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My son came home yesterday absolutely giddy with excitement. He had just had his first trumpet lesson. He's wanted to learn to play the trumpet for a wee while now,since he was 6 or 7. Trouble is, he was so dizzy he couldn't remember his teacher's name and he couldn't remember the book the teacher told him he would need to help him learn. He said the teacher's copy was yellow.  ???

Are there any music/trumpet teachers/players out there who can point me in the right direction? His second lesson is next week so I would like to get him the book for then. I'll have to make sure he writes the title down on a piece of paper if no joy beforehand.

Rules have already been set as to when he is allowed to practice  ;D  His friend who lives in the next street said he heard the trumpet whilst doing his homework. :o  And I don't want to be woken up by trumpet version of Reveille  >:(  ;D

Ooh just a thought. Anyone recommend a modern trumpet player we could listen to? I saw a guy supporting Sting a couple of years ago but I can't remember his name.

Don't know about the book, but a modern trumpet player to listen to: try Winton Marsalis.
He 's a jazz trumpet player, rather traditionalist (which makes it easier on the ears for newbies), but with a sound to die for.

His brother, Branford Marsalis, plays another instrument and is often invited to play with pop musicians. he is with Sting on the Turtle album (forgot the exact title).

Enjoy! Both Winton and your son's lessons.

you need a copy of the Arbon method.
I have a copy somewhere I will have a look. and let you know.
I have retired from banding.

Cheers Garjan. I've got that turtle album somewhere so I know what you mean. Will look him up.

Ginger thanks! I honestly have not a single clue. I don't even know where he  found his interest in the trumpet. I'm pretty excited for him. I was impressed that he managed to get a strong sound out of it. I had a go and was pathetic. ::)  I really really hope he takes to it and gets loads of enjoyment from it.   He is the only one having trumpet lessons in his school...guitar seems to be the popular choice.

Heldi I'm excited for you  ;D
This story brings back memories of my youngest son. He came home one August day and asked me to guess what he had bought. Not a clue did I have. Well he was bursting with excitement when he showed me his guitar.
My first reaction (quietly to my self) was omg the noise.  ::)
Well he asked if he could have lessons. They began in September and by Christmas he said he didn't need any more lessons.
He would play, just like Bryan Adams, till his fingers bled.
He came home one day in March and said he had his first gig, for somebodies 40th birthday party. Two days before the party the landlord of the pub told him the 40th had been cancelled due to the chap being ill and could he get all his family and friends to come and help eat up all the food he had ordered/prepared etc. Shame to waste a good night out  ;D.
Well we were all gathered thinking he was just going to play guitar and he starting singing. I couldn't stop crying. I swear that was the FIRST TIME EVER we knew he could sing. He never ever sang/sings at home.We were blown away.
He has a photographic memory for lyrics too.
That was eight and half years ago now. Hubby and I haven't missed one gig. We can't go to the private parties or weddings, but nothing keeps us away from all the other gigs. He's no longer playing guitar (publicly) as he is the lead singer in a seven piece 70's/80's disco band and prefers to dance and sing to get the party going.
He has done several celebrity gigs and this summer he played in Kent for a well known celeb at their wedding.
Encourage him all you can Heldi.

Lauren  :)

wow! Heidi I notice you are on Ambleside. That is serious band country.
If your son stays keen he couldn't do better than contact the local brass band where tuition is usually given free and  they also work along side thge local schools. A lot of the best musicians in UK started in BB. Ask his school teacher about it, they may recomend a band. it is an exelent way of getting extra tuition and practice.
Thinking on about the book most schools use 'A Tune A Day' butr I would suggest that he also gets a good book mon rudiments of music, something like 'Davenports' which the British army school of music use. cost a couple of pounds thats all.
good luck to the boy.
Ginge

Aw Lauren what a lovely brilliant story. You must be so proud.

(I'm dying to know who the celeb is  :D)

Ginge...I'm not in Ambleside - I'm up in Northumberland, in a town called Amble. You've made me wonder if there are any brass bands around here? Afterall there were many mining communities ...wonder if any bands are still going? Have not heard of any but then I haven't been looking. Thanks for that...great food for thought.  I could ask some of the guys at the allotments. I know a lot of them were miners.

He's been blowing his trumpet this afternoon whilst his Grandma listened at the other end of the telephone lol!  He was in the same room not actually blowing it directly down the phone. Cor it's so loud! Grandma is impressed  ;D !

Guy Barker's supposed to be good. He did music for, and was in, that Mr Ripley film a few years back.
      More off-beat Toshinori Kondo is Japanese trumpeter, martial artist etc. He did an album with DJ Krush called Ki-Oku. It's great, music from the left side if you know what that means.

can't go too far wrong with chet baker or miles davis - check out john hassell as well  - uses f/x pedals on his trumpet  - has done some lovely buttery stuff with brian eno and ry cooder.....check out pandora.com as well if you have broadband and can 'borrow' a USA zip code to register. you can create your own radiostations and it chooses music for you according to criteria that you set yourself. highly addictive and great for exploring different music genres....

Hi Heldi,

              That's great news about your son. I play the trumpet, I think Ginger could be right about the book, I have 'A Tune A Day' which has a sort of yellow and white cover. You can buy it to come with a CD and DVD on Amazon. Once your son starts getting his head around things you might want to think about a trumpet practice mute. They aren't absolutely ideal for practising with all the time as it's never quite the same as blowing the trumpet normally, but it's definitely useful for the neighbours! You can get practice mutes for around the £30 mark or less, they just go in the bell to muffle the sound. Alternatively, if he looks as though he might stay with it, Yamaha do something called the Silent Brass System which is an electronic practice mute... the mute goes into the bell as before but a wire connects it to a little, portable black box (very small) which comes with earphones that the trumpet player listens through and can actually hear themselves playing almost as though it was 'normal'. It's very useful too, especially if you have backing music that you want to play along to, it's possible to plug in an mp3 player through the little black box. It comes at a price though, around £80, so maybe wait a while?!

Miles Davis did some good albums, in particular 'Birth Of The Cool' ('Israel' is an amazing song), Freddie Hubbard is another good jazz trumpeter, if you like jazz. If you're feeling experimental, have a listen to Arve Henriksen, if for nothing else than to hear different sounds that the trumpet can make. Also, have a look on youtube.com for trumpet players, there are some amazing players that post videos of themselves and it's all useful in fuelling the fire! I'm all excited for your son!

 

Thankyou thankyou thankyou!  I am so made up with the replies. I didn't really expect any...but you trumpet people are out thereiuuuuuuufdc...sorry that was the cat

I'm reading and taking it in. Not told my son I've done this as it is his bag..just want to be able to encourage where I can but not be over the top.

Really pleased with the names put forward for us to check out. I do have a mozart trumpet concerto cd but that is all really that is specifically trumpet. Don't get the impression that my son is coming from a classical angle? Where on earth did he get it from??? Is it a pure love of the sound? I can understand that. I just don't know where he heard it!

I looked on amazon. Was confused.  I'll have another look now I have had some pointers.

A pratice mute! Didn't know there was such a thing!  Silly I know...brass..I know nothing!.Thanks CC that is a brilliant tip.His mother (me)has always yearned for a set of drums (asked for some for my 40th ha ha ) so I guess the loudness doesn't really concern me...I just don't want the neighbours moaning. They do.

Blinking heck they complain about the seagulls making a noise...we live at the seaside !!!

Thinking ...it's £45 a term for lessons and instrument hire...brilliant isn't it...by Christmas will he know if he loves it or not..or is that too soon? Guess it's an individual thing. Asking because he wants his own trumpet  ::) And do you know...Costco had them for £175 last year and then they sold them off for £50 just before Christmas.  Unreal!  I'll keep on with the hired one  if you all think it is the wise thing to do.

He can blow a very tuneful note...clear as anything. I'm dead impressed...did I tell you that??!! ;D  What he has been told to do is to practice his lips, stance and just to blow.  How much do you bet he'll be taking it to his Granny's today??! LOL!

Oh and his best friend said he "Looks cool"  Can't get better than that can you!

;D  ;D  ;D

Quote from: Heldi on September 29, 2007, 02:11:10
.Costco had them for £175 last year and then they sold them off for £50 just before Christmas.  Unreal!  I'll keep on with the hired one  if you all think it is the wise thing to do.

Get the best you can afford, a good instrument is a joy to play. I do not play a trumpet but I have found over the years that cheap instuments do not sound as good. It is better to get a really good make secondhand than a cheap and cheerful new one.

Do the same as you have done on here and find a brass band forum, I expect they will be just as helpful and better to answer your questions than a load of gardeners.

It is good to see a youngster that chooses to play something else instead of wanting to be a budding Hendrix.

Talking of Henrix and his tricks with a guitar, it's a good job he did not choose the trumpet ;)

Good luck to your boy, encourage him, and sod the neighbours.

ACE is right Heldi, get the best you can afford, but also beware if you're not too familiar with buying second hand, trumpets are one of those instruments that really suffer from any dents and it's not easy to know what you're getting, so I'd suggest either get some help from someone who knows more or buy new.

I had the same trouble and didn't want to risk it, so I broke the bank and went for new, I'm glad I did though, there's something lovely about having your own, brand new instrument and mine came with a guarantee. If you are thinking of buying new, I can highly recommend the music company Thomann, I'd scoured the internet for days looking for the best deal and nearly bought with another company, but then saw the site http://www.thomann.de/gb/index.html and the prices were incredible. They're in Germany, but I can speak very highly of the service, they're Europe's largest musical instrument distributor and all the customer services on the telephone are available in English as well as German. I was dubious about buying from abroad, but they're very reputable and I wouldn't hesitate in buying again from them. I saved about £100 with them.   ;D

For an active trumpet forum, try www.trumpetgeeks.com

Hope this helps. Just to mention, Yamaha do make good student trumpets.

Thanks ACE and CC. 

If I'm honest I didn't look at the make of the one on sale in Costco. It probably was American. I only noticed the price because the last one I'd looked at in a music shop was nearly £500.  Wasn't really looking at either of them seriously because I didn't know a year on that my son would still be keen and starting lessons.

Think I'll have to do lots of research before jumping the gun and buying one. Second hand makes me nervous. Maybe I'll ask on freecycle ..hahaha...what a cheapskate..only joking!

Another thing that had not even crossed my mind...websites for trumpet players. I think I've been as excitable as my son!

I am really chuffed he hasn't gone along with the crowd.  :)  Mind you we are a pop idol / x factor free house here, whereas some of his friend's say they "want to be famous" and want to appear on pop idol. Sheesh  ::)

Heidi I play the drums and still have lessons and i belong to a drumming forum the information you can get is second to none just like on here, encourage him all the way (as you have been) you are never lonely if you can play a musical instrument and lessons are worth their weight in gold it helps to keep you enthusiastic good luck to him  ;)

I have drum envy  :P

You folks were right, the book is  A Tune a Day.  Teacher wrote it down on my son's homework.  I ordered it last night.

Homework is learning the scales.

Quote from: Heldi on October 05, 2007, 13:11:55
I have drum envy  :P

Iv'e got a gorrilla suite ;D

ACE does it come with a big bar of choccy if so can i borrow it please !!!!
ironic they are now advertising phil collins album lucky chance do you think  ;D

ACE - the great silver back  tee hee!

My boys grew up in Canada and each child had to pick an instrument to learn in their first year at junior high school. The annual concert was held at Christmas and the first year band were always quite squeeky and a bit raw (if you know what I mean)  ::).
A year on....... and what a difference the sound was. I use to look forward to the concerts just to hear the progress (Eyes use to well up as they played). They could opt out of the band in their second year if they wanted.
Each child was given an opportunity to try music for one year, and not many opted out.

Lauren  :)