Glissando.....

[germerv]

In my last phone lesson with JC, he assigned me to do glissandos from second line G to above stave G and also C to C. He said just rip up and rip down. I should have asked what this is supposed to teach me, but I didn't. I will next time. Has he assigned glissandos to anybody else out there and what do you think is the teaching object. If I don't hear from anybody, I'll tell you what he says when I ask him.

Germerv

[germerv]

Well, I didn't hear from anybody. So -- here's what he said. Glissandos just teach me what the higher notes sound like. Since slurring is easier up high, it's easier to get to the high note so one can know where it's supposed to be. Once you know, then you start up high and glissando down and back up again.

Best regards,

germerv

[histrumpet]

Maybe Ken and Kyle have not gotten that far with their lessons yet.

[tptguy]

By coincidence, I just got my lesson about glissandi in the mail. Next week, I get the lesson that introduces me to songs with 3 flats. I think it's called E or Eb or something like that. Can't wait!

When you study with Jerry, he'll give different exercises to different students for different reasons. In many cases, they should be considered short term fixes for individual problems. But, you have to follow up with further lessons or phone calls in order to learn when to not overdue it. It's important for students to realize that these "fixes" should not be interpreted as universal rules to be applied by everyone. I've seen this get many people in trouble many times.

To me, it appears Germerv is getting a special fix for a personal need, so I'll leave that to Jerry. In more general terms, glissandi are a central part of "Trumpet Yoga". In that method, they are used for building the chops much more than the ears. In individual lessons, I've found that Jerry will often assign techniques from Yoga and SC as he thinks a student can use them.

Best regards, Kyle