PRELUDIOS

Students, especially those of elementary and intermediate levels, are too worried about the technical aspects of trumpet practice and leave a little to one side the specific study of the raw material of musical art: the sound.

Listening to the sound of the student we can tell if their embouchure is correct or not. In fact this is the main way to determine the effectiveness of the work of the lips. This is why I recommend students and teachers to work on improving sound quality right from the first weeks of starting to study trumpet.

In this method I have compiled some of the exercises we work with in the "Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Valencia", they are vocalisations and warm-ups based on the natural harmonics of the trumpet.

Their study is realised at the beginning of a work session using the minimum possible pressure, maintaining a stable sound and avoiding forcing the high register, playing as high as possible without exerting oneself too much.

The vocalisations are performed slowly with the mouthpiece, playing each of the proposed designs in tune, maintaining the same amplitude, the same volume “mf” and lineal continuity of the sounds.

These exercises are used to centre the embouchure trying to construct the high and low registers from the centre, avoiding as far as possible “tension-distension” lip movement which distort the balance between registers and hindering the musician’s flexibility

The exercises are written in different keys and ordered according to difficulty. Always start with attacks without rhythm (round figuration at the beginning of each exercise) and continue by playing each of the designs adapting the tempo to the technical level of each student.