Trumpet for Beginners – Page 7

Preparing for Chair Placement in Your Band This Fall

written by Bruce Chidester on July 8, 2018

We have all been through the agonizing, embarrassing and in some rare instances, exhilarating experience of auditions. The days and weeks of preparation for those few moments auditioning seem insufficient once you have played your heart out in front of a judge, band director or conductor. Thoughts run through your mind such as, I wonder if they caught that missed note in the second measure or, I hope they noticed the subtle dynamic change I made at the end of the second number. The hours upon hours of practice in preparation for an audition are much like going through a…

5 Areas Where Most Trumpet Players Go Wrong.

written by Bruce Chidester on January 11, 2018

Obviously the first mistake trumpet players make is that they chose the trumpet! But setting that aside, most trumpet players can identify 5 areas in their playing that usually give them problems, and they are- Chops Air Tone Tonguing Fingering In the next series of posts I will focus on each of these five areas and point out five reasons in each as well as five solutions to these stumbling blocks. Check back for even I can’t wait to hear what I have to say.

How Can I Learn to Play My Scales?

written by Bruce Chidester on August 13, 2017

This question was just sent to our site recently and has been an issue through the ages for most musicians. The easiest answer and unfortunately the most often suggested remedy is…. “Practice playing them”! When we began studying our instrument, one of the features of most method book was the slow and gradual introduction of increasingly more difficult scales. This has been the practice for decades and most players adhered to this routine. Many years ago I started our youngest son on trumpet and began to introduce the different keys in a less orthodox way. His first key was C…

Patriotic Transposition Study

written by Bruce Chidester on July 28, 2017

Transposition sometimes is required for trumpet players. It most often occurs while playing in an orchestral setting but can surface in other venues such as reading out of a Fake Book, transposing from a hymnal or working with bad singers. To a younger player this can be a shock and for that reason I have included this study which uses a melody everyone should be familiar with and in a range most players will feel comfortable. Remember to use your eyes first and if your melody goes astray, your ears will guide you. Eyes first! Ears second! Patriotic Transposition Study

So……….you’re thinking about buying a Flugelhorn….

written by Bruce Chidester on March 19, 2017

The trumpet is popular, the cornet is gaining in favor and now we need to push the flugel in our country.

What is a Flugel Horn and Do I need to own one?

written by Bruce Chidester on February 14, 2017

The flugelhorn, also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn or flugelhorn has a long history in European countries but is relatively new to ours. Its popularity in the states probably dates back to the fifties through the use of such well known names in jazz as Shorty Rogers, Kenny Baker, Clark Terry, Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Nat Adderley and Art Farmer. The purpose of the flugel was to give the player an alternative to the edgy, powerful trumpet sound. During the Bebop period (1945-1960) the trumpet was king, but when cool jazz started to gain a following in…

Which Comes First, Technique or Musicality?

written by Bruce Chidester on February 2, 2017

This question is much like the chicken or the egg issue. Which should be taught first? One camp believes that without technique, nothing can be played and the other camp asks the question “what good is technique if it isn’t musical”. Both have their cases and in this post I will try to bring the two sides to a happy mid point. Most of my early teaching was geared to the technical approach but as I increase candles on my birthday cake I must admit, all technique can have its disadvantages. One student who stands out as the most gifted…

The Perfect Lesson Plan #1 “Absolute Beginner”

written by Bruce Chidester on January 22, 2017

When first beginning to play trumpet, your expectations are usually high and the amount of energy spent also indicates your desire to succeed. Unfortunately ones desires and expectations sometimes are higher than ones ability. Too many times we are told, “You can do anything if you try hard enough”, which unfortunately many times is inaccurate. I could try the remainder of my life to be able to fly but “it ain’t going to happen”! Before we begin on your lesson plan, I wanted to say that if you are interested in playing trumpet, I encourage you to begin, and with…

How To Place Your Mouthpiece In Your Horn

written by Bruce Chidester on October 13, 2016

Have you ever heard or read something that does not make any sense to you at all and then you set out to prove it wrong only to find that it is actually true? This happened to me this past week and even though it is an embarrassment, I will swallow my pride for the betterment of the brass world. This past week I read a post on one of the brass bulletin boards which stated that this person claimed that the rotation of the mouthpiece could actually change how the instrument responded when played. Just the thought of someone…

The Trumpet Player’s Octave Key

written by Bruce Chidester on May 9, 2016

Have you ever watched enviously as woodwind players sail up and down through their wide range by only depressing their octave key? With the slightest movement of the thumb of their left hand, clarinet players are able to jump octaves with ease and sax players effortlessly negotiate eight and sixteen note intervals with no additional effort while we brass players continue to struggle to perform the same skips. Well fellow tube buzzers, there is hope. We will also soar with the eagles for we now have an octave key and we should use it proudly. It is located just below…