Category : Q&A

Hitting the wall . . .

Carl, I am a comeback player and have been very fortunate to have some wonderful teachers. While I have managed to improve my playing considerably in many areas I have not been able to increase my “own it” range above high D, Eb. I can play up to that range with good endurance for hours but when I try to go above it most times I hit a wall and air escapes out the side of the mouthpiece. Why do so many players seem to have this problem and what are your suggestions to get beyond this?

Thanks,
Ken

Ken……….. Without seeing you in person and only going on what information you gave me here, I will give you two scenarios

1. There are many very good trumpet players who would love to be able to play with good endurance for hours up to D and Eb. That is a good range to be able to play solidly. There are four players in the section, the lead player, the second and split lead player, the third player (who should be a good section player and able to play occasional not too demanding lead parts), and the fourth player (who should have a bigger set up and able  to build a foundation of good intonation that makes it easier for the higher players). It’s a team effort and everyone has a role. Everyone wants to play high notes but everyone is not physically equipped to play high notes. The old Zen axiom “find yourself” is in play here. Place yourself where things are natural for you and where you’re comfortable. Immerse yourself in the pleasure of playing beautiful music, in tune and blending. The more you do that the better you’ll become as a trumpet player.

2. If you are an in-demand working (professional) lead player or desire to be, then the E, F and G would be needed. Again, from what information you gave me, always keep the first scenario in mind and in play but try some different mouthpieces as you do. I would suggest a little shallower cup and or a shallower cup with a little bigger hole, or try your same size piece with a little bigger hole. Hopefully you can get the air to go through the horn instead of escaping out the side of your mouthpiece. Remember always use the least amount of air to get the job done to its fullest and never let the band leader ask for less.. Good skill and some luck..  Carl

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High, loud, long . . .

Hi Carl!

I assume you’re familiar with the exercise where you place a pencil between your lips and hold it slightly elevated for a few minutes twice a day. This is supposed to help with compression, etc.  It’s been said that strong lead players can hold the pencil elevated for 4 minutes, those who can just play high C can hold it up for 1 1/2 minutes, and weak players not at all.  So I’ve been working up to 2 minutes over a period of weeks and plan to continue the exercise.  But as I do this I wonder… the pencil exercise may be a measure of a lead player’s strength, but does it necessarily follow that if one works up to 4 minutes he will be able to play high, loud and long?  Do you think the exercise is beneficial or just a novel way to measure what has taken years to develop by traditional methods?

Ken Rodd
Perry, Ohio

Ken.

“High, loud, and long.”

People are all built differently. Some have thick muscles in their lips and some thin. Some embouchures are built to sustain abuse and some aren’t. For some macho reason a very high percentage of students of the trumpet (which we all are) are wrapped up in trying to play ” high, loud and long”, and using different methods to achieve those goals. The pencil exercise is one of them.

My view is that exercise and practice are good, but the goal should be to find your natural strengths and abilities and comfortable limits. Once you have found them, you can use the pencil exercise and other practice methods to improve your individual strengths and abilities.

On a football team each player is assigned to a position because of their individual strengths and abilities. The left tackle can’t play quarterback very well and the quarterback can’t play left tackle very well. It’s a team effort and everyone has their roles to play. It’s the same in the trumpet section. The goal of the trumpet section is to make it as easy as possible for the lead player.

The 4th trumpet player should have a big sound providing good intonation, matching dynamics and very in-tune octaves. The 3rd  trumpet player should help balance the blend from the 3rd and 4th parts to the 2nd and lead. The 2nd trumpet player is the blocking back for the lead player. This is the hardest chair in the section because he is supporting the lead player up in his register and then has to split some of the lead to relieve the lead player. But the lead parts he gets are usually the worst charts and the least fun to play. 🙂

The 1st trumpet player should keep the overall dynamics of the section at a comfortable and musical level, establish good time by keeping the upbeats alive, and with the help of the bass player, strive to keep the tempo where it started and resist any dragging in the band. After the sensitive and musical things are attended to, then if high and loud is called for or needed, it can be achieved with less effort.

To me “high, loud and long” are unmusical terms and even though they are used occasionally in music they shouldn’t be strived for as goals. For me the heros of a trumpet section are the 4th trumpet players who comes to the gig not thinking of all the high notes he’ll be playing but how much he gives of himself with beautiful intonation and doing his part to support the richness of the music. He has used the pencil exercise to help achieve a wonderful sound in the middle and low register and puts his heart into that 4th part.

Again my point is that everyone is not cut out to play loud high notes and we should all be thankful for that. The left tackle never carries the ball but still loves and enjoys playing the game. We as trumpet players should use these different methods of practice to find ourselves and make us stronger in those areas not just to be able to play “high, loud and long”. There are many roles to be played and your odds of success will be a lot “higher” if you can find what area of trumpet playing you are naturally cut out for then do it. You can then be yourself and at the same time garner respect by doing what you do best. CS

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Learning to improvise . . .

Dear Carl,

At the age of 46 Im always trying to be a better solist or improvisation player. I have been playing since 4th grade and now have been teaching for 25 yrs. In upstate NY it’s difficult to find steady or consistent jobs, thank god for the teaching gig. What advice do you have to learning this art of improvisation?

I need a rhythm section to practice this art and have used Jamie Abersold tapes years ago. Any suggestions, tips, lip exercises, or books that you have used to make me a better jazz player? I need some professional help. I do play jazz duet w/ piano for cocktail hour parties.

Thanks for any tips or ideas you can share or that you have found useful. Keep up the great work, you are an inspiration to all trumpet players across the world.

God Bless,
Jim Traglia

Jim.. Thank you for your kind words.. As far as “learning this art of improvisation”, to really break the barrier and kick yourself up a notch and become a noticeably improved and better improviser, you have to dedicate yourself to playing a lot .. Get people together and play. It’s hard if you’re in a town that doesn’t have a lot of music going on like jazz clubs and rehearsal bands.

Abersold is cool to stay in touch with it but you must create situations for yourself to play on a steady basis. It won’t happen with theory alone. You must apply it .

There is some theory that I can suggest and that is make up chromatic patterns and get them down so you can play them fast and clean. Just different patterns of chromatic scales. That will make your fingers flexible. Another is practice blowing on a never ending cycle of minor 7s resolving up a 4th and then making that the new minor 7th and etc. example.. Cmi7 to F7 Fmi7 to Bb7 Bbmi7 to Eb7 Ebmi7 to Ab7 and so on.

Write tunes and get your mind into thinking about music and melodies. Improvising is writing on the fly. Improvisors are writers and should also write with a paper and pencil too. And of course just the physicality of playing the trumpet is a full time job just to keep your chops up. It doesn’t come easy or quickly it takes time which means you must be patient so good luck and hopefully some skill too.

Use the least amount of air to get the job done to its fullest and stay on top of the beat but don’t rush… CS

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Benge . . .

Carl,

I had seen somewhere that you play a Benge. Is that true?

The reason I asked is that my first trumpet teacher and friend for about 40 years gave me his early LA Benge 3X last year. It was a horn that I had often lusted over when I took when I took lessons from him in high school and college. However, times had changed and I had been playing a Yamaha 8335RGS and a Kanstul 1503 and set the Benge aside. However, a few weeks ago I pulled it out of the closet and started playing it. I found that it suited me far better then any of the other horns and it is pretty much the only horn I play now days. There was a reason that Sam always loved that horn. The valves are as slick as glass and the response is so quick. So, if it is true you play a Benge it is easy to see why.

Thanks!

Mike Ackerman
Atlanta, GA

Mike.. Yes it’s true. I have been playing a ML 3X for quite a while now. I can play lead and jazz with it. A couple of different companies have tried to build me a horn but couldn’t seem to match let alone improve on what I have. I bought it used in 1968 from Eldon Benge. It’s the rare benge with the short valve stroke. I’m still open to playing a new horn . Maybe some day my dream horn will show up but until then I’m playing my old Benge.. regards CS

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Circular breathing . . .

You do not have to post this on your website if you do not wish, but I would like to know…

First of all, I am so impressed with the trumpeterers who are not limited in their ability, such as Bobby Shew, Chuck Findlay, and yourself who are both marvelous lead and jazz players. There are few and far between like yourselves.

I have owned your Live at Charlie O’s for a while and I am so impressed with your “Another You” solo. I know you have incredible breath control, and I truly believe you could play such a solo without the need of circular breathing and I’m sure you have been asked a million times, not only about this solo but others as well. Masters such as Rafael Mendez and Arturo Sandoval talk about developing breath control, and I’ve seen you play solos with Supersax, do you circular breathe in order to play such beautiful amazing solos with seemingly unstoppable lines and runs?

Thanks,

Elijah Kavila
Olathe, Kansas

Elijah.. You’re right I have been asked that question for years. The answer is No, I don’t circular breathe. I breathe like a Republican and play like a Democrat. By that I mean I conserve my air and play a liberal amount of notes. My trumpet axiom is “use the least amount of air to get the job done to the fullest”.

This approach pays off in many ways. It provides a reserve of power to draw on if needed, it improves your flexibility and most importantly, it leads you down the road to what I call effortlessness. In my view there should not be any force in your playing. What you should strive for is getting the most out of your playing with the least amount of effort and getting to a point where your attention is not on the mechanics of playing the instrument but of playing beautiful music.

And of course swinging should be a top priority in jazz. The mental concept to achieve swinging is “Stay on top of the beat but don’t rush” CS

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