This article was originally released in the Fall/Winter 1995 issue of the Getzen Gazette.
Some of my performing and teaching colleagues around the country have said they believe anyone who has taught trumpet lessons for thirty or more years should probably sit down and write a method book. Longevity doesn't necessarily mean one has found absolute solutions, but the old axiom "experience makes the best teacher" is certainly true. I continue to be amazed through the years! Every now and then a student, during a lesson, responds slightly differently to something I may have stressed countless times previously. It enables me to rethink about a subject I may have dealt with on a regular basis for many, many years. Perhaps during an upcoming sabbaticalI I will attempt to notate in more lengthy detail some thoughts and ideas which have grown out of my years performing and teaching. At the same time it might be interesting to speak of the large "umbrella" I perceive as an overview in my teaching.
Simply put, the trumpet "umbrella" encompasses three large areas of study and practice:
Each of these areas can be utilized by young students, perhaps those who have been playing as little as six months, through the most advanced student. The important thing is to be certain students are working each day in all three areas. I genuinely feel you can place just about any aspect of trumpet study or practice in one of these above areas, other than say, mental or psychological approaches to the instrument.
Let's take a moment to examine each of these areas a bit more closely. There are certainly dozens of wonderful method books to turn to which provide ample opportunities for practice and individual development. I will cite several. All are available from the Robert King Music Sales, Inc., of from leading music store suppliers.
In the first area, Physical development and conditioning, there are several stages. Younger players are still in the process of building and strengthening their embouchures. Basic lip slur exercises and lip flexibility studies are part of every brass player's growth. Basically, we utilize two types of slurs: close interval and more extended intervals. Younger players will need to take care not to overextend themselves. They are in the "acquiring" stage of their development. Proper rest is essential. Frequently young players don't rest enough and end up tiring themselves out more than building their endurance. More advanced players will be building and strenghening their embouchures too. They will be challenging themselves to play for a longer duration, increased repetitions, higher, lower, louder, and softer. I highly recommend the Schlossberg- "Daily Drills and Technical Studies" published by M. Baron Company; Irons- "27 Groups of Exercises" published by Southern Music Company; Staigers- "Flexibility Studies" Books One and Two published by Carl Fischer; James Stamp- "Warm-up Plus Studies" publised by Editions BIM (Switzerland); and Walter Smith- "Lip Flexibility" published by Carl Fischer. I recommend using a metronome, especially with younger students.
Control studies are very important in this area too. I don't think we give enough attention to dynamics and to playing in the more extreme registers of the instrument. And, we should always be striving to extend our range and control. The G above the treble staff is a difficult note to play at the "piano" dynamic; it is more difficult to play "pianissimo." Soft, loud, high, low - these are all essential to the control we must have as brass instrumentalists. Each player's dynamic control level will be slightly different, and while this may not seem as interesting to work on as technique or melodic studies, it is an essential area to give attention.
The second area of study to be pursued conscientiously and on a daily basis is technique. In some respects, I suppose, one can never quite ever have enough! The more we have "under the fingers" the less we have to think about or be concerned with it. We can then turn our attention or focus to other more important priorities as getting a beautiful tone quality, playingin tune, articulation, phrasing, balance, and blending with others. Again, young players are acquiring facility and training their fingers to grasp patterns and sequences we will utilize thousands and thousands of times; chromatic scales, arpeggios, and studies in all keys. Work slowly in introducing new and more difficult keys. Vary the patterns. How often I hear students practice the same thing in the same way. They then get easily bored and careless. And they become comfortable playing only in the pattern thay have repeatedly utilized! Why always start scales on the tonic? Why always play them only ascending and descending? Why not start at the top and play descending first, then ascending? There are dozens and dozens of patterns and sequences which can be effectively utilized to create variety and stimulate interest among students. I personally think it more important to create facility in keys rather than soley with scale patterns. We don't perform scale patterns very often as such in music, but rather "fragments" of them as we gain control of the fingers and awareness of keys. I, therefore assign more advance students several studies in the same key so as to be practicing in a key rather than just playing the scale per se. I find it works very effectively and they gain better control of keys more quickly when working in this fashion.
One approach would have the student first play the scale fomr the tonic through the ninth scale degree ascending and descending, then in thirds, then by step: tonic to 2nd scale degree, tonic to third scale degree, tonic to fourth, etc. This also teaches intervals and serves as an ear training skill too! Next, I'd have the student play the major arpeggio in one or two octaves followed by the second study published in the Herbert L. Clarke- "Technical Studies" published by Carl Fischer. I'd conclude the key facility work by using the wonderful scale studies on pages 28-30 near the end of Robert Getchell's "Practical Studies" Book One, published by Belwin Mills. These are excellent and you can change the key signature of those studies printed so as to cover all the keys. They include inteval studies, patterns in thirds, and major arpeggios and each study is slightly different rather than the same study simply transposed and played in every key. Even very young students have used these most effectively!
Another example of how I try to vary approaching the same material would be in teaching a chromatic scale. Again, the Clarke book is excellent, but rather than use the same study over and over ad nauseum, why not have the student after a few weeks use a different source of approach. Turn to another Arban book one week, then have the student play a different pattern altogether without any music (memorized). This also places emphasis now on listening and becomes an aural concept rather than solely a visual one. Then the next week utilize a Schlossberg study with chromatics. This is really how we teach a concept, by varying our approach, the pattern, and sequence.
High school and college students I firmly believe should be exposed to the Arban Fourteen Charateristic Studies which appear on page 285. These focus on articulation, are a terrific discipline if used with a metronome, and utilize scale patterns, and all types of arpeggios including diminished sevenths. Younger students will have to approach them very slowly in isolated sections. More advanced players may strive to play them at faster tempi. I recommend as a discipline that each student try to tape rocord themselves and listen to their tendancy to rush or interpret incorrect articulation. I insist my more advanced students record these with absolutely no mistakes whatsoever on their recordings. They find this very frustrating and very difficult, but it brings great progress and terrific results!
The last area I believe important to include in our trumpet "umbrella" brings us to the actual musicmaking! Isn't this where we aspire to perform music in many styles? Therefore I think it essential we assign material each week so our students are working daily on legato melodies and a singing expressive style, tonguing and articulation, multiple tonguing, rhythmical studies, interval studies, and rubato studies. The Getchell and Arban books mentioned earlier contain terrific opportunities. I would highly recommend the Reinhardt "Advanced Concone Studies" published by T. Presser; Clodomir- "70 Little Studies" published by International; and Charlier- "36 Etudes Transcendantes" published by Leduc. There are dozens of other equally excellent materials. With younger students I find the Getchell and Clodomir methods effective as the studies are shorter and less tiring.
Fundamentals are essential for growth and development, yet we will always return to working on them no matter how advanced we become. I think we can also help our students understanding goals and objectives in learning if we more clearly define them in advance. Let young students know why they are practicing a study. State clearly the value and importance of their slowly and carefully approaching what they are practicing and encourage them as they grow to find new, creative ways to very their approach.