Articles

ARTICLES

Charlie Meacham

Getting Started

How do you play the trumpet? I write about some of the basics in a few of these articles, but the only surefire way is to take lessons. It is possible to learn by yourself, but it is difficult to avoid bad habits and not get burned out.

Charlie Meacham

Breathing Exercises

Breathing is one of the most important parts of playing the trumpet. Although we breathe all day everyday, in life we seldom have the need to breathe deeply. Because of this, one needs to learn to breathe specifically for playing the trumpet.

Charlie Meacham

Applying Breathing Exercises

The breathing exercises we do are not entirely like how we breathe when we play the trumpet. When we are first learning to breathe while playing the trumpet, we will likely think too hard about it. This is okay at first, but the long term goal is for trumpet breathing techniques to be second nature.

Charlie Meacham

The Embouchure

The embouchure is an important part of playing the trumpet and is unique for every player. The embouchure is where the trumpet mouthpiece meets your lips.

A good embouchure doesn’t look the same for everyone. It depends on your teeth, jaw, and lip size.

Charlie Meacham

Range and High Notes

Range and high notes is easily the most popular topic for trumpet players to talk about. There are many schools of thought about range but I will talk about what has worked best for me and my students.