2 INTRODUCTION TO BOOK 1 HE PRIMARY GOAL of all trumpet players, regardless of proficiency, should be to play beautiful music • with an appropriately beautiful sound. This thought must be foremost in one's mind when practicing, 3r forming or teaching. Undeniably, the trumpet is a difficult and unpredictable instrument to play, and it is technical proficie that enables one to perform with beauty, control, endurance and consistency. As a result, dedicated student ol the trumpet often experience a "symphony" of technical phobias. It is my intention in this method to systematically deal with these problems in a musical way through carefully organized technical, harmonic and melodic s ies and concise text. The secret to constant and quick improvement on the trumpet is consistent daily practice while keeping e fundamentals of efficient breath control and musical artistry in mind at all times. I believe the wealth of stuc ss in this method will prove useful for one's entire playing career. 3 PRACTICING i " yi USIC HAS THE POWER to enable anyone to feel good. Trumpet is one of the most versatile of instru- L kU ments, an instrument that is capable of crossing any stylistic or cultural boundary. The gifts of studying music include: © Creative problem solving © Controlled concentration © Developed motor skills ® Greater emotional expression © Acquired skills in the art of self-discipline © Raised social status ® Creative interaction with other people ® Raised awareness of art, beauty and more These skills are as basic and useful as any other skills taught in school. The freedom and enjoyment avail able in music can be had through daily practice. The more organized your practicing is, the more fruitful it will be. Here, then, is a suggestion. Practice in three 15- to 30-minute segments, resting where necessary. Segment one is the warm up, segment two is technical study and segment three is playing music material such as solos, etudes, orchestral literature, etc. Vary the materi al to avoid forming bad habits, boredom and to learn new things each day. You must be your own best teach er. Listen with honest ears. Always try to improve. When problems occur, refer back to fundamental thoughts on breathing and sound. Most problems will correct themselves. Best wishes and good luck. 4 THE WARM UP n N ORDER TO ENSURE consistent improvement through practice, it is absolutely essential to warm i Preparation is required, not only to meet the physical demands of trumpet playing, but also to initiate 1—3 mental focus and concentration necessary for making music. The following is a warm-up routine in four parts with variations for each day of the week. Remember to concentrate on the basic fundamentals from the fi t note of each new practice day (i.e., beauty of tone and utilizing large volumes of air when inhaling and wh-j blowing through the horn). Finally, prepare mentally to approach whatever exercise or piece of music you are about to play in the most musical and artistic way possible. © Buzz the mouthpiece in the approximate range indicated. The sound should be "fat," full and without gaps as you slide downward. Keep repeating until there are no gaps. Buzz any where from a few seconds to a few minutes. Be aggressive and demanding of yourself. It is possible to improve your trumpet sound almost immediately by working on the mouthpiece. For extended buzzing, use the following triads. Check pitches at the piano while buzzing whenever possible. Be sure you are producing a fat, forte tone. 41 j TJ i r TT j. i j pi i r P pi j. i J 5 @ Approach the following exercises mentally as if playing one long note. Articulate heavily. Make the legato notes very long and the marcato notes fat and spaced—no breathing allowed in the middle of a line. This method is an excellent tool for relaxing the lips and warming down as well. For additional "loosening up," repeat the preceding exercise 8va, resting wherever necessary. ® Play long tone exercise #1, 3 or 4 with as beautiful a sound as possible. Start each playing day with the three steps above. Some days may require more warming up than others due to the playing demands of the previous day or your biorhythmic cycle, but warming up well never hurts, it only helps. Finally, play the technical studies indicated for each appropriate day. In this way you can vary your warm up, maintain interest and learn new scales and fingering patterns quickly. Work gradually day to day through all of the keys until you can play each study with a minimum of technical "hang-ups." It is not necessary to play the studies higher than third space "C" in your warm up, though advanced players may wish to do so. Ideal warm-up time should eventually be 15-20 minutes. ® Monday Technical Study #1 Tuesday Technical Study #2 Wednesday Technical Study #3 Thursday Technical Study #4 Friday Technical Study #6 Saturday Technical Study #7 Sunday Technical Study #8 In my opinion, lip slurs (except in the lowest seven partials) are not a particularly good warm up. They are physically demanding and, therefore, useful later in your practice time. Lip strength (more accurately, the strength of the muscle structure around the lips) as a goal is greatly overemphasized. Although strength is important to a degree, range, endurance, a beautiful sound and advanced technique as a complete package are based on efficiency of breath control, not brute strength. 6 PERFORMANCE ANXIETY ERFORMANCE ANXIETY (i.e., nervousness) is a common and natural thing. Players at all levels of com petency experience butterflies, dryness and other symptoms of nervousness before a performance. T goal one should pursue is not to be totally relaxed, but to maintain sufficient mental and physical control, order to enjoy playing music and play well. Experience is the real key. The more often one performs, the easi er it gets. Take every possible opportunity to perform. Play for friends and family. Casual settings can be great help when done frequently. As a useful by-product, the more one performs and is heard, the more likw one will be asked to participate in other musical settings. That is the process through which one rises to the top of the music community, no matter how large or small the community. Here are a couple of practical pointers to help you defeat performance anxiety: © Warm up well several hours before performance time to ensure lip suppleness and good response. © When the butterflies come, don't resist them. Resistence causes tension. Tension causes playing problem Let the wave pass through your body. Observe the feeling as it happens. Don't panic. ® Scrape your tongue lightly across your top teeth to cause saliva to flow. The less you concentrate on di mouth, the sooner moisture will return. © Let go of the inevitable mistakes. Do not dwell on them. There is always time to think about that later. © Think musically, not technically, except for breathing. Breathe deeply and project the air confident^ through the instrument. This is the one fundamental you should always fall back on when you find your con dence faltering. © Finally, stay in present time. Don't worry about what has happened or what is coming. Don't sacrifice o entire piece for the sake of a high note or a tricky passage. Make the note or phrase you are playing as beau tiful as possible. The rest will fall into place. Present time is the key to performing from memory without slips a.* well. 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