STARTING BEGINNING TRUMPETS BY RENEE TODD

They are excited to make a sound so ... take that energy to get them to do all the things! Building good habits right away with the focus on a great characteristic sound. A good tone is most important!

Starting beginning trumpets is a process and not all students will get there the same way. Think of it as artwork and you are creating sculptures. You will need to keep molding them into the characteristic sound “tone” that you have in your head as a great trumpet sound.

Whether you teach beginning trumpet as a separate class, brass class, or a combined beginning band, you can incorporate these methods into your class.

BEFORE YOU PLAY (HOW TO SET UP)

The set up is important, the case is closed and in front of students on the floor with the handle facing them on bottom. Sit as if you are standing, with your back off of the chair, feet flat on the floor, "sit up tall". Having expectations right from the start about playing an instrument just lets students know there is a process and guidelines. Introducing and teaching each part including how to sit will keep most of them from getting overwhelmed and allow them to think sequentially.

EMBOUCHURE BUILDING (SMALL INSTRUMENT/ MOUTHPIECE)

Embouchure Building is the next step with the “Small Instrument” or Mouthpiece. Have them open the case and take out just the mouthpiece. All of this is “I play, you play”; modeling is key to reinforcing and giving them their first concepts of what it should look like and sound like.

Coffee stirrers to guide the beginning placement is a neat trick I picked up over the years. Since all students’ physical situations are different with their teeth, lips, chin, tongue etc., a generic way to help start beginners is to use a coffee stirrer (single cylinder) that will go between their lips. Have students hold the straw with their dominant hand and say “Ahh" and place the stirrer between teeth then “Mmm” to bring the lips together. Demonstrating first will be key as most students will not bite the straw but some are creative. Once you demonstrate the “Ahh - makes the buzz. This should be an airy sound and not forceful and loud. If air is too dispersed and loud, go back to blowing through a straw, back of mouthpiece, or coffee stirrers.

Mmm” and then blow air through the straw hold your opposite hand in front of the stirrer to show that you can feel the air and then walk them through the steps and let them start. Ahhh keeps teeth apart and mmm brings lips together. The air should be cool air like the air used for trumpet. Model blowing through the stirrer and adding the tongue by using tu-tu-tu-tu and they can feel that on their hand.

Involving the tongue right away is important as tongue placement is a part of making a great sound on the trumpet.

Next have students hold the mouthpiece in their non-dominant hand in the air like “Statue of Liberty”. Have them hold the mouthpiece with two fingers on top, thumb on bottom near the end of the stem; it adds pressure if they use their whole hand. Think “hold between thumb and peace sign”. I start this immediately, as it is hard to make sounds with the mouthpiece in the air, plus it brings the mouthpiece to them avoiding pressure later. Using the stirrer like before except this time bring the mouthpiece over the stirrer. This is a guideline for mouthpiece placement. Model blowing through the mouthpiece and coffee stirrer using “Ahh mmm” then tu-tu-tu-tu nice and connected. After they have the hang of that model then same thing but do it twice and on the second time take the stirrer out. This is about the formation of the embouchure - not sound - so no buzz at this point. Most of this can be done without the coffee stirrer by turning the mouthpiece backwards the airstream for the aperture will be larger.

*Remind the students that they are making a Mmmm shape, lips flat to the teeth, bring corners toward teeth and just air then bring lips together. When you bring the lips together that is when the buzz sound will start. Move lips apart and it’s just air again.

Starting with the lips pinched and adding air makes a super pinched sound so this is the opposite. It’s helpful to use a pinwheel to visually model the air (there will be many variations so it is important to keep reinforcing and modeling).

Keep firm corners and be careful not to say the word "smile," which creates a thin tone and is hard to correct later. Later add sirens letting pitch change going down and then up.

HOW TO HOLD IT/ ASSEMBLY

(do how to hold without mouthpiece at first) position they should use to put their fingers on the finger buttons. Have the students think holding a pencil, or backwards C. The right thumb should go under the leadpipe between the first and second valves. The palm of the hand should not touch the leadpipe. Have your students be pirates and look through backwards C at you like a telescope and “arghhh”. Be careful they do not place the right thumb in front of the first valve. This causes valve problems later from pushing down on an angle.

Add the mouthpiece to the receiver and do a slight quarter turn to the right. Do the opposite when you take the mouthpiece off - a quarter turn to the left. Popping the mouthpiece causes it to get stuck and you will need to use the mouthpiece puller.

Playing Their First Note

Have them echo sing matching a G (Concert F) on Tu. I use a Self-Check before playing for all beginning band students and say it out loud before we play.

Next we have the “Magic Buzz” which is air and then add mouthpiece. You demonstrate starting with a column of air using Ahhh Mmm form, add the mouthpiece - still just air - and then bring the lips together which

The left hand holds the weight of the trumpet! Thumb in the first valve saddle, ring finger in the third valve slide ring and pinky can wrap around ring, or with smaller hands go under the 3rd valve slide.

The right hand is only for moving the valves. Have students drop their right hand to their side and relax. The natural way it falls to the side is the

1. Instruments Up -review and model each of these

2. Hand Position -review and model each of these

3. Embouchure -review and model each of these

4. Posture-review and model each of these

Time for Ocean Sounds! Have students hold instrument up and model taking a breath and blowing slow air into the trumpet without making a sound. Next, increase the air speed and then slow it down (so it sounds like an ocean wave coming in and going out). You may need to play a YouTube video if your students have not been to the beach. Once they have done that a few times, model doing the same thing but this time as your air speed gets faster, keep increasing the speed of your air until you make a tone. Basically, their air increases to the point where their lips will pop into place, however, I try to avoid saying that so students do not force it. Let the air do the work. It does not matter if the student plays a C or G that comes out. Have the students hold a steady note for 4, 6, and then 8 counts and you can add the drone later on a G.

Articulation

I like to add articulation right away after learning to buzz and play their first note. On their small instruments then on the trumpet. I use 4 quarter notes and a whole note using the tu syllable. Air drives articulation and if the tongue is not in the correct position, the tone will not be characteristic and the students will have trouble with changing partials.

4 quarter notes and a whole note

SAY IT, AIR PLAY IT, PLAY IT

"Say hot and then the number 2/ Tu" (where tongue hits behind upper front teeth and where teeth meet the roof of the mouth. Say as half notes, then quarter notes, then as if the word hot is a grace note or flam, and then remove the word “hot” completely, remember the quick speed of air must be present. Pull the tongue down, not back, keeping the tongue in a more forward position. It’s just the small tip of the tongue that moves “baby tongue”. Avoid between the teeth (you will hear a “thew” sound).

It is sometimes helpful to use the analogy of trying to cool hot food and add the tongue, or spitting out watermelon or sunflower seeds. Although this is not exactly the form, it does get the tongue engaged. Creating an airstream and tonguing is like turning on the water from the faucet, then flicking the water with your finger. The tongue interrupts the air like flicking the water; avoid starting and stopping air for each note. (Don’t turn the water on and off each time to play.)

PARTIALS/ SIRENS

Use your hand to feel the air direction when changing partials. Hold your hand in front of your face and aim the air toward the palm for a G, and aim air at finger tips for a middle C. Do the same with mouthpiece and make siren sounds, loosely moving from G to C back and forth to build flexibility.

the two notes while aiming air at fingertips, and then toward the palm of hand. Next, advance to trumpet playing CC- G while using the “tu” syllable. In the mirror, students should watch for firm corners, tall space, and a flat, pointed chin, as well as angle of their mouthpiece. Later you can add C- G - C and go for 3rd space C using the wrist as a focal point when doing the hand air pattern. Later, I like to use the lead pipe only exercise to teach compression by taking the tuning slide off and playing the mouthpiece on the leadpipe. The pitch should be a flat trumpet f and if overblown, a G at the top of the staff. This is much like a flute head joint. .

Have the student add the mouthpiece to instrument. Model playing CC- G in 2 quarters and half rhythm. Go back and forth between

Ping Pong Balls are also fun to use to teach air speed for the trumpet. If you take the trumpet mouthpiece and turn it backwards, hold a ping pong ball against the cup of the mouthpiece with your finger and have students blow fast air and let go of the ball at the same time. Centrifugal force with keep the ball in place if they are blowing fast enough. Otherwise, it will go across the room when they let go. As students advance, build long tones, lip slurs, and lip bends into your band warm up every day. In general, brass players always need a warm-up: lots of practice with buzzing and lip slurs (or playing different partials tongued and slurred). Avoid starting with scales for a warm-up for young brass players, as it will cause them to over-articulate, lock their air, and have an unfocused tone. Brass players need to establish a focused yet flexible aperture created by buzzing, long tones, lip bends and flexibility exercises.

Trumpet Players For Listening

• Tine Thing Helseth

• Ben Wright

• Alison Balsom

• Wynton Marsalis

• José Sibaja

• Håkan Hardenberger

• Elmer Churampi

• Phil Smith

• Chris Martin

• Joe Burgstaller

TROUBLE SHOOTING/ QUICK REFERENCE

1. PINCHED SOUND (very common)

» Go back to Magic buzz and Ocean Sounds.

» Check for teeth apart

2. PLAYS TOO LOW (most common)

» Sirens on mouthpiece (start low, slide high, slide low)

» Check for rolling the bottom lip in too much pinching off sound

» Check for bottom lip rolled too far out as if pouting go back to coffee stirrer

» Check for lips flat against teeth, sometimes students will pucker their lips like a “duck bill” right when they go to play which creates a very low sound.

» Faster air/ Ping Pong all

» Build embouchure strength and flexibility daily

Pedagogy

Starting Beginning Trumpets, Renee Todd, cont.

3. PLAYS TOO HIGH (not as typical)

» Check for rolling lips inwards over teeth too much almost hiding lips making a thin sound

» Check puffed cheeks and go back to coffee stirrers or mouthpiece backwards.

» Hand Air Patterns aiming toward finger tips giving a bigger aperture

» Reverse Sirens (start high, slide as low as you can)

» Ahh Mmmm teeth apart