Photo Credit: brandonwu on Flickr
Trumpet playing centers around two important areas that will determine your success or failure. The first is the physical and the second is the mental side. On this page I will be discussing the “Understanding” issues in both and in subsequent postings I will cover the “Developing” issue with specific suggestions.
The reasons the physical side of trumpet playing is addressed more often than the mental issues can be argued for ever. We many times feel that if we just practice this exercise or use that trumpet we will be a successful and famous trumpet player. It is true that practicing will help but many times we fall short of our goals even after years of practice. Why do some players excel and others fail. In this and following related postings, I will try to address these questions and hopefully come to a reasonable solution.
The Physical Side of Trumpet Playing>
There are many false beliefs pertaining to playing a trumpet. While in high school I was told by my band director that when I played a high C (two lines above the staff) I was exerting 32# of air pressure. For years I believed this until one day I realized that with that much pressure, I could blowup a car tire. Has anyone tried to blow up a car tire? Another falsehood is that every trumpet player is a loud mouthed, pompous, hot air blowing, arrogant jerk! That is not true for I do know one player who is a nice guy.
Usually when we think of the word physical we think of strength and muscle development. Strength is important as is flexibility and endurance. Also to be considered would be muscle recovery, condition and upkeep. Below I have grouped some of the issues related to the physical side of trumpet playing which are important.
Embouchure Muscles
The group of muscles involved in playing trumpet are numerous and all work together to produce vibrations within the mouthpiece cup. The technical terms are very impressive and if this is what “trips your trigger”, read a more in-depth dissertation on the muscles of the embouchure. Learning these term and being able to pronounce them correctly will advance you stature at any party. If, on the other hand you want to get back to trumpet playing issues, read on my friend.
A well defined, functional muscle has to have contrasting characteristics in order to be productive. Strength is important as is flexibility. Muscles will also require resistance to fatigue and injury. To develop these areas, the student needs to carefully balance exercises for strength with flexibility exercises in order to develop a balanced embouchure. The balance between over abuse and under practicing is also important. In the following post I will address the playing side of this area and will make some suggestions as to what, when, how, and how not to improve on this topic.
Breathing Muscles
For all you terminology freaks, please go immediately to the following site-imediatlyhttp://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/P/Pulmonary.html
For the real trumpet players, let me say this. Nearly every player I have had the pleasure working with has stressed the importance of good breathing habits when playing trumpet. Does it take 32# of pressure to play trumpet? Of course not. Does it require supper human strength and power to play trumpet? Not that I have seen. I remember a situation one summer in Carrolton, Texas where I was teaching private brass lessons. A young boy about eight years old strolled into the band room. He came over to me and asked what I was doing and I told him. He pointed to my trumpet and asked “What’s that?” I answered his question and then asked him if he would like to try playing on it, then showed him how to hold the instrument and place the mouthpiece on his lip. The first note this young man played was an F ABOVE HIGH C. Needles to say by the time he left the room I had his home phone and later that day set up his private lesson schedule. After three private lessons I was able to get him to play notes in the staff. This points out the fact that physical training and conditioning are not the secret to success even though they are important.
One of the most important elements toward a good sound and ease of playing on the trumpet is the effective use of your air. You should always strive to take in an adequate amount of air, use it effectively and set yourself up for your next inhalation. It’s simple. “Air in, Air out”.
Posture while playing
The body is made in such a way as to be self sustaining. It lets you know when you need food. It tells you that it is tired and needs rest and automatically (subconsciously) regulates the air required to sustain life. Tidal breathing or the act of sustaining life is at an automatic or involuntary level and using your air during trumpet playing is at another level. This is call forced inhalation and exhalation. During this process, you over ride the subconscious in order to prepare and execute the musical phrases. After time this process also becomes a natural habit. For the young players, it has to be taught and for the more experienced players, it comes more natural through practice. When you sit in a fine trumpet section like the Les Brown “Band of Renown” the air intake for a shout chorus is almost comical. The amount and speed of the air being sucked in from in front of the trumpet players is impressive. Big sound equates to big air which gets us back to the issue of good posture. The respiratory system functions best in a standing or horizontal position. Sitting in a chair is not the best position for efficient breathing. The reason for this is that the area to be filled with air is impeded by the sitting position. Does this mean you can’t sit in a chair when you play? No, it means that for best results, try to avoid slumping over. When playing in a seated position sit erect and fill from the bottom of your lungs, not just in the chest area.
Practicing while rested verses practicing while fatigued
Although this section will relate to the older players more than the younger, it does have some impact on everyone’s productivity. When I’m tired, I can’t do my very best. This might seem obvious to everyone but we sometimes gauge our success on how hard we try without taking into consideration our physical condition. Your physical as well as mental condition will have a great impact on you playing each day. If you are burned out playing the same high range exercises every day and see no improvement, the burned out attitude will limit your range development. If you have been practicing the Herbert L. Clarke Technical Study book, Second Study, #31 for a month and feel you’re not improving, another month will not change you situation. Get rest, set short term (daily) goals and see the improvement.
