hi i am 14 and have been playing trumpet for three years, and i was just curious my range is from a low Gb to a high C just above the scale, is this average, of good or what.last year i got 11th chair in district honor band. and am the best in my school band. i am hoping to pursue a career in music but im not sure if i am good enough, does anyone think i am? also in jazz is there anyone who can help me with memorizing the chords, because sometimes my solos are good and sometimes they suck. thanks.

how much do you pratice and what do you pratice? I have been playing for a year and 1/2 and can barly get an E on a good day but that took and ass load of work.Just dont worry, that is a good range and range isn`t everything worry abot things like,"Am I a good sightreader,or do i play with a good full and good sound. The only thing you need those notes for anyways are on 2 octives(sorry cant spell)scales utill you get to high school and thats just if ur in the top band all im sayin is dont sweat it, play for fun

i practice about five times a week for 45 minutes, i usually practice scales and do stuff out of my book, sometimes i just foll around.

For three years worth of playing Ry thats prety good range. If you can hit the high c for longer periods and not just short little squeaks than thats great. If you want to pursue music than just keep up the practice and don`t let anyone hold you back!! I think you have the potential to further your musical ability, it sounds like you have a pretty good start. As for jazz scales I wish I could help but I don`t know about those much being because my school doesn`t have jazz band. As for your range if you want to keep it and improve it I would say long tones; meaning long low pedal tones. Pedal tones are notes that can extend even lower than you low Gb. This is what I have my lesson people do.. start out with 15 mins of long low pedal tones for warm up then about 30-60 mins of work on any pieces you need to work on then comes an important part that alot of players don`t do.. cool down. You do this just like you did warm up... long low tones for 10-15 mins. I guarentee that if you practice this way not only will your tone and endurance improve but so will your range. You should never forget this " before you can play high you have to be able to play low" good luck!! If you would like to contact me anytime my e-mail is kats_meow14@hotmail.com ----Linds

of course a c is good. but not the end all be all. It`s only good if you have all the rest as mentioned above. Since graduating high school and not having anyone to play with I sorta just played whatever I wanted for awhile. I recently picked up and arbans book and jsut for the heck of it started playing the breathing exercises in the front. I had forgotten the correct way to breath! So now I make sure that 1 or 2 days a week are dedicated only to breathing and playing nothing shorter than a half note. During these exercises I never play higher than a G. I have noticed that my range has dropped slightly from a g above high c (a bad g) to a d, but the d is a lot more solid and my tone has gotten A LOT better. I record myself practicing in Apple`s Garageband and there is a definite improvement.

In short, yes a c is good, but make sure you ahve the rest first. Someone who can play good sounding long notes, can play good sounding short ones, But someone who can play good sounding short notes, can`t necessarily play good sounding long notes.

how do you play pedal notes, is there like a certain technique or what. and by the way thanks that really helps

To play pedals you have to have a really relaxed but solid emboucher. Make sure you use both your lips and not just your bottom!!! It takes a lot slower warm air, and at first your lips will probably slip off your mouth piece and the sound will be very hard to come out, don`t let this discourage you though!! I hope this helps!!!! I"m off for now gotta go play my solo with my acomp. person if you have any questions just post and I`ll try to help----linds

These fellas have got the right idea. You`re doing fairly well, just work on long tones and lip slurs for the first 20 minutes or so of every practice. It`ll increase your range, give you a better tone, and warm you up correctly.

Hey Ryan,
Sounds like you`re on the right track. Joining a district band will be good enrichment for your skills. Jazz too. Try small groups, too.
Make sure you have a good teacher. Preferrably grad school plus, if you can find one. This is key, if you plan to be professional at some point.
I`ve found that the key to a strong upper register is practice (duh), but thre correct practice is more important.
Long tones are great, but also don`t concentrate too much on the high end...you tone can end up thin.
Emulate Wynton, not Maynard. FULL sound is professional sound.
I`ve found my tone is more robust when I alternate between lower notes (easy to use proper technique) and higher notes. If you start using bad technique, return to lower notes to reinforce the proper technique.
Warm up your entire range.
Do not learn to play higher notes in rehersal. Conductors just want the sound at the right time, which can pressure you to do unnatural things to get high notes (like pushing too much).
AIR AIR AIR. Keep it moving, and higher notes become much easier.
Jazz - you improve by listening and by playing.

Good luck!