Practise Esentials

Arthurio · New Member Joined: 16 Jan 2022 Posts: 3 Location: Austria

Hello,
what you would recommend to someone who plays the trumpet regurlarly and also like to improve (regarding high range, flexibility, articulation, endurance, musicality and improvisation), but dont have a lot of time to practise. Max. 1-2 hours daily.
I know there a lots of exercises like Stamp, Collins, Arban, Stockhausen, Concone,... but what is your experience to focus on for great progress and consistency overall. I am a bit lost and I am jumping from one to another, feeling unsure. Do you have an exercise which covers multiple sections mentioned above? Or do you have also helpful dry excerises? I am interested to hear from you.

zaferis · Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2022 6:15 am Post subject:

Guidance from a solid teacher.

It's not what you play, but how you play it.

All the texts you mention can be used in a manner to help you improve, but if you're mindlessly playing them, much of the benefits can be lost. Playing them well, repeatedly, making those good aspects habitual. This is where guidance from an outside source helps - self analysis is challenging and often inaccurate.

You can accomplish a lot in 1-2 hours daily: 30-45 minute routine that reinforce fundamental elements leaves you a solid hour or more to work on a variety of things.. get a teacher and have a plan.
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Arthurio · New Member Joined: 16 Jan 2022 Posts: 3 Location: Austria

Alright. Thank you. Yeah you´re right, I should get a teacher again.

JayKosta · Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2022 7:01 am Post subject:

Dayton · Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2022 11:21 am Post subject:

Trumpjerele · Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2022 12:15 pm Post subject:

I tell my experience. I haven't had any luck with the teachers. I reached a plateau and no one could get me out of there. I practiced a lot, but not in the right way and I didn't improve.

The Balanced Embouchure book has improved my basic technique, I still have limitations, but now I am making progress. Its price is ridiculous if you compare it with the cost of a private teacher.

To improvise, I think you have to spend time playing the notes of the scales, discovering their sound. you start with two notes, add a third, etc, you play with them, with the rhythm, the rests, like a modal meditation, so to speak.

You also have to develop your ear, get melodies by ear: children's songs, songs from the radio, folk, soul, whatever you want, bass lines, chord progression. Just a little each day and without getting frustrated. Theory is not too important.

I haven't gotten anywhere, I'm just talking from the road, so that's my 2 cents.
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Arthurio · New Member Joined: 16 Jan 2022 Posts: 3 Location: Austria

Thank you for all your answers. I also had bad luck with teachers and needed to change my embochure. Now I am experimenting with the spit buzz embochure. Works for me very well this way.

stuartissimo · Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:56 am Post subject:

kehaulani · Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2022 8:56 am Post subject:

You sound to me like you need an organized and balanced routine. You might consider getting Mitchell on Trumpet by Harold Mitchell. There are four books to be played in sequence. Read the atch. text.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mitchell+on+trumpet&crid=2RWMT925EEAPE&sprefix=mitchell+on+trumpet%2Caps%2C92&ref=nb_sb_noss

BTW, "It's not what you play, but how you play it." needs to be taken in context. The point is to concentrate on what you are playing but, I think, doesn't imply that what exercises you pick don't really make a difference. If you have problems with double tonguing, you obviously wouldn't practice Cichowicz' Long Tones. Just want to clarify that in case of a misunderstanding.
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cheiden · Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2022 9:57 am Post subject:

gwood66 · Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2022 12:45 pm Post subject:

As an adult I want a mentor rather than a teacher. I prefer someone who will teach me how to fish (explain the whys) rather than just catch fish for me (just feed me exercises to practice).

As for your question, figure out what type of exercises satisfy the basic fundamentals. Put a simple routine together by picking a few exercises from each method. I find it easiest to have most if not all the exercises in one place like a PDF so that I don't get distracted by shiny things. The other thing you can do is write your routine down and place it on your stand or post it on a wall. Keep track of practice in a journal so you know how long you have been working on each thing. The most important thing is to stick with it.

There are basic routines on the interweb that can help. Examples include the Ray Mase 20 minute routine, Bill Adam Routine, Greg Wing 20 minute routine, etc. You can also go the method book route as has already been mentioned.
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jhatpro · Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2022 2:23 pm Post subject:

I get the best results from multiple short sessions every day. I try to mix fundamentals with tunes. Lately I’m hearing good things when I solo on playalongs, focusing on trying to create countermelodies while keeping the form, long a problem for me.
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