donius

Hi im new to this forum, im in 8th grade and play horn and just started trumpet, I was wondering if anyone has some tips or online exercises to help me try to expand my range i can play the low notes and get to about the D in the staff. the E is rare and G I hit once and got lucky, any tips?



and als what are some tips to improve tone quality?

and last i will be getting braces this coming up monday will that effect my horn/trumpet and slow me down some or should i be fine? (i heard your lips get torn up kinda, is this true?) Anyways Thanks!!

Woltjer

I'm a ninth grader. Read my post about the Olds Ambassador for the braces thing. I will need to know what kind of bite you have (over/underbite). Do lip slurs and tune on the C inside the staff. Is it a Bb trumpet?

donius

i will read it and an overbite (isnt that when your front teeth come over the bottom?) and im new to trupet so forgive me if i say something stupid lol. It is a Bb trumpet

Woltjer

How to improve:

Warm up with long tones on all of the notes you can comfortably play.

Do some excersizes to get fingers working. As you get better use excersizes with lots of accidentals (sharps and flats).

Try different tounging techniques: sticato (short), marcado (loud at the beggining of the note), slur (no tounging) and legado (smooth).

Try playing high notes quietly and low notes loudly as a challenge.

Play a note on a piano, keep it in mind, and play it on trumpet. If it is just a little off, move your lips until it is in tune. If is is significantly off, use the big tuning slide near the bell.

Try to make sure that your trumpet is facing straight forward and your head as well (90 degrees from the ground). If its not it becomes a bad habit.

Try to remember to kick out (moving the third valve slide out a bit) when playing a long note with your third valve included in the fingering. It tunes it better.

Markie

Hi Donius,
How to expand your range?
I recommend lip slurs going from the lowest to the highest and back down to the lowest you can go.
Use these valve combinations:
0
123
13
23
12
1
2
-----
Go for the best "sound" you can. A good rich fat sound that vibrates in your hands.
The up side of doing this about 5 minutes a day is that you'll expand your range and your general ability to play will increase.
The downside is "its hard to do!!" This is an exercise that separates the kids from the adults. It basically boils down Chas Colin's Lip Flexibilities to its simpilest form.
If you honestly work on it, by the time the first Easter lillies come up, you'll be improved.
Also, be creative with the slurs. Make up combinations once you feel comfortable with the original seven. Don't forget to start as low as you can, go s high as you can, and come back down, all in one breath.
When you start to feel yourself pushing the mouthpiece against your lips(and theres a good chance that will happen) to get the notes, assess why? Then work on eliminating the tension that's causing you to push the mouthpiece. Generally, poor air control is the culprit. Generally, poor air control is the culprit for bad tone too. I would recommend reading circle of breath. Its easy to do and a no brainer.

SFPat

I can concur that the lip slurs are hard but it definately helps. I'm a self taught trumpet player and started my comeback three weeks ago after being away for 25 years. I do the lip slur exercises every day along with long tones, scales, arpeggio's and technical studies which I have found on the net and also play simple songs (mainly from a hymnal). I've up my practice time to about an hour and a half a day. At first, I could only "slur" up two notes, but now can go up and down 5 (low C to G above staff) playing quarter notes. I am working on playing the slurs in eighth notes (it's hard, much easier to tounge the notes).

I've also started doing the Ken Saul high register exercises (I've done them three times so far). You can do a search here to find them. I've raised my range from A to high C in the exercise, which I could never play previously, and use much less lip pressure trying. I still don't have confidence to play "music" up to high C (I play some pieces that go as high a A) but that's what practice is all about. I admit I have a long way to go.

donius

thanks for all the help guys!

donius

What exactly are those notes you have the fingerings listed for? just so im not under/over shooting it. Any recomended websites or books to help me? I'm going to be taking lessons soon. And last will braces screw up my playing or should i be fine? I also tend to see that when i go to hit the C in the staff or attempt to hit the E above it which i only hit about 25% percent of the time i put alot of pressure on the mouthpiece any ideas on maybe ways to help prevent it get in a good habit of not doing it? thanks!

Markie

Basically you play the combinations like a bugle. As you know a bugle has no valves. With a trumpet having 3 values, you could say that within a trumpet exists at least 7 bugles.

0 = Start on your low C and play all the notes up and down that are 0 (open)
123 = Start on low F# and play all the notes up and down that are 123.
13 = Start on low G "------------------------------------that are 13
23 = Start on low Ab "-----------------------------------that are 23
12 = Start on low A "------------------------------------that are 12
1 = Start on low Bb"------------------------------------that are 1
2 = Start on low B "------------------------------------that are 2

As for the names of the notes, (while not necessary for the exercise to be done), you can write them down as you play. Many are alternate fingerings.
Good Luck

donius

k so if i keep practicing this exersize it should help my range? also for example when i got for my high E in staff i hit it about 25% of the time wheni do the open valve exersize should i play up to the C or shoot for E?