SBOPerformance: Trumpet

Performance Tips for Young

Trumpet Players
BY PAUL COPENHAVER

ollowing are a few thoughts on various issues affecting

student trumpet players, including tuning, mouthpieces,
mutes, and performance opportunities.

Tuning
Yes, D4 and C#4 are both sharp on trumpet. However, the student trumpet
player needs to realize there are a number of other inherent pitch problems that
also need careful adjustment. Most of these pitch problems are caused by de-

14 School Band and Orchestra, December 2011

sign considerations common to instruments of every quality.

Extending the third slide to varying
lengths, of course, will help lower both
D and C#. (How many times have you
seen that written?) When playing a series of these notes, it is acceptable to
leave the third slide extended until a
2-3 valve combination is encountered.
Many beginning and intermediate
trumpets now have a thumb saddle or
some other device to extend the first
slide, and, in many cases, it works easier and more efficiently than extending the third slide. Therefore, many
trumpet players are able to correct Ds
by extending the first valve slide, but
that slide usually will not lower C#
sufficiently.
D5, fourth space E5, and E5 are
flat. Usually, notes of the inherently
flat fifth harmonic can be lipped up
by firming the embouchure slightly
or increasing air compression in the
oral cavity. Alternate fingerings often
are used to aid with this adjustment,
but these fingerings tend to change
the tone quality and response of the
instrument.
G5 and A5 are sharp on most instruments, and both seem to possess
a very bright, brilliant tone, making
them sound even sharper. Lipping
downward (the reverse of above) remains the best method to adjust these
pitches. However, the A can easily
be lowered to pitch by extending the
first slide slightly, or by using the third
valve.
Adjusting these problematic pitches
not only aids intonation, but also helps
the player play better in tone, thus

more closely matching the quality of

other notes in the same range. This
factor should help improve the players accuracy.

Mouthpieces
Many beginners use a Bach 7C [or
its generic equivalent] or a Schilke 11.
Both are solid, middle-of-the-road
mouthpieces that have good dimensional characteristics and are fairly
uniform in construction.
Which mouthpiece is the next logical step after the 7C? Many trumpet
teachers are now recommending moving to the Schilke 14, which is very
similar to the Bach 3C. The Schilke
line has proven to be a moderately
priced alternative, and the sizing on
Schilke mouthpieces is quite consistent.
Most young trumpet players need
to stay close to the above parameters.
Unfortunately, the quest to play high
often leads to excessively shallow cups,
tight backbores, and small throats that
tend to adversely affect pitch and tone
quality while not really improving the
players range. Conversely, excessively
deep cups and oversized backbores
may tend to adversely affect range and
cause a number of pitch problems for
the developing embouchure. Balancing the mouthpiece width, rim, cup,
backbore, and matching these factors
to the instrument and player is an
arduous process. Just as one pair of
shoes will not fit everyone, neither will
one particular mouthpiece.
Finally, if the young trumpeter
doubles on flugelhorn, please be sure
he or she is using a flugelhorn mouthpiece. Even though a trumpet or cornet mouthpiece might seem to fit the
receiver, use the proper mouthpiece.
It is fairly easy to obtain a flugelhorn
mouthpiece with the same rim as the
trumpet mouthpiece, but with a cup
configuration suitable to create a truly
characteristic flugelhorn sound.
Also, the flugelhorn mouthpiece
shank needs to match the receiver.
Mouthpiece shanks most often are in
three variations: Large Morse Taper,
Small Morse [Bach] Taper, and Coueson [French] Taper. There are a number of informative websites that can

be very helpful in making the proper

selection of flugelhorn mouthpieces.

Mutes

The primary function of mutes is

to change the tone color of the instrument, not to soften the volume. Decidedly, softening of volume does occur,
but isnt the primary reason for using
mutes. Otherwise, why would there be
so many different types of mutes?

The most commonly used mute for

trumpet is the straight mute. Trumpet
players would be wise to invest in a quality metal straight mute. The Jo-Ral and
the Tom Crown straight mute are excellent examples. The old red and white
fiber and other cardboard mutes are less
desirable alternatives. Both metal and
fiber tend to raise the pitch slightly; so
careful adjustment of the mutes corks
or tuning slide may be warranted.

School Band and Orchestra, December 2011 15

After the straight mute, the young

trumpet player should purchase a cup
mute, a wa-wa or Harmon mute, and a
plunger. From this basic set the possibilities are almost endless.

Performance Opportunities
It has been said many times that the
best way to become an effective performer is to perform. That may sound simple,
but finding those performance opportunities often takes some doing. Finding and

working with an accompanist seems to be

another ongoing problem. However, there
is an increasing amount of trumpet music
available with some form of electronic accompaniment covering the gamut of styles
from religious, big band, jazz, patriotic,
and so on. These can make effective material for performances at senior centers,
social gatherings, and other events that
can help the young trumpeter gain those
valuable performance experiences.
An effective way for a young trumpeter
to perform in public is to play along with

The Sound

as requested by you.

You asked for the playability and

sound of the early Otto Links.
We listened.
With structural changes both
inside and out, the sound
of yesteryear has been
recaptured.

Otto Link Vintage

for tenor sax.

www.jjbabbitt.com

MOUTHPIECES FOR CLARINETS AND SAXOPHONES

congregational hymn singing at church.

It may be an easy and effective way for
student trumpet players to learn the C
trumpet transposition while playing
along with the melody. Or, any number of
books are available that contain popular/
familiar hymn tunes that, amazingly, are
mostly transposed to coincide with the
hymn book key, and have descant parts
that are well within the ability levels of
most young players. The three volumes of
Douglas Smiths 61 Trumpet Hymns and
Descants [Hope Publishing Co.] are particularly useful in regard to key signatures
and quality of the descant writing.
Another excellent source for young
trumpeters to find effective performance
materials are the Canadian Brass Easy
Trumpet Solos, Canadian Brass Intermediate Trumpet Solos, and the Canadian
Brass Christmas Trumpet Solos, also at
the intermediate level. This series contains a wealth of excellent performance
materials for various performance venues, and each provides a solo part, piano
accompaniment, and a CD with both full
performances of each composition by
trumpeters from the Canadian Brass, and
an accompaniment track with piano only.

Final Thoughts
Some excellent sources of information
about playing the trumpet, equipment,
performance, and many other areas may
be found in a number of places. A few of
my favorites are Roger Shermans The
Trumpeters Handbook, Chase Sanborns
Brass Tactics series, and David Hickmans
book, Trumpet Pedagogy A Compendium
of Modern Teaching Techniques. Another
interesting place for trumpet players to
visit is the website, www.trumpetherald.
com. All contain a wealth of information,
interesting discussions, and ideas.
Paul Copenhaver is the band director at St.
Pious X School in Moberly, Missouri, where he has
taught since 2004. Mr. Copenhaver has taught
music in Moberly schools for 38 years, serving
as band director and Fine Arts/Practical Arts
Department chair in the public school system until
2006. In addition to numerous other affiliations
with professional associations, Mr. Copenhaver is
currently serving as the president of the Missouri
Music Educators Association. He is also the assistant conductor and principal trumpet player for
the Columbia (Mo.) Community Band, as well as
an active adjudicator, clinician, conductor.

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