How to Properly Warm up on a Trumpet
Learning to properly warm up on a trumpet can make the difference between damaged embouchure muscles and the ability to play at length without tire. Breathing deeply, playing long tones and mastering the art of playing low in the register can all contribute to developing much stronger muscles and endurance. Warming up before you play is an absolute must if you are to master the instrument.
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Instructions
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Sit in a comfortable chair. Inhale and exhale normally five times. Then lengthen your breaths, paying attention to the speed at which you are breathing outwards. It is imperative that you breathe slowly at this point. Continue to lengthen the time of inhaling so that you slowly build up a large capacity for air in your diaphragm. Do not start practicing until your have focused on your breathing exercises for at least 10 minutes.
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Warm up by choosing any pitch above C4. Sustain this pitch for at least 10 seconds without breathing. Repeat this long tone exercise with another pitch within a minor third interval. In between playing pitches, take at least 5 seconds to breathe in an out, focusing on very deep breaths. Play at least 15 to 20 pitches with this method.
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3
Play slurring exercises. Pick any valve fingering and proceed to play the first pitch, followed by the two pitches that come below it in the harmonic series. You will be slurring downward first, then back upwards to the original pitch of choice. Reset, begin on the same pitch and this time go upwards, playing the two pitches above your starting note in the harmonic series.
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Play scales. Choose either a Bb or Eb major scale and play it over two octaves at a tempo of about 120 beats per minute. Continue by selecting 3 to 4 harmonic minor scales, particularly ones that require a lot of third valve technique. Play these scales no more than three times each before moving on to another scale of your choice. Trumpet technique relies on the ability to play scales with ease, so put a solid effort into mastering as many as possible.
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