Going to start playing trumpet? Then you might be looking for the source from where you will learn. Well, there are many options nowadays.
You can go through books, join courses, and attend academy classes. Or consulting a professional for personal training will also work great.
But you can manage to learn anything from online nowadays. There are articles and lots of videos available on the internet.
Even taking classes is also done on online now! This article is such an example.
I’ve written 100+ articles on different musical instruments. But then one thing suddenly struck my mind. I haven’t written anything for playing trumpet for beginners yet!
Whether you learn for choosing it as profession or just for fun, the starting remains the same.
Then How To Play The Trumpet?
Step 1: Buying a trumpet
First, choose a
student trumpet which is in the B flat key. Don’t worry if it’s an unlabeled brand because Starting with an unmarked brand is fine.
Rather concentrate more at the expense of the instrument. Take the advice of a pro if needed.
Step 2: Practicing without the instrument
Now, keep the trumpet in its
case. Then utter the letter “M” and pause at the part “mmm.” Fix that state of your lips.
Now blow through it keeping the position of your lips unchanged. It’ll sound like you’re buzzing.
As a first timer, it may seem a bit weird to you. But you have to maintain this basic position while you are playing the trumpet.
Step 3: Now practicing with the trumpet
First, assemble the trumpet fully. Now assuming the correct lip position, breathe in through your mouth.
Then placing the trumpet up to the lips make that buzzing sound again by vibrating them. But don’t press any valve now.
You should have the feeling that as soon as your lips lock into a note, they start changing the tightness.
Congratulations! You’ve just completed playing the first note on a trumpet.
Now when you complete the first note, try to tighten your lips slightly. But this time, push down valve number one and two.
The closest one is
valve number one, and the one that is positioned towards the horn bell is number three. This note, you just made, should be higher.
Now you completed playing the second note too.
Step 4: Learning the first scale
A scale refers to the collection of pitches in an ascending or descending order. But the pitches come after a specified interval.
● First, play a C note on your trumpet but don’t push any valve down.
● Now play a D note pushing valve number one and three. If it seems hard, try to tighten your lips barely.
● Now tightening your lips a bit more, push down one and two no. valves. This is note E.
● Continuing tightening your lips, push down only the valve number one next.
● Now instead of pushing down any other valve, proceed to tighten your lips a little more. Play the G note.
● Then go back to note A. push down valve number one and two continuing to tighten your lips some more.
● Now press only the second valve and play the note B.
● Finally, letting go of all the valves, play the high note C.
You just completed playing the “concert B flat” or simply, your first C scale!
Step 5: Advancing
Next, you should try for Concert E flat scale. It would be a bit harder as it has many
higher notes.
But practice and persistence can help a lot to get those high notes as well. After you complete E flat scale, try for getting higher or lower scale then.
Now Practice the scales more and more. Daily 15 minutes of practicing is well enough when you have to play one scale only.
Moreover, there is no alternative to practice.
Tips & Warnings
1. Ensure the following things before you bring a trumpet home.
- No dents in the valve casing.
- While the valves move up and down smoothly, it doesn't create much noise.
- The slides can move back and forth freely.
2. As a beginner,
using a trumpet mouthpiece would be useful. It’ll help you create a coherent sound.
Don’t bother if it sounds like Donald Duck. It indicates that you are proceeding the right direction.
3. How to get "buzzing" down
Suppose that there’s a piece of paper lying at the tip of the tongue. Now stick out the tip a slight. Now quickly scrape it off and then spit it out of your mouth.
Do it in such a way so that your lips catch each other and it creates a “raspberry” like sound.
An interesting video!
Here is an amazing video on youtube made by Brett Manges. The video will help you a lot.
Final words
Don’t ever expect; overnight practicing will make you Mendez in just one day! All the great musicians didn’t become great overnight either.
You’ll need years of practice and lots of research to do. You’ll find many lesson-by-lesson, easy-to-follow trumpet tutorials on the internet.
Therefore, watch them, play the trumpet and try to improve yourself every day.
