Establishing a routine

[cpt_trumpet_guy]

Hello

I feel like calling myself a comeback player is a bit of a reach, I was never all that good - but I'm trying to get back into it again after 13 years.

I can play well enough'ish to butcher my way through exercises in Arban, but I'm battling to really find a routine for daily practice.

Arban is great, but it's hard to know where to even start. Are there any good resources/books that will help me improve in a more progressive manner, as apposed to Arban?

I found this Arban guide, wondering if this may be helpful in guiding me through progressing on Arban: https://bolvinmusic.com/product/arban-manual/

Thanks so much all!

[Dayton]

Welcome back to trumpet playing! The Arban Manual is an excellent resource for working your way through Arban, but you may want to add a book like Claude Gordon's Physical Approach to Elementary Brass Playing to help round out the routine, and eventually Clarke's Technical Studies and a book of flexibility studies such as those by Irons, Bai Lin or Scott Belck.

Harold Mitchell's Mitchell on Trumpet is an excellent all-in-one method, with a series of progressive lessons. It would be a good stand-alone option for your daily practice.

The best thing you could do at this stage is to take lessons. Give your teacher a sense of your goals and practice time, and let him/her help you put together a routine that makes sense for you -- what to practice and how to practice it.

Good luck!

[Dayton]

To elaborate on my previous post, there are a few good options for a comeback trumpet player to rebuild their fundamentals, range and endurance:

-- Harold Mitchell's "Mitchell on Trumpet" (also called the "Harold Mitchell Trumpet Method"). Four-volume series of progressive lessons. Each lesson is fairly comprehensive -- the best all-in-one method I have come across.

-- Bill Knevitt's sequence of "Getting Started Right on Trumpet" and then "The Developing Trumpet Player." Progressive lessons that are fairly comprehensive.

-- Claude Gordon's "Physical Approach to Elementary Brass Playing." This book is focused on progressive range and endurance, not technical skills or musicianship. It includes a basic lesson guide for St. Jacome's method to (re)build technical skills, but I would suggest pairing Physical Approach with Eric Bolvin's Arban Manual or St. Jacome Manual -- meaning that you'd also need the Arban or St. Jacome method book -- instead for more comprehensive lessons, or with Hickman's "100 Progressive Lessons" (see below).

-- David Hickman's "100 Progressive Lessons." Another good collection of progressive lessons. Range progression is VERY gradual. I believe the book tops off around an A above the staff. Would work best when paired with a book like Claude Gordon's "Physical Approach to Elementary Brass Playing" (See above. If pairing the two, ignore the St. Jacome lesson plan in Physical Approach).

There are many, many other good books out there, but until you are working with a teacher it is probably best to stick with something comprehensive that offers you solid advice regarding what to practice and how to do so -- such as the books above.

[cpt_trumpet_guy]

[Jimi Michiel]

[kehaulani]

I have the Bolvin Guide, Mitchell on Trumpet and Hickman's. The Bplvin is a great guide for using Arban. But you're still jumping around.

Both the Hickman and the Mitchell are sequential and have a balanced organization. But the Hickman is more gradual for a longer period of time.

As i recall, the Mitchell starts slowly but then makes a bigger jump than the Hickman. Kind of depends on what "beginner" means to you.

This post is a bit redundant, but I've played all three books so another POV might be helpful.
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[Jeff_Purtle]

You might find this helpful.
https://www.purtle.com/claude-gordon-practice-routines-the-brass-herald
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