McAfee Method Reviews

Dear Andrew McAfee,

Ole from Norway here,

Have watched most of your videos and tried your concept. I find what you say and demonstrate very enlightening. Have never seen any other brass teacher do the same.

I have tried your ideas on all my brass, tuba, trombone, horn and trumpet – have found the “bark point” on all of them (I have the same setting on all – most upper lip – even on trumpet)

Thanks for sharing all this great information!

Best wishes,

Ole

Kind regards,

Ole J. Utnes

Buskerud and Vestfold University College

Your method book is ridiculously amazing. I haven’t been this excited about playing in a long, long time. I’ve seen a lot of method books, but I’ve never seen one like this. Everything makes sense so far. My favorite thing is that the fundamental elements (confirmations) are continually stressed throughout. Every other method book I’ve seen starts off with the fundamentals, and then by the time you’re partway in, they leave you in the middle of the woods with no map or compass.Using this new set-up makes me feel a little super-human compared to before, and I over-did it a few days ago. The cool thing is that if you DO over-do it- as long as you’re sticking to the confirmations, it’s just muscle fatigue, not damage. Today my chin was a little shaky at first because of last night playing that Britten. Rodney ran the high/loud stuff over and over and I freaking pasted it to the wall. The horns actually got asked to mark down a dynamic on that “La Mer-ish” section I showed you. That’s the first time I can remember ever being asked to quiet down in the high register!
Josh

Hi Andrew,
I’ve written in the past, about the many ways you Have helped me and my horn playing.
This time it is about a trumpet player in the easton municipal band. She plays Solo trumpet for the band and was having trouble with endurance and her tone. She came to me and said that she was thinking of getting a new mouthpiece To take care of her problems of endurance and range. Being a retired music teacher I couldn’t resist talking to her about her problem. I told her about all of concepts I have learned from you And directed her to your website. I explained to her your system of playing on the bottom part of a note and of pulling your lips in towards the center and also of bunching your lips inside the mouthpiece. She tried all of these concepts in her next practice and also in the concert we just had this afternoons. Her tone increased in its resonance her range increased all away up to a high D above the staff and she was able to play the entire concert without a problem and also had enough lip For another Concert this evening. We both Owe you a big Thank you.

Musically, Jim Freund

Hi Andrew,

I have found you in YouTube a couple of weeks ago, I saw all of your videos, and then my learning was leveraged enormously, In fact I need to thank you as well, because your method is indeed a treasure, I mean, with the precise description of concepts you can make almost everyone, start the horn learning, also making it a joyful and encouraging experience.

: )

And congratulations for the simple and outstanding insights with the horn teaching, now I am starting to sound nice when I play!

Kind Regards

Daniel

Hi Andrew,

I received the book yesterday and have started to absorb a lot of the information. I have found that every word of your instruction becomes extremely valuable. It seems that every time I read or listen to your tapes you say or write something which I either glossed over or forgot which makes a big difference. I am having a little trouble understanding “heavy air” but given a little time I know it will clear and I will have the concept.

After our last concert, where we played The Sound Of Music, our tuba player, a gentleman of 94 who used to play principal horn for us until his eyesight got so bad he couldn’t continue on the horn and switched to tuba, came up to me at the next rehearsal and complimented me on my work at the concert. He was especially impressed with my tone and legato phrasing. I used my jaw to span the large intervals. I never used to use my jaw at all but tried to use just the embouchure.

I hope by studying your book and listening to your tapes I will come closer to my goal of being a good horn player. I just hope at 79 it isn’t too late.

I am anxious to start working the exercises.

Musically,

Jim Freund