How should a trumpet player have effective practice sessions that will yield results?

Question

I have picked up the trumpet after a few years of taking off from it. So far I have been working in Arbans and have practiced several times a week all summer, but for the past 3 weeks it has been 5-7 days a week. I have noticed that my lip now feels weaker then it did 2 weeks ago at notes around C and D one staff up. Should there be days of rest to let the lips rebuild, or is there something I need to do differently in practice. Also I was taking Acutane for 1 year which left me unable to get simple notes out on the staff and caused my lips to bleed. Last night for the first time I was concentrating on long tones and had a tremendous tone and playing improvement through Arbans’ solos. Right now I want to build up a strong "core" with a range of notes above the staff and below the staff, during long practice sessions. Are long tones the key to this? Please offer any other practicing tips as well.

Answer 1

Make sure to balance your high playing with low playing and take a break! Remember that getting better at the trumpet means your muscles in your emboucher are being built up... like any muscle, it needs time to repair itself and grow.



Make sure you are warming up properly... you should never start by playing high. Start on a g (second line) and just play the note for one second then take the instrument off of your lips. go through chromatically up one then down one so your balancing high and low.



ALSO and this is a big one... MAKE SURE YOU WARM DOWN!!! Warming down is like stretching after a long run... you better do it or you're not going to improve and more importantly... you're going to be in pain. After a practice session play low and soft lips slurs going down go from Second line g down to C, then F# to B, then F to Bb etc...



2,1,12,23,13,123



nice and soft... nice and slow... nice and low.



I've found in my own practicing that warming down makes me improve much faster then without. If I play a 3 hour gig and warm down, I can play another 3 hour gig real easy the next day... if i forget to warm down... it's gonna be a rough gig the next day!!!

Answer 2

Whatever you do, don't rest your lips because that's how you don't get better. If your lips bleed, that shows you haven't been practicing allot as you should be. Here's a way you can also practice. On your trumpet, play one note in a lower range, then play the higher octave without tonging. Instead, use your lips to change the octave. Don't rest for days because your lips are bleeding, wipe off the blood first then start practicing.

Answer 3

Panic on the Disco has a trumpet of their music, "9 interior the Afternoon," I dont recognize that band o.k. so as that should be their in straightforward terms music and that i'm enormously confident Flobots has a trumpet...