How to Play the Trumpet

It can be used in a variety of music genres such as in brass bands, jazz, soul, and soft music. If you want to know to play trumpet notes, you need to understand the main aspects that are the way air flows through the instrument and the buzzing of your lips.

Since you are just about to start learning to play the trumpet, you need not go in for an expensive one. Visit nearby musical instrument shops, and ask the attendant to show a student model which is good for learning. It is also a very good option to rent a quality trumpet from the musical instrument shop.

You can learn to play on the rented instrument and when you are well-acquainted with the playing techniques, you can upgrade to a step-up trumpet. You would never want to buy an expensive trumpet at the first place and after a while lose interest to learn.

The mouthpiece is the part that comes in direct contact with the player's mouth. There are different sizes of mouthpieces, which have their individual pitch output features.

Tuning slides are other important trumpet parts, which allow the player to lower or raise the pitch of the tone produced. The valve buttons are located right on top of the instrument, and enable the player to change notes.

The finger rings allow the player to keep his fingers in proper playing position. One is located in front of the valves and the other, right below the first one. These are just a few basic parts of a trumpet.

Remember that how much air you blow is not important. The main thing that matters is at what force you blow the air into the lead pipe from the mouthpiece.

You need to be able to buzz with your lips, without using the trumpet. Now, use the mouthpiece and try to make a buzzing sound like you made before. For producing higher notations, you would require to tighten the lips. On the other hand, for producing lower sounds, you need to let your lips loose a bit.

Keep practicing with blowing the air in and using your lips to create sounds. If you want to produce a vibrato, you can use your tongue to block the flow of air into the instrument. Use the valve buttons and learn what combinations produce which effects.

While playing, make sure that you inhale and exhale air properly. Remember that air flow has a lot to do with the desired sound. You certainly can learn to play the trumpet on your own, but it is always better to learn from a good trumpet teacher.

Listening to professional musicians and watching them play is a very good method for further enhancing your trumpet-playing skills. However, before learning to play the trumpet, make sure that you do not have breathing problems.