TRUMPET

Playing the trumpet is lots of fun, but it can be a lot of hard work if you are not careful
Here are some ideas and examples to make it easier and fun!

BREATHING
Can you drive a car with out gas? NO! Can you play the trumpet with out air? NO! It has
been said that your lungs are like a cars gas tank and the air you breathe in is the fuel.
You need good air control to play the trumpet right. Here is an example to help you feel
what it is like to have a full Gas Tank.
1. Breathe deep into the bottom of you lungs.
2. Hold that breath and raise you shoulders
3. Take in more air
4. Hold the breath in and relax your shoulders.
5. Do you feel that bubble of Air?

Try breathing through trumpet with out the mouth piece. How does it feel? Try breathing
through trumpet with the mouth piece in the trumpet. Be aware of the difference.

BUZZING YOUR LIPS (Making and Embouchure)

Buzzing your lips is one of the important things you can do. You should do this every
day. Hold the corners of you mouth firm and make sure the middle of your lips is soft.
Now move air from your lungs out of your mouth. You may not get a sound right away,
but that is OK. Try it with a mirror and see how flat you can keep you chin. Once you
get a buzzing sound try and see how long you can keep the buzz going.

BUZZING YOUR MOUTH PIECE

Buzzing your mouth piece is very important to do every day. Why? It makes your
embouchure stronger and that help your sound. I like to hold one note for about 5-10
seconds. I’ll do this 3 or 4 times. I also like to buzz songs like “Marry Had a Little Lamb”
and “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”. This helps your ears and makes it not so boring.
Listening
If some one told you a Bark like a dog, and you had never heard a dog bark, how would
you make the barking sound? I guess you could make it up, but how close would you be?
Making the trumpet sound like a trumpet has a lot to do with listening. It is a whole lot
easier to make a trumpet sound if you know what a trumpet sounds like. Any time you
are listening to music, with a trumpet in it, pay attention see if you like the sound you
heard. Could you do it like that…or better.

Here are the names of a few great trumpet players. See if you can find recording of them.
(hint: check the internet)

Jazz Classical
Louis Armstrong Armando Ghitalla
Miles Davis Adolph “Bud” Herseth
Dizzy Gillespie Guy Touvron
Wynton Marsalis Wynton Marsalis
Clifford Brown Maurice Andre
Freddie Hubbard David Hickman

Cleaning and Maintaining the Trumpet

The trumpet player should clean the instrument at least four times per year. It
should be cleaned in a large sink or tub that is big enough to fully immerse the
body of the trumpet. The following cleaning supplies are needed:

• Mouthpiece brush
• Valve Brush
• Flexible snake brush
• Cleaning rod and cheesecloth
• Slide grease
• Valve oil
• Mild dishwashing detergent
• Warm water

To disassemble the trumpet for cleaning, remove the tuning slide, valve slides,
and bottom valve caps and soak them in warm water. Remove the three valves
and set them aside on a soft towel. Place the body of the trumpet into the warm
water and let it soak. Never put the entire valve assembly under water when
cleaning. Dip the valves in the water far enough to cover the valve itself, making
sure that the pads or felts are kept dry. Rinse with clean water and carefully dry
with a soft cloth. Put the valves aside while cleaning the rest of the trumpet.
Use the flexible snake to clean each valve slide and the main tuning slide. Take
care not to force the snake around the tight bend in each of the valve slides or it
may become stuck. Flush the slides with clean water and dry.

Carefully run the flexible snake brush down each of the tubes and the bell of the
trumpet, taking care not to scratch the inner wall of the valve casings. The
leadpipe naturally collects the most debris, and extra time should be taken in
cleaning it.

Wrap a piece of cheesecloth around the cleaning rod and carefully swab out
each of the valve casings. Remember that the slightest dent or scratch can
cause a valve to stick.

Reassemble the trumpet, starting with the valves. Be careful not to touch the
valve itself; handle it by the valve stem or cap. Coat each valve with a liberal
amount of valve oil and place it back in the proper valve casing, taking care to
align the valve guide with the corresponding groove in the valve casing.

Grease and reassemble the slides. To do this, place a small amount of slide
grease on the slide and spread it on the slide with the fingers. Depress the
appropriate valve so as not to build up any undue pressure, and put the slide into
the trumpet. Wipe off any excess grease.

The mouthpiece should be cleaned regularly with a mouthpiece brush.

The exterior of a lacquer trumpet needs little maintenance Wipe off gently with
warm (not hot) water. For silver of nickel-plated instruments, use a nonabrasive
polish to shine the finish.

Recommended cleaning and maintenance material:

Valve Oil:

Slide Grease:

Silver polishing Cloth:

 LONG TONES
Try and make the most beautiful sound you can. Remember do not force the tone out. Let the
air carry your sound through the trumpet.

U U U U U
&w w w
// // // //
w
//
w
0 13 12 1 0

6
U U U U U
&w
//
w
// // // //
w w w
0 1 12 13 0

Play this very slowly. Again don't force the tone and make the most beautiful sound you can.

11

& ˙ #˙ w #˙ n˙ #w ˙ ˙ w b˙ ˙ w
0 2 0 2 1 2 1 12 1 23 13 23

15

&˙ w
#˙ #˙ n˙ #w
13 123 13 123 0 123
 BASIC SLURING
Keep the air stream steady while changing notes. Do not attack the notes.

& ˙ #˙ w
u ˙ ˙ w
u ˙ ˙ w
u ˙ b˙ w
u

&˙ w
˙ u ˙ b˙ u
w ˙ w
˙ u

More Sluring.
Try whistling a few notes. Feel how the tongue moves up and down.
Try to make the tongue do this as you slur.

8 0 13

&œ œ œ œ w œ œ œ œ w

œ bœ œ
12
œ œ
12

&œ œ w œ w

œ œ
16 0 0

&œ œ w œ œ œ œ ˙ ˙
 TONGUE ATTACKS
Try blowing air out of you mouth. Now try it while saying "Ta". Notice how the tongue interrupts
the air. That is call articulation.

Play this very slowly. Make sure each attack sound even and clear

&c œœœœ˙
2 0 1 0

#œ œ œ œ ˙ œœœœ˙ œ œœœ˙ œœœœ˙

ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta sim

6 12 0 23 0 13

&œ œ œ œ ˙ œœœœ˙ bœ œ œ œ ˙ œœœœ˙ œœœœ˙

11 0 123 0 0 0
&œ œ œ œ ˙ #œ œ œ œ ˙ œœœœ˙ œœœœ˙ w
 NOTES AND FINGERING (where are they??)

0 123 13 23

&w #w bw w #w bw
C C# Db D D# Eb

5 12 1 2 0
&w w #w bw w
E F F# Gb G

bw w bw w
9 12
23 1 2
& #w
G# Eb A Bb B

&w #w bw w #w bw
13 0 12 1 23

C C# Db D D# Eb

w w #w bw w
17 0 1 2 0

&
E F F# Gb G

You may ask your-self how two notes have the same fingerings.
That is called enharmonics. C# is the same note as Db.
 I.

~;~~
~. ~~~~~~~

~;
4.
~~~~~~~

..~
_~jfJs;
- &.
,~~~~~
; .~~ U~~~~--~-~~
•~---
• -~f=si H~~~~~~~~
I .1· ~ ~
• 'j+j 1 ri~~ 1'1~(~ ~~
I

,
I

I
 v.c. I·

© William Fielder 1988

 Lip Slurs 1.1

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ U̇
&c œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

U̇
& #œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ
5
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

U̇
& œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ bœ
9
bœ œ bœ œ bœ œ bœ

&œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ u̇
13
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

& bœ œ b œ œ œ œ b œ œ b œ œ œ œ b œ œ b œ œ œ œ b œ œ b œ u̇
17
bœ œ bœ œ bœ œ bœ

& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ u̇
21
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

& bœ œ b œ œ œ œ b œ œ b œ œ œ œ b œ œ b œ œ œ œ b œ œ b œ u̇
25
bœ œ bœ œ bœ œ bœ
 Lip Slur 1.2

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ U̇ ####
&c œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ #

# # # # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ U̇ nnnn bb
& # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ n
5

U̇ #
b œ œ œ œ œ œ
&b œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œ œ œ œ nn##
9

### œ œ œ œ œ œ œ U̇ nnnbb b
& œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ b
13

b b b b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ U̇ nnnn#
& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
17

# U̇ nbb b b
& œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœ bb
21

bbb b U̇
& b œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœ
b
25
 Tongue Slots
Slowly

œ. œ. U̇
& 44 œ œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ
.
# .
œ # .
œ #œ # U˙
& # œ # œ. œ. # œ. # œ. œ. #œ # œ œ #œ #œ
.
. U̇
5

œ. œ œ. œ œ
&œ
. œ. œ. œ. œ œ œ œ œ

. b œ. œ. . b œ. U˙
œ.
9

b œ b œ b œ bœ œ b
& bœ
. b œ. bœ bœ bœ

. œ. œ. . œ. U̇
13

&œ œ œ. œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ

œ. U̇
œ. œ. .œ œ. œ. œ
17

&œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ

# . .
œ # œ. #œ # U˙
. . œ.
21

& # œ. # œ œ # œ. # œ #œ # œ œ #œ #œ
.œ œ. œ. .œ œ. U̇
œ. œ
25

&œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ
29
 Ernie's Tongue Killer Earnest Williams

b b 2 œœœœœœœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ
& 4 œœœœœœœ œœ

b
& b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ
5

b b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœœ œœœœœ
& œœœœœœ #œ œ œ œ #œ
9

b œœœœœœœ
& b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ#œ œ œ œ œ œ
13

b
&b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
17

b b œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
& œœœœœ
21

b b œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœ

& œœœœœ
25

b b œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ

&
29

b œœ œœœœœœœœ
&b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ
33
œ œ

b
&b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
37
 Horn Warmup maritimebrassquintet.ca
maritimebrass@gmail.com
Bob Nicholson
1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0

& 44 w w w w w w w
w w
2
0 2 1 12 continue using 23, 13, 123

& ˙ Ó Ó Ó Ó
˙ ˙ ˙ #˙ ˙ b˙ n˙ b˙ ˙ #˙ ˙
3
12 1 2 0

& Ó Ó Ó Ó
œ #œ
œ œ
˙ bœ œ
œ œ
b˙ œ #œ
#œ œ
˙ œ œ œ œ ˙
4

& Œ Œ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ

œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ
34

&œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ

Œ
œ œœœ
Œ
œ œœœ
Œ
5

& œœœ Œ œœœœœ Œ œœœœœ Œ œœœœœ Œ œœœœœ Œ œœœœœ Œ œœœœ Œ

œ œ œ
6
U
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
&
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ
7 23 12
13

& œ bœ œ
œ œ œ œ œ ˙ bœ œ bœ bœ œ b˙ œ #œ œ œ #œ ˙

1 2 0

œ œ
58

& bœ œ œ œ b
bœ œ œ œ œ b˙ œ #œ #œ #œ #œ ˙ œ œ ˙
8
œ œ œ U
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
&b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ n

&w w w w w w w w w w
p f p f p f p f p f
Atlantic Festivals of Music
May 2019 - Trombone Clinics

Hello brothers and sisters of the slide!

I am so glad that we have the chance to share our love of music and the trombone! This handout will
point you to some resources that will help you develop your musicianship and remind you of the topics
we covered in the clinic.

Song and Wind

Arnold Jacobs asked his students to be expressive and interpretative or to become “story tellers of
sound.” He asked his students to focus on “song and wind.” This requires a song in your head and wind
at the lips when playing. Play it the way you would like to hear it played! Remember - nothing comes out
of the instrument that hasn’t been formed in your head.

To transmit musical thought with a beautiful tone, you will have to do the work to get your technique to
the level that allows you to communicate those thoughts. Ask yourself “is that the best note or phrase
that I can play?” The way you do anything is the way you do everything - as you create sound, you and
anyone else in your environment can hear your musical thoughts. Why create 10-cent sounds when you
can produce 100-dollar music?

Mouthpiece buzzing
It can be difficult to find time to practice and it can be a problem to get your instrument home. This is
where mouthpiece buzzing can be so helpful. If possible, try to have an extra mouthpiece - same make
and model as the one with your instrument - at home for buzzing practice.

Some players have trouble getting a good buzz sound on the mouthpiece. This will come with practice -
remember, your instrument is an amplifier - if it doesn’t sound good on the mouthpiece, the trombone
can’t bail you out. With practice, your tone and pitch will improve. Buzz along to your favourite music,
buzz simple tunes, always working to be sure you are playing accurate pitches in tune.

Technique
We are musicians first and trombonists second - don’t let the trombone get in the way of your
musicianship. We must have the ability to make the trombone tell our story in sound. Not knowing
notes, slide positions, articulations, rhythms, etc. can get in the way of our musical communication. Put
in the work required to develop the necessary skills. There are no shortcuts.

Be patient but firm with your musical development. We can’t expect a first-year player to have the
dynamic range, technical abilities, etc. of a fifth-year player. Musicians at all stages of development must
constantly strive to improve their technique to improve their musicianship.

Speed kills
Practice so slowly that listeners can’t recognize what you are playing. If you play slow enough, you can
play any piece of music. If there is a concert in eight weeks, you know that the difficult technical sections
have time to be developed. Start slow and work towards having it at tempo two or three weeks before
the concert. Use a metronome to track you progress. Then practice it a bit over temp so you have a
comfort zone past the required tempo. Don’t expect to be at tempo in week one and don’t ignore the
work required to make it happen. That section isn’t going away, and the concert needs that section!

Page 1 of 4 footenotes©2019
Atlantic Festivals of Music
May 2019 - Trombone Clinics

Technology
If you have access to technology, use it to improve your playing. There are many great (and not so great)
videos of trombonists on the net. You can access online metronomes and there are free metronome
apps for your smart phone and inexpensive tuner apps too. Use these resources and tools to improve
your musicianship.

Use recording technology to record and listen to yourself. Play duets or trios with yourself. Record a
bass line and solo over your track - check out Paul the Trombonist and Christopher Bill online.

Use your favourite search engine, or use these links, to check out these trombonists:
• Alain Trudel - http://www.alaintrudel.com/trombone/
• Bill Watrous
• Carl Fontana & Frank Rosolino - great jazz trombonists
• Christopher Bill - http://www.classicaltrombone.com - facebook
• Christian Lindberg - http://www.tarrodi.se/cl/
• Jack Teagarden - http://www.jackteagarden.info/
• J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding - both great players - and their duets… wow!
• Joseph Alessi - http://alessimusicstudios.com/
• Paul The Trombonist - https://www.youtube.com/user/PaulTheTrombonist/videos - facebook
• Tom “Bones” Malone
• Trombone Shorty - http://www.tromboneshorty.com/

Look for videos and audio tracks that allow you to hear the way great musicians use their instruments to
tell their story - song and wind!

Edward Lisk
Use the circle of fourths as part of your warm-up routine and to develop scale knowledge and
technique. There are many ways you can use this to improve your musicianship.

Being a Musician teaches us…

• To be disciplined
• To work with others
• To deal with disappointment as well as success
• To make and accomplish goals
• That success is not a one-time event, but rather a lifetime of personal development

Thank-you for your interest in making music via the trombone - maintain the journey and as my friend
Dom Famularo says - onward and upward!

Further information
If you have any questions or need some assistance, please contact Ken Foote at kdfoote@outlook.com

Page 2 of 4 footenotes©2019
Atlantic Festivals of Music
May 2019 - Trombone Clinics

The exercises and explanations are taken from Gordon McGowan’s Chester Brass Studio materials.

Warm Up Process
The first practice period of the day is critical, in that it serves as a wake-up signal to the embouchure. As
a runner needs to warm up before breaking into a sprint, so the brass player needs to do likewise. Play
the following long notes for approximately eight slow beats, and then totally rest for the same number
of beats before proceeding to the next note.

Tone Exercises
Play these exercises very slowly, using the tongue to produce the first note of each sequence only. Listen
to your tone intently and aim at a full pure sound, without wobble or vibrato. Each exercise is to be
played OAP (on all positions: 1 -2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 or 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1), and do not progress to the
succeeding exercise until confident, or as directed by your teacher.

Page 3 of 4 footenotes©2019
Atlantic Festivals of Music
May 2019 - Trombone Clinics

Lip Flexibilities
These exercises build flexibility and contribute to the building of a strong embouchure. Again, practice as
softly as possible, with strong regular rhythm. The use of a metronome is recommended in the early
stages.

Production Exercises
These exercises should be played throughout scales and executed with great clarity at the lowest
possible volume level. The tongue should be placed behind the teeth, withdrawing to permit the air to
vibrate the lips, as in the syllable TU. The use of a metronome will greatly assist in regulating the rhythm
and increasing speed.

Page 4 of 4 footenotes©2019
 Daily Routine for Brass
Euphonium
by Bob Nicholson lowbrassbob@gmail.com

Play very slowly concentrating on a full relaxed breath

w
1
w w w w
0 13 12 1 0 12 2 0 2 12 0 1 12 13 0

? b b 44 w w w w w w w w w w

2 Fast air, slow air, fast air

? bb ˙ ˙
continue using 23, 13, 123

Ó n˙ n˙ Ó ˙ ˙ Ó ˙ ˙ Ó
0 2 1 12

˙ ˙ b˙ ˙

œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ Œ nœ œ œ œ nœ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ
Medium, fast, medium, slow air

? bb œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ
3
12 1 2 0

? b œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ

4

b œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ

tah tah-tah tah on one column of air

? bb œ œ œ œ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ

40

œœœœœ Œ œœœœœ Œ œœœœœ Œ

5 Play both slurred and tongued (tah) with the same air flow

? bb œ œ œ œ œ Œ œœœœœ Œ œœœœœ Œ œœœœœ Œ

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ U
? bb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
6

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

œ œ bœ
7 Slow to fast to slow air stream

? bb œ œ œ bœ bœ bœ œ
bœ bœ œ œ
13 23 12

œ œ œ ˙ b˙ œ ˙

? bb œ bœ œ bœ œ n œ œ bœ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ
bbb
64 1 2 0

bœ b˙ œ ˙ œ ˙

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
? bb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Uœ
8

b œ œ

? bb w w
9 Maintain good sounds throughout swells

w w w w w w w w
b
p f p f p f p f p f
©2018
 Daily Routine for Brass
Tuba
by Bob Nicholson lowbrassbob@gmail.com

Play very slowly concentrating on a full relaxed breath

1 0 13 12 1 0 12 2 0 2 12 0 1 12 13 0

? b b 44 w
w w w w w w w w
w w w w w w
2 Fast air, slow air, fast air
? bb
continue using 23, 13, 123

Ó Ó Ó Ó
0 2 1 12

˙ ˙ n˙ n˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
˙ ˙ b˙ ˙
3 Medium, fast, medium, slow air

? bb Œ Œ Œ Œ
12 1 2 0

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ nœ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ

? b
4 tah tah-tah tah on one column of air

b Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ

œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ

? bb
œ œœœ Œ œ œœœ Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ
40

œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ

5 Play both slurred and tongued (tah) with the same air flow

? bb Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ
œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ
œœœœœ

? bb U
6

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
7 Slow to fast to slow air stream

? bb
13 23 12

œ œ œ œ œ ˙ b œ bœ œ bœ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ ˙
œ bœ b˙ œ

? bb bbb
œ bœ œ œ
1 2 0

bœ œ
64

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