Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • December 2012
27
Trumpet Fundamentals:
A Comprehensive Guide to Start ing Them Right and
Keeping Them Right
The challenge of teaching
beginners and developing students
is that our bodies have instincts that
are counterintuitive for efficient
performance practice. Playing
the trumpet should be as easy
as forming an embouchure and
blowing air. However, with many
students there are roadblocks that
prolong a student from becoming
successful.
The difficulties students face in
their playing are caused by stressors.
Stressors are situations that are
experienced as a perceived threat
to one’s well-being or position in
life, when the challenge of dealing
with which, exceeds the person’s
perceived available resources.When
one encounters stressors, the body’s
stress response is triggered, and
a series of physiological changes
takes place to allow the person to
fight or run. In etymology, the word
stress is from
estrecier
, to tighten.
Common trumpet stressors
include: range, dynamics,
endurance, articulation, technique,
rehearsals, and auditions. Basically,
we stress our bodies by trying
to play higher, faster, louder,
and longer. Teaching students
to overcome these stressors is a
challenge because every student is
unique. Each student will respond
differently to different stressors.
His/her body will respond
differently at different times. The
body WILL become
complacent.
One major
argument among
students
and
teachers is the topic
of whether or not
certain exercises are
the same as playing
the trumpet. Most
of the exercises are
similar, but not
exactly the same,
to actually playing
the
instrument.
They are designed to help your
body trigger the correct, healthy
response to the stressor. They
create muscle confusion. They
make you stronger. You don’t see
football players arguing about
the benefits of lifting weights or
doing exercises off the field. Many
popular workout systems discuss
muscle confusion as the key to
continuing improvement.
When working with students,
I break down the physical side of
trumpet playing into:
• The correct usage of air
• The center of pitch
• The suppleness of lips
Concerning the correct usage
of air, we are trying to counteract
the body’s natural response to
exerting force, the
grunt. You hear a
lot of grunts in the
weight room. That
red face might not
get in the way of
your bench press,
but it will definitely
stop a student from
playing a high C!
Known as the
valsalva reflex, this
is triggered every
time we try to give
our air that extra
push. The key to good air is a very
fine line between releasing the air
and blowing the air. The closer we
can come to releasing the air rather
than blowing the air, the more
efficiently we can play. The yawn is
the ideal breath. The inhalation is
easy, deep and without restriction.
The release is just as perfect. Most
of us do an excellent job of teaching
a great inhalation. However, it’s the
exhalation that gets the student in
the most trouble.
The problem with the trumpet is
the back pressure. The body tends
to match the air to the resistance
of the embouchure and of the
Wi l l Strieder
As teachers,
our job is
to solve problems
and f ind ways to
help the student
overcome their
l imi tat ions.
Choosing the right
trigger for the
student can make
al l the di fference
in the world.