Physical Approach To Elementary Brass Playing: For Trumpet

Every serious trumpet player will recommend this book.BUT here are some things to think about if you're just starting out on the trumpet and someone tells you to buy this.My opinion as a beginner who started 2 weeks back and is mostly self taught:- Buy this book if you have a teacher and make sure you get guidance!- If you're self taught think hard before buying this book because you will need to supplement it with others (see below).What this book has:- Crash course on reading music: If you can't read music at all there are a few pages that will teach you. It is written fairly dryly though.- Great breathing exercises (very very important!)- Drills good habits into the beginner player- resting, long tones, harmonic slurs etc.Now what it does not have:- NOT COMPLETE BY ITSELF. This book references St.Jacome's  Grand Method for Trumpet or Cornet . You will absolutely need to buy that as well. Yes people might say "but every serious trumpet player should already have this! And Arban! And 30 other books!" But for those of us who are just starting out and dipping our toes this is a consideration. Also St. Jacome is not cheap. This really should have been included in the product description.- Also on product description: It is completely borked. Everything here is written in treble clef.- Fun tunes. Picked up the trumpet so you can play tunes to impress your significant other/family/friends? This book doesn't have any- it is as technical as they come (ignore this if you think a series of arpeggios is a fun tune). For books that have a mix of studies and tunes you might want to look at  Rubank Elementary Method - Cornet or Trumpet (Rubank Educational Library)  or "100 Progressive Lessons" by David Hickman.- In-depth treatise on embouchure/tongue arch/ other things that people debate incessantly about. Instructions in this book are really sparse after the introduction. If you've been forcing out high notes or are having problems with your fundamentals this book will not help you very much. Instead take a look at  Brass Playing Is No Harder Than Deep Breathing . Or try to take at least 1 lesson with a teacher.

Many back row cornet players aspire to greater things; some simply do not have the time to improve but for those who can dedicate an hour a day, and have the patience to see their efforts mature, then this is the book to smooth their journey to easier playing and greater satisfaction.

This book is perfect for building a solid foundation for the beginner, or struggling player. Claude's method will help you develop a comfortable range from pedal f, to high C above the staff. This is done in a systematic way, and can be done without a teacher. As long as you listen to what Claude has written, you'll be well on your way. However, I reccomend it to be completed with a teacher unless you have a musical background already. Good luck!

This is Claude Gordon at his best. This is a clear, concise presentation of the fundamentals of proper brass technique. Conssistent use of this book with the guidance of a good teacher will give the beginning player (or one returning to their horn) a solid physiological foundation on which to build.

This is a great beginning book for trumpet playing. It puts you on the right track right away. It picks up speed and takes you through a great process.

useful

good !

In case you don't want to read my story, the review by c.s. is excellent. I suggest you get a different method book to start out on. See my review of  MITCHELL on TRUMPET * Book 1 with DVD . If you like digital media and you are an absolute beginner, I suggest  Trumpet Lessons for Beginners: Teach Yourself How to Play Trumpet (Free Video Available) (Progressive Beginner) . This book will step you through the fundamentals; plus you can play along with a video of the lessons. Then move to "Mitchell on Trumpet".If you want to teach yourself without an instructor, the two resources I have suggested are super. If you are going to get serious about trumpet playing and want good advice plus exercises,  Buzz to Brilliance: A Beginning and Intermediate Guide to Trumpet Playing  is a great book. If you have a teacher, good for you! I am convinced your teacher should be using "Mitchell on Trumpet". So if the teacher does not know about it, have that teacher look at my review for Mitchell's Book or this review.This book is a fair method and at one time I thought it was the best. I am a comeback (high school) player. Although I never had a private teacher, I played some out of Arban's and St. Jacome's trumpet books back in the 1970's and I was not a serious trumpet player. I taught science for about 30 years in both junior high and high school. Occasionally, I would get my trumpet out and play with the band at pep rallies, football games and basketball games. My last year and half teaching, I decided to get serious about the trumpet and I bought this book. I stayed with it for several months and when I was almost finished with it. I had gotten better, but not great. I could out play the kids in high school, but I new I was not as good as I was in high school because I had little control. I started buying a lot of books about trumpet playing. In November of 2014, I found  MITCHELL on TRUMPET * Book 1 with DVD . As of this writing, I just started the second lesson of book two,  Mitchell on Trumpet - Book Two with CD . I am now a better player than I was in High School, except with triple tonguing. My range is not much different low F sharp to high C. Of course for high C to be good, I can play high D and squeak out a few others. But C# and above are just not consistent enough to be part of my range; and sometime, C is not great. Mitchell so far has had me play only up to an A above the staff so far; but he promises a high G by the end of his third book!Where Gordon's book is weak is it does not take the student in small enough steps. He tries to develop the student too quickly. With a private teacher, you could probably use this book with success, but there would need to be more supplements. Gordon's needs more embouchure development in form of good lip slurs. I do plan on coming back to Gordon's method because I think it will be the next step. I have never stuck with his breathing exercises. Gordon's strengths are developing lung power and teaching the tongue arch. He seems to suggest that "k" tonguing be used as the primary way of tonguing and I do not use it all the time; but when I do, especially in going higher, I hit the high note with confidence and I am less likely to split the note and my attack is cleaner.I truly hope this helps.