Trumpet playing without teacher

[bent tubing]

Hi y'all I'm a 72 yr old wanting to learn the trumpet. My question is can learning the trumpet be done without a teacher or private lessons?

[JayKosta]

Well .... yes it can be done - but that's the 'hard way', and likely to have only limited success.

Trumpet playing is not difficult, but does require learning some skills that are not intuitive, and which are difficult to convey through text, 1-way video, etc.

This is a good video of initial lesson for a beginner -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxTb2gEaTU4
edit: do you understand what is shown in this video, and can you do it?

If you do watch videos, or read written material - watch carefully to identify the basic things that are almost always mentioned. It's not the specific 'little tricks' or 'special techniques' that might get highlighted, the important part is learning and doing the 'basic fundamentals'. Those fundamentals are the foundation for future progress and ability.

edit ... oops, from the OP's 'join date', maybe not is all that it seems.
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Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.

[Quadstriker]

[trickg]

[jcubed901]

I believe we all need a trumpet teacher

The question then becomes, “Who is the best teacher for you”? Can you teach yourself effectively, or would you learn better through lessons from a different teacher?

Arguably, we are living in the best time ever to teach ourselves. YouTube has videos from great teachers on topics ranging from beginner embouchure formation to advanced techniques. The best practices are out there

However, it’s more difficult to determine how you, as an individual, should interact with those best practices. For instance, if your slurs aren’t smooth, should you stick with your current technique and give it more time? Or should you alter your approach?

A good teacher will help you navigate those challenges. The best players are often their own best teacher. At the same time, many of them have taken years of private lessons to understand what good teaching and coaching looks like. And they develop the skill to “self-teach” at a high level

Finding a good teacher will help accelerate your progress. And if you decide to teach yourself, I recommend finding ways to introduce objectivity into your practice sessions. For example, record yourself and listen back. How close is your sound to the sound of players you admire? What can you try next time to get closer?

Practicing intonation against a drone + playing with a metronome are other ways to introduce objectivity into your practice

Best of luck as you continue your journey. We’re all on the same journey with you - trying to get better each day!

[kehaulani]

Just a word about YouTube videos. Some are excellent and some are snake oil. Can you tell the difference? If you can't, then get a teacher until you can.

Don't worry about the age. For most comeback or beginning students at that age, it's not about aiming to play lead in some professional big band as much as it is the process. Enjoy the journey, itself.

BTW if you can, work up enough chops to play in a New Horizons, or other, community band, it's great for incentive and the comradery of playing with others.
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[Robert P]

I'm not sure what the story is with posts almost 20 years apart asking essentially the same thing but a decent teacher will get you working on certain skills - scales & being facile in different keys, articulations, flexibility, intonation. There was someone posting in here not too long ago who's self-taught and it appeared to me they're mired in a place they're never going to make significant progress away from because they don't have anyone directing them to build certain skills and they're resistant to any such direction.

The problem with the "find a teacher" advice is that where a lot of teachers fall short is they know how to assign exercises and can evaluate certain aspects of your progress but if you're having an issue with the mechanics of your embouchure they don't really understand how to help. Finding someone who's genuinely tuned in to the subtleties of how things work is more difficult.

You'll also find people giving advice that's garbage and for a beginner it's hard/impossible to discern whether someone's advice is valid or not.

Given the realities of your age I would seek out someone who's at a University or has a track record of producing solid students and is willing to take on adult beginners rather than a teacher at the local mom 'n pop music store.
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[Rogerrr]

DEFINITELY much better in the beginning to get a teacher
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Sax player learning cornet & trumpet...and occasionally a little bit of trombone.
( so don't confuse me with an experienced player )

[Bill_Bumps]

The short answer is "yes."

But it'll take you a lot longer, and you'll work a lot harder.

[LFRoberts5]

TAKE UP THE SAX...its way easier....
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[Rogerrr]

I PLAY SAX….It IS much easier…both are better with a teacher but for trumpet a teacher is much more important imho
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Sax player learning cornet & trumpet...and occasionally a little bit of trombone.
( so don't confuse me with an experienced player )

[bent tubing]

Thank you JayKosta for the you tube video it was very helpful!

[krell1960]

[JayKosta]

[amelialogan2342]

[stuartissimo]

In my experience, yes it's possible. In some cases it's even preferable. Not every teacher is the right match for every student, and getting 'just any teacher for the sake of having one' isn't the most productive way to go about it. Make sure you get a good teacher, who knows how to play and teach well (not just any band director who knows what a trumpet looks like) and more importantly, a teacher who knows how to teach you.

However, imho it has to be for the right reason. Saving money even though you can afford it isn't a good reason (penny wise, pound foolish), and neither is for the prestige of being self-taught (there is no glory in it).
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[Jaw04]

I need a personal trainer to hold myself accountable for working out. Working out is not really my thing, and I get lazy unless I am paying someone to meet me there, push me, show me the right way to train and hold me accountable. I might be able to do it on my own after making it a habit, but I'm not there yet. Some people work out on their own and do very well. But in any case, most successful people have a trainer or someone showing them what to do at least for a period of time in their formative journey.

[Richard III]

I looked up the OP's history when the OP was a 54 year old beginner on trumpet. I didn't read all of the comments. But also in 2022, the OP said they had played in a community band for three years. Maybe there's been a lot of stopping and starting.

Back to normal programming.
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Richard

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