Introduction:
Are you struggling to learn your scales? Or simply bored of page after page of intimidating black and white? You are not alone! Many players struggle to learn their scales; they are often seen as a chore and a hurdle to get to the next grade. Do not be discouraged - here is a way of making it easier and, we think, fun.
Smarties for Brass has been developed using colours to provide a novel method for all trumpet players. It uses the principles of 'implicit memory' to aid pattern recognition. Fundamentally scales as well as many elements of music are patterns. It is the brain's job to recognise, learn and reproduce those patterns. The use of colour not only provides a more appealing page to look at but also helps to improve this pattern recognition.
How the Method Works:
The layout of the book corresponds to the scales required for each grade within the ABRSM syllabus, accompanied by the appropriate tempo markings. Also included in the book are further exercises for the benefit of the pupil which are not required for ABRSM examinations. They aim to illustrate the ‘Smarties for Brass’ method and to help develop the pupil’s playing ability in relation to the scales.
The principle of the method is to remember colour sequences rather than written notes. Once the colour sequence becomes established in the learner then understanding the order of notes follows naturally later on.
Dyslexic Pupils:
This method works particularly well for pupils with dyslexia as it moves away from studying individual notes on a score and instead lets the brain imagine the notes are colours. The Smarties book can also be printed on various coloured backgrounds (see Personalised edition), thereby eliminating the need for coloured overlays which are not easy to use with scores balanced on a music stand!
About the Author:
Robert Miller holds a First class Honours degree in Neuroscience from the University of Bristol where he is in the final year of his medical degree. He started playing the trumpet aged seven, going on to study at the Department of Education's Specialist Music School, Wells Cathedral School. He was principal trumpet of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain 2007/8 and is currently working as a doctor in Oxford at the John Radcliffe Hospital.
Item prices quoted on our website do not include delivery. All delivery charges are calculated by order value.
Deliveries to the United Kingdom
All deliveries within the UK are sent by Royal Mail First Class Post or 24-Hour Parcelforce dependent on weight. Please see our notes on Delivery Times below for more information.
Deliveries to Europe & The Rest of the World
If you would like to place an order but you live outside the United Kingdom, please email us at sales@scorestore.co.uk with your requirements and we'll do our best to help you.
Delivery Times
We aim to dispatch every order within 24 hours excluding weekends.
However, we have learned from experience not to make promises regarding delivery. We aim simply to provide you with a reliable service at a reasonable cost. To keep our prices competitive we do not keep huge stocks of any particular item. No matter how good our stock control, there will occasionally be times when a particular item is not immediately available.
Sometimes this will be due to overwhelming demand, and sometimes it will be due to circumstances beyond our control, such as the item having gone to reprint or out of print. You should be aware that your payment is taken automatically online at the time you place your order. In the circumstances outlined above, we will do our best to contact you and inform you of any anticipated delays. You may cancel your order at any time if you are not happy to wait.
Although we make every effort to ship your order according to these guidelines, we will not be held responsible for any loss or damage caused by delayed delivery.
Stock information:
Regularly updated stock information is now available to view online at ScoreStore. This information can, on occasion, be incorrect due to delays of up to 12 hours in updating. Our system will also allow you to order more items than we have in stock at any one time. If you require urgent delivery of a large order, please contact us to confirm current stock levels. Our Freephone number is 0800 072 0354 and we are in the office 9-5, Monday to Friday.
If you wish to cancel your order prior to dispatch, please email us at sales@scorestore.co.uk. We will terminate the transaction and refund any payments already made relating to your order. Once an order has been dispatched, we will accept returns where they meet the following conditions:
In the event that your item is faulty you may return it to us within thirty days and we will refund the cost of the item and reimburse the cost of returning the item to us.
If our error has led to an item has been mistakenly supplied to you and it is unopened and in as-new condition, you may return it to us within thirty days and we will refund the cost of the item and reimburse the cost of returning the item to us.
If you have decided that you do not wish to keep an item that has been correctly supplied, you may return it to us unopened in as-new condition within thirty days. In this case we will refund the cost of the item and you will be responsible for the cost of returning the item to us. You may not return items that we have ordered specially for you unless they are faulty or supplied in error.
If you wish to return an item to us, please email sales@scorestore.co.uk for instructions. We will not accept unsolicited returns arriving at our warehouse.
