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Finger Dexterity


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CJceltics33
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 12:23 pm    Post subject: Finger Dexterity Reply with quote

How do you guys go about improving finger dexterity?
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bnsd
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

same way I improve everything else... practice

Not trying to be trite, but if I have two weak spots, it is clean articulation and good fingers... in particular my ring finger. It's like it's not attached.

For me: Clarke studies, and Arban's chromatic studies
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JVL
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

slowly and accurate at first, then increase gradually.
at fastest speed, do in short sequences with enough rest between
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trpthrld
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 3:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Practice using your left hand on the valves. The most challenging part of this is actually figuring out a comfortable way to hold your horn with your right hand. (hint - it's not as difficult as you might think).

With your left hand in a perfect "C" shape with finger pads on top of the valves and thumb under the bell between the 1st & 2nd valve casings (for balance in holding your horn and leverage on the valves) and with a metronome set at a VERY SLOW tempo, do an exercise like Clarke technical #2. Concentrate on smooth finger movement with a solid pop/bang the valves down HARD. It's OK..in fact it's greatly encouraged... to over exaggerate the pop/bang.

With accuracy of fingers and adhering to tempo being your prime mental focus, slowly increase metronome tempo. Once you hit a tempo where the fingers, notes & rhythm are not clean - that's where to stop. Stay at that tempo for a few practice sessions, then slowly increase tempo until you hit another tempo wall. Repeat.

(you seeing the idea here?)

What left-hand practice does is basically remind your right hand what it needs to be doing. Because you have concentrated on absolute finger & rhythm fundamentals with an unfamiliar hand, the benefits of that concentration will readily & easily transfer over to the right hand.

All it takes is patience & dedication.
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Scott42486
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 3:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I did a few things to work on it:

1) I put heavy valve springs in my horn. I really have to concentrate and push the valve down. It made my ring finger (3rd valve) noticeably better after a while.

2) Clarke studies. Lots of them. If you get bored start doing them in minor keys too.

3) Arban. Chromatics, arpeggios, etc. I found that the better my brain got at patterns and recognizing everything the better my finger dexterity got.
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Craig Swartz
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 3:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like Tim, I use a metronome with scales, Clarke-type studies and characteristic studies like Arban or Smith. Multiple tonguing exercise as well. I'll often set the Dr Beat to click on primary and up beats- better chance to expose minute issues and unsteady, non-fluid movement. Record your BPM next to each Clarke exercise with a pencil- some are easy, some not-so-much. I haven't tried the left hand idea, though, food for thought. In any event, I believe the lack of metronome usage by students trying to improve and progress is a huge problem. Good luck.
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trpthrld
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 3:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To support what others have said - do exercises that you are familiar with, such as Clarke. That way you know what they're supposed to sound like already, and can put more mental focus into the physical finger improvement.

And yes - Clarke's in minor, whole tone, half-step, etc - excellent!
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dstdenis
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 6:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vizzutti book 1, finger flexibilities. Awkward and unexpected patterns that will test your dexterity and concentration.
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Andy Del
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 4:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are finger dexterity exercises (140 no less) in the LeDuc edition of Arban which are excellent - and in a wide variety of rhythms and modes.

cheers

Andy
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JVL
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 4:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, i forgot the excellent tip of left hand practicing : it sollicitates the other brain hemisphere, then coordinates the two hemispheres for optimal result.
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hackney_wick
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 5:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Delete

Last edited by hackney_wick on Wed Sep 19, 2018 1:11 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Dayton
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 5:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There has already been some good advice provided in response to your question. My thoughts:

1. There is a wealth of material you can practice: Arban’s scale, gruppetto and arpeggio exercises; Eric Bolvin’s Modern Jazz Trumpet Method scale patterns; Clarke’s Setting Up Drills, and Technical Studies; Pat Harbison’s Technical Studies; Tony Plog’s Fingering Exercises 1 & 2 (books 2& 3 of his Method); St. Jacome’s scale and velocity studies; Vizzutti’s finger flexibility and velocity studies (from book 1 of his Method); Rich Willey’s scale studies from Scale Force and Upside Down Scales, as well as his variations on Clarke’s Technical Studies; and on and on.

2. Make sure that the material you choose to practice offers you variety: major, minor, chromatic, whole tone, blues….

3. Introduce new material periodically to strengthen your hand-eye coordination, and help develop familiarity and fluency with new patterns.

4. Whatever you practice, do so as slowly as it takes to play very smoothly/evenly. Use a metronome, and increase your speed gradually. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

5. Shift the placement of your fingers so that your middle finger is over the first valve, the ring finger is over the second valve, and the pinky is over the third valve. That will help to develop coordination in your ring finger. You don’t need to do this for long: just a few scales or technical studies per day will really help.

6. Speaking of finger placement, make sure you are positioning your fingers directly over the valves and firmly pressing straight down. If you are pressing the valves at an angle they are working against you….

Good luck!
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CJceltics33
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 5:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GreT responses! Thanks very much! Today I tried playing chromatic with the left hand and was pleasantly surprised. I noticed immediately better timing and coordination with my left hand. I’ll try using the pinky on the third valve tomorrow.

The Vizzutti book sounds great, will be my next buy. Currently I have trouble with fast fingers and coordinating it with my tongue, so all the advice given will help a lot. Thanks again!
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JoseLindE4
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 6:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Books are fine, but you can use a little imagination and practice the vocabulary of music: scales, chords, intervals.

Practice scales in all forms: ascending, descending, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, developed a la Caruso, Clarke-like patterns (how many variations can you come up with?), other patterns.

In coming up with stuff to practice, use some imagination and think about the vocabulary of music.

When dealing with finger technique, the more neutral and relaxed, the better. The position your hand takes when it's resting at your side is the most efficient. Use this as a model. It's pretty common to see that shape and exaggerate it into a claw-like shape, which introduces tension. Relaxed is best and your body can teach you if you let it. Hang your arms at your side, shake out the tension, and use that position for your fingers. It might be very slightly flatter than what you believe is correct/textbook. Watch Maurice Andre play and see how relaxed his right hand is.
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JacobLythgoe
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

140 exercises pour l'indépendance des doigts
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starkadder
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

For me, I spent a lot of time working technical studies and pieces with difficult fingering in all keys with a metronome and the horn off my face. Hours and hours. You have to see a certain number of e-sharps and c-flats before they become instinctive. I still do this. Start slow. Speed comes with accuracy. If you can't play it slow, you can't play it fast.

The key is to do this with just you, the valves, the notes and the metronome. Save your chops for music. I've referred to them as my Palin exercises -- drill, baby, drill...


Last edited by starkadder on Mon Jan 22, 2018 9:09 am; edited 1 time in total
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solo soprano
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 12:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Be creative using alternative fingerings in your velocity routines to gain greater coordination and confidence when playing difficult passages.

It is said that Herbert L. Clarke always practiced his solos both a half step higher and a half step lower than written, in order to make the written key and fingerings seem easier.

Here are 24 of the best exercises ever conceived to develop the advanced trumpet player to the peak of fingering perfection, find "Ultra-Fingering Studies For The Advanced Trumpet Player", by Bill Knevitt at:

http://qpress.ca/product/ultra-fingering-studies-advanced-trumpet-player-bill-knevitt-pdf/


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cheiden
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 3:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Clarke Technical Studies, tongued and slurred.

My teacher has a host of "models" that I had to use to help sync the fingers and the tongue:

Slur all
Single-tongue all
Slur two, tongue two (where it makes sense)
Double-tongue all
Tripple-tongue all (where it makes sense)
K-tongue all

Choose a single study and stick with it for two weeks. Daily chose a tonguing
modle and do the study in all the written keys.

Needless to say, sight-reading lots of etudes is extremely helpful to challenge the fingers, tongue, and especially the brain.
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Aaron Molina
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Working on chromatics and clark studies helped me out the most personally. Not necessarily running through it as fast as possible but focusing on clarity and paying close attention so that my 3rd finger doesn't get "lazy" when running those exercises
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trumpet56
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 5:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

These are finger exercises that are practiced without playing the trumpet. They can be practiced in rest time during your normal routine.

FINGER TECHNIQUE.

THE PURPOSE OF THESE EXERCISES IS TO TRAIN THE 3 FINGERS USED IN PLAYING A BRASS INSTRUMENT TO MOVE TOGETHER AND INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER.
THE HAND NEEDS A NATURAL ARCH SIMILAR TO A PIANIST AND THE FINGER TIPS REMAIN IN CONTACT WITH THE VALVE BUTTONS IF POSSIBLE. TO ATTAIN THIS HAND SHAPE RELAX THE HAND BY YOUR SIDE.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THESE EXERCISES ARE DONE IN CONJUNCTION WITH A METRONOME. THIS WILL TRAIN THE FINGERS TO MOVE AT A CONSISTENT TEMPO. THIS WILL HELP THE PLAYER TO DEVELOP A STABLE AND REGULAR SENSE OF PULSE.
WHEN YOU BEGIN THESE EXERCISES START VERY SLOWLY!!
IT IS USEFUL TO PRACTICE THESE EXERCISES WITH THE LEFT HAND AS WELL.
Exercises for the 1st valve.
1) Lower and Raise the 1st valve
2) Lower and Raise the 1st valve while holding the 2nd valve down.
3) Lower and Raise the 1st valve while holding the 3rd valve down.
4) Lower and Raise the 1st Valve while holding the 2nd and 3rd valve down.
Exercises for the 2nd valve.
1) Lower and raise the 2nd valve.
2) Lower and Raise the 2nd valve while holding the 1st valve down.
3) Lower and Raise the 2nd valve while holding the 3rd valve down.
4) Lower and Raise the 2nd Valve while holding the 1st and 3rd valves down.
Exercises for the 3rd valve.
1) Lower and Raise the 3rd valve.
2) Lower and raise the 3rd valve while holding the 1st valve down.
3) Lower and raise the 3rd valve while holding the 2nd valve down.
4) Lower and Raise the 3rd valve while holding the 1st and 2nd valves down.
Exercises for Alternating Valve Combinations.
1) Alternate the 1st valve with the 2nd and 3rd valves.
2) Alternate the 2nd valve with the 1st and 3rd valves.
3) Alternate the 3rd valve with the 1st and 2nd valves.
4) While holding the 1st valve down alternate the 2nd and 3rd valves.
5) While holding the 2nd valve down alternate the 1st and 3rd valves.
6) While holding the 3rd valve down alternate the 2nd and 3rd valves.
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