Hi, I wanted to tell you all about my short but awesome trumpet adventure! First of all I am 16 and a Junior at Lane Tech HS in Chicago, IL. I took music appreciation sophomore year of high school because I had to have a music credit and I started to really like music and get into it. The teacher was really cool and we did a lot of fun projects. So for junior year I took begining band but it was mostly because I needed to fill an elective and all the classes I wanted to take were full. Anyways, I started getting cold feet because I hardly knew anything about music but my friend assured me that in beginning band you started from scratch so I didn`t have to know anything. So first day of school I went to the class. I`m the only junior in the class!!! There are a few sophomores but mostly it was freshman! Anyway, a few days pass and we had to pick instruments. I decided to take the easy way out and pick percussion. But there were a lot of people who wanted to play percussion so we had a lottery and I lost (luckily) so my back-up plan was trumpet. I thought it would be easy because it has only three buttons so I could not get confused. Actually I was told later that it is one of the hardest instruments to play but I had no clue at the time. Anyway, everyone else picked clarinet to play. I don`t know why because clarinets sound like kazoos. Ok so there are 5 percussion people, 20 clarinets, 2 flutes, and 6 trumpets, oh and one baritone because the black kid with the big lips couldn`t play his trumpet. lol So i loved my trumpet dearly. I even named him Disco Stu after a Simpsons character. I took him home everyday once I got him and I practiced and practiced. Pretty soon I was the best in the class. Some people can`t even make a noise come out of their trumpets and it is almost the end of the semester! But I seem to hit the notes perfectly everytime. I practically taught myself how to play because my teacher really really sucks. He thinks that I used to play before this and I keep telling him that I have never played before in my life he still doesn`t believe me because all teh other trumpet plays suck ass! The only advice my band teacher gives to anyone, ever, is to blow lots of air. How is this supposed to help anybody? Anyway, I got really good and I am way ahead of the class right now. There is one problem though... I cannot play without having the letters for the name`s of the notes written underneath the notes!!! ::hides head in shame:: how did everybody else learn the fingerings? I can do it sometimes but it takes forever to process the stuff in my mind! Like which note is where on the staff then making my fingers it all gets very complicated in my little mind! Next year, senior year, I hope to be in Jazz band but if no I want to be in Marching band. I hope i can skip intermediate band. I love music so much. I want to start to listen to some cool ska bands. Does anyone know any good ska CD`s? Well that is all I can think of right now. Any comments e-mail me. Also my AIM is CndnBcnAlyssa
Bye bye!

Well you`re way to exited I see! That`s nice.

I liked the way you chose your
instrument thinking 3 buttons would be easier. lol

Well my advise is that there is way to many things to learn about the trumpet. Have patients, this instrument is hard to learn.

make a big chart write all the notes on the right lines, put numbers next to the notes so you know what valves to press, like for F put number 1 so you know to press the first valve etc...

Try to learn each notes at a time and in a week you will know all the notes without letters plus you will know what to press. that`s how I learned.
Good Luck.
Dave

First of all, I am sad for the young Black kid whom you are laughing to arrogantly at. He is prolly in the wrong school, where he is not reminded that the most capable trumpeters in the world are Black Americans. If he knew that he would forget the size of his lips, and excel.
Secondly I think for a sixteen year old your ego and confidence is very good and will help sustain your education. It is a very long way to the top, young man. To read music quickly practice your fingerings slowly, away from the horn, and play them with the notes in mind. It will also help you if you pick one of your six mates to play duets with. Simple stuff, which will help you focus on the quality of your tone. In trumpet, tone, not speed and bravado, is what reaches the heart. This is what separates great music from rubbish. I hope that helps.

When I first started I had to put letters under the notes, however in a few months I was the best in the band, that is because I practice 2 hours everyday. Most kids in my band dont even take their insturments home everyday!!! How can they refuse something so fun, well practice is not always fun, but I tend do the fun stuff first, then the boring long tones and lips of steel and 421.

i`m sorry for making fun of the black kid with the big lips :-( and i know that the best trumpeters ever were black i look up to them all. By the way i`m a girl! for the guy who called me a boy! lol no hard feelings. I agree that no one even takes their instruments home in the band! i used to take mine home everyday when i first got it but i was getting so much better than all the other kids and the class is so boring now because everyone is so slow! so i only take it home on the weekends now. i am trying to play stuff without the letters under but it is hard for me. I won`t give up though! thank u for ur replies

Practice makes perfect. If you stop getting better, you end up getting worse. You`d be surprised how much better you can get if you practice everyday. Challenge yourself. Maybe there`s something around your community you could do if you play the trumpet well enough. You can even get paid for your playing. Trust me I know.

You say you only take your trumpet on weekends!!!

If you really want to be the best you MUST practice EVERYDAY.

I learned from my mistakes.
play everyday and then you will really sound the best and reach high notes.

ONLY weekends won`t be enough to play on a good level.
Good Luck
Dave

The ska bands with the coolest trumpet riffs (if that`s what you`re looking for) I have found are...

Catch 22-
Lot of cool, fast catchy trumpet tunes.

Reel Big Fish-
Catchy, happy trumpet tunes.

These are the only ska bands i`ve heard that rely very heavily on trumpet riffs (well i`ve heard a few more, but these have the best ones). Most of the notes range from low C to G above the staff, but some go up to a C above the staff.

And like you said, if you`re good at reading notes from letters alone, a good trumpet tab site with lots of ska bands is here if you don`t want to figure out all the notes by ear: http://vandestreek.net/trumpettabs/tabs.shtml?page=1&band=c

Good Luck!

You must, unless your a genius, practice everyday or you will either fall behind or decrease your progress.

I found that playing a chromatic scale starting on C for one octave really helped me get the hang of the fingering. I think that way, it really lodges in your mind. As far as reading music, after awhile it becomes recognision, I think. After a while you can almost scan the notes written down because they are so familiar.

Good luck!

racist little bitch! and you yankees say we southerners are backwards.

Everyone keeps telling me that I need to develop a dark, rich sound. Can you guys tell me how?

hmmm...usually you can fatten or darken your tone by opening your mouth a bit and relaxing the embouchure. Think more of an "ahh" sound rather than "eee." Also thickening of the tone can be achieved by finding the resonant center of each pitch on the horn...that`s kinda like the point where the note just pops out (hard to explain.) One way to test the resonance of a tone on the horn is to play the note and in minute increments, close and open the mouth in an ahhh eee fashion. You`ll notice that at a certain point, the note will "pop" out.

Thanks!!!! I think I`ve got it!

Time for me to close the subject but I doubt you`ll believe what I`m gonna tell you. Well, you asked about Ska music and it just so happens that I used to play Trumpet for the UK`s most famous Ska Band. If you find time, look for `Bad Manners` and have a listen. Hope you like it!