[TPIN] "brass memes"

[Ole J. Utnes]

This last year, I have been trying to learn to play trombone. Great fun, 
btw!

After some months on my own, I decided to get some lessons.
Before the first lesson, I asked my teacher what books I should look at.
He suggested I should get "The Remington Warm-Up Studies" (by Donald 
Hunsberger)

I already had some other books by NY trombonist Michael Davis.
When my teacher saw these books he said that most of the exercises
was "stolen"  from Remington!!!

I don't think that is true.
(Although Davis may have used some of the ideas from the Remington book.)

Is it possible to claim that they _came_ from Remington (that he 
"composed" them)?

No.

Since I also play other brass, I have many books with similar type of
exercises (long notes, lips slurs, etc.).
I'm pretty sure many of you have such books.

These type of studies are "inherent" in the brass family.
When we "interact" with a brass instrument, they "pop up"...
..and when we hear another player do a variation of this, we copy that.

Suppose we had some people on a remote place (like a "Robinson Crusoe 
Island")
that had never seen any books or heard any brass players.
We gave them brass instruments.
Then some generation later someone came back to this place and
checked what had happened.

Do you think they would be playing some "Remmington" or "Schlossberg"?

I'm pretty sure they would.

Maybe we should call this our "brass memes" .  ;-)

Ole

P.S.
There is an interesting similarity between Remington and Schlossberg.
Both gave their students small "recipes" (lip slurs, etc.) - almost like 
a doctor prescribing medicin.
Later this was collected by a student and made into a book.