How to Warm Up Before Playing the Trumpet
Posture., Always breathe from the bottom of your chest, not the top., When you breathe, open your mouth wide and quickly take a breath while pretending to say "OH", this is great for getting lots of air in at once. , Always practice as if you are...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Posture.
Make sure you always sit up straight in your chair and place your feet flat on the floor.
This is for breathing; you cannot get a good breath in if you are hunched over because your lungs cannot expand properly. -
Step 2: Always breathe from the bottom of your chest
When you take a breath, focus on trying to push your stomach out as far as you can rather than your chest.
We breathe primarily using our diaphragms rather than the muscles in our chest, and breathing in this manner maximizes the use of our diaphragm muscles. ,, Never halfheartedly practice anything, in order to improve you must ALWAYS practice as if you are playing in front of 1000 people.
This is the only way you will improve, you must internalize diligence.
This includes warming up. , Many professionals believe that this is the best way to internalize a good sound as well as articulation and pitch because the trumpet is essentially a large amplifier for the mouthpiece.
It is much more difficult to make be accurate and have a good sound on the mouthpiece than trumpet, so all the exercises you do to warm up should first be buzzed on the mouthpiece and then transferred to the trumpet. , I like to first start by playing our G in the staff as softly as possible and then crescendo all the way up to as loud as I can possibly play and then back down.
This should be done over about 15 seconds time.
It is VERY IMPORTANT that you do not let your pitch dip when you get louder, this is what the exercise is for.
Only play as loudly as you can play with a good tone, but play as softly as possible regardless.
Do this with multiple different open notes. , GREAT exercise for loosening those stiff lip muscles up (I don't know a single pro that doesn't warm up this way at some point).
Hold G in the staff for a whole note, then slur down to C for a whole note.
Next, go to F sharp in the staff for a whole note, slur to low B for a whole note etc.
Do this down until D and then reverse direction.
Also do this from C in the staff down to G etc.
Slurs should be SLOW at first, but then eventually try to speed them up so that each note is a quarter note and then eventually an eight note to increase flexibility. , These are hard to describe without being able to show you the music but the exercises in them are great for getting your fingers and lips moving together.
I would get all three, especially the Clarke and the Arban.
They are together (well, ok, mostly the Arban) considered the two bibles of the trumpet player! ,, I know at least for me that warming can be really frustrating some days because I just don't sound like I want myself to immediately and can't play as well as I normally can at first.
This gets better, but you have to warm up for it to happen so have a little patience and you'll get there! Hope this article was informative! -
Step 3: not the top.
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Step 4: When you breathe
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Step 5: open your mouth wide and quickly take a breath while pretending to say "OH"
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Step 6: this is great for getting lots of air in at once.
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Step 7: Always practice as if you are performing.
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Step 8: Start with buzzing on the mouthpiece.
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Step 9: Long tones.
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Step 10: Lip slurs.
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Step 11: Clarke studies
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Step 12: Arban and Schlossberg.
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Step 13: Your warm up should last around 15-20 minutes believe it or not
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Step 14: this is considered to be the amount of time it takes to wake your embouchure up and get it ready to play.
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Step 15: Stay with it!
Detailed Guide
Make sure you always sit up straight in your chair and place your feet flat on the floor.
This is for breathing; you cannot get a good breath in if you are hunched over because your lungs cannot expand properly.
When you take a breath, focus on trying to push your stomach out as far as you can rather than your chest.
We breathe primarily using our diaphragms rather than the muscles in our chest, and breathing in this manner maximizes the use of our diaphragm muscles. ,, Never halfheartedly practice anything, in order to improve you must ALWAYS practice as if you are playing in front of 1000 people.
This is the only way you will improve, you must internalize diligence.
This includes warming up. , Many professionals believe that this is the best way to internalize a good sound as well as articulation and pitch because the trumpet is essentially a large amplifier for the mouthpiece.
It is much more difficult to make be accurate and have a good sound on the mouthpiece than trumpet, so all the exercises you do to warm up should first be buzzed on the mouthpiece and then transferred to the trumpet. , I like to first start by playing our G in the staff as softly as possible and then crescendo all the way up to as loud as I can possibly play and then back down.
This should be done over about 15 seconds time.
It is VERY IMPORTANT that you do not let your pitch dip when you get louder, this is what the exercise is for.
Only play as loudly as you can play with a good tone, but play as softly as possible regardless.
Do this with multiple different open notes. , GREAT exercise for loosening those stiff lip muscles up (I don't know a single pro that doesn't warm up this way at some point).
Hold G in the staff for a whole note, then slur down to C for a whole note.
Next, go to F sharp in the staff for a whole note, slur to low B for a whole note etc.
Do this down until D and then reverse direction.
Also do this from C in the staff down to G etc.
Slurs should be SLOW at first, but then eventually try to speed them up so that each note is a quarter note and then eventually an eight note to increase flexibility. , These are hard to describe without being able to show you the music but the exercises in them are great for getting your fingers and lips moving together.
I would get all three, especially the Clarke and the Arban.
They are together (well, ok, mostly the Arban) considered the two bibles of the trumpet player! ,, I know at least for me that warming can be really frustrating some days because I just don't sound like I want myself to immediately and can't play as well as I normally can at first.
This gets better, but you have to warm up for it to happen so have a little patience and you'll get there! Hope this article was informative!
About the Author
Jason Reyes
Specializes in breaking down complex hobbies topics into simple steps.
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