Playing by accident

I’m sure that at some point you have experienced an accidental success in trumpet playing. Such as suddenly hitting a high note without meaning to, or playing a perfect rhythm without even noticing.

This is what I call playing by accident. When students routinely play by accident, they move through the motions and enjoy the occasional success. They don’t go back to examine why the success happened, what they did differently, and how it can be replicated. Needless to say, these students take longer to learn new techniques.

My advice to all wishing to reach the next level is to never accept accidental success in the practice room. Always go back for more, examine, break it down and be mindful of everything that goes on when you pick up the trumpet.

Now sometimes, accidents cannot be replicated for a number of reasons:

1. The student does not have private instruction. Without a person to guide you through your development you will hit a wall that only a professional can help you break. Much like anything else you might want to learn, proper teaching is a fundamental factor. 
2. The student is in the beginning stages of learning. Notice that a beginning learner is not the same as a beginner trumpet player. I have seen many players with years under their belts, who are self-taught and have not been taught the techniques to dissect their mistakes.
3. The student is in a state of change. This would include players who are doing an embouchure change or have experienced an accident that compromises their familiarity with their own playing.

Assuming you do not fit any of these categories, lets look at two ways you can learn to leave the accidents behind.

Experimentation without fear

In all my years playing and teaching, I do not think I have ever met a player who enjoyed making mistakes. I mean, that would be crazy right? Who actually wants to make mistakes?

Just because you don’t want to make mistakes in public, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t experiment with them in the practice room. Next time you play, dedicate some time to mistake making. Allow yourself to feel very comfortable with making mistakes, to the point where you can laugh at yourself. Only then, can you move to the next step.

Making mistakes on purpose. You read that right! 

Try missing the high note, cracking the D, flopping the trill, missing the sharp and sound awful. Now you might be asking yourself why would I want to do this?

The answer is simple. When you make the mistake, you can experience the requirements for it. I often find myself trying my best to replicate my student’s mistakes, because that is the only way that I can figure out the correction plan. 

Try doing the same thing for yourself. For example, if you are working on tone production, try pinching your lips together and notice the tight, buzzy sound you will produce. Then open up the aperture very big and try to play a scale. You will notice a very fat tone, that is difficult to control and quiet down. Reflect on what these feel and sounds like, and then find the happy middle. Now as you attempt to sound beautiful and balanced, you might notice some of your mistakes come into light. Maybe you were pinching a little all this time!

Get comfortable with mistakes and remember that we are human, not robots!

Quiet Song

Have you ever heard of the Quiet Eye?

This is a term coined by Professor Joan Vickers of Calgary University which refers to the gaze an athlete makes right before they execute a movement, like when a tennis player’s eyes lock on the ball immediately before they hit with the racket. 

I like to think of this in terms of Border Collies, you know, the highly intelligent shepherd dog. They have something Collie trainers call the “eye” or “gaze.” This is the look the dog has when their eyes are focused solely on the sheep so that they can react in less than a second when the sheep moves. 

Now for musicians, we need to focus on the sound or pitch we want to achieve, but since music cannot be touched or seen, we must create it in our mind’s ear as a “quiet song.” This is a song only you can hear in your mind; it is the model for what you wish to achieve. 

If you always have this clear in your mind, your mistakes will greatly decrease. By keeping the song alive your brain will prepare itself to execute it, refining all the small motor functions of the embouchure, tongue placement and air flow, to help you hit the bull’s eye.

Imagine your success as vividly as possible and even mimic all the movements needed, then play. Repeat many times to refine this technique.

Daily exposure is key

Now that you have a couple of tools to help you learn from your mistakes, apply them daily to maximize the results. If you need private lessons, check out the THQ Trumpet Lessons Online program. Get to work, and good luck!

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Bad habits are hard to break, but it’s not impossible!

Here is a scary statistic: 99% of new students that come to me not only have no idea how to practice, but they’re actually making themselves worse on a daily basis by doing the things listed below.

That’s a fairly accurate percentage, seeing as maybe one student every couple of years actually knows how to approach the trumpet. Beginners simply don’t know how to avoid bad habits. Why? Because they don’t know what the incorrect habits are. Like the game “telephone”, incorrect trumpet playing habits spread and get worse from person to person until it finally lands on you…and you end up ¨smiling to play higher.¨

Sometimes you’ve been doing something for so long and you’ve dug a hole so big, that you have to work 20 times harder to get out and never fall back in. But like an old teacher once told me, do something everyday for 3 weeks and you will be on the right track. Here we go:

 

Your first note of the day is always a C below the staff

This is one of those things I burn into the skulls of my students. You are making your life so much harder by letting your first note be that low.

Let me put it this way: pick the easiest way to climb to the top of a mountain. 1) You start at the very bottom and hike OR 2) You get dropped off in the middle and hike.

The answer is obviously #2!

Trumpet playing works in a similar way. Starting below the staff everyday prepares your mind and chops to be “low,” and the journey to the top will seem much higher.

Instead, start in the middle, on middle C, and you will soon find yourself realizing that C above the staff is not so far after all. If you’re still working your way to middle C, try starting on a G on the second line of the staff. Just stay away from low C as your first note of the day.

 

You don’t warm-up before playing other things

If I had a penny for every time I say this every week…

Not warming up before playing anything else is the best way to destroy your chops. This is like not stretching before doing hard exercise, and then pulling a muscle. What you have to realize is that the embouchure is made up of tiny muscles that need exercise to become stronger. When you don’t warm-up, you shock these muscles and don’t give them time to “wake up.”

This is bad…very very bad. I have seen so many players ruin themselves by picking up the horn first thing in the morning, blowing a few high Cs and playing some marching band music. If you truly want to get better, begin your day with some long tones/Cichowicz studies and slurring drills. Try to fit at least in 10-15 minutes of warming up. It’s a wonderful thing and your future self with thank you.

 

When practicing a solo, you always start at the beginning

This may seem like a good idea but in reality, it’s a great way to waste time. If you already know the beginning, skip it! Start in the middle or the end and work on the stuff you don’t know. It may be frustrating to not sound as good for a bit, but by the time that solo & ensemble/honor band try out/church gig rolls around you will start strong and end with confidence!

 

You never practice performing

This is a big one. If you practice your solos but never play a run-through like it’s the real thing, you’re not practicing performing.

Performance is a learned skill and you have to practice it too. If you don’t, you will find yourself performing your solo and stopping when you make a mistake because this is what you do when you practice. Or suddenly realizing mid-performance that you’ve actually never run the piece top to bottom. That is not a good feeling!

A really great way to practice performing is to prop your phone on your night stand, press record video and go! Don’t stop no matter how many mistakes happen. After watching the video you will be able to hear the trouble spot you may have already forgotten about. Now you can work that spot and record again.

So record yourself, perform for your family and you will soon feel more comfortable come performance time. Also, I wrote a post on how to transform your mistakes during performance, check it out if that’s sounds up your alley.

 

One good habit at a time

If you’re finding yourself guilty of a few bad habits, its alright. Tackle one at a time and above all, try to get guidance from a qualified teacher. Going solo on learning the trumpet can be a real roadblock, as can studying from an unqualified instructor. A student of mine tells me his former teacher told him to puff his cheeks…because that’s what Dizzy Gillespie did. Oh boy.

Although the internet is a great place to learn, it’s also chalkfull of ill advice by players who are also just learning. Stay on the right path and follow the THQ facebook, instagram, or twitter and ask questions there. I’m also on youtube with some videos.

Of course, the absolute best way to learn is with a teacher. However, if traditional weekly trumpet lessons are not possible, check out the online lessons offered here. They’re extremely effective and I’m always one message away for guidance.

I truly hope this helps you and your students.

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“Can you explain what is concert pitch and major pitch please?”

I get this question at least once a week by YouTube and Instagram followers, which I find perfectly understandable. To a beginner trumpet player it can be confusing to hear “play B flat concert” and start the scale on C . Why don’t we start the scale on B flat like the tuba or trombone?

Concert Key

The piano is a good default instrument to explain concert key because almost everyone has access to one whether at home, school or church. To find C on a full piano look for a set of 2 black notes together, C will be the note directly to the left of the left black note. The piano has multiple Cs of course, the one right about in the middle will be middle C.

So, here is the thing to remember, when you play C on a piano, you will hear a C. Your brain is hearing a C, or Do in solfége. You might be thinking, well of course! However, this isn’t the case with all instruments. It works only with concert key instruments, like the tuba and flute for example. When they play a C, you hear a C. Keep that in mind for now. 

Instruments Not in Concert Key are “Transposing Instruments”

The most common trumpet is a B flat trumpet, which means when you play a C you will hear a Bb. Any note played on the trumpet sounds a whole step lower. That’s right! So, this means that if a trumpet player and a pianist want to play B flat concert scale together, the pianist will start on their B flat key, and the trumpet player will start on C, since C sounds a B flat. This is also true for the B flat clarinet and other B flat instruments.

The same rule applies to instruments in other keys, such as the alto saxophone, which is in E flat. When the sax plays a C, you hear an E flat. Any note played on the saxophone sounds 3 half steps higher (or a minor 3rd.) So, if the saxophonist wants to join the trumpet and piano player on a B flat concert scale, his first note will be…G! Because his G will sound a B flat. 

What About When They Say “B flat Major”? What Does That Mean?

The “major” part of the scale name tells us that the scale has a major quality. It means the scale will sound major, or “happy”, as opposed to a minor scale which sounds “sad.” A major scale also starts on the note specified by the scale name. So, a Bb flat major scale will being on B flat, a C major scale will begin on C…etc. The same rules apply when the scale is minor, so if you’re asked to play a C minor scale, your first note will still be C, though the rest of the scale will be different.

A Universal Language

Instruments in a band or orchestra speak different languages, some speak concert pitch, others speak B flat or Eb, so in order to have everyone understand what’s going on we use concert keys. When the director says “Let’s play B flat concert scale”, the trumpet players will know to start on C, the saxes will begin on G and the tubas on B flat. 

What Trumpet Players Should Know About Concert Pitch

As a trumpet player, keep in mind that when you play a B flat trumpet, all your notes sound a whole step lower. When you play an A, you’re hearing a G. When you play an F, you’re hearing an E flat. This is always true for B flat trumpet. Remember that there are trumpets in other keys as well, which means those trumpets will sound different notes. 

All the instruments that are not in concert pitch are called transposing instruments. If you’d like to learn about other types trumpets check out the trumpet page.

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This one is tricky because “expensive” means different things to different people. To a millionaire a $10,000 couch is no biggie, but to a regular person…well let’s just say that couch better grow gold. One thing that you can rely on is that cheap teachers will be a lot less experienced than the more expensive teachers, usually. But how cheap is too cheap? What is normal? Let’s have a look at some price ranges and what you will find behind them. Keep in mind that the prices below are per hour, so if price is a problem, you can always take 30 or 45-minute lessons.

• TIER 1 – $15/hr: These will usually be high school students trying to make some extra change. Depending on your skill level this might suit your needs. Usually, it’s not enough and I highly advise against it, primarily to avoid building bad habits.

• TIER 2 – $20-$25/hr: College freshman and sophomores charge this much depending on their experience. Some really, really good high schoolers might charge this much too. This could be a good starting point for middle schoolers who can’t afford much more but still want to start taking lessons. If you’re really serious I suggest going to tier 3.

• TIER 3 – $30-$45/hr: Here, depending on the area you live in, you will start to find good teachers with experience. For example, $40/hr in Columbia, South Carolina will get you a Master’s student, but in New York City it might get you a college freshman. To be clear, that’s 5-6 years difference of experience. This is a good price range for affordability and a decent teacher.

• TIER 4 – $50-$65/hr: This is your price range for a very good teacher. This is the teacher that will get you places if you are willing to work. Some college professors charge in this range, people with Master’s and Doctoral degrees in music or people with a ton of playing and teaching experience do too. The low end works for small cities and the higher range for slightly bigger places. This is my personal recommendation for a really good teacher that will set you on the right path.

• TIER 5 – $65-$85/hr: Here we are talking nationally known teacher, player or both. These people usually, but not always, either teach in a university or hold a position in a very good symphony orchestra. The top end of this price range will be for bigger cities like Dallas or Chicago.

• TIER 6 – $90/hr and up: This is “famous” status. I once paid $150 for a lesson with Terry Everson (super awesome player in Boston, look him up) and it was a great lesson, but it hurt a little bit to pay that much. So, this level of lesson is what I consider a treat or special occasion. Use it wisely. Unless of course you’ve got it like that, then by all means, splurge and send some donations to THQ!

So there you have it. Remember that some of these can be greatly affected by where you live, experience the teacher has and the demand of teachers. In a very small city or rural town you might find a fantastic teacher for the “tier 3” price. I hope this break down helps you and/or your parents figure out how much is fair, and maybe it will also help you establish how much to charge for your own studio!

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Yep, I’m talking about you. I’m here to once and for all put the problem out there and help you get to the bottom of it. Do you see your private teacher every single week only to leave your lessons thinking “Well, that was embarrassing. For sure I’ll be ready next week.” Is it getting old to come up with new excuses? If this is you, welcome to the club. A lot of your friends do it. College students do it. I did it at some point between 14 and 16…and then some. The thing is, yes it is common, but there is a point where its important to buckle down and fix it. Let’s break it down.

1. Yes, you play trumpet, but you also run track, lead the student council, have a part-time job at your mom’s business and have so much homework you basically mutter algebra in your sleep, not to mention you want a social life.

 

If you fit in this group take out some paper and pencil, or your iPad, and get ready to jot down your activities. What you need to do is simply learn to prioritize your life. After having all your activities written down, take out the ones that you HAVE to do no matter what, such as homework and eating. Now what’s left should be things that you do by choice, either because you think it’s fun or because it’s going to prepare you for your future, such as band, robotics club and the National Honors Society. Next comes time management and filtering what’s most and least important. For example, if you want to be a baseball player when you grow up, then baseball practice with your dad or private coach might be the most important thing to you, so you should dedicate more time to that than other activities. If you want to be a professional trumpet player, you should take time away from playing video games and spend it on trumpet. Your future self will thank you. Now, sometimes your life will be so jam-packed that you might need to quit doing something. THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU’RE A QUITTER. It just means you’re learning how to manage your time. Talk to your parents and see what their thoughts are.

2. You like playing trumpet, but your teacher dreams of you becoming the next Louis Armstrong …and you don’t.

 

Let’s be real here, most pre-college trumpet players do not end up playing trumpet for a living. You do it because marching band, band trips and concerts are super fun. Not to mention all your friends are in band. The thing is, your private trumpet teacher bombards you with new scales, etudes and solos every single week and you can’t seem to be able to say enough is enough. But you need to. Like yesterday. Why? Because good teachers will listen to you and understand your goals. Just be honest! It could go something like this “Miss Aragon, I really like playing the trumpet and I don’t want to quit lessons, but I have other hobbies I want to get better at too. Would it be okay to lessen the amount of practice assignments each week?” Trust me, your teacher will be just fine with it.

3. You want to practice but your PS4 wins that battle every single time.

 

That PS4 could be Netflix or social media. It’s a distraction and we need to find a way to make it go away. This is where I got stuck sometime in high school and even though I still managed to achieve most of my musical goals, I knew there was so much more to be done and I regretted it later on. Let me tell you, all musicians go through this at some point. All you need to do is take it one tiny step at a time.
• First, take your trumpet home every day, even if you think you won’t play it. When you get home pull it out and leave it out in your room somewhere safe where you can see it. This may make you play it even if just for fun.
• Start by setting a timer for 15 minutes and playing your warm-up or whatever other material your teacher assigned you (although a warm-up should always come first.) You might notice that once you start playing you will want to keep playing. You actually do enjoy playing it’s just hard to get started.
• Another way to practice more is to practice with a friend, so invite your friend over and play duets or your band music. Everything is always more fun with a buddy!
• Lastly, don’t allow yourself to play video games or check your phone until you have worked out that problem area in your music or completed all your scales. Do this every day and you will be amazed and what you can accomplish.

4. You just don’t want to take lessons.

 

If lessons bring you absolutely no joy, no inspiration and you find yourself daydreaming that this torture would just end, it may be time to let it go. This reason for not practicing is probably the hardest to deal with because you may not want to disappoint your private teacher, parents or maybe even yourself. However, you really have to talk to your parents and make it clear that you REALLY do not want to take lessons. This way you can take your talents to something you enjoy more, your teacher can open up a slot for a student who truly wants it AND you can still play in the band and have fun. Let me make this very clear: it is ok to be in band for fun. However, do not confuse this with the “lazy phase”. If you do, you will end up quitting lessons and regretting it later. Quit lessons ONLY when you truly rather be eaten by the ground than take another lesson.

I know there are other reasons why some of you don’t practice but hopefully this info will help you. Feel free to leave a comment, share this with your friends and pull out that horn.

Also, check out the THQ page on practice techniques!

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