basic trumpet playing

Basic Trumpet Playing

by Sergeant Major Charles GarrettMaster Sergeant Scott Holbert

Sergeant First Class Michael Johnston

The Musical Ambassadors of the ArmyWashington, DCWashington, DCW

The United StatesArmy Field Band

The United States Army Field Band4214 Field Band Drive Fort Meade, Maryland 20755-5330

Phone: (301) 677-6586 Fax: (301) 677-6533E-mail: fl [email protected] Website: www.army.mil/fi eldband

The U.S. Army Field Band Basic Trumpet Playing

71

Basic Trumpet Playingby

Master Sergeant Charles GarrettMaster Sergeant Scott Holbert

Sergeant First Class Michael Johnston

Playing the trumpet is a fantastic thingthetrumpet is one of the most stylistically versatileinstruments ever created. It can be played in a sym-phony orchestra, chamber orchestra, brass band,wind ensemble, jazz orchestra, jazz combo, march-ing band, brass quintet, Dixieland band, funk band,and many other groups of varying sizes and styles.Try that with a harpsichord! With all of these groupsin which to play, and diverse performance styles tolearn, a trumpet student has a substantial chal-lenge.

Playing up to ones greatest potential shouldbe a common goal for all performers. Realizing thatgoal requires the integration of two elements: ar-tistic interpretation and technical expertise. Artis-tic interpretation is a function of each individualslife experience, personality, and musical taste. Themost effective way to enhance ones concept of dy-namics, articulation, rhythmic variables, and toneis through many hours of careful listening. Theseconcepts can only be translated into performancethrough physical application. This clinic, therefore,concentrates on the physical aspects of trumpetplaying.

BREATHINGObviously, breathing is essential for survival,

as well as for playing the trumpet. Breathing is acomplicated muscular process that the body per-forms naturally. Trumpet players must learn howto control their natural breathing tendencies in or-der to play without causing hernias, hemorrhoids,or ruptures. Use the following exercise to improvelung capacity, develop breath control, and visuallycheck the muscular breathing process. Without ahorn, walk at a steady pace, breathing in evenlyand slowly for seven steps; immediately exhalesteadily for the next seven steps. Begin and endwith the same amount of air in the lungs. Gradu-ally increase the number of steps to thirty forbreathing in and thirty for breathing out. Place ahand on the stomach while doing the exercise tomake sure the stomach moves out while inhalingand in while exhaling. Once the thirty step exercise

is easy to do, improve breath control by graduallyreducing the number of inhaling steps down to one.

POSTUREPosture is directly related to proper breath-

ing. If there is stiffness in any area of the body, thereis a chance for injury. On the other hand, if a playeris too relaxed, poor posture is likely. Whether stand-ing or sitting, never slump over. While seated, situp straight and resist pushing the back against thechair. Keep the shoulders relaxed and avoid tiltingthe head excessively in any direction. Never restthe arms on the body.

TONEWhen producing a tone on the trumpet, the

ultimate goal is to create a pleasing sound. Tone isdetermined by physical factors as well as the equip-ment used. The shape of the teeth, tongue, lips, androof of the mouth all greatly influence tone. Whilethe teeth and roof of the mouth are not normallyaltered, the shape of the tongue and lips can bechanged quite easily by the performer. To under-stand how the tone is changed by the tongue, sayo, e, o, e. Notice how the o sounds more full oropen, while the e sounds more compact and pen-etrating. Normally o is used in the lower andmiddle registers of the horn. The e is used in theupper register, above the staff for B-flat trumpet.

The lips must be moved to change partials onthe trumpet. Slur from a C below the staff to a G inthe staff. The lips have to compress, with the topand bottom lips pressing together, in order to slurupwards to the G. The lips must do the opposite toslur downwards. Do not stretch the corners of themouth outward or inward to ascend or descend. Inorder to have the lips compress and decompresseasily, the mouthpiece must be placed on the lipswithout the player first smiling or stretching thelips. The mouthpiece may be placed high, centered,or low on the lips or even a little to one side or theother. Place it where the best results are achieved.There is no single placement for everyone to use.

72

Basic Trumpet Playing

The tone can also be affected by changes inequipment. Search to find what comfortably pro-duces the best tone and response for the individualplayer. A medium/large horn with a medium-sizedmouthpiece is a good starting point.

ATTACKAn attack is defined as articulating or begin-

ning a note. It controls how the air is released orinterrupted. Say the word total. Notice how muchmore emphasis is put on the first t. Without think-ing, one simply makes the sound for that word. Thet sound is articulated twice when saying total.The physical motion made is similar to playing twoeighth-notes. In trumpet playing, attacks are madeusing syllables such as doh, doo, dah, dee,toh, too, tah, tee, koh, koo, kah, andkee. These syllables are range-dependent; syl-lables ending with oh are used for the lowest notes,oo for the low to middle register, ah for themiddle to upper register, and ee for the upper reg-ister. Experiment to see what kind of attacks re-sult using these syllables. Use the k only whendouble-tonguing (ta-ka) or triple-tonguing (tah-tah-kah). The d is usually used for soft or light at-tacks. The most frequently used syllable is too.

PITCHPitch is what one listens for when tuning the

trumpet; it is one of the most important elementsin performing music. Musicians should all own andpractice with tuners in order to see whether or notthey are playing in tune. Electronic tuners, whichare relatively inexpensive and available in mostmusic stores, can be used to hear what it soundslike to be flat or sharp. Before tuning, make surethat the trumpet is not too cold or hot. Blowing airthrough the horn for a minute will ensure this.

Tuning is easy if the player remembers which wayto move the tuning slide. When under the pitch, or flat,the main tuning slide must be pushed in. When abovethe pitch, or sharp, the same slide must be pulled out.Pay close attention to every note played. Some notesshould be adjusted by the use of slides on the first andthird valves. The D-natural and C-sharp below the staffnormally need to be lowered in pitch by moving thethird valve slide out using the fingers of the left hand.Some trumpets require the left thumb to pull out thefirst valve slide by trigger or saddle in order to bringthe pitch down on A above the staff and/or the F at thetop of the staff. Generally, most notes can be played in

tune by minor physical adjustments in lip compres-sion that will come naturally when the player hearswhere the note should be placed.

PRACTICE HABITSRemember to always set a specific goal when prac-

ticing. Never waste time by practicing what can al-ready be played. Concentrating on practicing for twentyminutes a day beats an hour of just playing. Alwaysremember to rest the same amount of time that it tookto play the last exercise or passage. If one plays forthirty seconds, immediately rest for thirty seconds.Never practice to the point of muscle or mental failure.If any pain is felt, quit practicing immediately.

RANGEAlmost every young trumpet player focuses on

range expansion as the most important aspect oftrumpet playing. Sometimes this is caused by di-rectors that demand notes that are simply beyondthe physical ability of a developing player. Often,trumpet players cannot seem to help themselveswhen it comes to wanting to play higher than oth-ers. Good rules to remember when trying to expandones range are to monitor posture, avoid using toomuch pressure on the lips, and control the airstream at all times. Range normally develops a littlebit at a time.

Use the following exercise to improve range,tone, response, and endurance. Play a slurred chro-matic scale, quarter notes at 120 beats per minute,from G in the staff up to the G just above the staffas quietly as possible, while maintaining a goodsound. Hold the top note for four beats and stopwith the mouthpiece still on the lips. Do not adjustthe lips from this playing position. Immediately ex-hale through the nose. Take in a breath throughthe nose and quietly attack the G just above thestaff; then slur chromatically down to G in the staffplaying quarter notes. Hold the last note until nomore air is left. Rest the amount of time it took toplay the exercise. Once this exercise can be per-formed comfortably, move up to G-sharp, then A,etc. Also move downward to F-sharp, F, E, etc.

ENJOYING MUSICPlaying the trumpet allows one to enjoy mu-

sic from the performers viewpoint. It will offer agreater appreciation of what music really is. Alwaysremember that music should be fun!

The U.S. Army Field Band Basic Trumpet Playing

73

RECOMMENDED RESOURCESMethod Books

Arbans Complete Conservatory Methodfor Trumpet and Cornet ................................ F. Goldman and W. Smith

Technical Studies for the Cornet ....................... Herbert L. Clark

Etudes for Trumpet ............................................ Vassily Brandt

Lip Flexibilities .................................................. Charles Colin

Mitchell on Trumpet (four volumes) ................. Harold Mitchell

Etudes Transcendantes .....................................Theo Charlier

Recordings by the Following ArtistsSoloists ............................................................... Maurice Andre, Wynton Marsalis,

Adolph Herseth, Timofei Dokschitzer,Doc Severinsen, John Thompson,Vince DiMartino, Tony Plog, PhilSmith

Orchestral Brass ................................................ Jim Thompson, Adolph Herseth,Susan Slaughter, and Phil Smith.Any major orchestra (Chicago, NewYork Philharmonic, St. Louis, At-lanta, Cincinnati, etc.) will havegreat players to emulate

Jazz Soloists ....................................................... Louis Armstrong, Clark Terry, DizzyGillespie, Chet Baker, CliffordBrown, Wynton Marsalis, RoyHargrove, Roy Eldridge, KennyDorham, Bobby Shew, Tim Hagans,Tom Harrell, Blue Mitchell, MilesDavis, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Mor-gan, Conte Condoli

The U.S. Army Field Band Scale Supplement

S1

Scale SupplementThe fifteen major and minor scales make up our musical ABCs. Just as a person wishing to read

learns the alphabet first, a musician cannot expect to master an instrument without first learning thebasic set of scales. By diligently practicing the major scales and all three forms of the minor scales, theywill become automatic, just like reading the alphabet. This will make playing, especially sight reading,much easier so that the musician can concentrate towards the ultimate goalmaking music!

Each scale below should be played slowly at first, ensuring that each note is played correctly. Gradu-ally work for speed, but do not rush. Use a metronome whenever possible to guarantee evenness and asteady tempo. The player should practice difficult scales twice as often as easy ones to develop competencein all keys. As skills increase, change rhythmic patterns and increase tempos. Advanced players can stilluse scales to work on intonation, technique, range, and dynamics.

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C Major

A natural minor A harmonic minor

A melodic minor

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Use the following patterns one at a time or in combination to get even morebenefit from scale practice:

A

B

C

D

E

F

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S2

Scale Supplement

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G Major

E natural minor E harmonic minor

E melodic minor

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F Major

D natural minor D harmonic minor

D melodic minor


S3

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Bb Major

G natural minor G harmonic minor

G melodic minor

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D Major

B natural minor B harmonic minor

B melodic minor

S4

Scale Supplement

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A Major

F# natural minor F# harmonic minor

F# melodic minor

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Eb Major

C natural minor C harmonic minor

C melodic minor


S5

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E Major

C# natural minor C# harmonic minor

C# melodic minor

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& b b b b nn nn

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Ab Major

F natural minor F harmonic minor

F melodic minor

S6

Scale Supplement

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B Major

G# natural minor G# harmonic minor

G# melodic minor

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Db Major

Bb natural minor Bb harmonic minor

Bb melodic minor


S7

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D# melodic minor

F# Major

D# natural minor D# harmonic minor

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& b b b b b b nn nn

bb bb ww

Gb Major

Eb natural minor Eb harmonic minor

Eb melodic minor

S8

Scale Supplement

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& b b b b b b b nn nn bb bb

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Cb Major

Ab natural minor Ab harmonic minor

Ab melodic minor

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C# Major

A# natural minor A# harmonic minor

A# melodic minor

basic trumpet playing

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