Preparatory Exercise – i.e. mouthpiece buzzing, leadpipe buzzing, flapping the lips to promote bloodflow, etc. 1-3 minutes Airflow/Long Tone Exercise – Focus on consistency and purity of tone, connecting the notes, hitting the center of the pitch right away. Use a tuner. Examples: Cichowicz airflow studies, standard long tones, Schlossberg #6, Arban initial exercises, Vizzuti long tone exercises 2-15 minutes Technical Studies/Scales – Focus on moving the fingers

An effective warmup is one of the most important parts of a trumpet or brass instrument practice routine. There are a few simple principles to keep in mind as you consider how to warm up. 1) Consistency - Your warmup routine should not vary tremendously from day to day. That means it should be short (5-10 minutes) so that you can complete it even under less-than-ideal circumstances. I have used the same basic warmup routine for 10+ years. Once I begin, my body automaticall

As a music teacher, a very common question I get asked is, "How do you make a sound on the trumpet?" A lot of people think that you literally buzz your lips in the mouthpiece or hum into the instrument or squeeze the lips together to make a high-pitched squealing sound. None of these is exactly right. In actuality, the air travels over your lips causing the lips to vibrate, which causes a sound wave to form inside the tubing of the instrument. When you first get your brass