Exposing Trumpet Myths http://trumpet.dana.edu/misc/myths.

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Exposing Trumpet Myths

I. The Myth Of The "Big Name" Teachers

Many trumpet students study from teachers who tell them that they have the answer to their playing woes.
However, after many lessons and a lot of hard work in the practice room the student isn't really sure if he or
she has really improved or not. This is not a very reassuring feeling. If you have just spent six months or even
six years studying and practicing hard, you deserve to see real improvement that is obvious. Anything else is
simply unacceptable! I see trumpet students attending large music schools, paying a lot of money to study
with big name players (notice I did NOT say big name teachers!) and never really improving as players
themselves! These big name players that seem to accumulate in the "academic" world are usually very
experienced players and very knowledgeable about the repertoire, or performance practices of many pieces of
music. Unfortunately, they rarely come close to the job description that they were hired for.... "Trumpet
Teacher." They are often hired because of their big name and the possible ability to recruit future students. If I
were looking for a school to attend, I would certainly shop around, but not for the school with the biggest
names as teachers. I would shop around for the school with the biggest names as students! And not a long
time ago, but within the recent past. Who is producing talented students now? Find out if the trumpet students
that you admire have been created by, or if they have been recruited by their teacher. Players that have been
given a scholarship because of a pre-existing talent have not been created by this big name. Did the good
students arrive playing well or were they taught how to play well after they arrived? If they showed up
playing well, find out where they came from! As a trumpet student, you are paying a school or teacher to
educate you. In the case of studying the trumpet, your trumpet teacher is being paid to show you how to
improve your playing. If you are a motivated, hard working, intelligent student, and still do not improve to
your satisfaction.... Maybe you should consider that it may not be your fault. Maybe you should find a teacher
who has the answers that will help your particular problems. Never assume that just because your teacher is a
great player that studying with him will automatically make you a great player as well.

Ii. The Myth About Range

One of the greatest "myths" is the myth about range. "Well, Maynard can just do it," "Jon Faddis is "gifted,"
"Cat Anderson is a "natural," etc. Some trumpet players with a so called "natural gift" for playing in the upper
register are sometimes revered as "special," "gifted," etc. The fact is that most of the really great high note
players had developed this amazing physical ability at an early age. They did not work hard for years and
years to develop this ability! They came by it "naturally." That isn't to say that over the years they haven't
developed and improved their talent, but only that they were never forced to put in the years and years of
practice that has been so incredibly stifling to so many in the trumpet playing world. They just put the
mouthpiece up to their lips and blew.... and it worked. Certain mechanical skills such as range either work or
they don't. Certain physical attributes are necessary in order for these extremely high frequencies to be
produced. They can be developed and improved through practice, but for most trumpet players you either
have chops or you do not have chops. Think of how few really great high note players you know that
developed this ability only after years and years of practice. Very few! There are reasons why these "natural"
or "gifted" players can "just do it." There are many physical, mechanical, and conceptual reasons why these
great players can perform as they do. These reasons can be explained and applied! They are not mysteries.
The only mystery is why more trumpet teachers do not consider these reasons. Understanding how the
trumpet works is crucial! Understanding both the physical and mechanical aspects involved is the key to
teaching range on the trumpet. Finding a trumpet teacher who understands these aspects is all too rare. About

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as rare as you find trumpet players who have a great upper register (imagine that!). If average methods
produced great physical players, the upper register on a trumpet would not elude as many players as it does.
Everyone would have a playable double high C. After all of this mumbo-jumbo, I don't intend to scare you
into thinking that in fact developing a strong upper register is impossible to do. I only intend to illustrate that
your average (or accepted) trumpet method produces average results, or in this case average range. Average
range is high C to high E-ish. To develop an extraordinary upper register, sometimes you have to use
extraordinary methods. Remember: Average methods produce average results and average trumpet players.
Average trumpet players sell shoes for a living and do not play the trumpet well. This may seem harsh, but I
do not intend to sugar coat what I see going on in the trumpet teaching community.

Iii. Equipment Myths - The Mouthpiece

"So, if you buy one of those ....you don't have to practice?" Bernard Adelstein on Monette mouthpieces 1992.
Mouthpiece myths are some of the most deep seated and unfounded in the trumpet playing world. Orchestral
players and teachers revel in the "fact"that a big mouthpiece (usually a Bach 1C or equivalent) is the only
mouthpiece to play if you want to produce a "big," "orchestral" sound. Shallow mouthpieces "give you more
upper register." "Heavy wall" mouthpieces do everything from "eliminating unwanted vibration," "cooling the
mouthpiece," "increasing projection," giving you an "easier upper register," to "centering your sound." One
interesting thing to point out is that if these new "heavy" mouthpieces did anything at all, the manufacturers
would know what the added weight does, and they would all say it did the same thing. With all of the hoopla
going around about these new designs, nobody can really say what they do for sure (if they do anything at all).
In my opinion it sounds suspiciously like the old story about the Emperor and His New Clothes. Everybody
has his own unique physical makeup. A Bach 1C mouthpiece will not fit everyone' chops the same way. The
size of the mouthpiece is like your shoe size. It does not matter what size you use as long as it fits you
properly. In this case, the mouthpiece's inner diameter needs to fit your chops or embouchure size. It needs to
fit on your embouchure so that there is no constriction or bunching. Some people have thin lips and fit into a
small diameter cup very well. For others with bigger lips or embouchures, the Bach 1C will fit just fine. A
Bach 7C (which has a fairly narrow diameter) would produce roughly the same results on a player with
thinner lips that a Bach 1C would on a player with heavier lips. The depth of the cup should also be chosen
because of fit and comfort. If you are hitting bottom, the cup is too shallow for you. These shallow cups will
not help you if you are hitting bottom. Likewise, a cup that you feel like you are falling into is also a liability.
Pick the mouthpiece size that best fits your physical make-up. After you have found your size (rim diameter
and depth), comfort and tone should be your main concerns. Remember: To use someone else's mouthpiece
and horn combination just because he sounds great on it is absurd. It would be like wearing someone else's
running shoes for a race, just because he can run fast.

Trumpet Design

Over the years the trumpet community has been bombarded by lightweight bells, heavyweight bells, thin
bells, thick bells, copper bells, red brassbells, one piece bells, two piece bells, tunable bells, stepped lead
pipes, variable gap receivers, heavy valve caps, strategically placed duct tape, and now even double wall
bells. These "enhancements" or "improvements" are very interesting, and expensive (as much as
$15,5000.00). With all of this effort put into the design and more importantly the marketing of such bells (and
whistles).... the trumpet performances that we admire are for the most part many years old. We listen to and
admire the 1950's recordings of Maynard, the New York Philharmonic with Vacchiano, the Cleveland
Philharmonic with Bernard Adelstein, Adolf Herseth at Chicago, Harry James of the late 1940's, Cat
Anderson of Duke Ellington fame, Doc Severensen, etc., etc. Don't get me wrong, there are many top notch
players out there today. However, most of our "heroes" and favourite performances are from the near and
distant past. Pre equipment "breakthroughs" and "improvements." When trying to emulate the great players
that have gone before us, we have to remember that for the most part, they played on standard equipment. No
fancy double wall bells or heavy mouthpieces. They didn't rely on technology or equipment to produce those

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great performances. They practiced!

Mark Van Cleave was born and raised in Indiana and is in demand as soloist, clinician, teacher, and show
conductor. He has appeared as soloist with many high school and college bands. For ten years Mark travelled
the globe conducting and playing lead trumpet with many travelling shows and circuses. Mark's method
books (Maximizing Practice Vol. #1: A Daily Practice Routine for Developing Trumpet Skills, and
Maximizing Practice Vol. #2: Developing Range, Power, and Endurance) can be ordered from:

D'note Publications
7255 S. Fairfax Rd.
Bloomington, IN, 47401.

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