Play the Trumpet

Miles Davis. Dizzy Gillespie. Maynard Ferguson. These legendary trumpeters weren't born knowing how to play - they worked at it. If you've just picked up a trumpet, get started practicing today! In time, you'll be able to be show off to your friends, join a band, or just play for fun. Playing the trumpet is a hobby - and a gift - that lasts a lifetime.

Steps

Choosing a trumpet

  1. Buy/rent a trumpet. Go to your local music shop and ask the clerk for a student trumpet to rent or buy. Ask to make sure the trumpet is in the key of B flat (B flat is preferred). You may get a different key, but concert B flat will be the easiest in the long run. It may be an unlabeled brand. Don't worry; many student instruments come from an unmarked brand. It is fine to start off with. Make sure you check the following before you start to rent your new trumpet. Just be aware that buying a trumpet can be expensive.
    • That the valve casing has no dents in it.
    • That the valves move up and down smoothly and not too noisily.
    • And that all the slides move freely back and forth.

Initial learning without the trumpet

  1. Keep your trumpet in its case to start. Say the letter "M", but stop at the "mmm" part. Keep your lips in that position. Now, blow through this position in a buzzing sound. It may sound odd at first, but that is the basic lip position to use while playing.
  2. To get 'buzzing' down, here are a few tips: Pretend there is a small piece of paper on the tip of your tongue. Stick your tongue out slightly, just the tip, and scrape the paper off your tongue quickly and spit it away from your mouth. Your lips should catch each other, creating a sound similar to a 'raspberry'.

Learning with the trumpet

  1. Get out your trumpet. After assembling it fully, inhale through your mouth, assume the proper lip position, put the instrument up to your lips, and vibrate using your lips, making the buzzing sound. Don't push any valves yet. You should feel your lips change tightness as they lock into a note. Don't push the valves yet!
  2. After playing your first note, try tightening your lips slightly and pushing down valves one and two. Note that valves are numbered one through three. Valve number one is closest to you, and valve number three is toward the bell of the horn. The note should be higher.
    • Congratulations! You've now played your first two notes on a trumpet!
  3. Since buzzing can be a very hard step to master for some people, carry around a mouthpiece with you. If you buzz into your mouthpiece correctly, you should be able to make a coherent sound. It may sound a lot like Donald Duck, but that is a good thing. If you sound like Donald, you're doing something right.

Learning your first scale

This section uses notes on another site to assist your learning. You may notice that the names of the notes given here on the page are different from those at the website. This is because the names of the notes at the website are for piano, not trumpet. They were "transposed" to be the correct note for trumpet. You will learn more about this after you continue to play for a while.

  1. Learn your first scale. A scale is an ascending or descending collection of pitches proceeding by a specified scheme of intervals.
  2. Play your first note. Go to http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/SOUND/Midi/Bb3.mid. Play this note on your trumpet while pushing no valves down. That note is C.
  3. Push down valves one and three. Play note D. If you can't play D, try barely tightening your lips.
  4. Push down valves one and two. Tighten your lips a little more, and play note E: http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/SOUND/Midi/D4.mid.
  5. Push down valve one. Tighten your lips a little more, an http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/SOUND/Midi/Eb4.mid .
  6. Next, don't push down any valves. Instead, tighten your lips some more, and play note G: http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/SOUND/Midi/F4.mid.
  7. Push down valves one and two, tighten your lips some more, and play note A: http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/SOUND/Midi/G4.mid.
  8. Push down only valve two. Tighten your lips a little more, and play note B: http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/SOUND/Midi/A4.mid.
  9. Finally, let go of all the valves and play note high C: http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/SOUND/Midi/Bb4.mid.
  10. Congratulations! You just played your first C scale on a trumpet. This is also called the "Concert B flat" scale, but you will learn more about that when you get a music book.
    • Next it's a good idea to learn Concert E flat scale. This scale has higher notes, and may be harder at first. But with practice, persistence, and some help from a pro, you could get the high notes well. After you get the E flat scale, move on to higher-or lower-scales.

Practicing and advancing

  1. Practice the scales as much as possible. Try to practice every day for at least 15 minutes, although it is recommended that you practice about an hour a day, once you have the stamina for it. When you start off, and especially when you only have one scale to play, fifteen minutes should be plenty.
  2. Buy a beginner trumpet music book. Follow its instructions beyond what you've learned here. What you've learned here is only one of twelve scales; the book should teach you at least one or two, and many songs, before you move on to another, or sheet music. Good luck! The trumpet is a great instrument that takes a whole lot of practice to play it well.
    • A great book to begin with is Rubank Elementary Methods for B flat Trumpet or Cornet, or a Getchell. Ask the store clerk for either of these.



Tips

  • If at any time you feel that your lips are about to bleed, or if you feel torn pieces of lip on the inside of your mouth, immediately stop playing for the day. If you continue playing with a hurt lip, you can damage your playing for up to a week, maybe longer.
  • Make sure you back is up straight and your feet are flat on the ground. Also, breath from your belly not from you chest before you begin.
  • Before starting any trumpet playing, blow air through the horn, to "warm up" the instrument and assume the correct embouchure.
  • One more time, here are the notes of a C Scale: C (open), D (first and third), E (first and second), F (first), G (open), A (first and second), B (second), C (open)
  • If you need your note to get higher in pitch, don't tighten your lips, firm your corners! The common misconception among brass is to tighten your lips which increases muscle tension. You will have much more success if you firm the corners of your lips and use the side muscles to support your vibrating lips.
  • If you are very serious about growing and improving your skills as a trumpet player, private lessons can be an immense help. They are definitely a worthwhile investment- find a teacher that is helpful, knowledgeable, and you enjoy spending time with.
  • After you have learned to play the trumpet for a while and have moved on to more advanced music, you will notice that you can't start off playing high notes when you first get your trumpet out. This is because your lips aren't warmed up yet. To warm them up without permanently damaging them, you should play low notes, such as C, D, E, F, G, and back down again. After you play these notes for a little bit, you should be able to play higher notes. also, Do not practice on buzzing; that helps you get an awful habit going. Everyone says buzz, but just blow air. The sound will be more crisp.
  • The most important tip of all is find a competent trumpet teacher.
  • If you are blowing through your trumpet and you hear nothing or a very dull resonating sound you make sure you are blowing correctly. If you are, you may have a valve aligned incorrectly. Grab the top of the button and lightly spin the valve until it stops, this should solve your problem. If your problem persists, take it back to the store and they will help you!
  • It is easier to breathe in through your nose and may get warmer air, but to get more air faster, you may breathe in with your mouth.
  • Your trumpet may have what looks like a pinky ring. This ring is for players that may have more experience. It is used to tune any note holding down the third valve better.
  • Occasionally, you should warm up by breathing in (through your nose) steadily for 8 beats and out for 8 beats, then in for 4, out for 4, then in 2, out 2, in 1, out 1. Your shoulders should not "shoot" up when you take a quick breath. Your diaphragm should expand.
  • If you notice a reddish substance on your trumpet that isn't rust, you most likely have redrot. Redrot will turn into holes. If your redrot is on the slides, you can get a replacement slide for about $100, but if the redrot is on the bell or anything that is not a slide, it very pricey to fix. To prevent this, don't chew gum or eat any candy before playing. It is also a side effect of an old trumpet.
  • Try to place the mouthpiece in the middle of your lips. If you have braces or anything on your teeth at all, your mouthpiece may be inclined to go up higher than it should, or lower. Don't get into this habit- if you do this for long, you will not be able to play trumpet with the mouthpiece correctly placed at all.
  • If you have braces, take extreme care whenever practicing, especially when you are just beginning to play. You may be able to ask your orthodontist for wax. They will most likely give you some for free. Put it on before you play, and your lips will not get scratched up. Also, some orthodontists have plastic attachments that are much cleaner than wax strips that are sized for your braces and attach painlessly! Best of all, when you get the braces off you can still play trumpet without having to loose your lip callus!

Warnings

  • Never play after you eat! Food will get into your trumpet and damage it.
  • When playing, make sure that you don't press the mouthpiece too hard against your lips to get the higher notes.
  • Don't wear your lips out. Practice consistently, not constantly. Try to practice at least three times a week, and remember to take breaks in between.
  • Try not to get too frustrated. If you are getting frustrated, take a few deep breaths before trying again.
  • Find music you like to play that's within your range and ability.
  • Try not to drop or break it. It may be expensive to fix it.
  • If you want to get rid of any bad habits while playing the trumpet, tape a little reminder to the bell of the trumpet where you can see it but the music teacher can't. Take your note off for a couple of weeks or until you think you completely got rid of your bad habits.

Things You'll Need

  • A trumpet and mouthpiece
  • Valve oil, for when your valves start to get sluggish
  • Slide grease, to keep the tuning slides from getting stuck
  • Music to play

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Sources and Citations

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