theharlequin

so i just commited to upping my practice time from one hour a day to at least 3, and i'm having trouble coming up with a good schedule of things to practice! i mean, i know a bunch of exercises, but they are only about fifteen minutes each. i can fill up 3 hours with them and they cover most of the basics (buzzing, breathing, tonguing, slurs, etc.) but i'd like to have something more comprehensive and extensive, now that i have the time for it. does anyone know of some sort of practice method that would have like, say, a week long schedule of exercises or ways to practice for extended periods of time that cover all the basics?

ejaime23

A good place to start would be either getting the Michael Sachs Daily Fundamentals book, or the Vacchiano Daily Routines book. The obvious choice is to ask a lesson teacher, but other than that, either of those books should give plenty to build a solid routine on, all the best!

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Miyot

theharlequin, increasing your playing time is a good idea. Don't try it all at once. Build up slowly. Scales, arpeggios, chords, scales! I do 84-90 every other day. Clarke, Arban. Play alongs are fun. You won't have trouble finding enough. I can't come close to covering all I want to in a week of practice. Good luck and have fun.

rowuk

harlequin,
upping your time is cool if you have a plan.
On days where I have time, I can spend almost an hour on long tones and slurs, an hour on Clarke, Schlossberg, Arban........ and at least an hour on repertory. I try and get some duets in with my kids too (saxophone, oboe and tuba - great for my transposition!).

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stchasking

First, Don't do three hours straight. I would suggest
1 hour practicing two subjects each subject for a half hour or until you feel you have improved.
Rest for an hour.
Then another hour of two new subjects.
Rest for an hour.
Then the final hour of two new subjects.

As you improve the half hours will lengthen. The hour sessions will become longer and finally the rest periods will shorten.

Just don't hold yourself to rigid time blocks.

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Vulgano Brother

I am a huge fan of the Harold Mitchell books--by the end of book four you'll be a monster player. Each of his lessons usually includes a "tone and attack study," lip slurs or an "exercise for the muscles of expression," some scale work (with odd rhythms to keep the brain from getting complacent), some bugle call type stuff and something lyrical. Here we find a little bit for every aspect of our playing that gets a little harder each lesson, and serves as a good model for our practice session, regardless of length.

One help is to practice something until it is no longer fun, and move on to the next until it is no longer fun. When tired, leave the trumpet alone for a while and do something productive until that starts seeming like work, and go back to the trumpet. This way we start to listen to our body along with our brain.

Have fun!

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