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Lesson time: (9min 7sec)
Gerard Presencer introduces his internal approach to the trumpet, focusing on what happens inside the mouth to build endurance and flexibility across the whole range.
This lesson is part of the course Internal Approach to Playing the Trumpet
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
To develop a supportive technical approach to playing the trumpet, there are several strategies we can explore. Over the course of the 10 lessons that we're going to have, I will ask you to try a few physical things that focus on the preparation of playing the trumpet rather than the actual playing itself. This will help us create consistency, so that when you go for a high note, you don't have to change how you play externally compared to how you would for a low note.
A key concept I like to work on with students is the idea of robot arms.
We will also discuss the 1, 2, 3 placement:
Make sure you do not put your finger down for the note until you are playing it. For example, if I'm going to play a bottom A flat, I would do it as follows, and then off. I will also practice this with a top C.
Another exercise relates to looking at your bell:
We will cover how to crescendo when descending an arpeggio:
Throughout these lessons, we will focus on the internal approach to trumpet playing, discussing:
An important feature of our lessons will be understanding that:
Finally, developing trumpet approach and technique should not be seen as simply "pumping iron".
By following this process of development, you will become a more efficient, relaxed version of yourself as a trumpet player. Embrace this journey and enjoy the learning!
Over the past 25 years Gerard Presencer has carved out a formidable reputation as one of the most respected trumpeters on the European scene. He exploded onto the international scene aged 18, when US3 asked him to play the solo part on Blue Note's Cantaloupe Island (re-imagined as Cantaloop Flip-Fantasia), which became one of the biggest selling jazz records of the 1990s. Since then he has performed with a who's who of international jazz artists, and continues to push himself and his instrument, moving outside his comfort zone in order to develop as a player and writer. In other genres, Gerard has recorded as a session musician with artists such as Sting, Jamiroquai, Zero 7, James Brown, Ray Charles, Joni Mitchell and Jonny Greenwood. Gerard has also been an essential member of Charlie Watts' various jazz groups over the last 25 years, touring the world and releasing several albums with the jazz-loving Stone. As an educator, Gerard was Head of Jazz Studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1999 to 2010, and is currently Head of the Brass Department at the Jazz Institut in Berlin. In this course he shares his internal approach to playing the trumpet - the mental and physical habits behind a great sound - so you can develop tone, control and musicianship from the inside out. read more
