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1. Before you even pick up the horn, take about three deep trumpet breaths, then place your mouthpiece at your mouth. Blow through the mouthpiece until you get a buzz going using the least amount of air and energy.
2. Using a piano if your ear is not good enough, play one note on the mouthpiece only, followed by the note one step above it. Continue this for a maximum of two minutes.
3. Play three notes up, 5 notes up, and back down and try to play a scale. You may also want to do a siren, where you are going from the middle of your range to the bottom, to the top, back to the middle. Try to do this without any breaks. Don't force it. If you can't play the higher notes, don't work too hard. They will come with practice.
4. Place the mouthpiece in the horn now.
5. Blow through the horn for about 1 minute without playing any notes. Make sure you're taking deep breaths and exhaling with ease. Use warm air. Also be sure to keep the airflow constant. Don't pause after the inhale.
6. Begin playing with some major scales, using long tones. Start with the C (concert Bb) scale, working your way up to the next major scale. Do this for 5-10 minutes.
7. Begin playing arpeggios (1-3-5-8). Again start at C (concert Bb) and work your way up. Perform this for 2-5 minutes.
8. By this time you should be quite warm. If not, do some lip slurs, going no higher than E (concert D) at the top of the staff.
9. Start by playing the G (concert F) right above the staff. If you have a metronome, set it at 60 beats per minute. Hold that note for 4 beats (equivalent to 4 seconds) and then proceed up a half step every 2 beats until you reach high C (concert Bb). Do this for 2-5 minutes. If this is too much, keep practicing up to this part until your chops have gotten strong enough to move on.
10. Work on expanding your range through lip slurs. Start on C (concert Bb) and slur up and down from there while keeping the same fingering. Keep your slur slow so you can center each note as it's played. Gradually work up the scale, by half-step, as high as you're able to play.
11. Repeat! Practice isn't good enough. This takes consistent practice. You will begin to lose strength if you rest for more than two days. Persistence is crucial while expanding your range.
12. When you get to the highest note that you can play, just tongue and play it over and over and over again. This is very tedious work, but the payoff is excellent, you will build the muscles needed to play that note every time you play it, so, make a little rhythm, whatever you need to make it, just a little interesting. |
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