i need help i just got picked on a solo section of a piece i got nervious so i played whole notes the whole time HELP!!!!!!!

im assuming you mean an improvised solo???
well im the same as you, but i've only ever had to do one solo.
you have to know your scales, but mostly, just use bits of the song, and change it to make it your own. if you listen to improvised solos, they quite often sound very familiar to the original song. so at home practice on a piece of music that calls for a solo, and just pick bits of the song out, and make them your own.
- laura

I've been playing for 8 years and the thing that has helped me improvise is listening to the best improviser, in my opinion, Lee Morgan. Lee Morgan's solos are one of a kind. No body can match him. So try listening to professionals and get ideas from their playing then use their "licks" and combine them with your own stuff to make it something easy for you that sounds good.

Dont be nervous man, it's all pretty easy once you get the hang of it. First you should find out the chords to your solo piece, ask your band director if you dont know. Second you should pull out jazz albums from your dad's dusty shelf, or the library, or your collection if you have some. One of the best Improv albums is the legendary "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis. Just keep listening, find your chords (work around those), and be patient. Before you know it you'll be the jazz soloist of your dreams ^^. Be Patient and goodluck!

Don't worry, I was nervous doing my first jazz solo also. The simplest way to start is with a few notes as possible... whole notes are nice, now focus on experimenting with different rhythms. Listen to other jazz players on how they keep time and rhythm. The reason I say this is because playing on time and feeling the rhythm is the most difficult thing to get the hang of when learning to improvise. Timing and rhythm make up for 85% of the skill involved in playing jazz. In other words, the notes don't matter as much as how and when you play them.

A lot of solos just quote other parts of the piece. But be sure not to quote something the band hasn't played yet like the shout chorous. You don't want to give it away. Most(but not all) of the time, the flatted 3rd is your friend. Just be sure to resolve the suspension by not holding it for the whole measure. If you don't know how the little numbers work, whatever number it is, you flat that note of that scale. So if it says C7, the scale would go C,D,E,F,G,A,Bb(instead of B),C. You flat the 7th note. Good luck!

i too also been playing the trumpet for 8 years. jazz is my favorite music. depending on what the key signature is, you would use music from the peice and some of your blue scales. practice this one very fast to get you started of: C, Eb, F, Fb, G, Bb, C, for more scales message me i know my blues scale in every key.