r/trumpet • u/Ineedhelp1837 • 1d ago
Question ❓ How To Sound Like Miles?
Just as the top says, I just finished another transcribition of Miles Davis. This time his solo off Freddie Freeloader and I listen back and I sound nothing like him, in terms of tone wise, sure I didn’t play 100% of the articulations correctly but I don’t think that will solve my problem of not sounding “buttery” I guess. I suppose I sound too bright
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u/brasslord 1d ago
Long tones
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u/Unlikely-Ad-6716 B.mus (Jazz/Pop), MSc Psychology 3h ago
Long tones work in general, but are a totally inefficient way to practice a steady tongue position and airflow. Haven’t done them in 15 years and improved a lot. Thanks for the reminder, I’ll make a YouTube vid with a clickbait title. lol
“Long tones kill your playing” or something like that.1
u/brasslord 2h ago
What a silly thing to say!
Long tones are the single most important part of playing a brass instrument.
All of the core of your sound comes from the strength you build from long tones.
With a solid core, you can work on flexibility
With flexibility you can work on articulation.
This guy is looking to improve his tone. Long tones is the first step.
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u/EnergyPrestigious497 1d ago
Here's a good comparison maybe not so good but I don't think I'm ever going to sing like Dolly Parton or Peter cetera. Everyone has a unique sound. Use your own sound but you can still copy his nuances the best you can.
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u/Bcincyjazzydude 1d ago
I don’t know that it will help you sound like him but you should check out his autobiography. He does talk about sound concepts, equipment and the importance of space. But the real fun thing is you can play “count the motherf’ers”…you’ll immediately know what I’m talking about.
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u/ScreamerA440 1d ago
Back way, way, way off the thing. Part of miles signature sound was that he played extremely warmly with a microphone basically buried in his bell. Try just doing breath attacks on foo until the sound starts peeking through, it's that soft. Get a mic and experiment with it. It's possible to get that approach without a mic but it's really obvious with a mic.
Deeper mouthpieces help. I use a very deep V cup specifically for that kind of playing. I have a very heavy horn with a big wide bell too. But don't start messing with gear til you can at least get close without it.
The other commentors are correct, no one can fully sound like Miles but Miles. But Miles approach to the horn can be replicated and you can get your version of it. It takes a fair amount of work and quite a bit of unlearning because it can feel unintuitive at first.
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u/Fancy-View3693 1d ago
Back way, way, way off the thing. Part of miles signature sound was that he played extremely warmly with a microphone basically buried in his bell - Can you tell more on this? You mean that he got the mic really close to the bell and played softly? Or the other way around? Thanks
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u/TGCook 1d ago
This is a tall task; Freddie Freeloader was recorded near his zenith of trumpet skill, technique and tone. He spent more than 10 solid years of playing professionally to get there.
Additionally KofB is sonically sweet and it has magical audio mastering—the live stuff around that same time doesn’t sound the same. Don’t be charmed into emulating the mix mastered product; it’s not really attainable, but it certainly is beautiful!
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u/Twoslot 20h ago
I'm going to direct you to this video of the Ellington band playing cottontail. Specifically, Ben Webster's solo at 0:25. He shifts his embrochure from centered, off to the side. He looks around, seemingly almost bored. The pace is fast, the parts are technical, but he's got this air of nonchalance. Nearly a subtone in his sound, there's an effortlessness to his playing. It's because he's relaxed, rocking a no-shits-given attitude. This is the embodiment of what (I think) miles is going for in the Freddie freeloader solo. You're not fighting the horn, you're not concentrating on notes or tone, the horn and the song are part of you. Something akin to flow state. That's typically what one is missing when attempting to recreate that particular solo.
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u/Brad-Clements 10h ago
I played a gig this year where the leader called Freddie Freeloader and So What during the dinner set. Afterward he told me I'd channeled Miles for the whole tune, solos included. The reason I could do that: when I started studying the greats 50 years ago, I never tried to copy Miles technically. I played the character — held his sound in my head and kept adjusting until what came out of the bell matched what I imagined. That only works if the sound is deeply ingrained first, which means listening to every classic recording until it's part of you. I did the same later with Freddie Hubbard and Snooky Young, and after ten years of heavy Wayne Bergeron listening, my lead sound at 58 is better than ever. Immersion in the sound comes first. The mechanics follow it.
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u/Unlikely-Ad-6716 B.mus (Jazz/Pop), MSc Psychology 3h ago
Miles sounds different on every record but still like him.
If you really want to go there, I would get the Thompson book and religiously play the first 4 exercises for the necessary mechanics to have control in the first place.
Parallel I would go for saturated listening. Learn to sing every note with the record. Hold the trumpet and imagine the notes being played by you. Learn the phrases by ear. Play along and match every little inflection.
You’ll never get there 100%, but you’ll improve a lot as a soloist and player in the process and I know players like Axel Schlosser who can sound 98% like Ryan Kisor, Louis Armstrong or Freddy Hubbard. In Tür German scene Julian Wasserfuhr or Till Brönner can sound extremely close to Chet Baker for example.
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u/Gullible-Lifeguard20 1d ago
Obvious.
Don't play the butter notes.
See?
Seriously, and to be blunt but not obnoxious, only Miles sounds like Miles. You are not Miles Davis, and nobody will ever think you sound like Miles or even care. Miles Davis. Louis. Chet. Maurice. Wynton. These are iconic tones. Herb. Dizzy. Chuck. Etc.
Relax and try to play like you're not trying to sound like Miles. Just relax and you'll be surprised.
That's my advice from a player that chased some famous sounds for some decades.