Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2019 2:54 pm Post subject: Can you excercise the trumpet without using a trumpet?
Hello Guys, what are some excercises that you can do when you don't have your trumpet with you? For example when you are walking or sitting in the train. Can you use the time to practice your trumpet skills, like maybe train your lips muscles?
1. Listen to great musicians (trumpet and non-trumpet)
2. Try to recreate the sounds of these musicians in your imagination loudly and vividly
3. Listen to music with the score
4. Try to hear the score in your imagination loudly and vividly
5. Slowly practice through things you’re working on with the piano app on your phone
6. Make play along tracks on your phone (I use GarageBand)
7. Read good books on music, performing, or learning skills
8. Have a healthy snack and just think about things
9. Mental practice
Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2019 9:49 am Post subject: Lip Buzzing and Strengthening
You can also use your mouthpiece for lip buzzing and there are a number of lips/embrasure exercises that you can use discretely. I've found this little book Improve your Chops Without Playing a Note https://www.amazon.com/Improve-Your-Chops-Without-Playing-ebook/dp/B00AK12M5Kto be helpful along with numerous YouTube videos.
Joined: 30 Jun 2005 Posts: 2665 Location: sunny Sydney, Australia
Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2019 11:37 am Post subject:
There's the physical side of things, the trumpet side of things and then the musical. The first response covered musical. Buzzing, fingers on the forearm etc. covers the production side of things and is what most players will focus on to such an extent they lose sight of the musical.
Physically, breathing exercises, cardiovascular health, finger dexterity and other similar thing which you can work on with no trumpet , mouthpiece of embouchure in sight can have a huge effect on your playing.
Lastly, the emotional. Be in a positive head space when doing your musical anythings. Have a growth mindset. Accept failures and missed notes like a certain young female tennis player did the other day at Wimbledon.
So if we get our heads straight, be in as good health as we can, make sure our production is working well and we think of the music above all, we might have a chance of playing well today... tomorrow? Do it all again!
cheers
Andy _________________ so many horns, so few good notes...
Joined: 24 Jan 2004 Posts: 907 Location: Clinton, MS
Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2019 7:00 am Post subject:
You might try a PETE. It doesn't take the place of practice, but does help the chops work out better than just sitting there and it makes no noise like buzzing the mouthpiece. If there is no problem with a little noise, then using the mouthpiece would be the better solution.
I had a teacher drill into my head "If you can sing it, you can play it." As I get "older" I find it's really one of the most effective practice methods. It helps me learn the music away from the instrument so once you pick up the horn you're automatically creating a good aural connection. It's easier on the chops especially to figure out what it's supposed to sound like away from the instrument and singing is a great way to do that.
However if you're on a train or public area, humming might be better.
A friend recommended a book called Embouchure Rehabilitation by Lucinda Lewis after some chop issues I was having. There's some "isometric" exercises in there that I found helpful to really stabilize the embouchure and they don't require playing. Some involve the mouthpiece though. Honestly they're pretty tough on the face muscles so it wouldn't be something I would do for more than 10 or 15 minutes maximum each day.
Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2019 6:56 am Post subject: Re: Can you excercise the trumpet without using a trumpet?
Tro.sy wrote:
Hello Guys, what are some excercises that you can do when you don't have your trumpet with you?
I do lip isometrics but they're not out of any method book, just some things I came up with on my own. Important to note they're based on the kind of lip tension that actually occurs when playing, not the kind of tension that happens when free-buzzing which I personally regard as useless. _________________ Getzen Eterna Severinsen
King Silver Flair
Besson 1000
Bundy
Chinese C
Getzen Eterna Bb/A piccolo
Chinese Rotary Bb/A piccolo
Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2019 10:10 pm Post subject: PETE
I would absolutely recommend using a PETE on off days or if you are traveling. I keep one in the car all the time and use it any time I take a drive. Amazing what just a few minutes can do to prevent decay. Of course, you will need to come back to the horn and play long tones to readjust afterward.
1. Listen to great musicians (trumpet and non-trumpet)
2. Try to recreate the sounds of these musicians in your imagination loudly and vividly
3. Listen to music with the score
4. Try to hear the score in your imagination loudly and vividly
5. Slowly practice through things you’re working on with the piano app on your phone
6. Make play along tracks on your phone (I use GarageBand)
7. Read good books on music, performing, or learning skills
8. Have a healthy snack and just think about things
9. Mental practice
Honestly, i think this is the best advice in this thread yet (all 9 points). I've used the PETE, and it's a nice tool to have, but PLEASE use it sparingly. In fact, i wouldn't suggest trying to tire yourself out on it at all. And definitely make sure you do nice soft and low long tones with great tone production on the horn after your rest period and almost nothing else. You're always better off spending time on the horn, but in lieu of that, the PETE can help keep the face in shape. Anyway, onto the mouthpiece: this, again, i'd say do very sparingly, but less sparingly than the PETE. The mouthpiece is not the horn, and behaves very differently. Too much mouthpiece work can be detrimental to your tone production on the horn. Out of all of these topics, points, etc. I'd say that the 9 points mentioned by JoseLindE4 above are far and away better time spent off the horn than trying to stay in shape physically via mouthpiece or isometric exercises and tools like the PETE.
Joined: 13 Jun 2016 Posts: 569 Location: San Jose, CA
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 5:56 pm Post subject:
One thing you can do is get a length of plastic tubing that fits your mouthpiece; it can be cut to the length that makes it the equivalent of a Bb bugle, or a G bugle, etc. It's portable, lightweight, not too loud if you don't put a funnel on the end for a bell, and unlike blowing the mouthpiece alone or something like a BERP, it's resonant and this seems to make a BIG difference. _________________ Yamaha 8335LA with Blessing 3C, 5C, Schilke 11A4A
Joined: 12 Feb 2004 Posts: 6130 Location: Des Moines
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:02 pm Post subject: Re: Can you excercise the trumpet without using a trumpet?
Tro.sy wrote:
Hello Guys, what are some excercises that you can do when you don't have your trumpet with you? For example when you are walking or sitting in the train. Can you use the time to practice your trumpet skills, like maybe train your lips muscles?
Joined: 13 Jun 2016 Posts: 569 Location: San Jose, CA
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:47 pm Post subject:
There is no substitute for time. on. the. horn.
I was a mouthpiece-buzzing fool years ago. I figured, if I buzzed while watching hours of movies per night, I'd get back on the horn and be a monster, right?
No.
The horn is resonant. Your whole system has to resonate. Lip/mouthpiece buzzing is nothing like it.
The closest you might come is a bugle or a "bugle" made out of a length of tubing a' la the "Hosaphone" because it is also resonant. You'll be restricted to playing bugle calls but it'll be something. _________________ Yamaha 8335LA with Blessing 3C, 5C, Schilke 11A4A
During my high school years in class I used to play fingerings while imaging the notes or very quietly whistling them. I did scales, Clarke technical studies, and tunes then I advanced to jazz licks and soloing over the blues, etc. I still have that habit today when waiting for the bus, riding the subway, watching tv, etc. I think it helped me a lot.
Recently I discovered this master class with Hal Galper. It's basically the same thing.
Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2019 10:18 am Post subject: Re: Can you excercise the trumpet without using a trumpet?
Tro.sy wrote:
Hello Guys, what are some excercises that you can do when you don't have your trumpet with you? For example when you are walking or sitting in the train. Can you use the time to practice your trumpet skills, like maybe train your lips muscles?
I'm trying to learn to sound Taps well enough so I can volunteer for Bugles Across America. As a practice extender, I've found it helpful to (nearly) soundlessly voice bugle calls, such as Taps or Retreat. This can be done with or without a horn.
For example, Taps is (voicelessly) sounded like:
too too tah,
too tah tay,
too tah tay,
too tah tay,
too tah tay,
tah tay tee,
tay tah too,
too too tah
Of course, the "tee" (high G) in Taps is sounded much higher in the mouth than where English speakers sound the word tee but this exercise is helpful with concentrating on moving the tongue and palatal muscles to sound higher notes.
Joined: 13 Nov 2001 Posts: 9830 Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2019 1:34 pm Post subject: Re: Can you excercise the trumpet without using a trumpet?
Tro.sy wrote:
Hello Guys, what are some excercises that you can do when you don't have your trumpet with you? For example when you are walking or sitting in the train. Can you use the time to practice your trumpet skills, like maybe train your lips muscles?
Off trumpet exercises that can be done when you don't have access to a trumpet and/or can't play out loud include breathing exercises. If you're interested in learning a great breathing exercise send me and e-mail (not a private message) and I will reply with a word document describing the two types of breathing exercises Claude Gordon gave us to do.
Best wishes,
John Mohan _________________ Trumpet Player, Clinician & Teacher
1st Trpt for Cats, Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Evita, Hunchback of Notre Dame,
Grease, The Producers, Addams Family, In the Heights, etc.
Ex LA Studio Musician
16 Year Claude Gordon Student
One thing you can do is get a length of plastic tubing that fits your mouthpiece; it can be cut to the length that makes it the equivalent of a Bb bugle, or a G bugle, etc. It's portable, lightweight, not too loud if you don't put a funnel on the end for a bell, and unlike blowing the mouthpiece alone or something like a BERP, it's resonant and this seems to make a BIG difference.
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