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Do You Pass the Trumpeter's Breathing Test?

Posted by Glenn Ledbetter on October 16, 2009

Chances are you're probably breathing wrong. Take this simple, quick test to find out. Take a full breath and start to blow out the air slowly through your lips, as if you were blowing into your mouthpiece with no buzz. Count silently, "1001, 1002, etc." until you completely empty your lungs.
How many counts? Often it's somewhere around 15-16. Some people can do 20-25-30-35-40, even 50-60 if they're in great shape and have the physiques to do it. Whatever your number, you can probably improve it dramatically and get in outstanding shape to blow the horn well.
As a trumpeter, you're an athlete. You must develop, strengthen, tone, and train the necessary muscles to play well. It's not that hard, if you start with some proven ideas of what to do and how to do it.
Fill the bottom of the lungs first, and then the upper lungs. Do not gulp in so much air that your shoulders rise. Most of us expand our chest to draw in the air. Instead, what we want to do is first draw down the diaphragm and then expand the chest in one quick, continuous motion.
Stand in front of a mirror with your shirt off. Below your rib cage, separating your chest from your abdomen, is a large, thin, curved sheet of muscle called the diaphragm or midriff. It curves upward from the sides. You can easily find diagrams and images of it online. 
When you draw down your diaphragm to breathe, your stomach pushes out. When you reach capacity with that...

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Category: Trumpet

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Special Trumpet Sound Effects-Part Two

Posted by Glenn Ledbetter on February 12, 2009

In Part One, we discussed six special trumpet sound effects: the Horse Whinny, Scoop, Doit, Fall, Rip and Alternate Fingerings. Here are 9 more. Listen to accomplished, professional trumpet players and notice how and when to use these techniques, and remember the general rule of thumb: use them sparingly. For example, use the Flutter Tongue and the Growl for only one, or maybe two, notes in a musical phrase.The Flutter Tongue—this technique is especially useful with a plunger and in blues tunes. Your tongue must be in just the right spot for it to work. Place the tip just behind your teeth on the flat soft palate and pass a steady airflow into the mouthpiece. If your tongue is not loose and relaxed, or is too far back or too close to the teeth, it will not work. Blow enough air to keep your tongue moving rapidly. That’s the Flutter Tongue. Use it, when appropriate, with any note in your range.The Growl—this is easier than the Flutter Tongue. Make a growl in your throat. Now do the same when you play. It should sound rough and rumbly, and it is easier to do on lower than high notes. That is because we shape the ahh inside of our mouth to growl—the same shape we use on lower notes. It is natural to use the eee vowel shape on higher notes. Practice changing the shape of the inside your mouth. If you have trouble holding a note while growling, reduce the oral cavity inside your mouth.Next, let us discuss musical ornaments, a whole collection of things used to embellish the melody to make it more interesting and beautiful. They include Vibrato, Trills, Lip Trills (called Shakes), Mordents, Turns, Grace Notes and Appoggiatura. Vibrato—this is perhaps the most important ornament. It is used with almost all instruments playing in all genres of music. Vibrato is simply a slight “vibration” of the pitch of a sustained note—a slight raising and lowering of the pitch, either quickly or slowly, undulating like a wave....

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Category: Trumpet

    • Posted by Salar on March 16, 2009
    • This is so fascinating, Glenn. Are all of these "sound effects" pretty well known in the trumpet world? I have never seen the break down like this. Is this your creation. Great content either way.

    • Posted by Glenn Ledbetter on March 16, 2009
    • Yes, these techniques are widely used in both written music and improvization. Some great composers and musicians invented them through the years. They are what trumpeters use to "talk" through their horns. Thanks for the compliment about the articles.

    • Posted by Salar on March 18, 2009
    • Thanks for getting back to me, Glenn. I'm really glad you shared this article with us.

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Special Trumpet Sound Effects-Part One

Posted by Glenn Ledbetter on February 12, 2009

The Horse Whinny—start around middle G, scoop up to high G, and fall off the note as soon as you hit it while shaking the trumpet back and forth against your lips all the way down to about low C. When it sounds like a horse, take your horn to the stable or pasture and see if a real horse answers back!Did that make any sense? There are lots of ways to make special sounds on the trumpet, and the horse whinny is one of the more useless ones, in terms of playing most music, but is one of the most amusing. There are many more useful sound effects. They make your horn talk. They are interesting and fun, but don’t overuse them or you’ll lose your audience.The Scoop—play middle B and go to middle C, letting your middle valve come up very slowly. Blow steadily while doing it. Do you hear the wonderful smear between the two notes? Blow a little harder when the valve is between notes. Bending the pitch with your lips as you make the change will help the smear. That’s the scoop! It is a half-valve trick just before a note. It eases you into the note and is very effective when playing a melody or improving a solo. You can scoop with one, two or three...

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Category: Trumpet

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