_TrumpeT_

This topic may have come up before but here it goes. I'm assuming trumpet is your main instrument for you to frequent this site. I'll share my story first: basically we have an itinerant music programme and it was the first instrument introduced so I picked it! Please share your stories as well.

cornetguy

On instrument tryout day, it was the instrument that I got the best sound out of.

gtromble

I think my parents steered the decision somewhat. I don't recall considering anything else for my first band instrument -- my older sister started on clarinet -- that was pretty typical sex-segregation in the 60's.

I played trumpet for about 3 years then my JR High band teacher switched me to French horn for a couple of years. I picked trumpet back up with I was about 20, and played exclusively for about 10 years before starting to play saxophone in a big band.

Are you getting a really confused picture here? ( I also played piano, drums, clarinet, and flute at least moderately well and performed on them).

Trumpet has always been the instrument that was hardest for me to be good on, so it has kept pulling me back. I don't want to die having been a lousy trumpet player. Fortunately, I keep getting better at it, and am pretty happy with my playing now.

I still play other instruments, but trumpet gets 90% of my practice time.

Galen

40cal

I wanted to play the drums.

Vulgano Brother

I wanted to be the next Herb Alpert.

Tootsall

The absolute, unadorned truth. At the age of 50 I suddenly felt the urge to learn to play an instrument and had the willingness to SERIOUSLY pursue it. I had a "shopping list" of: trumpet/trombone/clarinet/sax and the first one that I found used for under $150 that was in decent shape was what I'd learn.

Bundy trumpet two weeks after making the decision.

Alex Yates

I didn't choose trumpet, it chose me. That may sound bizarre, but it is true. Our family moved from NYC to FL when I was 13. It was the middle of the school year and the easiest elective to put me in was band.....on drums of all things. LOL. When summer approached, I told my band director I really didn't want to play drums, but would rather play bassoon. He told me that I was going to play trumpet (he being a trombone player). I said, "huh?" He said he remembered me doodling around on my friend's trumpet during one of the breaks and said that I showed proficiency on that instrument. He proceeded to hand me a few tapes and books and a trumpet and told me to work on it over the summer. If I arrived in the fall prepared, he would put me in the symphonic band section on trumpet. Well, I returned the next day having completed all of the play along tapes and books and wanted something more interesting and challenging. At first he didn't believe it, but after spot checking me on all of the books, he scratched his head and had a big smile on his face. In the fall I was placed first chair in symphonic band and the rest is her-story.

Tootsall

Which begs the question: "Why do they call it a HIS-TERECTOMY"?

Alex Yates

Good question Toots! (with all kinds of sarcastic answers, but I dare not utter them here....LOL)

tpter1

Well, my grandfather played trumpet. I won't really get into what I did to his horn, but...well, what can I say...I was really young and following my bro's lead.

My brother started trumpet in 4th grade. I was a year behind him, in 3rd grade. When it came time for me to decide, I forst was interested in saxophone or clarinet, but my mother simply said "No way" or something not far off from that. So I chose cornet, because it was close enough to trumpet to be like my brother, but just different enough (in my mind, anyway, at the time) to be my own thing. That was grade 4.

I quit playing for a year after 5th grade. When I came back, it was to trumpet. Been here ever since ("ben thur every sense" as they say up north).

Toots...why is ours not called "HER directa me"? (Sorry...couldn't resist that one).