Vibrato

written by Bruce Chidester on October 10, 2026

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 of the note. 2. It is easier to control. 3. It can be turned on and off much easier than other methods. 4. Even though it might not be the best technique for other brass instruments, in my opinion, it is the best technique for the trumpet.…

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…

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Many Thanks to Our Readers

written by Bruce Chidester

We, at thetrumpetblog.com wish to thank our readers for their patients during the past three month. Due to the decline in my wife’s (Karen) health, I have been slow at posting new material on our site. Now that all the issues dealing with her death have been completed and I…

How I practice- The Warm-up

written by Bruce Chidester

The importance of warming up before hard playing cannot be over stated. Just as an athlete stretches, a ball player throws easy at first; the trumpet player is very similar in that a sudden blast of a high note may work for some but the more intelligent of the masses…

How And What I Practice

written by Bruce Chidester

I have had a few readers ask what they need to practice to be a better player. Without hearing or visiting with these people, it would be impossible to suggesting what might work best for them. The best I can do is to share a typical hour practice session which…

Valve Slide Conversion Rings- The solution to Low D & C# Intonation Adjustments

written by Bruce Chidester

An Alternate Fix for Low D and C# We all know that low D and its neighboring C# are sharp and we all know that to play in tune, we are told to push either or both the third slide and or the first slide out in order to solve…

How/Why Early School Stage Bands Ruined Many Fine Trumpet Players

written by Bruce Chidester

Only through a careful look at past history are we able to understand what we do and the reasons we do them. This is especially true when trying to understand mistakes we have made in music education. I will try to explain my thinking as one who was there and…

How To Make Upper Slurs Smoother

written by Bruce Chidester

Many trumpet players find it difficult to perform upward slurs smoothly without catching all the notes between the bottom and top note. Most feel it necessary to crescendo into the top note when in fact, “it is easier to slur up using a decrescendo”. This seems contrary to nature and…

How to Become a Great Trumpet Player for only $184.40 plus tax

written by Bruce Chidester

Becoming excellent in any field requires a great deal of time and effort and becoming a great trumpet player is no exception. Contrary to many opinions found today in the media; to only have the desire to succeed is many times not enough to accomplish your goal. I will address…

WHY DO WE MAKE MISSTAKES? PART #9

written by Bruce Chidester

Errors in Sight Reading Sight reading can frighten players due to the uncertainty of the unknown. I tend to enjoy sight reading new shows live because of the rush of adrenaline and the uncertainty of what might happen. You should also know that I enjoy catching five foot long snakes,…

WHY DO WE MAKE MISSTAKES? PART #8

written by Bruce Chidester

Nervousness I would list nervousness as the most difficult condition to overcome when striving for perfection in your performances. Some people thrive on the added excitement while others fold under the pressure. Between these two extremes we find most of us constantly testing our limits. Playing in a nervous condition…

WHY DO WE MAKE MISSTAKES? PART #7

written by Bruce Chidester

Environmental changes-Conditions and changes in conditions many times will lead to playing errors which we had not considered or prepared for. You might ask what kind of environmental changes could occur and I will list a few. Environmental changes- 1. Weather This is a true story. The names have been…

Why Do We Make Misstakes? Part #6

written by Bruce Chidester

Fatigue Athletes work to stem off fatigue and in doing so increase their endurance. Trumpet players are similar in that without strong chops or embouchure, a player’s amount of time being able to play music is limited. What I have noticed since beginning to play trombone is that most trumpet…