt School, co-founder of the Washington Symphonic Brass, founder of the DC Pops Orchestra, and author of the widely used "Lyrical Etudes for Trumpet" book. We asked Phil Snedecor what he did to get good at trumpet and he told us all about a heck of a journey he went on to figure out this trumpet thing. Guess what?! He told us exactly how he did it!

Allan Dean - Professor of Trumpet at the Yale University School of Music - talks about forging a career outside the "safe" orchestral world of music. He also dishes about early music, why he wouldn't bring his horn to a deserted island, and tennis. Yes, tennis.

Word association time! You know how it works; I say a word, and you respond with the first thing that jumps to mind. Examples: Peanut Butter? Jelly. Star? Wars. Opera? She dies at the end. Okay...so....Louis Hanzlik? American Brass Quintet, Aspen, Juilliard, UCONN, Columbia Teacher's College ...yep, the list goes on. Today, it only takes 27 minutes and 14 seconds for you to become a better musician; what are you waiting for??? 

Adding handsomely to our stockpile of famously accomplished and otherworldly-good trumpet players in our Brass Chats Interview collection, this month we snared Tom Hooten, who sits in the principal trumpet chair for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

You heard him for years with the Brecker Brothers (not sure where they got the name from...), you saw him tear up the town in Stoplight Jazz, now join us for a swim through the inner workings of the mind of trumpet legend Randy Brecker!

David Krauss, principal trumpet of the Met Opera Orchestra in NYC, had a lot of great stuff to share: stories about taking lessons in Wynton Marsalis' apartment...an unfortunate and unmentionable pogo stick injury, his favorite place to play trumpet, and a few great stories—like the time he almost missed the biggest solo in opera right after he was hired. ...Also, pastrami. Lots of pastrami. Come hang! 

Vlad Lavrik is the principal trumpet of the Russian National Orchestra; he plays a mean horn and is actually a very fine conductor as well, and is exploring this passion very frequently at work and elsewhere. Also, a Vladimir Putin story, kinda.

You wouldn't know it, but don't be fooled by his mild-mannered, well-temperamented exterior; but Jim Wilt? Associate Principal Trumpet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic?  That guy is MAD at you. He told us, in this interview. We’re serious.

Quiz time: which number is bigger: number of calendar years A.D., or number of movies Malcolm McNab has played on? ....I'll give you a hint: the answer is the part about the number of movies. Give up?

LA Studio and Jazz player Carl Saunders has been described as "the best trumpet player you've never heard of." Well, we hope to change that with this month's Brass Chat because he's ridiculous.

You asked for it? You got it: Here's the three handsomest members of Monster Oil, giving you an inside look at their streams of consciousness as they test themselves during the Monster Round.

Go to college. Graduate. Win job immediately. Win bigger job immediately. This is more or less the musical equivalent of the LeBron James career track, followed in this instance by the phenomenal Ethan Bensdorf, who made the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra the Cleveland Cavaliers of the Orchestral World by taking his talents to the Big Apple, where he's now second trumpet for the New York Phil. Easy-Peasy, Lemon-Squeezey. Touching on topics ranging from his unconventional teaching style to what it was like to sit next to Phil Smith, this is an unmissable Brass Chat for sure.

This is the Brass Chats Interview you watch if you want to pick the brain of a man who likes hats, likes music, has an INSANE historical instrument collection (in the video, don't worry)…and built an empire from scratch.

Charlie Schlueter, principal trumpet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for an iconic 25 years, now enjoys a quiet retirement at his home in Massachusetts. ...except for when three fools like us come pounding down his door demanding to be seen and asking him a bunch of rude questions about how to get better at trumpet.

What to say about Terry Everson, other than the fact that he's an internationally renowned trumpet soloist, educator, clinician, composer, conductor, and church musician? He's also a darn-tooitn' nice fella.

Finally! A NON-trumpet player on Brass Chats. We know what you're thinking: "what does a NON-trumpet sound like? who makes them? how much do they cost? what size mouthpiece am I supposed to use? Will it help me with my double high-C?" Ha, ha, smart-alec, very funny. Tell your jokes to your mom why don't you, she always laughs at me. I... ...wait a minute, who was I insulting again?

Two things to learn about Mark Gould, if you don't already know them. 1: He was principal trumpet of the Met Opera for an absolutely staggering 29 years; and 2: He's a man that says what he means, and means what he says.

You can't be serious. THE Doc Severinsen? The guy from the Tonight Show? Trumpet Legend? With the high notes? ....how did you guys trick him into talking to you???

Mike Martin is known primarily for his snappy style of dress, dashing good looks, fine taste in shoes, and golfing habit. He spends his free time playing trumpet for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, working with DCI's The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps, Composing, and a whole bunch of other crap.

You can’t be a principal trumpet without being a boss. And Karin Bliznik is a total boss. A too-short interview—we’ll snag her again, hopefully. …

Ray Mase has taught trumpet to every professional trumpet player alive and employed today. It's a fact, look it up. You'll find it on the Internet. ...actually you just found it on the Internet. There, just then. You're on the Internet.

Leroy Jones doesn't get nearly the recognition that he deserves. He's better than you (obviously), and us (double obviously) and therefore you can learn a lot from listening to his playing, and you can get even further inside his head by listening to his Brass Chatting. …

Pete’s a badass beer-drinkin’ brass man who plays for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and is active lots of other places in the trumpet world. You already knew that though. We fled from the NYPD after shooting this interview, but that was off camera. Anyway, enjoy!

Denver Dill, bugler in the Hellcats (the West Point Band's field music group), sits down to shoot the breeze on overcoming a lip injury, performing modern works for trumpet, and—of course—a Monster Round for the ages.

Josh Landress, owner of J. Landress Brass in Manhattan, New York, New York, New York, New York, New York, USA, Earth, master repairer and instrument craftsman, sits down with the Monsters and straight up gets what's been comin' to him for a long, long time. 

If you're the principal trumpet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, you play trumpet like a boss. But who is Tom's biggest musical influence? This answer and more…only on Brass Chats.

In our candid talk with trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval, he reveals the #1 key to mastering improvisation, his amazing perspective on life's challenges, and... whether he prefers brunettes or blondes.