3 Things to Improve Your Trumpet Playing Today!

We all want to improve at playing the trumpet. I constantly get questions by many young students that want to improve their range, have better tone, and prevent fracks and cracks while they play. These questions are all valid and very good questions to ask, however, when I see these young musicians play It is evident that the answer to all of their questions lies in one word. FUNDAMENTALS.

Many problems that we face while playing the trumpet can be attributed to a lack of a solid foundation. It is important that we all practice our fundamentals everyday in order to strengthen our playing. For the longest time in college I was very impatient and wanted results now! It was not until my private teacher slowed me down and told me to focus on the fundamentals everyday that I saw real results.

Here are 3 basic things to focus on when practicing every single day:

1. Breath: Are you taking a full, supported, and relaxed breath every single time? Taking

two minutes at the beginning of your practice session to practice breathing can dial in

your focus and improve your breath support.

2. Posture: I always have to remind myself every 5 minutes to RELAX. I see too many

students start to tense up as they finish an exercise or a phrase. Their shoulders come

up to their ears and I can see every muscle in their body tense up and engage. Make

sure to always approach the trumpet with a good relaxed posture. The upper body is tall

with a relaxed neck to support a good breath. The lower body is supporting the upper

body and there is no tension in the lower back.

3. Take a Break: The enemy of a good practice session is fatigue. If you begin to feel tired

during your practice session, take a quick 3-5 minute break! There is nothing wrong

with grabbing a quick drink of water or resting during your practice session. Practicing

to the bring of exhaustion can actually hurt your instead of help you!

The next time you practice take these 3 basic things in mind. You will see improvements right away and have longer and more productive practice sessions!

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