The Trumpet Warm-up Part I

I will begin by saying that this information is about the practice and philosophy of warming up, not the actual material used which will be included in a later section covering music to practice. I will discuss the benefits as well as the techniques used to get the trumpet player ready for his/her daily practice period.

Photo Caption: zbili on Flickr

Even though there might be a few players out there that do nothing to warm up before serious playing, they are far in the minority. It could be that the ones who practiced this life style eventually decided to quit trumpet playing. For the rest of us, the time spent warming up is important to our well being. Many equate trumpet playing to sport activities and there are many similarities, one would be the use of muscles in both activities. No self respecting athlete would suit up and jump right into the competition and so it is true for a musician. In order for muscles to function at their best, they first must be prepared for physical contact. The amount of preparation will vary from person to person but in every case, careful preparation is essential for consistent success.

Warming-up can be no more than buzzing on the way to a gig, or it can be an elaborate play, rest, play a little more and rest routine. Some find benefit in lengthy air building exercises. A good example of this can be found in the book written by the late Irving Bush called “Artistic Trumpet Technique and Study.” In his book, he outlines his technique for warming up with exercises beginning with breathing, then blowing through the lead pipe only, then adding the tuning slide, then adding the mouthpiece and eventually blowing through the mouthpiece and horn. Most of us are not that thorough. Perhaps we should be for Mr. Bush was a very accomplished trumpet player.

Warming up can be both a physical as well as mental exercise. The attitude which you begin your daily practice can have a positive or negative impact on your whole day. I have had days when the last thing I wanted to do was practice. Other days I look forward to the experience. This preconceived attitude will affect the outcome of your daily practice period. If you look at practice as one of those things you have to do, such as brushing your teeth or taking a shower, it can become drudgery. To be productive in your routine of practicing, you must begin with a goal in mind. When the day is over and you have accomplished that goal, you have had a productive experience and the next day should be equally productive. If on the other hand your practice is always the same with the same less than expected outcome, what makes you think it will change? Set your goals at a reachable level and rejoice when you have succeeded. The reason I have begun this lecture on the issue of positive thinking is that we all need to first approach our instrument with the outlook that each day we will improve.

Trumpet Warm Up Part I

• Begin your warm-up with a goal in mind

“Today I will learn an easy solo”

“Today I will learn the last eight measures of my new solo.”

“Today I will learn to transpose a short melody for C trumpet.”

“Today I will gain more flexibility.”

• Warm up your breath supply

Sit down.

Take three deep, slow breaths through your nose with exhalations through you mouth.

Take in a large amount of air and begin a long, low, relaxed buzz with your lips.

Inhale and begin buzzing up and down with your lips relaxed until you run out of air.

• Warm up your lip

Hold your mouthpiece in your fingers and place it on your lip.

Take in a relaxed breath and begin buzzing a long, soft buzz.

Take another inhalation and begin buzzing up and down until you run out of air.

Pick out a popular song that you can sing or hum and buzz it on your mouthpiece.

This completes Part #1 of the warm-up material.

Part #2 will begin with the actual music and exercises which you might find helpful. As I said earlier, your warm-up is a personal thing that is affected by many variables such as time, location and playing requirements. My advice is to try as many warm-ups as you can find and decide on which one works best for you.