Learning trumpet without lessons

[bent tubing]

Hi there I'm a 72 yr old wanting to learn the trumpet and my question is can I learn to play the trumpet without a teacher or private lessons. Is it at all possible or can it not be doable?

[tomba51]

It's certainly possible, there are tons of self taught players. But progress will probably be faster with a good teacher who can point you in the right direction and prevent you from making basic mistakes in your approach.
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Tom Barreca

[Billy B]

[huntman10]

[jhatpro]

The careers of Buddy Childers, Enrico Rava, Charles Tolliver, Bobby Shew, Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Coles, Humphrey Lyttleton, Louis Prima - all largely self-taught - suggest you can certainly learn to play the trumpet without taking lessons.

In fact, it would be easier than ever these days with the availability of YouTube and the plethora of trumpet method books not to mention the wealth of info available here on TH.

But it's also true that you would learn faster and avoid bad habits by taking at least some occasional lessons.

Check with local music stores and schools for names of teachers.

Good luck and have fun!
_________________
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

[gwood66]

Since you have been a TH member since 2005 and have posted over 100 times I would guess you are a slow starter. A teacher may help that out.

8 years ago when I started this habit I thought I would teach myself. 7.5 years ago I figured out that I had a fool for a teacher and found someone else. I vote with Billy B.
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Gary Wood (comeback player with no street cred)

GR 66M/66MS/66**
Bach Strad 37
Getzen 3052
Yamaha 6345

[trickg]

[stuartissimo]

The real answer is that you need neither our permission nor our approval. It’s definitely not impossible, but it’s also not impossible to win the lottery…yet few people do.

As Patrick points out, a teacher can save you a lot of time (think:years) and grief. This is mainly because with brass instruments, most the sound production is done by the human body and to really grasp how that works takes more time and practice than say, a piano or guitar.

However, if you want to play trumpet, just go for it. Most of us here will probably attest it’s a great way to spend your time .
_________________
1975 Olds Recording trumpet
1997 Getzen 700SP trumpet
1955 Olds Super cornet
1939 Buescher 280 flugelhorn
AR Resonance mouthpieces

[Rapier232]

Is it possible? Absolutely. I’m completely self taught. I bought a trumpet and Tune a Day book 1. No musical knowledge at all. Taught myself to play and read music. Trouble was I didn’t know what I needed to know. I spent ages playing the wrong note, because I didn’t even know that other notes could be played with the same fingering. Took months to even play a simple nursery rhyme. Bought a tuner, which was essential to my progression. Then bought the Arban and tried to work through that.

I was so bad my wife made me practice in my car, in my garage, down the bottom of my garden.

It took years to become average. Now I’m reasonably competent and sometimes even get paid to play in pit bands for musicals. I’m even Principal trumpet in a local wind band, with 6 other trumpets.

Would I recommend self teaching? Absolutely not. The internet didn’t exist when I started, which would have made life so much easier, but now you can have lessons from top professionals from anywhere in the world. Even the free tutorials on line would help greatly.

There are other instruments that are much easier to play, but none that are so satisfying to play (when you get it right).

Go for it, it can be very frustrating, but so much fun.

Oh, and if you do, practice and learn the scales. Something I still regret not doing when I started.
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"Nearly as good as I need to be. Not nearly as good as I want to be".

Smith-Watkins Bb
Will Spencer Bb
Eclipse Flugel
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JP152 C Trumpet
Besson Bugle

[GeorgeB]

Boy, this is a toughie. You may well be able to learn the mechanics of playing the trumpet on your own, but learning music ( it's another language ) and knowing what a G# or a C natural or an Ab sound like in your head is another thing all together, because if you don't know what any particular note sounds like, good luck in playing it.

George
_________________
GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
1962 Conn Victor 5A cornet

[Croquethed]

If you had played for a noticeable length of time as a kid and wanted to pick it up again without a teacher, that would be doable.

If you're starting from scratch? I think you'd be frustrated pretty quickly.

[Seymor B Fudd]

I did, But I was 15-16 when I began and I have devoted an enormous time practicing - and- very important - have been playing in bands ever since meaning that I have had to update, learn from all available sources, forever striving towards a distant goal. A very very fertile setting. Remarkable success yes. I played the Hayden, 3rd movement almost impeccable 1974. lead trumpet, Brass band front row most of the time.

Again - a tremendous amount of time spent practicing.

But at 72 after a particularly intense period of practice I finally overdid it. A C middle of staff barely audible.
Then my first lessons ever brought me back on trail. Aging chops revealing important flaws previously disguised behind youthful strength.
The real lift was the discovery of the BE method - maybe another story.
But it has taken me another 7-8 years to finally get that special feeling in your chops signalling "this is how it should be done".

My point is: I sincerely doubt that you will arrive at a level good enough for your satisfaction - with regards to the time you have left walking on this earth. But never say never.

You should, in my opinion ask your self some questions:
1) what is your goal? Playing in a band and if so at what level. Or at home just passing time?
2)how much time are you willing to spend? Garbage in garbage out so quality time!!!
3)how big is your tolerance for irritation?
4)why do you want to do this without the help of a teacher
5)why do you want to play the trumpet (and why now).

What I am aiming it is your motivation, "chuzpah"! Investment resources!
_________________
Cornets:
Getzen Custom Series Schilke 143D3/ DW Ultra 1,5 C
Getzen 300 series
Yamaha YCRD2330II
Yamaha YCR6330II
Getzen Eterna Eb
Trumpets:
Yamaha 6335 RC Schilke 14B
King Super 20 Symphony DB (1970)
Selmer Eb/D trumpet (1974)

[ECLtmpt2]

bent tubing, You have some very good answers to your question. TH is a wealth of knowledge & can be of great assistance to 'us' trumpet players.

However, could you please tell us a little more about you and your goals, it seems you have made similar comments as far back as 2006/2007.

Many here would be more than happy to give you some advice. Perhaps knowing a bit more about where you see yourself going with the trumpet would be helpful.

[trickg]

I used to say I was self-taught - I never had much in the way of formal lessons at any point, and especially not growing up in a small rural town of 2,000 in Nebraska. I listened to a lot of music, and I worked on things I felt needed to be worked on, so my technique built in a kind of organic way, but no lessons....except....

Because I have been a working musician for so long I've had the opportunity to play with some really fine players. I learned a TON from Tom Strayer working with him for the better part of 2 years in the First Army Band Brass Quintet - every rehearsal with Tom was a lesson in it's own way.

I've gotten so many "lessons" along the way from so many players - suggestions on things to work on, how to work on them, etc. I've also learned a lot from playing alongside other non-trumpet musicians.

The wedding band I played with for 20 years had a couple of really outstanding sax players. I remember the first month or so of playing alongside Barry Caudill thinking, "oh - so THAT'S how that should be phrased!" It wasn't that I wasn't playing well - I was - but those guys brought a whole other dimension to it. I played alongside of Doug Morgan for a couple of years too. He was the former bari-sax player for the Airmen of Note. He could play just a little bit.

Bringing this back to our original poster, those learning opportunities playing alongside of other players are out there, but you have to get good enough to be able to go out and play in some ensembles first, and the quickest path to that IMO is with a teacher and some diligent practice.
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Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
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- ACB Doubler

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

[Richard III]

If you could, you would have already done so. Seriously. When I started they handed me a trumpet and a beginning book. At age nine, within one year I was playing at high school level. I guess there's an aptitude.

After age sixty, I've picked up the french horn, the euphonium and the tuba. Within one year on each, I can pretty much playing anything. Certainly not at professional level, but good enough to play in any band in my area.

So if you haven't got there already, especially after reading all your old posts, it is time for a teacher.
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Richard

King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece

[kehaulani]

I had similar early success, like Richard but, at the same time, started lessons early. I would think on retrospection that my teacher, while monitoring basic fundamentals, gave me "impose discipline" to practice regularly.

Back story: Similar to Richard, I went from 3rd Cornet to 1st Cornet in three months. OTOH, LOL . . I had a private lesson and remember my teacher answering my parents question, "How did it go?" and he, answering, "if your son doesn't practice more, he's wasting my time and your money". So ne result of my having a private teacher was accountability of regular practice.
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"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
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[HarvestMoon]

It's not a great idea to start playing without a teacher. If you form bad habits they can be hard to break.

[Jaw04]

Depends on how you learn and your personality.

Some students I work with need detailed daily systematic practice plans. Other students work better with broad concepts and a more hands off approach.

If you are asking this question I would say you are probably the type of person that would do well with taking structured lessons. Some people just have a knack for learning and figuring things out on their own, and don't ask too many questions like what you proposed.

[stuartissimo]

[Seymor B Fudd]

Sittting here in front of the magic box I miss something - no, somebody - the OP!

Hopefully you didn´t scrap your horn or went out in order to feed local ducks in response to the usual avalanche of supercalifragilisticexpiali - precious advice.

So what´s your reaction? We, I´m sure, have meant well - picking up the noble art of producing music is in itself commendable.
We are all the same but also different with regards to our experiences - hence the various views.

But not all ways lead to Rome!!!
_________________
Cornets:
Getzen Custom Series Schilke 143D3/ DW Ultra 1,5 C
Getzen 300 series
Yamaha YCRD2330II
Yamaha YCR6330II
Getzen Eterna Eb
Trumpets:
Yamaha 6335 RC Schilke 14B
King Super 20 Symphony DB (1970)
Selmer Eb/D trumpet (1974)