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Introducing Lip Slurs
Anyone who has ever taken a lesson with me knows that I am a huge fan of lip slurs. Your lips are a muscle, and an important one when it comes to playing a brass instrument. In the same way a...
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Making Perfect with Practice
Anyone learning to play an instrument has heard how important it is to practice. Regular daily practice is far more effective than trying to “cram” practice once every few days. My personal...
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The Parts of a Note
“Play a note.” It sounds like such a simple instruction, doesn’t it? Yet, whether you’re aware of it or not, every time you play a note, you are thinking about a lot of different actions. Does the...
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Whole Steps and Half Steps
Time for a theory lesson! Half steps and whole steps are two types of intervals. That is, they describe the distance between two notes. To understand this, let’s look at the notes in the chromatic...
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Multiple Tonguing, Part 1: Preparation
*Before you start working on multiple-tonguing, you should be proficient in single-tonguing both repeated (F F F F…) and moving (F G A Bb….) notes cleanly at a quick pace!* If you have been playing a...
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Multiple Tonguing, Part 2: Triple Tonguing
If you haven’t already, make sure to read Multiple Tonguing, Part 1: Preparation! Between double and triple tonguing, I recommend starting with triple-tonguing since it is slightly more of a...
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Multiple Tonguing, Part 3: Double Tonguing and Conclusion
If you haven’t already, make sure to read Parts 1 and 2! After triple tonguing, double tonguing becomes easy! To double tongue, we simply alternate our “T” and “K” tongues: tu ku tu ku tu ku tu ku....
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Beginning Brass FAQ
There are many questions I receive from students who are just starting to learn to play, as well as parents of beginning students. Today, I will answer a few of the most common questions. Q: How old...
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Articulations: Staccato
“Articulations” describe the way that we attack notes, or how we transition from one note to another. Is the note short or long? Heavy or light? One of the most common types of articulation is the...
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Intro to Jazz
One of the most common requests I get from my young brass students is, “I want to learn jazz.” I usually follow that request with, “Do you listen to a lot of jazz?” or “Do you have any favorite jazz...
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Putting Stress on Relaxing, Pt. 1
There are two problems with constantly being told to relax. First, a lot of the muscles we use to play trumpet are not ones we are used to controlling. Many students simply don’t know how to relax...
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Putting Stress on Relaxing, Pt. 2
In Part 1 we talked about relaxing while playing, and how focusing on that relaxation usually has the opposite effect. We also talked about small ways to reduce tension. In this section, we’ll talk...
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Articulations: Legato
Each note in a legato phrase should lead right into the next note with very little separation.
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The Daily Warmup
Like our instruments, our embouchures also require routine maintenance by stretching and doing basic exercises every day.
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Basic Intervals (Diatonic)
Part of the way we are able to replicate melodies we hear is by identifying intervals.
View ArticleMy Favorite Breathing Exercise for Tone
The following post from I'll Teach You a Lesson is written for aspiring brass instrument students. This is an exercise I strongly believe in. It is truly my favorite breathing exercise for tone. I...
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Practicing Long Tones
The following post from I'll Teach You a Lesson is written for aspiring brass instrument students. The Benefit of Practicing Long Tones Many students overlook their daily warmup, thinking that they...
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Minor Knowledge
The following post from I'll Teach You a Lesson is written for aspiring brass instrument students. Learning Minor Scales We have talked about the benefits of knowing your scales before. We all start...
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