What Do I Have to Practice In Order to Become a Great Trumpet Player?

written by Bruce Chidester on October 28, 2026

ChatGPT said: To become a great trumpet player, you need to practice more than just playing songs. You need to build a beautiful tone, strong breath control, accurate technique, a great ear, and musical expression. The secret is consistent, focused practice every day—not simply playing for hours. Even 30–60 minutes of deliberate practice can make a big difference. The 7 things you need to practice Tone and long tones Highest priority Your sound is your identity as a trumpet player. Practice holding comfortable notes with a full, clear, steady sound. Hold notes for 8–12 seconds without squeezing. Keep the sound…

Trumpet Tips

Vibrato

written by Bruce Chidester

Download exercise sheet Trumpet Vibrato Basics I mentioned in my previous post that I feel the best vibrato for trumpet playing is the hand vibrato. Some of the reasons I feel strongly about this form of vibrato over other techniques are- 1. It does not interfere with the basic sound…

Outstanding !!!!!!!!

written by Bruce Chidester

What You Should Know Before Buying A Flugelhorn

written by Bruce Chidester

To many people, the flugelhorn is a unique and interesting instrument. It looks bigger than a trumpet and in some ways it is bigger. It is heavier and has a larger bell. But when stretched out to its full length, a Bb flugelhorn is exactly the same length as a…

Join HI-YR-BY-A-THIRD today! Material on page 12 only

written by Bruce Chidester

Now that you have tried playing pedal tones for the first time or continued to play them, some may have questions as to how they can be played more easily. This post will cover the art of playing pedal tones and by our next post, you should be able to…

Join HI-YR-BY-A-THIRD today! Lesson 1

written by Bruce Chidester

Now that you have your own Claude Gordon “Systematic Approach to Daily Practice” in front of you. Oh, you didn’t get yours yet? Well that’s why I posted the first lesson on my site. Some have ordered it and have not received it and some think they can take my…

Join HI-YR-BY-A-THIRD today!

written by Bruce Chidester

What is HI-R-BY-A-THIRD? HI-R-BY-A-THIRD stands for How to Increase Your Range By A Third This is a new support group just for high note wimps like me and it begins Today! • If you are tired of having other trumpet players laugh at you when you miss the high note…

When You Are Wrong, You Are Wrong

written by Bruce Chidester

I love it when someone proves me wrong. It tends to bring me back to earth and realize that even old people (especially old people) can learn a thing or two. In an earlier post, I questioned the quality and newness of any compositions created in the past few decades…

Continuing Discussion on “Why do the bands still tune to the tuba”?

written by Bruce Chidester

More on our continuing discussion on “Why do the bands still tune to the tuba”? Sound as if only one person has an opinion on how a band should be tuned. Or maybe he/she is the only one with the courage to voice his/her view? Again, my comments are in…

Continued Discussion on ““Tuning A Band To A Tuba”

written by Bruce Chidester

Thank you for responding to our post and I will try to answer each of your concerns. Your comments are in “”. My comments are in bold type. “Firstly, your point 2&3 is pretty much the same” Due to the fact you have not specified which two comments were “pretty…

Scientific Proof- “Tuning to a tuba can be hazardous to your band’s intonation”

written by Bruce Chidester

It takes courage to try to change the world but to some of us, it is worth it. Listening to out of tune bands could be a thing of the past if only the band world would take note. Below I will discuss the reasoning behind clarinet tuning as opposed…

Why Are We Still Tuning Our Bands To A TUBA?

written by Bruce Chidester

Many years ago, someone came up with the stupid idea that bands should stop tuning to a clarinet and start tuning to a TUBA. How ridicules! I thought it to be a fad started by some band hating string player as a joke but soon it caught on and it…

Adolph Sylvester (Bud) Herseth- A Legend In His Own Time

written by Bruce Chidester

When speaking of greatness, merely the first name or nick name is sufficient. The name Pops, Diz, Bird, Duke, Count, Wynton instantly brings to mind these gifted musicians and when the name “Bub” is offered, only one person comes to mind; Bud Herseth. To the less aware, Mr. Herseth has…