rowuk

Actually the Clarke studies are no-brainers. That is what make them so difficult. Few are willing to start and build slowly!

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

fnchdrms87

agreed. You'll be using clarke the rest of your natural born trumpet life. Go slowly, make sure you slam the valves down HARD. I can not stress that statement enough. Slam the valves down hard at slower tempos and build yourself up. Do not be in a rush to get through this book. When you can play all the studies in the written keys at the prescribed tempos all in one breath, then move to minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor, whole tone, diminished etc. etc. This book really is genius. Value it. If you do not slam your valves when you are playing these studies at pp, they will sound muddy. Slam your valves!

Hardnut

Wow thank you so much guys!

I think the most important thing I have picked up on is to take it slow! That is such useful advice, as knowing how generally excitable I am when it comes to the trumpet, I would have almost certainly set the metronome to the suggested speed and struggled my way through, not getting it right! I am really going to work on perfecting each exercise (though am well aware that this will probably take 30 years plus!) at my own speed before increasing the speed.

I have a gig tonight, so I am just going to do an hour of practice, I think most of which will be devoted to Clarke...

Thank you all so much for all of your help!

Chris.

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Haydn wrote a Trumpet Concerto?

fnchdrms87

If practiced slow and methodically, clarke can change your trumpeting life. slam those valves!

Bob Odneal

I have written 70 pages of similar variations on the exercises in harmonic minor, whole tone, whole step/ half step diminished, mixolydian, dorian and whole step half step diminished. These really get you thinking and I wrote them in all registers. I am going to put a sample up on my site soon. It is really great some of the looks you get when you are playing the whole tone or diminished studies, like he doesn't know how it goes!

I have also had great success practicing diminished scales throughout the range of the horn. You really develop new finger dexterity and patterns that are not normally practiced. When you run across a diminished section in music, it is amazing how easy it becomes.

More to come!

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Bob Odneal
Casual Double High "C" method on CD
www.bobodneal.com

trumpetdiva1

I started playing Clarke in high school and continue to play them today. One summer in college I played half the book one day and the other half the next day. This alternating pattern was effective and improved my range almost more than anything else. I use the second study the most and play them in the cycle of fourths (C, F, B-flat, etc). You can also play the first study this way: 1x-slur, 2x single tongue, 3x double tongue. I’ll share comments that one of my teachers wrote in my book (several which echo what others have shared): Don’t interrupt air between articulations, make rhythm with valves, look ahead and watch for patterns, hold instrument still.

Janell

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Janell Carter

trpt2345

Sounds like a good teacher!

Michael McLaughlin

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Chicago MM

Rgale

Just in study one, for example, do them slurred, and then K tongue, then double and triple tongue, then do them alternating double and triple tongue.

Always softly, and bang the valves down. Go for perfection, no 'slurfage' between notes.

Record them; is it recording quality?

Only caveat: try not to drive yourself nuts in this. Don't be overly self critical, just try to do better and better. You will never be perfect, but get as close as you can.

BTW, Fred Sautter learned the one key in a day thing from Christopher Leuba- I believe. Leuba taught that, and Fred studied with him.

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Listen to your inner voice before it says ,"I told you so".

Scooter01

I use a method of approach I learned in college from my trumpet professor. I take Studies 1, 2 & 3 and play three of each of these everyday. It affords a rounded approach and variety by not dwelling on the same few exercises everyday. Over time you will develop evenness in technique over the entire range of your instrument (you may extend these into the stratosphere if you wish). This also leaves time to practice all the other fundamentals you will need to work on daily.

Vulgano Brother

One more trick. Use them at the end of your practice session when you are already tired. They are low impact, and when played to exhaustion do wonders for endurance!

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