Fundamental trumpet techniques
Lesson time: (1min 43sec)
Kay Charlton teaches tonguing, the technique of starting each note with a soft 'T' to get a clean, crisp sound on the trumpet.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Introduction to the Trumpet: My First Trumpet Lesson
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Trumpet Techniques: Tonguing for Better Sound
Welcome back! Today, I'll be teaching you some essential trumpet techniques to improve your sound.
The Importance of Tonguing
To enhance your sound, it's crucial to use your tongue at the beginning of every note.
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We put a little "T" at the start of each note.
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Can you just copy me? Say:
T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T.
This is the way to start each note, just a little "T" behind your top teeth with your tongue.
When you execute this correctly through the trumpet, it will help you start each note cleanly.
Demonstration
If I play a long note on a G or a C, the lower note, with relaxed lips, can you hear how that starts the note really cleanly? That's what we need for good trumpet technique: using your tongue to initiate every note.
Practice Tips
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Have a go at this technique and keep practicing.
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Make sure your tongue does not go between your teeth. Remember:
"Th. Th."
It's not "th," it's "T."
- Keep your tongue up behind your top teeth.
Tongue Positioning
- If this is your teeth and the roof of your mouth,
- Your tongue should keep the air flowing where your teeth meet the roof of your mouth.
Final Note: Don't overthink it. And don't forget to keep blowing at the same time!
About the instructor
Kay is a trumpet player, composer and teacher of brass and curriculum music, specialising in primary classroom teaching - KS2, First Access/WCET (whole-class ensemble teaching, where a class learns an instrument together) and teacher CPD (continuing professional development). She completed a Masters in Music Education - 'Teaching Musician' at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in 2018. Kay plays trumpet with the Bollywood Brass Band, a 9-piece band of brass and drums whose 2017 CD Carnatic Connection was nominated for a Songlines Magazine 'World Music Award' and given a 5-star review in the London Evening Standard. Kay composes and arranges for the band and leads on their education work, founding the Bollywood Brass Academy in 2017. Kay has presented her research into whole-class teaching at the Music Education Expo and the First Access Forum. She has designed and led CPD for LSO Discovery, Trinity College London, Music Education Solutions and the Bollywood Brass Band, and is an education consultant for Warwick Music. Kay's book of beginner repertoire, 'Are You Ready?', is published by Warwick Music; in 2017 Kay was commissioned by Warwick Music and Music Education Solutions to compose songs for a new KS1 scheme of work for the pBuzz, which was nominated as 'Education Resource of 2018' by the 'Education Awards'. Other publications include pieces for Trinity's Initial (2015/2018) and Grade 1 (2018) piano syllabus, Bollywood Blast! (Spartan Press) - a series of brass and wind tutor books with backing tracks in a Bollywood style - and Whole Class Bollywood Blast with David Rose (Bedford Music Hub), which is aimed at teachers of whole-class instrumental lessons and includes an Arts Award Discover programme. Her MusicGurus courses bring that classroom experience straight to you: from your very first trumpet lesson through two sets of tunes for beginners, Kay sets out exactly what to play and how to play it. www.kaycharlton.co.uk read more