How to Warm Down on Trumpet

Warming down on trumpet after a practice session is a technique often overlooked by trumpet players, even very good ones. While warming up, to some extent, is done by nearly every trumpet player and is vital to being able to play with range and longevity on the trumpet, warming down is often overlooked. Taking care of your embrasure, or all the muscles in your face used to play the trumpet, is a key to becoming a great player, and warming down is just as important to your embrasure as warming up.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Trumpet
• Trumpet Mouthpiece
• Soft Brass-Cleaning Cloth

1. Warm up to start any practice session. There are resources all over the internet on how to do good trumpet warm ups, and any good practice session should included running all the scales you know, and working on the material that is giving you the most trouble. Many trumpet players make the mistake of not improving over long periods of time by only practicing what they know. It is in practicing what you don't know that you can improve the most as a player.

2. Understand the importance of doing a good warm down at the end of a practice session? Why is it called "warm down," do you ask? Why not "cool down"? This is just what trumpet players call it, as in the opposite of warm up. The functions of warming down at the end of your practice session are to relax your body and mind, as a good workout on your trumpet can leave you feeling a little edgy. Doing a thorough trumpet warm down drill also allows your embrasure, or the muscles in your face used for playing your instrument, to return to its normal state.

3. Start your trumpet warm down with the highest note you can easily play--note the easily here--as at this point in your trumpet practice session you are trying not to exert yourself too much. Hold that note for a long tone, and then play the chromatic scale slowly and carefully, all the way down to the lowest note you can play. Repeat this a few times.

4. Starting again on the highest note you can easily play, run your scales in each key from <i>highest to lowest</i>. Doing warm ups and scale drills, many trumpet players run their scales either only on the way up, or all the way up and then down again. But, neglecting to play your trumpet scales starting at the highest possible note and working your way downward will leave holes in your playing that will affect your ability to improvise or play tough passages with ease.

5. Finish your warm down drill by playing some long tones on the lower notes, low "C" and below, and hold them as long as you possibly can. Try to keep your tone steady and constant, while playing the long tone in tune. Challenge yourself to see how long you can hold these long tones at the end of your trumpet practice session, and keep your embrasure as relaxed as possible while doing this. Trumpet warm down drills are designed to end a practice session by relaxing down as much as possible, so don't push yourself too much. When you feel like the tension is gone from the muscles in your face, you have completed your warm down.

6. Finish your practice session by wiping down your instrument with a soft cloth. Remove the mouthpiece and the main tuning slide and check if there are bits of anything in your lead pipe that need to be cleaned out. If so, use a soft "snake" brush; these can be bought at musical instrument stores wherever trumpets are sold. Doing a good warm down will help build longevity and power in your playing, and is an essential part of a good practice session.

Tips & Warnings

• Always incorporate as much of what you "don't know" as possible into your trumpet practice session. Playing what you don't know will always help you more than playing what you do.
• If one of the slides or valves on your trumpet is stuck, never force it open, or use any tools such as pliers. You must be gentle with your trumpet to ensure it will give you many years of good use.