Trumpet Practicing, How to Practice the Trumpet
Through years of teaching, Mr. Droste came to the realization that students are trying to bypass Basic Skills to play songs. He wrote this book to teach others how to master all aspects of trumpet technique. With these Basic Skills mastered, one can successfully play all types and styles of music.
The Following passages are taken From The Ultimate Warm-Up for Trumpet by: Michael Droste. This 100 page, 10 chapter book goes through all aspects of Warming Up / Basic Skills. Included are: air exercises, lip buzzing, mouthpiece work, long tones, tonguing, flexibility exercises, scales, range and phrase studies, it's all there, with all of the information sequenced appropriately to optimize your practicing! This 100 page book is printed on 24lb. 25% Cotton Fiber Writing Paper. (archival quality, acid free) The book also contains a complete set of all the articles from TrumpetStudio.com. It is made to last the test of time. The Ultimate Warm Up: Practice Guide The first step in determining a practice schedule is to define your goals and level of commitment. The more time you are willing to devote towards improvement, the greater your results. It is my firm belief that many of us were never taught correctly. We were taught to concentrate on individual pieces of music for concerts, or exercises from band method books, and not on the basic skills that are required to play the trumpet! You must do the work from the following chapters in this specific order to obtain the highest rewards from your practice efforts. Above all, practice as consistently as possible and try to never skip more than one day of practice.
The following is a Practice Schedule for 30, 60 and 90 Minute Sessions BASIC SKILLS:
2/3 thirds of your time should be spent working on Basic Skills. 30 minute practice session: 20 minutes on Basic Skills. 60 minute practice session: 40 minutes on Basic Skills. 90 minute practice session: 1 hour on Basic Skills. The other 1/3 of your time should be used wisely on etudes, studies, major pieces and trumpet repertoire. The warm up can also be adjusted to meet your various needs. You might have a weak area, and you may wish to increase time in that section. For example, your tone may be somewhat lacking in richness and warmth. As ALL sound is created through vibrations, your first method of attack would be to increase the minutes from the lip buzzing chapter until the desired results were achieved. Use of a metronome - There are metronome markings on each warm up in this book. Use them! The metronome is an invaluable tool and will help you to improve your internal rhythm. It will also allow you to gauge your progress. In the beginning, some of the long tones may be difficult to perform at 60 beats per minute. As time goes on and you are building endurance, it will be easier. A metronome will provide a consistent point of reference. The Ultimate Warm Up Table Of Contents Part 1. Getting Your Air Moving
Part 2. Lip Buzzing
Part 3. Mouthpiece WorkA. Mid-range to pedal tones buzzing B. Slow slides from medium to low to medium high Part 4. Long TonesA. Mid-range to lowest possible notes B. Mid-range to medium high notes Part 5. TonguingA. Mid-range to lowest possible notes B. Mid-range to highest possible notes Part 6. FlexibilityA. Mid-range to low lip slurs B. Low to medium high lip slurs extended Download Chapter 7 for FREE!
Part 7. Scales (All Keys)A. Major Scale (Two octave) B. Minor Scale (Two octave) C. Harmonic Minor (Two octave) D. Melodic Minor (Two octave) E. Brief Major exercise and one octave review Part 8. Range Study Part 9. Flow Studies Part 10. Addendum A. ALL articles from TrumpetStudio.com B. Fingering Chart The Ultimate Warm Up How To Use This Warm Up Book The entire book should be played at each practice session. If time does not permit playing the entire book, then play as much of each section as time permits. Do not skip any sections. You must do the exercises in order from beginning to end. (If the Ultimate Warm Up contains exercises to high for you, skip that section until your able and go to the next exercise.)
Part 1. Getting Your Air Moving Set your metronome to 60 bpm for these warm-ups. Air is the secret to great tonguing, range and tone production. It is THE most important aspect of playing any wind instrument. Think of your air as a continual stream of water flowing through your kitchen faucet. Always constant never stopping! Air Tips! -Low notes require a greater volume of air to produce a great tone. Imagine making an ‘ah’ sound in your mouth and directing the air into a large tube. Always constant never stopping. -High notes require fast air. Imagine saying an ‘e’ sound in your mouth and directing the air super fast into a small straw! Always constant never stopping.
Part 2. Lip Buzzing Set your metronome to 60 bpm for these warm-ups. For these exercises try to get a nice full, rich sound that is full of tone. What is done here is amplified by the mouthpiece and horn. Do not spend more than 5 minutes on this section. Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to yourself, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing?
Part 3. Mouthpiece Work Set your metronome to 60 bpm for these warm-ups. Hold the mouthpiece with the thumb and forefinger at the end of the mouthpiece. This is to keep you from putting pressure on your embouchure. The key is to keep the air constantly flowing. Go for a great sound! Listen to yourself, tape record your playing. Go for a warm, rich sound with a lot of tone. What you produce now is simply amplified by your instrument. If your sound is thin, this is the place to devote more work and energy. Play the exercises in a relaxed fashion, not loud or soft, but with a nice full tone slowly moving higher and lower as directed.
Part 4. Long Tones Set your metronome to 60 bpm for these warm-ups. Again, the key is to keep the air constant, always flowing. Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to yourself, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing? You can make beautiful music by simply playing long tones, it is possible!
Part 5. Tonguing Set your metronome to 80 bpm for these warm-ups. The key is to keep the air constantly flowing. Think of the kitchen faucet analogy again, while the faucet is constantly flowing, imagine flicking a butter knife quickly through the stream of water. The butter knife quickly separates the water and the stream of water continues never stopping. The air flows on, but is lightly separated by the tongue. When playing these warm-ups use different syllables for tonguing. Use as directed: da, dee, do, ta, tee, to. Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to your sound, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing?
Part 6. Flexibility Set your metronome between 60 and 80 bpm for these warm-ups. Another key to playing the trumpet is flexibility. The ability to move from 2nd valve F# to 2nd valve B quickly and smoothly is essential. Along with other valve combinations, these simply have to be mastered. The key for successful lip slurs is to keep the air constantly flowing. When doing the extended slurs change the air flow! The low notes require a greater volume of air to produce a great tone. Imagine making an ‘ah’ sound in your mouth and directing the air into a large tube. Always constant never stopping. The high notes require fast air. Imagine saying an ‘e’ sound in your mouth and directing the air super fast into a small straw! Always constant never stopping. Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to yourself, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing?
Part 7. Scales (All Keys) Download Chapter 7 for FREE! Set your metronome between 60 and 80 bpm for these scales. The key to this chapter is to be Very Fluid. Keep the air constantly flowing as you pass between the different octaves. The air flows on, but is lightly separated by the tongue. Try sluring each scale, and experiment with different tounguing syllables from the chapter on tonguing. Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to your sound, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing?
Part 8. Range Study Set your metronome between 60 and 80 bpm for these warm-ups. I believe that the type of air needed to play lead is most closely related to a High Pressure Air Tank. You must tank up on the air and release the valve, releasing the Super Fast Air Stream. When playing lead one should ride this high pressure air stream and not force the lips. Let the High Pressure Air Tank and the subsequent Super Fast Air Stream do the work, NOT THE LIPS! Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to yourself, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing?
Part 9. Flow Studies Set your metronome between 60 and 80 bpm for these warm-ups. These studies are meant to make your playing as musical as possible. Sing the music, yes sing it! Imagine the most beautiful voice singing the passage in your mind. Now go to the music and reproduce exactly what you hear in your mind. Exactly! Think of each line as a separate musical idea. The goal is to think across the bar line to the end of the musical phrase. This is why musicians play and practice! Why play the trumpet if you are not receiving a musical experience? Music is full of feelings and emotions, play all your music this way and you’ll never want to stop. Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to yourself, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing?
New Music Added to Chapter 9: Piano And Trumpet 1. Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin - Richard Wagner 2. Rondeau Theme from Masterpiece Theater - Jean Mouret 3. Wedding March - Felix Mendelssohn 4. Trumpet Voluntary - Henry Purcell 5. Trumpet Tune - Henry Purcell Trumpet Part Only 1. Hunter’s Chorus (duet) - Weber 2. Hungarian Dance No. 5 - Brahms 3. Minuet - Luigi Boccherini 4. Sonata No. 8 in C minor - Beethoven 5. Bach Horn Duet - J.S. Bach 6. Introduction to Third Act form Lohengrin 7. Waltz in Ab - Johannes Brahms More...
Part 10. Addendum Complete article reproduction from TrumpetStudio.com Topics include: Skill Building - How To Play High Consistently - Mouthpiece Selection is Critical for Success - Double Tonguing and Single Tonguing - Lip Buzzing - Practicing For A Performance - Finding Time To Practice - Equipment - Synthetic Oil: Use With Caution - Braces - Endurance - Popular Method Books - Recommended Discography - Fingering Chart.
Through years of teaching, Mr. Droste came to the realization that students are trying to bypass Basic Skills to play songs. He wrote this book to teach others how to master all aspects of trumpet technique. With these Basic Skills mastered, one can successfully play all types and styles of music.
The Following passages are taken From The Ultimate Warm-Up for Trumpet by: Michael Droste. This 100 page, 10 chapter book goes through all aspects of Warming Up / Basic Skills. Included are: air exercises, lip buzzing, mouthpiece work, long tones, tonguing, flexibility exercises, scales, range and phrase studies, it's all there, with all of the information sequenced appropriately to optimize your practicing! This 100 page book is printed on 24lb. 25% Cotton Fiber Writing Paper. (archival quality, acid free) The book also contains a complete set of all the articles from TrumpetStudio.com. It is made to last the test of time. The Ultimate Warm Up: Practice Guide The first step in determining a practice schedule is to define your goals and level of commitment. The more time you are willing to devote towards improvement, the greater your results. It is my firm belief that many of us were never taught correctly. We were taught to concentrate on individual pieces of music for concerts, or exercises from band method books, and not on the basic skills that are required to play the trumpet! You must do the work from the following chapters in this specific order to obtain the highest rewards from your practice efforts. Above all, practice as consistently as possible and try to never skip more than one day of practice.
The following is a Practice Schedule for 30, 60 and 90 Minute Sessions BASIC SKILLS:
| PRACTICE SCHEDULE | 30 Minutes | 60 Minutes | 90 Minutes |
| Part 1. Getting Your Air Moving | 1 Minute | 2 Minutes | 3 Minutes |
| Part 2. Lip Buzzing | 2 Minutes | 4 Minutes | 6 Minutes |
| Part 3. Mouthpiece Work | 2 Minutes | 4 Minutes | 6 Minutes |
| Part 4. Long Tones | 2 Minutes | 4 Minutes | 6 Minutes |
| Part 5. Tonguing | 3 Minutes | 6 Minutes | 9 Minutes |
| Part 6. Flexibility | 2 Minutes | 4 Minutes | 6 Minutes |
| Part 7. Scales | 3 Minutes | 6 Minutes | 9 Minutes |
| Part 8. Range Study | 2 Minutes | 4 Minutes | 6 Minutes |
| Part 9. Flow Studies | 3 Minutes | 6 Minutes | 9 Minutes |
| Part 10. Etudes, Studies, Major Pieces and Trumpet Repertoire | 10 Minutes | 20 Minutes | 30 Minutes |
2/3 thirds of your time should be spent working on Basic Skills. 30 minute practice session: 20 minutes on Basic Skills. 60 minute practice session: 40 minutes on Basic Skills. 90 minute practice session: 1 hour on Basic Skills. The other 1/3 of your time should be used wisely on etudes, studies, major pieces and trumpet repertoire. The warm up can also be adjusted to meet your various needs. You might have a weak area, and you may wish to increase time in that section. For example, your tone may be somewhat lacking in richness and warmth. As ALL sound is created through vibrations, your first method of attack would be to increase the minutes from the lip buzzing chapter until the desired results were achieved. Use of a metronome - There are metronome markings on each warm up in this book. Use them! The metronome is an invaluable tool and will help you to improve your internal rhythm. It will also allow you to gauge your progress. In the beginning, some of the long tones may be difficult to perform at 60 beats per minute. As time goes on and you are building endurance, it will be easier. A metronome will provide a consistent point of reference. The Ultimate Warm Up Table Of Contents Part 1. Getting Your Air Moving
Part 2. Lip Buzzing
Part 3. Mouthpiece WorkA. Mid-range to pedal tones buzzing B. Slow slides from medium to low to medium high Part 4. Long TonesA. Mid-range to lowest possible notes B. Mid-range to medium high notes Part 5. TonguingA. Mid-range to lowest possible notes B. Mid-range to highest possible notes Part 6. FlexibilityA. Mid-range to low lip slurs B. Low to medium high lip slurs extended Download Chapter 7 for FREE!
Part 7. Scales (All Keys)A. Major Scale (Two octave) B. Minor Scale (Two octave) C. Harmonic Minor (Two octave) D. Melodic Minor (Two octave) E. Brief Major exercise and one octave review Part 8. Range Study Part 9. Flow Studies Part 10. Addendum A. ALL articles from TrumpetStudio.com B. Fingering Chart The Ultimate Warm Up How To Use This Warm Up Book The entire book should be played at each practice session. If time does not permit playing the entire book, then play as much of each section as time permits. Do not skip any sections. You must do the exercises in order from beginning to end. (If the Ultimate Warm Up contains exercises to high for you, skip that section until your able and go to the next exercise.)
Part 1. Getting Your Air Moving Set your metronome to 60 bpm for these warm-ups. Air is the secret to great tonguing, range and tone production. It is THE most important aspect of playing any wind instrument. Think of your air as a continual stream of water flowing through your kitchen faucet. Always constant never stopping! Air Tips! -Low notes require a greater volume of air to produce a great tone. Imagine making an ‘ah’ sound in your mouth and directing the air into a large tube. Always constant never stopping. -High notes require fast air. Imagine saying an ‘e’ sound in your mouth and directing the air super fast into a small straw! Always constant never stopping.
Part 2. Lip Buzzing Set your metronome to 60 bpm for these warm-ups. For these exercises try to get a nice full, rich sound that is full of tone. What is done here is amplified by the mouthpiece and horn. Do not spend more than 5 minutes on this section. Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to yourself, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing?
Part 3. Mouthpiece Work Set your metronome to 60 bpm for these warm-ups. Hold the mouthpiece with the thumb and forefinger at the end of the mouthpiece. This is to keep you from putting pressure on your embouchure. The key is to keep the air constantly flowing. Go for a great sound! Listen to yourself, tape record your playing. Go for a warm, rich sound with a lot of tone. What you produce now is simply amplified by your instrument. If your sound is thin, this is the place to devote more work and energy. Play the exercises in a relaxed fashion, not loud or soft, but with a nice full tone slowly moving higher and lower as directed.
Part 4. Long Tones Set your metronome to 60 bpm for these warm-ups. Again, the key is to keep the air constant, always flowing. Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to yourself, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing? You can make beautiful music by simply playing long tones, it is possible!
Part 5. Tonguing Set your metronome to 80 bpm for these warm-ups. The key is to keep the air constantly flowing. Think of the kitchen faucet analogy again, while the faucet is constantly flowing, imagine flicking a butter knife quickly through the stream of water. The butter knife quickly separates the water and the stream of water continues never stopping. The air flows on, but is lightly separated by the tongue. When playing these warm-ups use different syllables for tonguing. Use as directed: da, dee, do, ta, tee, to. Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to your sound, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing?
Part 6. Flexibility Set your metronome between 60 and 80 bpm for these warm-ups. Another key to playing the trumpet is flexibility. The ability to move from 2nd valve F# to 2nd valve B quickly and smoothly is essential. Along with other valve combinations, these simply have to be mastered. The key for successful lip slurs is to keep the air constantly flowing. When doing the extended slurs change the air flow! The low notes require a greater volume of air to produce a great tone. Imagine making an ‘ah’ sound in your mouth and directing the air into a large tube. Always constant never stopping. The high notes require fast air. Imagine saying an ‘e’ sound in your mouth and directing the air super fast into a small straw! Always constant never stopping. Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to yourself, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing?
Part 7. Scales (All Keys) Download Chapter 7 for FREE! Set your metronome between 60 and 80 bpm for these scales. The key to this chapter is to be Very Fluid. Keep the air constantly flowing as you pass between the different octaves. The air flows on, but is lightly separated by the tongue. Try sluring each scale, and experiment with different tounguing syllables from the chapter on tonguing. Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to your sound, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing?
Part 8. Range Study Set your metronome between 60 and 80 bpm for these warm-ups. I believe that the type of air needed to play lead is most closely related to a High Pressure Air Tank. You must tank up on the air and release the valve, releasing the Super Fast Air Stream. When playing lead one should ride this high pressure air stream and not force the lips. Let the High Pressure Air Tank and the subsequent Super Fast Air Stream do the work, NOT THE LIPS! Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to yourself, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing?
Part 9. Flow Studies Set your metronome between 60 and 80 bpm for these warm-ups. These studies are meant to make your playing as musical as possible. Sing the music, yes sing it! Imagine the most beautiful voice singing the passage in your mind. Now go to the music and reproduce exactly what you hear in your mind. Exactly! Think of each line as a separate musical idea. The goal is to think across the bar line to the end of the musical phrase. This is why musicians play and practice! Why play the trumpet if you are not receiving a musical experience? Music is full of feelings and emotions, play all your music this way and you’ll never want to stop. Go for the most beautiful sound that you can create. Listen to yourself, tape record your playing. Is your sound full, rich, warm, musical, and pleasing?
New Music Added to Chapter 9: Piano And Trumpet 1. Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin - Richard Wagner 2. Rondeau Theme from Masterpiece Theater - Jean Mouret 3. Wedding March - Felix Mendelssohn 4. Trumpet Voluntary - Henry Purcell 5. Trumpet Tune - Henry Purcell Trumpet Part Only 1. Hunter’s Chorus (duet) - Weber 2. Hungarian Dance No. 5 - Brahms 3. Minuet - Luigi Boccherini 4. Sonata No. 8 in C minor - Beethoven 5. Bach Horn Duet - J.S. Bach 6. Introduction to Third Act form Lohengrin 7. Waltz in Ab - Johannes Brahms More...
Part 10. Addendum Complete article reproduction from TrumpetStudio.com Topics include: Skill Building - How To Play High Consistently - Mouthpiece Selection is Critical for Success - Double Tonguing and Single Tonguing - Lip Buzzing - Practicing For A Performance - Finding Time To Practice - Equipment - Synthetic Oil: Use With Caution - Braces - Endurance - Popular Method Books - Recommended Discography - Fingering Chart.
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