Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Where To Find Trumpet Music Books

Playing the trumpet is one of the most common instruments most people will pick when they decide to join a marching or symphonic band – the trumpet is a pretty easy instrument to pick up, play and maintain compared to a few of the others. This is why the trumpet, with its bright and versatile sound, is considered to be one of the most popular band instruments. To become good at playing the trumpet you have to have some means of practicing on the instrument on your own time without the presence of other band members. This is when having trumpet music books can be helpful.

Trumpet music books have different kinds of practice pieces in them at all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. Also, trumpet music books contain parts to different TV show themes, popular song themes rearranged and movie themes. The website http://trumpetpuppy.com offers a selection of trumpet music books divided by genre. These books are well-organized by skill level and content. The songs can be used to practice scales, slurred note techniques and any other element of playing the trumpet you can think of. Also, trumpet music books help the player to become better at sight reading.

Sight reading is just what it sounds like: taking a piece of music without ever having seen or studied it before and playing it on an instrument. Many music competitions and music classes will have this as part of their curriculum, so it’s best to learn this skill as soon as possible.

Local music stores, libraries or schools will also have trumpet music books available to buy, or at least borrow for a while. The most likely music books you’ll find are the basic technique-based ones, which show you how to play the trumpet from proper posture to increasing your note range. These types of trumpet instruction books also found on http://trumpetpuppy.com, teach you how to properly hold and clean the trumpet for when you’re not playing it. One of the most important things to know about playing the trumpet is that it requires good, erect posture. The breath has to come from the diaphragm, otherwise the sound gets pinched by the muscles of the throat and doesn’t sound good at all. Another mistake seen in many beginners is that they lift their fingers high off the buttons when not pressing them. This is a bad habit, because it takes time and effort to bring the fingers back down onto the valves. On that note, always keep trumpet valves oiled. There isn’t anything more embarrassing for a trumpet player than to have valves get stuck in the middle of a performance.

The best principles of playing basic trumpet can be found in many trumpet instruction books, but even with the best book, it’s not a substitute for a good, qualified teacher. A good trumpet teacher, such as a band director, will be able to spot mistakes in posture or form and correct them before they become too ingrained in the mind.

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