Trumpet: Playing a C Major Scale

By: Patricia GatelyME326

History

• The trumpet is a musical instrument that is part of the brass family.

• It has the highest range out of all the brass instruments.

• They are one of the oldest instruments dating back to at least 1500 B.C.

• The earliest trumpets were used as a signaling tool mainly for military purposes.

Players

• Some of the most well known trumpet players among many other's are Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie.

Buzzing1. Buzz freely without the mouthpiece

by putting your lips together and making them vibrate. Use lots of air and try and make a buzzing sound while keeping your lips together

2. Make sure you keep the corners of your lips really tight and close together so you can make your lips vibrate.

3. Next you can take the mouthpiece and let it sit comfortably on your lips. Both the upper and lower lip should be inside the mouthpiece (shown in the picture).

4. Then try and produce that same buzzing noise through the mouthpiece.

5. After you have accomplished buzzing with and without the mouthpiece you are ready to put the mouthpiece in the trumpet and use that same buzzing sound and air support to play.

C Major Scale

• The C Major scale or B flat concert is the first scale that most beginners learn. It is often referred to as the “warm-up scale”.

• The C Major scale that beginners learn, ranges one octave, C to C. Starting on middle C below the staff and the octave above which is the third space C in the treble clef.

Fingerings

• Before you learn the fingerings for the C major scale you need to know which fingering is what on the trumpet.

• The first valve is the valve closest to the mouthpiece, the third valve is the one closest to the bell and the second valve is the one in the middle.

Notes C, D, and E.

1. The first note is C below the staff which is played with no valves pressed down, also referred to as open.

2. The next note is played with valves 1 and 3 pressed down which is D.

3. Then comes E which is fingerings 1 and 2.

Notes F and G.• After E comes F which is played

with just the first valve only.

• Then back to open for G which is the second line on the treble clef.

You will notice that C and G have the same fingerings which is no valves pressed. In order to play the difference between C and G you have to tighten the corners of your lips to make it a little bit higher than the first C you played.

Final notes: A, B, and octave C.The next note is A, A is played with fingerings 1 and 2, the same as E. Once again you have to tighten the corners of your lips in order to play a little bit higher.

Then comes B, which is played with the second valve only

Finally the last note is the octave C. This C is the fourth space in the treble clef. It is the same fingering as middle C below the staff which is open.

The image to the left represents the C major scale in the treble clef. Along with the note names, the fingerings for each note are given underneath.

Video

• Here is a video of someone playing the C major scale on trumpet.

• He plays the scale three different times using different articulations.

Things to keep in mind….

• Always play with good posture.• Have your feet flat on the ground, sit up

straight and on the edge of your chair.• Have good air support.• Keep the corners of your lips close together in

order to correctly buzz into the mouthpiece.• Remember to tighten the corners of your lips

when playing higher notes.