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

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

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

Hello Carl!  I'm a junior in High School, and I'm doing everything I can to pursue playing the trumpet and jazz.  I've been playing for about 5 yearsnow, and I've just got a couple of questions for you.

When it comes to improvisation, how do you come up with your  melodies?  Do  you feel like you use many memorized licks, or is it mostly  original?

How would you suggest getting a sense for melody,  tension  and release... everything that makes even a relatively "simple" solo something that evokes emotion and excitement?  Would it come from  transcription?  Playing with recordings?  Anything else?

 
What suggestions would you give for making it in the music business in  today's world? 

Thanks so much!  I love your music and ideas.  You play much like how I hope to play one day. 

Thanks for being an inspiration!
Greg Bergevin

Everyone has their own licks they develop.. I use them as stepping stones to something hopefully new and inventive. Hearing melodies is a natural thing. You either have them bopping around in your head or you don't.. If you do you should incorporate them in your solos..

Again.. Hearing meodies is a natural thing. The only mechanics involved is the playing of your instrument. Improvisation and composition to me is a natural thing that really can't be taught but can be developed by listening to players that play the melodic lines that you like. Being fundimentally sound on your instrument and having your fingers flexable enough with all the scales including the cromatic scale to be able to react to your meodic intent. And the main ingredent you must dedicate yourself.. You must play alot. Go to sessions, play with music minus one CDs, put playing situations together. Call people and organize a playing scene. Play in rehearsl bands. Don't wait around for people to call you. Make it happen yourself.

You must have the combination of being schooled and experienced on your instrument and have natural abilities musically..  There are mechanical players and natural players and a few that are both. To be in the business working in a recording studio and doing gigs the mechanical part is more important. To be an improviser and a jazz player which is the artistic side of the business the natural part is more important. One must be carefull. The more natural abilities people have musically the less incentive there is to practice because music comes easier for them so it always comes back to how dedicated you are and how much desire you have.

Hi Carl. I have recently taken the trumpet back up after a gap of 12 years and during this period I only played for 2 years. I have only been playing for 4 months now. My question is why is it easier for me to hit high notes when I first pick up the instrument, I can reach high C relatively comfortable during normal play (and for a few minutes I can even hit super c but only when doing arpeggios) but after 10 minutes of playing I find it difficult to get above G?

Will the duration of which I can hit high notes increase over time and it’s just a case of practicing to build up my endurance? I know the next question is very dependant on many factors but how long would you say it takes a player (I practice at least 90 mins a day in the week and up to 4 hours on the weekends) to build the endurance to consistently hit high notes (high C in this case)?

Thank you for your response

Russell Clarke

To play the trumpet anywhere near how we'd like to, one has to play every day. If you're not a professional you need to find a kicks band that rehearses every week and maybe have a sectional with the trumpets one of the other nights and create situations for yourself to play. Play duets with a trumpet friend. It's ususally best if you create these yourself like making the telephone calls yourself and putting something together instead of waiting for someone to call you.

When you find that rehearsal band to play in, start working your way up from 4th trumpet parts to lead parts and if you want to play high notes and lead maybe you ought to experiment with some different mouthpieces until you find one that helps you achieve what you're looking for.. 12 years is a long span of time to come back from. Be patient, don't excpect too much too soon. Dedicate yourself to it and it will come around.

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 differen't 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 mouthpice. 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

Hello Carl, I hope to see you in Newport. My question is about the best way to build endurance as a trumpeter. Is it just playing as much as possible, or can you suggest specific things which work best?       thanks

A few years ago 1996 (I believe) a friend of yours came to Tulsa,OK to do a concert ..Bobby Shew. I had met Bobby a few times when I worked at Disney (trpt player). Kind of felt we were more than just acquaintances. We talked briefly about you and my teeth problems.

My problem, is in my head. I quit playing in 1996 because of losing so many teeth and it's not really over. All I had ever done was play the Trumpet from age 5 until 1996. I'm 50 now. I have this belief that I will never play again. The partials I have now move and cause pain.

What did you do and how did you over come having teeth problems? I desperately need advice and help. I can drive a bus any longer.

Do you use the same equipment for all of your work (lead, jazz, big band or small group), or do you switch? What instruments and mouthpieces do you use? Thank you.

I use a Bach 10 1/2 C when I play jazz or record small type things. When I play lead with a big band I play smaller and shallower Shilke piece that has no number. It was made specially for a friend of mine who gave it to me. I've been playing a Burbank Benge 3x ML for the last ten or fifteen years, though Fred Powell at United Musical Instruments is in the process of building me a custom Conn Vintage One horn, so I could be switching to that soon... CS

Just got my copy of your new Big Band CD, and it was worth the wait! I am a big fan and a trumpet player myself in the metro Denver area. I am a member of a newly formed big band that is always looking for great charts to perform and was wondering if any of the charts on the CD would be availabe through any outlet whatsoever. I listen in awe to your performances on several recordings that I have, and you make it sound so easy. Thanks for being such a great representative of the King of instruments!

Thank you very much.

The tendency is for your teeth to close or come closer together when you play in the upper register. When your teeth get closer together than the pencil width, you will stifle your air stream. You must strive to keep your jaw position and the space between the teeth constant while you’re playing. It’s not an overnight thing, I still work on it myself. Wish you success... Carl

You play so fast up and down the horn. I'm studying transcriptions of several of your solos. How much false fingering are you using? i.e. 3rd valve for 1&2 fingering?