

From there, they’ll typically add more following “the circle of fifths”, or the chromatic scale. The first scale most trumpet students learn is the C scale because it has no sharps or flats. And being able to play them correctly every time, without missing a beat, will go a long way toward helping you learn the fingerings and master your instrument. But learning them is essential to progressing with the trumpet. Playing scales can be tedious and boring. Learning trumpet notes through repetition and scalesĬonsistent repetition through playing scales is the best way to train your body, ears and mind to correctly play each trumpet note. These books and others like them can help you master scales and techniques with structured learning and clear presentation.
#Chromatic scale trumpet series
Essential Elements for Band has a great series of books for trumpet and is widely recommended by music teachers and band directors. Make sure you’re spending time with a good method book. Remember how inefficient it was to look down at your computer keyboard and search for each letter when you first learned typing? That’s what it’s like when you first learn trumpet fingerings.Īnd like the labels on the keyboard keys, fingering charts are best used as a guide for trumpet not a crutch keeping you from progressing beyond the basics. Avoiding a dependence on fingering charts My recommendation is TonalEnergy Tuner available in most app stores. There are many models of standalone tuners available on the market and even more tuner apps available for smartphones.

The sooner you memorize the correct fingering, the less often you’ll need to interrupt playing to look it up.Ī tuner will help ensure you’re playing the correct note. Try to remember the fingerings for each note. Make a copy and have it on your stand within easy reach so you can look at it when you need to. I recommend keeping a copy of the chart handy when you’re practicing-at least until you’ve internalized all the fingerings. This is a good reference for the novice trumpet player. Most beginning method books have a basic fingering chart. Using a fingering guide when you practice Just like learning to play a sport or anything needing complex coordination, practice makes perfect. This is where your muscle memory, ears and brain come into play. Playing one way might produce an E, while playing another way might produce a C#. Just because you’re attempting to play an A on the staff using the 1st and 2nd valve together doesn’t mean that’s the exact note that will be produced. Having a fingering chart as a visual reference to train by can make this process much easier. Learning and memorizing the proper fingerings can be challenging because each valve position can produce so many different notes.

This standard trumpet fingering chart is presented in a chromatic scale from low to high.
#Chromatic scale trumpet pdf
Feel free to download this chart in PDF format. Below is one such chart for the beginner trumpet player.
#Chromatic scale trumpet how to
Musicians developed trumpet fingering charts over the years to help trumpeters understand how to play each note. You can start to understand how a trumpet can produce so many different notes with just three valves once you see all seven valve combinations, each with a broad overtone series. You can reach all the notes in this series just by changing your embouchure and airflow. The trumpeter can play notes both higher and lower, without changing valve positions, simply by changing the tension of the lips and air speed.įor example, the image below of the first valve combination shows that combination’s overtone series ranging from C below the treble clef staff to C above the treble clef staff. Regardless of the length of the tubing, air inside the tube is activated through the vibrations of the lips to produce a natural overtone, or harmonic, series. There are seven different valve combinations, or valve positions:Īll but the first combination, which doesn’t depress any valves, adds length to the trumpet’s tubing used. Today’s modern piston trumpet has three valves. But before you can use a fingering chart correctly, you’ll need to understand how a trumpet works. Here we’ll look at what a fingering chart is and how to use them effectively to become a better trumpeter. And with those three valves the modern trumpet player can produce 38 (or more) notes! Unlike a clarinet, a flute or a saxophone, a trumpet has only three valves. That’s where a trumpet fingering chart can help. On the first day of beginning band the novice trumpet player looks at his or her instrument and asks themselves, “How am I supposed to play this thing?”
