Mathew Harwich

Galaxy Quest Opening Theme (Trumpet Cover)

"Never give up! Never surrender!"

True Trekkies and Sci-Fi fans the world over love "Galaxy Quest", this is a fact. Released in 1999 and starring Tim Allen, Sam Rockwell, Alan Rickman, and Sigourney Weaver, it remains one of the most entertaining and rewatched sci-fi comedies ever made.

And one thing that it made it truly memorable is its iconic music score, written by David Newman. Given how truly awesome the soundtrack is, I was surprised to discover how difficult it is to track down. It's barely available online, not on major streaming platforms, and even physical copies are hard to come by. Hopefully one day it gets the re-release it deserves. Until then, here's my transcription.

Trumpet Solo from Rudy – Jerry Goldsmith

We must not forget Jerry Goldsmith, who wrote some of the most incredible film music of all time. Rudy is a great one, with a very fun and memorable trumpet solo.

All Systems Go - From "Apollo 13" Soundtrack (Trumpet Cover)

"All Systems Go"

We all remember when Apollo 13 came out in 1995, instant classic. If you haven’t seen it, definitely check it out. The iconic trumpet solo was performed by Tim Morrison, with the score written by the legendary James Horner.

I was inspired to transcribe this in light of the ongoing Artemis mission. It’s incredible to think we’re heading back to the moon, and even more incredible that we accomplished it over 50 years ago. The level of precision, planning, and courage it took, without the advanced technology we rely on today, is hard to grasp. And then, of course, the Apollo 13 mission itself, a near disaster that turned into an extraordinary story of survival.

Incredible story, incredible movie, and incredible trumpet solo. Enjoy!

Grace Go Home - from "Project Hail Mary" (Trumpet Cover)

Amaze Amaze Amaze!

I was blown away by "Project Hail Mary", and this part of the movie is one of the most powerful moments in the whole film. Daniel Pemberton’s score is simply perfection, and the only thing that might improve it is a little more trumpet (biased opinion, of course). So I’ve done that here in this simple transcription.

This is a chorus line I transcribed and overdubbed on trumpet, and I think it works surprisingly well.

You might notice the fingerings are a little different, that’s because I chose to record this on D trumpet. Both the Bb and D versions of this solo transcription are available on my website: mathewharwich.com

If you like this track, definitely check out the full album on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/47Kmv7voPLipz2zbyD8v84?si=Qbpnze7vQ-eEeBjCZjcI7w

Trumpet Solo from Western Suite for Wind Band

Here’s my favorite trumpet solo from a new piece recently performed with the Southland Wind Ensemble, "Western Suite for Wind Band" by Adrienne Albert. It was a fun piece to play and a nicely challenging little trumpet feature.

Don Quixote Trumpet Excerpt, Jaroslav Šafránek

Here’s my favorite excerpt from the opening of Don Quixote by Jaroslav Šafránek.

Performed with the Southland Wind Ensemble.

Peter and the Wolf (Prokofiev) - Trumpet Highlights (pt. 3)

Here are a few trumpet excerpts from Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev. The trumpet doesn’t appear often in this piece, but when it does, it's a lot of fun to play.

Performed with the Pasadena Community Orchestra

Peter and the Wolf (Prokofiev) - Trumpet Highlights (pt. 2)

Here are a few trumpet excerpts from Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev. The trumpet doesn’t appear often in this piece, but when it does, it's a lot of fun to play.

Performed with the Pasadena Community Orchestra

Peter and the Wolf (Prokofiev) - Trumpet Highlights (pt. 1)

Here are a few trumpet excerpts from Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev. The trumpet doesn’t appear often in this piece, but when it does, it's a lot of fun to play.

Performed with the Pasadena Community Orchestra

Gandalf VS Balrog - LOTR Trumpet Cover

“Fly you fools!”

Gandalf facing the Balrog at the start of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is one of the most exciting moments in the entire trilogy. And Howard Shore’s score for this scene is simply epic.

This video is my trumpet transcription of the Gandalf vs Balrog sequence, arranged and performed on four trumpet parts. The full scene will be available on my YouTube channel youtube.com/@mathewharwich soon. And as always, the sheet music is available for free on my website: mathewharwich.com Feel free to download it, play it, and share it.

The Two Towers was a huge critical and box office success, nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture and winning for Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects. Across the trilogy, composer Howard Shore’s work has become legendary, earning three Oscars and multiple major awards and regularly being cited as one of the greatest film scores ever written.

"The Eighth Candle" (Steve Reisteter) - Trumpet Solo with the Southland Wind Ensemble

A performance of "The Eighth Candle: Prayer and Dance for Hanukkah" by Steve Reisteter.

Hot Cross Buns is the hardest piece you'll ever play.

Sounds crazy? Here's why: There's no such thing as perfection. The more you zoom in, the more details emerge. Even three simple notes contain infinite depth when you give them 100% of your focus.

Mastery isn't about conquering harder pieces. It's about bringing more sophisticated awareness to everything you play, no matter how simple.

Trumpet Solo from 42 (2013) | Jackie Robinson | Mark Isham

This is a transcription of the trumpet solo featured in 42 (2013), the Jackie Robinson biopic scored by Mark Isham. The film follows Robinson’s first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers and earned about $97.5 million worldwide after its April 12, 2013 release.

With the Los Angeles Dodgers now in the World Series, revisiting this solo takes on extra resonance. Robinson’s story of breaking barriers and reshaping the game echoes in the present moment, where the Dodgers are once again in the spotlight chasing a championship. It’s a reminder of how his courage and impact continue to inspire fans and players alike, making this solo feel especially meaningful right now.

The Secret to Super Fast Fingering on Trumpet Trills

Most trumpet players get trills wrong. Here’s the secret to super fast fingering that gives you real speed when the music calls for it

Tombstone Theme Trumpet Cover | Bruce Broughton

This is a transcription of the trumpet solo featured in Tombstone (1993), the main theme from the film scored by Bruce Broughton.

Tombstone was directed by George P. Cosmatos and stars Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday, with Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton among the ensemble. It opened in theaters on December 25, 1993, and became a box-office success that later gained cult status. The score is one of Bruce Broughton’s signature works and remains a favorite for Western film music.

Sheet music is available free at mathewharwich.com - Parts are provided for E♭ trumpet, C trumpet, and B♭ trumpet. This performance uses E♭ trumpet.

Trumpet Solo from 'Wyatt Earp' by James Newton Howard

This is a transcription of the trumpet solo featured in 'Wyatt Earp' (1994), the main theme from the film scored by James Newton Howard.

Sheet music is available free at mathewharwich.com. Parts are provided for C trumpet and Bb trumpet. This performance uses C trumpet.

'Wyatt Earp' was directed by Lawrence Kasdan and stars Kevin Costner. It opened on June 24, 1994. The release followed 'Tombstone' by about six months (that film opened in December 1993), and the two were widely compared at the time. 'Tombstone' became the bigger box-office success, while 'Wyatt Earp' took a more biographical approach.

Performance notes: the key challenge is letting the slurs ring clearly, especially the move from G up to the E above it, with steady air and centered slots. It’s an excellent study in slurring between partials.

Thank you for watching. Stay tuned for the next one.