Ari

Hello. My teacher (a very experienced and famous trumpet player in norway) and I has set up a practice routine. I thought maybe you had some comments on it. It's a two hour program:

5 minutes warm up with mpc buzzing. (no tounging)
25 minutes long notes and flexibility excersices. (no tounging) (He really stressed the fact that I have to "empty" my loungs for air, and then breath really good in with my nose)
20 minutes staccato tounge. Triads, in all keys.
10 minutes pause.

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20 minutes scale sequences in all keys. Staccato tounge.
20 minutes transposing excercises: compose a melody of 4 notes, and transpose it (play it) in these keys:

- C F Bb Eb Ab Db F# B E A D G C - fifths downward
- C C# D D# etc.. chromatic
- C Eb F# A H D F Ab Bb Db E G - minor thirds
- C D E F# etc... whole notes

20 minutes free playing and improvising: I use this to learn soloes or improvise over aebersold backings.



I am pleased with this routine, I have done it for 1 1/2 months now and clearly can see improvement. Do you guys have any comments on the staccato tounge? Why is this so important? I've played trumpet for 10 months and listen alot to jazz.

rowuk

With this program, I would need at least 3 hours a day - to get repertoire in.
This is an incredible routine for building the mechanics of playing.
If I would even dare to offer constructive criticism: repertoire, that is real melodies and phrases are under represented in this routine. It makes sense to allocate time to develop certain skills, but in the end, tunes are what it is all about. If this is a 6th month program to develop technique, OK. Playing repertoire musically gets you jobs - that should NEVER, EVER, EVER be cut short!
I hope that you have at least 3 hours a day!

davidquinlan

Keep it up dude.. structured practice is a sure path to progress!!! ;)

Ari

Thank you for your answer.
Well, he just gave me 20 minutes for tunes. This is of course just temporary to devolop my chops. Of course I will also play more than two hours on certain days, and I will then work on tunes. My teacher told me to contact him whenever I knew all the sequences and triads in all keys, I'm pretty sure I will get to work on more tunes then. This is obviously a fundamental thing for improvising jazz (knowing all the keys, and the devolopment of a certain amount of technique).

Do you have anything to say about the tounging excercises? My teacher doesnt see the importance of the ta and da tounging. The only difference I pay attention to is staccato and legato tounging, and the difference is of course stopping the air on the staccato. I often hear jazz players with a sharp "ta" attack, Miles f.ex, in his legato-tounging, which IMO is very nice sounding, Anyway, My attacks has improved alot since I started to do the excercises.

rowuk

If you are seeing great results: don't mess with success!
Your teacher obviously understands your musical and psychological weaknesses and stregths!

stchasking

Excellent! Keep up the good work!

Nordic Trumpet

If you stick to that routine you should be more than fine. I wish I had the time to practice 2 hours a day, but spending 8 hours a day at work, 4 hours a day driving to/from work, taking care of daughter/wife 2 hours a day (yup, not much) doesn't allow too much practicing. Especially concidering my daughter is in bed at 19 pm (she's 4).

Who's your instructor by the way?

Ari

E.Baur
I also practice the piano for 1,5 hours a day :)

Nordic Trumpet

Yup he's good. A friend of mine also had Eckhard as an instructor. He improved dramatically. You're in good hands. What is he charging per lesson?

Ari

500 kr. Thats about 80$ for a whole hour.