ShulmanSystem Ad
REMOVE EFFORT, ATTAIN MASTERY.
Testimonials "Matt has designed a very hip tool for helping trumpeters develop in several areas: The ShulmanSystem promotes good posture, keeps extraneous body movement to a minimum, reduces tension, and encourages the use of wind to blow your chops toward the mouthpiece. I've also found it's helped me to hold the horn with a more relaxed feel when away from it." -Nicholas Payton "The ShulmanSystem has really opened my eyes: Eliminates poor postural habits? Check!
Easier to play? Check!
Bigger sound? Check!
Better response? Check!
Better endurance? Check!
Lots of fun? Check!
Easier to Make Music? Double Check!!
You won't believe the results!
Highly recommended!!"
--Jon Faddis, world renown virtuoso "The ShulmanSystem is single-handedly changing the world of trumpet playing. I hope the day will soon come when every fine trumpet manufacturer will offer the System as an option for every customer. It seems to me that ANY SERIOUS PLAYER should invest in his/her playing by buying and using the ShulmanSystem." --Jeanne Pocius
Professional Soloist, "The Chop Doctor", USA
"From the first time I tried the ShulmanSystem, I was immediately hooked. The ShulmanSystem teaches you to play the trumpet correctly. THE RESULTS ARE ASTOUNDING. It will ease tension and coerce your body into responding correctly to the physicality of tone production, posture, and breath control. You just have to try it and see for yourself--the feeling can't quite be explained in words. I highly recommend the ShulmanSystem for any trumpeter." -Randy Brecker
Grammy Award Winning Trumpeter
Matt, "Glad everything went great at the ITG conference although it doesn't surprise me. I've found that the ShulmanSystem is AN INVALUABLE TOOL in sleuthing out unproductive habits and aberrations that lead to unnecessary frustration. It's a wonderful aid in helping to reveal some subtle problems for me -- I've been guilty of moving my lips ever so slightly around G above the staff, and then it feels like I start biting off the notes which starts closing down the sound and cuts off endurance. I'm now coming from the "if it ain't making music, don't move it" school. Congratulations! I think that you have developed a tool that every serious trumpet player can BENEFIT from. By the way...your album is excellent and you have a beautiful and honest feel.Thank you. With warm regards," --Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
"I absolutely love the ShulmanSystem. The System SIMPLIFIES and gives a shortcut to finding SOLUTIONS for playing problems. I use the system not only as a tool for my own playing, but also as an enhancement of my TEACHING. I recently used it in conducting my masterclass at the University, and as a result now almost my entire trumpet studio owns, and is working with the System, reaping wonderful benefits. The System works wonderfully with B-flat, C, E-flat, and piccolo trumpets, and is of particular benefit to breathing, posture, and embouchure, and the added RESONANCE and IMPROVED TECHNIQUE are immediately noticeable. Other positive results include improved intonation, consistency of playing, ENDURANCE, relaxation, and evenness of sound from the low to high registers." --Dr. Michael Tunnell
Professor of Trumpet, University of Louisville, KY, USA
Board of Directors, ITG
"Playing with the ShulmanSystem is LIKE GETTING A LESSON WITH ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST BRASS TEACHERS." --Bruce Lee
Superchops Method Authority,
Founder of Northern Brass, USA
"I originally purchased one at the ITG Conference with the intention of using it primarily with students. To my surprise I've become quite enamored of it and use it in the practice room every day. It is a support system for trumpet, though its function of holding the weight of the trumpet is secondary to its design goal of ingraining proper posture and playing habits. Matt Shulman has had some experience with Alexander Technique and brings that knowledge into play in the design. The wood construction transmits vibrations through your chest, which helps you feel the center of each note and use the vibrations of the horn to feed and sustain the vibrations of the lips. When the lip vibration is in sync with the horn vibration, the note sings and playing feels relatively effortless. The greatest asset of the system is the way it reduces extraneous movement of body and embouchure. Many players create entirely too much movement, making large adjustments for small intervals. The ShulmanSystem isolates exactly the muscles needed to control lip vibrations, promoting efficiency. It encourages you to USE LESS PRESSURE and WORK MORE WITH AIR and embouchure compression. Many players at first dismiss the ShulmanSystem as gimmicky and are suspicious. (Mainly trumpet players are suspicious. Sax players look at it and say "makes sense.") Unlike many trumpet 'gimmicks', however, rather than focusing on the horn or mouthpiece, the ShulmanSystem focuses on your body, After all, your body is YOUR REAL INSTRUMENT. If your playing mechanics are not working well, no amount of horn tweaking will make up for it." --Chase Sanborn,
Author Brass/Jazz Tactics, Canada
"Now I have been practicing for a month with the ShulmanSystem and I am beginning to get used to it. I am now at a point where it is becoming more comfortable to play with as without it. As a result of holding the chest up, I HAVE MORE AIR TO BLOW WITH. It is indeed a great awareness tool-- when I play without it I easily remember the same posture. Finally, because the System reduces muscle tension, I can concentrate more on the tone which is now much more beautiful than before. It all takes less effort!! THANKS FOR INVENTING!!" --Hans De Bos
Freelance Trumpeter, France
"I have been using the ShulmanSystem to remind me of OPTIMAL ALIGNMENT and posture. What a very clever invention!! I find I get the best result from it when I use it as a diagnostic reminder. I also have fit the device to some of my students with very good effect." --John Hagstrom
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
"Just wanted to let you know that I got my ShulmanSystem the other day, and it is GREAT! Even though only TWO DAYS have passed I am noticing an ease of production beginning to manifest that I have been after for almost FOUR YEARS now." --Josh Goldstein
Student, North Carolina School of the Arts, USA
"Matt Shulman has created an innovative tool that is of great value to professionals and students. After a short while using the System a sense of ease starts to become incorporated in to one's playing. Wide intervals seem close as tension is released. Range, endurance, flexibility and sound improve as awareness is brought to one's playing. A more relaxed and efficient feel is almost EFFORTLESLY absorbed into the muscle memory. One is able to focus so much more on the music rather than mechanics. This is the name of the game! I USE MINE EVERY DAY and couldn't be more satisfied." --Joe Giorgianni
Professional Lead Trumpet Player, USA
"Definitely NOT A GIMMICK! The ShulmanSystem addresses fundamentals ...one can play higher and louder without using as much muscle." --Pat Harbison
Trumpet Instructor, Indiana University, Jamey Abersold Jazz Workshops, USA
"The ShulmanSystem promotes good posture, correct breathing and greatly reduces conscious and unconscious pressure being applied. TONE OPENS UP, range and flexibility increase, etc. It really made playing the horn easier when I tried it!" --Tom Turner
Freelance Trumpeter, USA
"Anything that makes your instrument easier to play is extremely valuable·the ShulmanSystem makes playing a lot easier. The results of using the ShulmanSystem can be HEARD AND FELT IMMEDIATELY, particularly in the resonance of one's sound and the reduction of physical effort. I have used the ShulmanSystem in my warm-up and have found it to provide immediate relaxation and balance, eliminating unnecessary stress and tension." --Laurie Frink
World-renowned expert on the Carmine Caruso method for brass
Hi Matt,
"I just wanted to get back to you on the progress I've made with the ShulmanSystem. I've been using the system primarily during my practice sessions, which makes up about 85% of my time spent on the horn. I'm at a bit of a loss as to where to begin since the improvements have been so widespread. I think that the best thing your System has done for me is that I actually ENJOY MY PRACTICE SESSIONS more. Ever since I received your system, my time in the practice room has increased by at least 50% on a very consistent basis, a definite variable in the equation. I have found that during rehearsals and performances my body "remembers" what the horn should feel like. At work we practice and rehearse very often together and even on the first day of having it I was flooded with compliments on a bigger and more relaxed sound. It was hard not to notice it! Most of the issues I have with the trumpet have been related to minor posture problems and tension in my hands, arms, shoulders, and neck-- what a relief it has been for me to have stumbled upon your system! The horn simply feels better now, and is no longer included in the list of PROBLEMS that I have! I have generally been much more relaxed and less focused on the things I should not do, like collapsing shoulders and clutching the horn, and more on the positive aspects of deep breathing and relaxation. I also love the vibration in my chest. ...and most important of all...now I can focus on MUSIC!! My opinion is this: for everything it has done for me, I would have paid TEN TIMES the amount it goes for. Besides, being more content with the direction my playing is headed I've been less concerned about finding that perfect mouthpiece. I have to laugh after looking at the lists of mouthpieces some people have for sale. How many thousands does one have to spend on the mouthpiece alone? I started heading that direction and now truly realize that it isn't necessarily the equipment that gets you the gig. It's how you use your body-- RELAX!!! THIS SHOULD BE A NO-BRAINER!" --Jason Johnson
Professional Trumpeter, Italy
Visitors or residents of the greater New York City area are always welcome at the ShulmanSystem office in Riverdale, NY for a free play~test and consultation.
Price Per Unit $195.00
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How was the invention conceived?
The ShulmanSystem was borne out of trumpeter/composer Matt Shulman's personal journey toward a more effortless and connected approach to the trumpet and music. After extensive touring and performing, studying body-alignment, and exploring literature on human potential, he was inspired to invent a device that could help take him closer to the level of mastery he was seeking. As he started to become more aware of body language, Matt noticed that most of the other instrumentalists are dealing with a more stable instrument to make music. It was decided that stabilization is paramount in playing with less effort and playing more consistently. The invention process was started by attaching a saxophone strap to the trumpet. That didn't work. Something needed to come from underneath. Next, a tripod. That didn't work. It inhibited freedom of movement. Something was needed that would move with an instrumentalist as they breathed and moved to music. Eventually Matt conceived of the present design, which functions as an extension of one's body. When he tried the first prototype, the results were both profound and dramatic. Matt discovered that virtually every aspect of brass instrument performance, in addition to stabilization, was addressed and improved by using the System. He knew that this was something which needed to be shared with the rest of the brass world. Is the device patented?
The ShulmanSystem is filed and protected by patent law for the smaller brass instruments in the US and internationally. An extremely thorough legal process has been carried out with one of the top patent law firms in the country, Fish & Richardson. Why is the ShulmanSystem made out of wood and what are tone woods?
After experimenting with a variety of materials from plastics to metal, Matt discovered that wood enhances the natural resonance of the trumpet. Plastic inhibited resonance, deadening the sound of the horn. Metal was too heavy and dense. Experiments with many different types of wood, from pine to birch, oak, spruce, and maple were conducted. Certain woods are considered tone woods because due to their density and porousness, they are conducive to transferring musical vibration. These are the woods you will find in a piano or any stringed instrument from violin to guitar, and also a drum. The ShulmanSystem is currently composed of a combination of hard and soft maples. The objective was to balance vibration and resonance with a device that would also provide strength and stability. How long does it take to get used to the ShulmanSystem?
Like anything new, the ShulmanSystem may require an acclimation period. Depending on a player's current approach, it may take up to one week of using the System with one's warm up in order to adjust to such efficiency. The hardest things for trumpet players to let go of are usually body tension, embouchure pressure, and excess body movement. In most cases, negative muscle memory has been ingrained into a player's approach to their instrument to such an extent that they are not even aware of the limitations they are imposing between themselves and music. In what kind of playing situations is the ShulmanSystem used?
Many professionals, including Randy Brecker, Chase Sanborn, and Laurie Frink use the System on a daily basis as an awareness tool during their warm up and practice sessions. As performers become acclimated enough to an effortless approach to making music, they can use the ShulmanSystem on a daily basis in all of their playing situations. Matt Shulman uses the System in all of his playing situations-from brass quintet to studio recording, small group jazz, and big band playing. One of our clients, an Eastman School of Music graduate and founder of Northern Brass, recently used his System while playing lead in a big band. At the end of the night he found himself chuckling as he observed the rest of the trumpet section steadily compressing into a tense fetal position. He said: "If only they knew..."