Developing the physical side of trumpet playing –
Photo Credit: brandonwu on Flickr
As I stated before in the previous entry, you don’t have to be a gorilla to play trumpet. Super human strength is not required to perform well. All that is required is regular practice with a balance of exercises to reach your goal. I have indicated the physical areas where attention should be placed and have also made some suggestions as to what exercises would be beneficial to you as a trumpet player.
Finger or valve development
It is amazing how limber and agile your first and second fingers can be and how uncoordinated and foreign you third finger can be when playing fast passages. The problem stems from the lack of use we have in that digit. The best source of exercises for finger development is of course the Herbert L. Clarke book- Technical Studies for the Cornet. We have all learned to hate and respect this fine book. When using this book, make sure that you follow his instructions for they are there for a reason.
Suggestion #1. “Work your fingers and rest your lip”
To be more productive during you practice time, combine one or more areas to be improved at the same time. If you are practicing the Clarke finger exercises to improve your finger skills, why not work on other techniques also. Get in the practice of playing an exercise through and on the repeat, only finger the notes. By doing this, you will benefit both from the valve action and finger coordination, which will help your motor skills and, at the same time, give your lip a chance to rest. It is amazing how much better your chops will feel at the end of your practice session.
Suggestion #2. “Add resistance to your workout”
I remember one of my better students who complained that he had very little strength in his third finger because of an earlier accident. I replaced his valve springs with heavier springs and he began improving his strength. Soon he was playing with more assurance but still wanted to improve in his finger strength. I removed the caps on the bottom of his valves and placed a set of weak springs under his valves and replaced the caps. After another month of practice, the student had no trouble with fingering exercises of in crushing beer cans in his right hand.
Arm and neck fatigue
I have had students complain of stiffness in the neck and/or arms brought on by extended practice sessions. The trumpet is not that heavy but anything hanging out in an unusual position can put an extra load on those affected muscles. If you are preparing for a tiring recital and your arms and/or neck are/is taking a hit, the best place to look for the cause is in your left hand. When we tire and begin running on reserve we many times will grip the instrument tighter than what is required. This added tension will travel from the hand to the forearm, the biceps and eventually affect your neck.
Suggestion #1. “Use a looser grip”
A trick I learned while trying to lessen a student’s excessive mouthpiece pressure will also apply in this situation. Hold you instrument in this manner-
1. Position your first finger of your left hand above the third valve slide and against the third valve casing.
2. Place your other fingers below the third valve slide.
3. Place your thumb any where you feel comfortable.
With your left hand in this position, you will automatically release tension in your hand as well as limiting the amount of mouthpiece pressure you are able to exert on your lip.
Suggestion #2. “Squeeze the tension out”
A very good exercise for releasing tension is to tense the muscle you want to relax. When you feel tension building in your arm or neck, grip the instrument tightly for ten to twenty seconds. To relieve your neck tension; force your neck into an isometric condition by tensing and holding the neck muscles tightly for a couple seconds. Once you relax, you should be good for another half hour or so.
Back and leg fatigue
Years ago I led a dance combo and my sax player always sat on a bar stool while he played. One night I asked him why he used it and he told me that some day I would understand. A few months after that discussion, I crashed my motorcycle while racing and was forced to wear a brace on my leg. On the next gig, I sat on a stool and have never stood on a combo job again.
Suggestion #1. “Don’t be a fool, use a stool”
If it is possible during your practice sessions, change off from standing to sitting on a stool. It will not only help you back and legs, it will also make your practice more interesting.
Suggestion #2. “Stop the aches with frequent breaks”
Play some, go out and get a drink. Walk around. Bend over and look at the piano players music. They will appreciate the attention and might even think you can read music.
Air projection exercises
Forcing the air through your instrument and out to the listener takes energy. When that energy is misdirected its usefulness is in question. These next two concepts may be of help when your air is not working for you.
Suggestion #1. “Blowin’ in the Wind”
This is an old trick which may be of benefit to you. It’s called the candle exercise and it is done this way-
1. Hold a lit candle about six inches from your face.
2. Blow it out.
3. Hold a lit candle a foot from your face.
4. Blow it out. Guess what’s next!
5. Increase the distance and as you begin to find it more difficult to blow out the flame, you will need to increase the amount of air as well as increasing the velocity of the air stream. This simple exercise will help you in several ways. As you increase the distance to the flame, you will automatically increase the amount of air that you will take. As the distance increases, you will learn to focus your air stream.
Suggestion #2. “Don’t think higher, think farther”
I am reminded of a lesson I took from the great trumpet player and entertainer Don Jacoby. He was explaining to me how to improve my upper range and his advice was this. “Don’t think of playing higher, think of projecting further.” If you place a second line G at the end of your bell and a note an octave above that, you need to place that note out to the window and a high C would be positioned across the street. Don’t think higher, think farther.
Because of the limit of space and time, I will have to discuss embouchure and embouchure development on a later post.
