Blog

Free trumpet advice

Written up from my teaching videos and Academy sessions.

The truth about high notes on the trumpet: it is not your physiology

High notes come from playing lead a lot, staying music-led and dropping the excuses. Physiology and talent are not what is stopping you.

Practise high notes in short sprints, on fresh chops

Why I practise the upper register for a few minutes at a time on fresh chops, and not at the end of a long, tiring session.

Performance nerves: play to an audience of one

More practice does not cure performance nerves. What helps is changing who you believe you are playing to, and why you are playing.

Hear the note before you play it, and let the trumpet come to you

Decide how a note will sound and feel before you play it, then play that. Reacting to the first note of the day only adds doubt.

Warm up for the day in front of you, not the same way every day

A trumpet warm-up should get you to your best as fast as possible. The four pillar system I use, and what my own short warm-up looks like.

How to build trumpet endurance: there is no way round playing more

Endurance is one of the few parts of trumpet playing that comes down to doing a lot of it. How I practise it, and what I do when the chops go on a gig.

What to practise at home on the trumpet, and what you only get from playing with people

Home practice can't give you context or adrenaline. Limit it to what it can really improve, and get the rest by playing with other people.

Double tonguing on the trumpet: it is usually an air problem

If your double tonguing is uneven or the K is weak, the air is usually the cause. Slur the phrase first, then add the tongue without changing the air.

Playing the trumpet in tune: use the slides, but it starts with your ears

The trumpet does not play in tune on its own. The valve slides fix some of it. The rest is an ear skill, and you build it by playing with other people.

How to choose a trumpet mouthpiece: it should feel better straight away

A new trumpet mouthpiece should do the job you want it for and feel better than your old one straight away. How I think about choosing one.

Learning music by ear on the trumpet: sing it before you play it

If you can't sing a phrase, finding the valves for it is guesswork. How I learn music by ear on the trumpet, and why I don't write it down first.