Brass Chats Interview with David Bilger

Welp, another month has come and gone since our last chat, which means at this point you’re stuck in a rut with no motivation, no practice material, no fun, and stagnant musical bones. Lucky for you, this month’s Brass Chatter is David Bilger, principal trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra—and as you might expect, he is an all-around winner.

Within these walls, you will find out:

the details of Dave’s entire routine
the hardest things he had to play in the Philly audition
Dave’s Mount Rushmore of trumpet players
the most important characteristic shared by Dave’s best students (…do you have them?)
what Dave learned from Ray Mase
the secret code that Dave and Tony Prisk share before every performance
stories about Dave and Mike Sachs battling it out in the Dallas finals, Mark Gould telling Dave he needs to learn to play like a Jew, and other yarns
how trumpet’s really not that big a deal

He’s a fountain of information, and when you’re done here with us you should go check out his Play With a Pro project. Dave’s a treat, his comedy chops are on point, and his trumpet chops are pretty good too. May this provide fuel for this month, and beyond!

And don’t forget, if all this puts lube on your mind, coupon code “Bilgeriferous” will spot you 16.66%—just click “products” atop this page, and go nuts!

Love, Monsters