Buzz to brilliance : a beginning and intermediate guide to trumpet playing

306 Pages·2012·6.88 MB·English

by  Winters

Buzz to Brilliance
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Buzz to Brilliance

A Beginning and Intermediate
Guide to Trumpet Playing
Adrian D. Griffi n
with Elise Winters-Huete
1

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Griffi n, Adrian D., 1975–
Buzz to brilliance : a beginning and intermediate guide to trumpet playing /
by Adrian D. Griffi n, with Elise Winters.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-19-539597-6; 978-0-19-539598-3 (pbk.)
1. Trumpet — Instruction and study. I. Winters, Elise. II. Title.
MT440.G75 2012
788.9’2193 — dc22 2009042481
ISBN 978-0-19-539597-6; 978-0-19-539598-3 (pbk.)
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
Prescription Drug Precaution:
Th e information in the book does not replace a doctor’s guidance and the drug information that accompanies medication.
Performers for whom performance anxiety is a signifi cant hindrance to their playing should consult a psychiatrist about
whether their anxiety is problematic and merits a prescription for an anxiety-reducing medication. Meditation, relaxation
exercises, and cognitive behavioral therapy off er the best fi rst-line approach to dealing with performance anxiety.
A graduate of the Cincinnati-Conservatory
of Music, Adrian D. Griffi n has toured the
United States and Mexico as a trumpet
soloist, clinician, and performer.
A fi nalist for the International Trumpet
Guild Solo Competition at the age of 23,
Adrian has performed with the Louisville
Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony, Lexington
Philharmonic, Moscow Radio Symphony,
Conspirare, Victoria Bach Festival, Austin
Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera, and the
Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
A drian has held positions including the
co-principal trumpet with the Orquesta
Sinfónica de Monterrey, Ballet de Monterrey,
and Opera Metropolitana de Monterrey;
fourth trumpet with the Virginia Symphony
Orchestra; and trumpet professor at the Uni-
versity of Texas at San Antonio. He is cur-
rently principal trumpet with the Filarmónica
de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico.
A signed artist and clinician for Conn/
Selmer and Bach Trumpets, Adrian is the
fi rst person in North America to be a Denis
Wick featured artist. He has presented master classes and clinics throughout Mexico and North America,
including the prestigious Texas Bandmasters Convention.
A drian has published numerous articles in I nstrumentalist Magazine. Adrian completed B uzz to Bril-
liance aft er nearly a decade of research and writing. For more information, visit www.adriangriffi n.com.
A member of the Austin Symphony Orchestra for twelve years, Elise Winters began studying violin at the
age of four and was a fi nalist in the National Symphony Young Artists Competition at the age of sixteen.
She performs with the Austin Chamber Music Center, Chamber Soloists of Austin, Salon Concerts,
Conspirare, and the Austin Lyric Opera. A graduate summa cum laude of Rice University and the Univer-
sity of Texas, she is currently authoring a violin method book which synthesizes the best elements of
Suzuki, Kodály, and folk traditions.
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Preface for Students
vii
Welcome to B uzz to Brilliance, and congratulations on choosing to play
the trumpet! An amazing musical voyage lies ahead of you. Your only
limitations are your imagination and your discipline— y our willingness to work
at uncovering the music that’s waiting to come out of your trumpet!
Each chapter in this book is chosen specifi cally for you, to give you every-
thing you need during your fi rst several years of playing the trumpet. Beyond the
basics you need to start playing, you will fi nd topics such as trumpet history,
cleaning your trumpet, dealing with frustration, auditioning, and much, much
more.
Y ou will notice that some topics (for example, instrument care and prac-
ticing) are covered very thoroughly in the book, while other chapters are much
more concise. In choosing the information to include in the book, my intention
has been to avoid “paralysis through analysis,” in which thinking too much
about the skill actually interferes with your body’s natural abilities. Buzz to
Brilliance is designed to complement your musical journey in every way; to give
you the information that will make a real diff erence for you — technically, musi-
cally, and professionally.
Th e exercises in the last section of B uzz to Brilliance span several levels of
development, from beginner to advanced player. To help you more easily fi nd
material suited to your needs, the exercises are labeled as follows:
Cornerstone Th ese are the main building blocks to
trumpet playing, designed to be practiced
regularly over many years of study.
Beginner Intended for students in their fi rst year
of study.
Intermediate Perfect for the player who knows the
basics and is beginning to move toward
mastery.
Advanced Designed for the player who has mastered
the fundamentals of trumpet playing,
who is extending their technique and
deepening their musicality.
Preface for Students
Th e various “Cornerstone” exercises are additionally marked “Beginner,”
“Intermediate,” or “Advanced,” indicating the level you should have attained
when you fi rst begin working on them.
Although B uzz to Brilliance is designed to be read from front to back, you
viii
may be someone who prefers to jump directly to sections you fi nd most useful.
If you do skip around, be sure to read chapters 7 and 8 before reading anything
later in the book. Th ese chapters discuss practice strategies that will keep your
chops in shape! Following those suggestions will make later chapters more
eff ective.
I t was my pleasure to write this book for you, and I am honored to share
your trumpet journey with you!
Preface for Teachers
ix
This book is intended to be used as a resource for beginning to intermediate
trumpet players of any age who want to improve their technique and learn
more about the trumpet. It should be used in conjunction with method books
such as Arban, Schlossberg, and the student’s classroom text. Band teachers
may recommend this book to their students to help them develop their tech-
nique and musicality and prepare for advanced study.
Th is book refl ects my desire to pass the best of my teachers’ legacies to the
next generation. Th e ideas presented here synthesize some of the best informa-
tion and teaching available, organized and explained for a younger audience.
By introducing and reinforcing crucial information outside of class time,
this book off ers band directors and private teachers an opportunity to spend
more of their time simply sharing music with their students — the most reward-
ing part of teaching!