10 Truths of Playing the Trumpet

[MrV]

Hello Group,

I read this on another forum and thought it has good insight so here it is.

--MrV

10 Truths of Playing the Trumpet

10 Truths About Playing the Trumpet, or any instrument for that matter….

1. Higher, Faster, Louder does not mean better, it means higher, faster, louder. Trumpet players, young ones especially, generally have a tendency to overemphasize these three aspects of their playing. The result is inconsistent playing because they skipped over the fundamentals of good trumpet playing. They were too hasty to get to the hard stuff instead of doing what is easier the right way.

2. Trumpet playing is easy. Sorry everyone, but we often give ourselves too much credit. Trumpet players, seemingly more then any other instrumentalist, are very good at complicating what is a very simple process…inhaling air and releasing it naturally through our lips causing them to vibrate. Whenever we begin to think of more than that, we find ourselves in trouble. The best way to combat the analysis paralysis (to use a Jacobs term) is to focus on the music.

3. Transposition isn’t hard. Neither is multiple tonguing, ultra soft playing, or playing Flight of the Bumblebee at a quarter note = 455. If we practice anything in a methodical manner for the right amount of time it becomes easy. Being an orchestral player by trade, I have transposed both in the orchestral setting and in the practice room using the Sachse etudes and others so much that it has become second nature. I have spent enough time working on my soft (barely audible) playing with Bordogni and Concone studies that I don’t even worry about the fact that slurring from a 3rd space C to a low G at pppppp is hard. I have worn the binding off of my Arban book working on the multiple tonguing. I haven’t yet worked up Flight of the Bumblebee.

4. A beautiful sound, singing approach, and drop dead intonation will get you a job, not just your chops, tongue, and fingers. We can spent our whole lives developing flawless technique and still sound bad.

5. That new mouthpiece and or horn will not make you a better player. It’s a piece of metal. For every $30 you spend trying to find that one mouthpiece that will change your life, you are depriving yourself of at least 2 pizzas. 3 if you’ve got a better pizza place than mine. Pick something sensible and go practice.

6. Trumpet is a wind instrument, not a lip instrument. The next time someone tells you that you need to make your lips stronger for a stronger range, hit them with a rock. You never hear of a clarinetist changing to a stronger reed when they’ve got a high note coming up. Our lips are just reeds. We must keep them relaxed or they’ll never be able to vibrate. The strength is in the air.

7. The more pleasant you are, the more people want to hire you. Self explanatory.

8. We are only humans. We can’t practice for 5 hours at a time. The myth that we should be doing a solid 3 hours or more is bull. I’ve never known any professional player, including Frank Kaderabek, Vince Cichowicz, Bill Campell, Bud Herseth, et al. who can sit down for 3 straight hours and play non-stop. Anyone who says they can is lying through their teeth. Resting is as important as playing during a practice session. If I play for 5 minutes, I rest for 5. My general rule is when I am practicing a passage, I will play it, then sing it in my head before playing it again, that way I am always fresh. I can play all day that way, but if I start practicing at 10 am and end at 5 pm, it doesn’t mean I practiced for 7 hours.

9. The greatest measure of a trumpet player’s ability is being able to create the illusion of ease. As a player, the worst thing anyone can ever say to me is that it looks and or sounds like what I’m playing is hard. I often laugh especially when I hear Maurice Andre play because he has this unique ability to make the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 sound like a walk in the park. I once realized that his easygoing approach to the instrument is one of the main factors of his success. The less work he allows himself to do, the less work he has to do. He doesn’t get in his own way, and the end result if spectacular.

10. Take a day off every other week. Like it or not, trumpet playing is rough on our bodies and our minds. As natural as we try to make our approach, we’re still doing some wear and tear on our emboucher. We do an equal if not greater amount of destruction to our mind. For our mental and physical health, we must get away from the horn every now and then.

Adam Decker
B.M. Trumpet Performance Student
University of Michigan

If I get one more IM from XXXhotchik I swear I'm going to go Irish on them!

[_bugleboy]

Some of these "truths" seem to be stated as strawman arguments, such as #1. Others are just plain false.

2. Trumpet playing is easy.

Trumpet playing is not easy. It is extremely difficult. If it were easy, virtually anyone who wanted to play the trumpet would be abe to do so without encountering any problems and it would be accomplished in a short period of time.

Driving a car is easy. Kids on farms learn to drive vehicles at an early age and virtually any adult, who wants one, can get a driver's license. Trumpet playing is not easy.

3. Transposition isn’t hard. Neither is multiple tonguing, ultra soft playing, or playing Flight of the Bumblebee at a quarter note = 455.

The way I've seen Flight of the Bumblebee written is in 16th notes. Giving the quarter note a value of 455 would make the piece absolutely unplayable. MM = 455 would be about 7.5 beats per second. With four 16ths per beat, that would be around 30 notes per second. Get real!!

I have spent enough time working on my soft (barely audible) playing with Bordogni and Concone studies that I don’t even worry about the fact that slurring from a 3rd space C to a low G at pppppp is hard.

I wonder how pppppp is spoken/written. Would it be pianissimoissimoissimo? Actually that would be pppppppp. So how would you say 6 p's?

I haven’t yet worked up Flight of the Bumblebee.

And at quarter note = 455, you won't, either.

6. Trumpet is a wind instrument, not a lip instrument.

Wrong. It's both and it's neither. To be exact it is the muscles that play the instrument. The muscles of the respiratoty system control the air flow and the muscles of the embouchure control the resistence to that air flow by means of the lips.

Traditionally, there are vastly more references to the LIPS as opposed to references to AIR when it comes to discussing trumpet. The trumpet is a wind instrument, but brass instruments in general and the trumpet in particular are overwhelmingly referred to as having to do with the lips. Expressions such as,

Leatherlips
Good lip
My lip feels good
lipping (a pitch)
Tired lips
Strong lip
Lip trill
Lip slur
etc., to mention just a few.

I've never heard a trumpet player say that his "air" felt good or bad. Or that he had tired "air." My point is that that the trumpet is generally perceived to be an instrument in which the lip is the predominant characteristic in its operation. To deny this or to try and characterize the trumpet as being other than this reminds me of the story of the emperor's clothes.

8. We are only humans. We can’t practice for 5 hours at a time. The myth that we should be doing a solid 3 hours or more is bull. I’ve never known any professional player, including Frank Kaderabek, Vince Cichowicz, Bill Campell, Bud Herseth, et al. who can sit down for 3 straight hours and play non-stop. Anyone who says they can is lying through their teeth.

What happened to Truth #2???? Driving a car for 3 hours is a snap.

9. The greatest measure of a trumpet player’s ability is being able to create the illusion of ease.

So by this logic a trumpet player who creates an illusion of ease, but sounds like crap should be considered as having a great measure of ability. What kind of a truth is that???

The greatest measure of a trumpet player’s ability is the music he makes. If, at the same time, he creates an illusion of ease for those who can actually see him perform, then that's fine. If he appears to struggle in the execution of this music then so what? BTW what happened to Truth #2.

10. Take a day off every other week. Like it or not, trumpet playing is rough on our bodies and our minds.

Again, what happened to Truth #2?

So much for somebody's idea of truths of trumpet playing on another forum.

_________________
Charles Raymond







[ This Message was edited by: bugleboy on 2003-12-17 09:29 ]

[jhatpro]

Whoa! It's a good thing Moses didn't check with you first, Charley! We might have only six or seven Commandments.
_________________
Jim Hatfield

"The notes are there - find them.� Mingus

2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle

[_bugleboy]

Jim,

Don't misread Adam's post. He didn't say that these are THE ten truths of trumpet playing, only that they are purportedly ten truths OF trumpet playing, i.e., ten truths of many truths.

If Moses had checked with me first there would have been at least two.

[jhatpro]

I'll bite. Which two?

(I vote for "Thou shalt not shoot the piano player" and "Remember to keep holy the musician's contract.")
_________________
Jim Hatfield

"The notes are there - find them.� Mingus

2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle

[Bootleg]

haha, wow, MrV got shredded. However, I'd like to add a #11 to his so called "truths about playing the trumpet"

11. You'd sound better if you own a Monette.

That's perhaps the only truth I can think off, everything else is quite debatable.
_________________
"If brute force doesn't solve your problem, then you're not using enough!"

[oj]

Bugleboy has some valid points here....

Just a personal comment to Truth #2:
(I posted this on another forum, but it kind of fits in here....)

There is a paradox when it comes to music and trumpet. People can be very musical on other instruments, but really suck on trumpet. In a band I play (tuba btw) there is a lady who is so musical on accordion. If you hum a melody, she can play it immediately with a nice chord progression. On trumpet, I'm sorry to say, but she sucks.

Why?

Well she plays with pressure, with a very spread embouchure - you know the rest. No Arban or melodies, etc. etc., will help her. She need the type of help that people like Jeff Smiley give. He is not alone, even if he is "rare" - the late Caruso was also of that type.

As a music student I decided to take up recorder. My main instrument was trumpet. In one year, by hours of practice each day, I was able to develop from a total beginner (I never played recorder before) to a decent player. On my exam, I played a complete sonata by Telemann (from "Die Getreu Meister") with cembalo and cello accompaniment.

I could not play a concerto by Teleman on trumpet, even if I had played for years. My main problem was (as with very many fellow players) I played on an inefficient embouchure. My teachers could not help me (they were naturals) - great lessons on intepretation, ok, but no Teleman on trumpet for me.

On my alto recorder (flauto dolce is a much nicer name btw) I could play for hours without endurance problems. In a few months I had the necessary range for the sonatas.

On flauto dolce, I could have played all 36 Charlier etudes in a row. No problem, except perhaps concentration problems. On trumpet on the other hand, only one or two etudes, then I would need a longer rest. You see the "trumpet paradox" ?


Ole


[ This Message was edited by: oj on 2003-12-17 07:57 ]

[AccentOnTrumpet]

bugleboy-

As usual I agree with what you said. I kid you not, I probably see eye to eye with what you say more than probably anyone else on this forum.

I personally have never been a big fan of these cliche kind of posts about "just get your mind right and stop having mental problems and trumpet playing will be easy blah blah blah". The people saying trumpet playing is easy are often the same ones who are struggling more than they have to as well (at least from my experience). The trumpet is a very difficult instrument, however it becomes easier as you get better. But if trumpet playing itself was really easy, then everyone and their mom would have a Double C and be able to play "Flight Of The Bumblebee" with a quarter note = 455.

Everyone wants to talk about these little cliches to sound smart, but in reality, what really makes as better as both musicians and technicians is experience. We go through stuff and we learn from it, make the best adjustments we can, and improve as a result.

I also really liked Bugleboy's connection of #9 contradicting #2. If trumpet playing is so easy, how come it's also very physically demanding? You can't say it's both.

And hey guys, I got a kick out of this contradiction personally:

6. "Trumpet is a wind instrument, not a lip instrument. The next time someone tells you that you need to make your lips stronger for a stronger range, hit them with a rock"

Followed by:

"7. The more pleasant you are, the more people want to hire you. Self explanatory."

HAHAHAHAHAHA! So hitting people with rocks is pleasant? lol...

"4. A beautiful sound, singing approach, and drop dead intonation will get you a job, not just your chops, tongue, and fingers. We can spent our whole lives developing flawless technique and still sound bad."

Don't like how this under-estimates the importance of chops and technique. Sure sound is extremely important, but who wants to only hear someone who sounds good and has no technique? That's just boring.

"5. That new mouthpiece and or horn will not make you a better player. It’s a piece of metal. For every $30 you spend trying to find that one mouthpiece that will change your life, you are depriving yourself of at least 2 pizzas. 3 if you’ve got a better pizza place than mine. Pick something sensible and go practice."

LOL!! I do like the pizza part!! Equipment can help you improve though, but I guess it's true for inferior players that having Burt Herrick modify your mouthpiece wouldn't make you suck any less...lol

"1. Higher, Faster, Louder does not mean better, it means higher, faster, louder. "

So.........May I ask.....(lol)....What planet is this guy from???? Is he really a trumpet player? Or some odd space alien pretending to be a trumpet player? LMAO just kidding I actually agree...But I do love to play high, loud and fast. Let's not denounce that.

Hmmm...So this guy lives in Ann Arbor? Maybe if I ever see him, I'll HIT HIM WITH A ROCK!!! lol...Just kidding

[ This Message was edited by: AccentOnTrumpet on 2003-12-21 00:53 ]

[histrumpet]

IT'S......BACON!!!!!

[Mr.Hollywood]

Hey Charly,

This guy asked for it.

What a dumb list.

There is a reason the trumpet is often called the "coil of torture".

Chris

[MarkHeuer]

Mr Hollywood,

The "coil of torture".....that is absolutely HILARIOUS. I got a great laugh out of that. Why? Because for me it's so true.

Mark Heuer

[rafterman]

Gee, MrV began his post with a civil greeting and posted a list of things that have elements of truth in them. I don't think he deserves hailstorm of reaction.

"Mr V got shreaded."

"This guy asked for it."

The trumpet is a "coil of torture."

Let he who is without platitude, cliche, and oversimplification cast the first stone.

As for the trumpet being hard - sure! But so is every thing in life that one tries to do with conscious attention to detail, quality and excellence - including driving a car.

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11

[Mr.Hollywood]

For those of us who are "out there" playing are butts off full time, this "trumpet playing is easy" bullsh!t just sets us off.

You could tell by this guys equipment (1-1/2 C) that he is some sort of legit type player. Lets see this guy play the circus for 10 days, or a Chassidic wedding where you are non stop playing for five hours, or better yet a three piece dixeland job outside with just trumpet, banjo, and tuba (do this for three hours then tell me how easy it was) Or any real hard LOUD big band gig.

He also said that he was a student at college which tells you right there that he might not derive 100% of his income from freelance playing.

Let me hear Chuck Findley, Bergeron or Maynard say "trumpet playing is easy"

Heres my take on it.......

Trumpet playing CAN (as in sometimes) be easy if (and this is a very big IF) you break your a** practicing enough. As far as practice time goes........ While I don't do it anymore I was one of those kids who really did practice 4 to 5 hours a day.

Chris

[ This Message was edited by: Mr.Hollywood on 2003-12-23 11:57 ]

[trickg]

quote -- "........ While I don't do it anymore I was one of those kids who really did practice 4 to 5 hours a day. Mr. Hollywood.

Gee, now don't you just wonder how good you couldhave been if you had only practiced for 2 - 3 hours a day?
_________________
Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
- Brasspire Unicorn C
- ACB Doubler

"95% of the average 'weekend warrior's' problems will be solved by an additional 30 minutes of insightful practice." - PLP

[Mr.Hollywood]

Think about how good I could have been if I didn't practice at all!!!

I notice that you are from Glen Burnie, did you know Leroy Green the mouthpiece maker?

He made me a couple of mouthpieces back in the eighties. He was in his late 80's or early 90's BACK THEN! So he couldn't possibly be alive now.

Chris

[Brewblue1]

Just to clarify, folks.

I dont think Mr. V created this list, he was just passing it on from another forum. It appears to have been created by a undergraduate college student, which would explain some of the egotistical, yet conflicting naivate of his statements.

Whether or not Mr. V believes the statements made in that post is another discussion altogether. We might want to lay off him a bit as they are not necessarily his ideas. As for the young student who actually made the list, he'll learn soon enough that such ideallistic views dont often 'cut it' in the real world.


John
_________________
John Marchiando
University of New Mexico
New Mexico Philharmonic
Shires Artist
Tromba Mundi
Summit Brass

[_Clarino]

I want to defend the assertation that playing the trumpet is easy (don't hit me!). Think back to your first lesson. within twenty minutes you could play a C scale. Charley made the comparison with driving "Driving a car is easy. Kids on farms learn to drive vehicles at an early age and virtually any adult, who wants one, can get a driver's license." True. Driving IS easy. I passed my driving test first time within six weeks of starting lessons. I am nowhere near as good a driver as Michael Schumacher. Think how hard it was to play a D for the first time. You would laugh if anyone told you that playing a D was difficult now! This is because you have played it so many times. The same applies for the more complicated aspects of trumpet playing.

Playing trumpet IS easy. Playing trumpet WELL requires a lot of hard work.
_________________
FOSSIL FULES: Use us and nobody gets hurt.

-The Simpsons

[trumpetmike]

Speaking as a teacher - NOT all students can play a full C major scale within 20 minutes.

A lot that can, can't actually play it well.
Ask them to play one of the notes near the top, without the rest of the scale, and they won't stand a chance.

When starting students off, I prefer them to play just a few notes well. There is plenty of time for teaching them the other notes, once a good base has been formed.

For some people, yes, playing the trumpet does come very easily, almost naturally. Other people do have to work very hard at it. I teach the instrument, my Father played it (along with all the other brass instruments), my Sister can play it (badly, never had a lesson in her life, won't take advice from me, just picked it up one day and played a tune - she can do this on any instrument, swine!!) yet my Mother cannot manage a single note. She has tried many times, with help from me and the rest of the family.

Trust me, she does NOT find it easy!!!

[Trptbenge]

Hey everyone!

First of all I would agree with Bugleboy on most all of his points. Second, and before I go further, Mr. Hollywoods attack on Mr. V is uncalled for since he was passing on something he had read somewhere else and presented it in a pleasant manner. It's no excuse saying that it set you off when you missed the part that he was passing on a list from somebody else. He didn't deserve it so please chill out. Remember, as much as we love and care about trumpet playing it is pretty unimportant in the big picture and outside our relatively small fraternity.

Without going into all the points there were a few that do make sense.

Great Players, Great Athletes and great performers in any line of work make things look easy... when its not. It is because they worked their butts off - without exception it doesn't matter how talented they are.

Being pleasant and easy to get along with will help you get jobs - only if you can play the music. In a clinic at the University of Central Florida three years ago with Malcomb McNab and Wayne Bergeron this came up. McNab said that if someone is difficult or irritatiing they just won't be asked back to the studio gigs. There are a lot of great players and no one is that good. Also, reference Gary Grants book on trumpet playing. He covers this.

Sound is important - along with the ability to play the music. I agree (in my head) that a new mouthpiece and horn won't make a difference but emotionally I haven't got this one yet.........much to my wifes chagrin.

Personally, I have never found trumpet playing to be easy. It is a constant battle to push my skills and abilities further while keeping the few that I have. I think each of us may have days when we really think we've got trumpet playing down and other days when you wonder why in the heck am I trying to play this thing.

Have a Happy New Year everyone!

Mike

[trumpetfox1234]

You might be interested in this new book about how Bud Herseth, Arnold Jacobs, and William Scarlett play.

See: http://www.trumpetworkspress.com
_________________
Michael I. Goode
Author
Stage Fright in Music Performance and Its Relationship to the Unconscious, 2nd ed.
Assistant Principal/Third Trumpet
Ravinia Festival Orchestra
www.trumpetworkspress.com