playing faster

[Andymasch]

I started playing in November 2002 and I have no problemes to reach the c" but if I have to play fast parts with big note jumps for example e to high d and than back I get mixed up with my fingers and my lips.

Can anybody tell me an methode to learn faster playing or is it just a thing that time will
bring up (I practise every day about an hour)

[1B]

Be patient. Use a metronome, and practice slowly. There is no quick fix for developing technique. Slow, even repetition is the only sure way to achieve fast technique. Also, pound the valves. This will instill the muscle memory you are looking for. Consider picking up the Clarke Technical Studies or the Allen Vizzutti Trumpet method, Book 1. These are great resources for developing the scale patterns often seen in music.
Good luck,
1B

[trumpetplayer87]

Practice is part of it, but practicing slowly is a big issue. I agree with the first reply, practice with a metronome. Although I find it distracting sometimes it does help when you are playing a difficult portion slowly. Also if you find you are having trouble sight reading fast phrases, practice site reading. The arbans book has some good stuff to practice with. I think articulation comes in time with practice + patience, keep working on it. Also if you are having trouble with a certain fingering maybe you could try an alternate fingering, just be sure you can still play it in tune. One more thing, when practicing a piece, if you mess up don't play the whole thing over again, play the problem phrase rather than the whole thing. If the whole thing seems full of holes, practice it section by section, slowly.
hope this helps!
bonnie

[musiclifeline]

Take 5 minutes out of your daily practice time and compose a 2-measure exercise that includes the range/intervals you're having trouble with. Don't worry about whether it makes harmonic sense or not. Just make sure it's difficult (but not outrageously so). You can even steal notes or rhythms from things you're working on.

Practice this exercise (a new one each day) very slowly with a metronome for 5 minutes--without increasing the speed. Then for the next 5 minutes, speed up the metronome a little bit for every 2 times you play your exercise correctly.

The whole thing takes 15 minutes, and you'll find yourself hearing the intervals better in a matter of a couple of weeks. There are many other benefits to doing this, but it's better not to know about them so you won't think too much about it.
-mk

[musicmonkey]

musiclifeline,

So, like if I were having trouble playing octave Ds (like in Trumpeter's Lullaby) I would compose a short piece with lots of Ds in octaves, or would I do something broader (e.g. just octaves)? How long should the piece be?

thanks,
mm

[musiclifeline]

Musicmonkey,
Since these are little two-bar exercises, new one each day, you can do a couple of days with just Ds to get solid on that particular interval. When you're comfortable with that one, then you can write a broader exercise covering octaves. You are only limited by your imagination.

The hardest part about this type of exercise is writing the two bars in a short period of time. It should be relatively simple, but it should have one challenging aspect (range, large intervals, etc) that focuses on developing a particular skill.
-mk

[musicmonkey]

I assume you mean two bars of 4/4 time and I assume you say that just so it's a relatively short exercise. Or am I missing something, can I write in 700/4 time?

mm

[musiclifeline]

yes, to keep it short. If you're writing in 700/4, keep it to 2/175ths of a bar.
or about 4 seconds worth of music at about 120bpm.