James Smock, Trumpet

Congratulations! You’ve gotten a trumpet, and are ready to begin your odyssey into the world of making music. Good for you! Unfortunately, you can’t just pick up your new horn and play “Star Wars” right away. Too bad, I know, but take heart! Good things come to those who practice. First things firsts, though:

I urge you to seek out a good private teacher. You can certainly learn on your own, but you will learn faster with a teacher, and will likely not regret the decision to hire one. Even just one lesson a month will make a huge difference in your progress, which will mean more FUN. Also, you’ll avoid some common pitfalls. Please consider it. Now that that’s off my chest, are you ready to get back to the horn? Let’s do it.

Let’s become familiar with the different parts of the trumpet. Try this link, which has a labeled diagram of a trumpet.

The parts I want you to take note of are the:

1) Mouthpiece

2) Leadpipe

3) Main Tuning Slide

4) 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Valves (Buttons)

Got it? Good! Get used to holding the trumpet. You can see the proper way to hold the horn here.

The mouthpiece goes into the receiver…but you knew that, didn’t you? Great. So far we’ve learned to identify some parts of our trumpet, and how to hold it. Good work.

You’ve got your mouthpiece on the trumpet, and the horn in your hands. Remove the main tuning slide from your instrument, put it somewhere SAFE. Now then, say “mmmmm, donuts.” Perfect. Now drop the “donuts” bit. Just say “mmmmm.” Note how your lips are pressed together, and maybe rolled in a tiny bit. This is called an “embouchure,” which is just a fancy word for how you make your mouth when you play.

Put the horn (sans tuning slide) up to your mouth, and with your embouchure set, take a big breath, and blow it through the mouthpiece, through the lead pipe. What happened? Hopefully, your lips began to vibrate, and made a funny sort of kazoo sound. If nothing happened, don’t worry! Give it another try. Don’t try to control the pitch or volume. Just relax, and go along for the ride. Whatever happens, happens. This is called “leadpipe playing.”

Leadpipe playing is GREAT for beginners. In fact, it’s great for pros, too. I do a fair amount of it myself. Leadpipe playing is good because it’s easy, like falling off a log.

I tell my beginning students to play their leadpipe between 10 and 20 times a day, holding the tone as long as possible each time. You don’t have to play them all in a row, though. Take frequent breaks. Replace the tuning slide when you aren’t practicing.

When you get comfortable with leadpipe playing, try some long tones on the trumpet. Experiment—and make sure whatever you do feels easy.

That’s it for now! This should keep you busy a week or more. Don’t rush yourself. Take your time. Find a teacher. If you are unable to find a teacher, and get stuck, feel free to email me at: james@trumpetplayer.us

Good luck, and HAPPY TRUMPETING!