The Trumpet Warm-up Part I

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I will begin by saying that this information is about the practice and philosophy of warming up, not the actual material used which will be included in a later section covering music to practice. I will discuss the benefits as well as the techniques used to get the trumpet player ready for his/her daily practice period. Even though there might be a few players out there that do nothing to warm up before serious playing, they are far in the minority. It could be that the ones who practiced this life style eventually decided to quit trumpet playing. For the…

Guidelines When Including a Trumpet In Your Wedding Ceremony

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In order for the wedding planner, bride, mother of the bride and/or musicians to save time, important terms and their definitions which will be used are listed below and should be helpful to lessen the potential of any misunderstanding. Terms used when discussing music concerns for a wedding- Music- Any compositions played by an instrument or sung by a voice. Song- Any musical composition with words and performed with the voice. Prelude music- Music to entertain guests as they enter hall and find their seats. Processional music-  Music performed to indicate the entrance of important people and the wedding party.…

Rest As Much As You Play

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My response to the discussion posted on TPIN There seems to be a flurry of excitement on the TPIN site about the comfort of your lip or the “rest as much as you play” discussion, and for that reason, I would like to add to the discussion. Everyone would like their embouchure (chops) to feel good all the time but unfortunately this is not always possible. Sometimes we have unrealistic deadlines (the 3:00 call to sub for a friend at the local club that night) or (the gig you thought was next week) or (the dance band you agreed to…

How to Play in Tune

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Before we get to the “How Do I’s”, I need to address a few questions which are seldom asked but are equally important: Why is it important to play in tune? Playing “out of tune hurts”. It doesn’t hurt the player but it certainly hurts the listener. If you watch television programs such as “American Idol” or “So You Think You’ve Got Talent” or some equally popular show, you have experienced the horror of amateur singers trying to make it big. When they land on an out of tune note for any length of time, we all seem to have…

Trumpet Mouthpiece Placement

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“Where should I place my mouthpiece when I play my trumpet/cornet?” The placement of your mouthpiece can be affected in many ways. If you have scare tissue as I do, (a friend through a brick and hit me square on the chops) you will notice that the affected area does not vibrate as other tissues does. If your dental facial structure is less than ideal, (front teeth protrude or are highly irregular) you may encounter more comfortable or less comfortable areas to place the mouthpiece. The position of your jaw will also affect your mouthpiece placement. If the world was perfect…

Tips for Improving Your Sight Reading

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Many times we are held back by our inability to read new material quickly and accurately. This weakness can surface while playing in a band, on a gig, or in a recording session. Some players seem to be able to read anything placed on their stand while others fumble with even the simplest passages. Teachers many times will explain to their students that the only way to improve their sight reading skills is to do more reading. While this is true, it doesn’t address the basic problems facing the student. I have learned that “just reading more new music” is not a…

How to Develop Perfect Pitch in 5 Steps

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As I stated before, the ability to develop Perfect Pitch is highly unlikely if you expect to be perfect all the time. Even those with Perfect Pitch have off days as I indicated in the previous post. Extenuating factors will affect your consistency but be assured, with practice; you should be able to improve dramatically. I wandered through the maze of claims this morning in search of the perfect routine to be using and found many sites which promised instant success on your road to Perfect Pitch. If they claim to have the “easy” answer to success, click out of…

The Disturbing Monette Video- Re-posted from 2010

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We all have had moments when something pops into our minds which is disturbing enough to keep us up at night and for me, this is one of those moments. Several weeks ago, while searching for topics for this blog, I came across a video produced by Mr. Dave Monette. I first met Mr. Monette many years ago while he was visiting our campus and was very impressed with his knowledge, personality and his obvious passion for the trumpet. As I have stated in more than one blog, I have a great deal of respect for this man and for…

Trumpet Hand Playing Position

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Sometimes the obvious can be overlooked as in the case of your hand position while holding your instrument. If you search on line for pictures or video of successful trumpet players, you will find a variety of hand positions ranging from the normal to several extreme positions. Each performer has settled into his/her favorite hand position because of habit or preference. Left Hand Playing Position I have included normal as well as unusual positions and will explain the advantages as well as the disadvantages of each. It is not my intent to try to influence anyone into any one position,…

Trumpet Fingering Chart

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Learn the trumpet fingerings with this easy to use Trumpet/Cornet Fingering Chart Cheat Sheet.