Brass Clinic

Tough Passages
In Trumpet Parts
by Kenneth Laudermilch

T here are passages in the trumpet parts of

standard band works that usually cause
problems for inexperienced players. These
are often caused by weak articulations, poor breath
support, and fingerings that produce out-of-tune
notes. The suggestions here are geared to directors
who were not themselves trumpet players in col-
lege.

Grade 3 Compositions
This trumpet passage from Meditation from
"Thais" by Jules Massenet, arranged by Austin
Harding (Kjos), seems simple at first, but the
anacrusis is among the most frequently understated
figures of any brass line.
poco piu appassionato

Most players reserve the full force of air for notes on

the downbeat instead of the first note of a passage.
This may produce a less resonant sound and a poor
response on the opening note, which is often flat.
Because the forward motion of the musical line
often occurs on the upbeats (arsis), the line will
come to life if the upbeat is accentuated slightly.
String players often apply this concept by using the
entire bow for a pickup note but only a portion of
the bow for downbeats.
Specific entrances, particularly those above the
staff, are problems for inexperienced trumpet play-
ers because they have difficulty hearing the first
pitch before playing. The first note in measure 17 of
the first cornet part in Ye Banks and Braes O'Bonnie
Doon by Percy Grainger (Schott & Co.) is a chal-
lenge to play at the indicated mp.

Students may increase their chances of hitting a

soft G5 by testing the note while tuning to confirm
how much air support produces a good response. If
students listen carefully the G4 in the second cor-
net part in the preceding fermata should help them
to identify the pitch before playing it.
Inexperienced brass players tend to play with too
much mouthpiece pressure when they should

16 THE INSTRUMENTALIST / MARCH 1997

increase the air pressure to produce and sustain long
notes. Even after they have learned to play with
good .breath support, the stress of a public perfor-
mance causes some students to revert to old habits.
All three cornet parts in measure 23 of Bach's
Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, arranged by Roland
Moehlmann (Remick), are a test of good breath
support.

The score is marked grave and calls for the cornets

to enter piano after 22 measures of rest. For passages
of this nature students should take a full breath and
play with a maximum of air and a minimum of
sound. The increase of air volume together with the
size of the aperture will increase embouchure flexi'
bility and note accuracy.
Grade 4 Compositions
Particularly on slurred passages involving the
third valve, sluggish finger movements may cause a
muddy, out-of-tune sound. This is often the result
of the misguided notion that playing sweetly and
smoothly means using slow-moving fingers.
Students often encounter this problem on the
recurring Gl (played 2-3) in measure 159 of the
cornet parts in Chorale and Shaker Dance by John
Zdechlik (Kjos).

Xk jJ -llr- ^ y > =
^ ^ =4? IN
^-
fl 1

rit.
p
If this passage were tongued it would sound clear,
but when the passage is slurred there are no forgiv-
ing spaces between the notes. Each note must
sound immediately. The solution lies in arching the
hand so the fingertips come into contact with the
valves with a strong vertical motion. Students
should practice the passage slowly, crisply depress-
ing the valves for each note.

Kenneth Laudermilch is professor of instrumental music

and director of the wind ensemble at West Chester
University. He is principal trumpet of the Delaware
Symphony and the Westminster Brass and performs as
an extra trumpet player with the Philadelphia
Orchestra,

MARCH 1997 / THE INSTRUMENTALIST 1 7

 Another common pitfall among inexperienced
trumpet players is the tendency to take shallow
breaths every couple of measures in long rhythmic
passages. Near the end, the cornets play 21 mea-
sures of running eighth notes with only an occa-
sional eighth rest for breaths.

i
Players should take a large breath at the beginning
of the passage and play all 21 measures without
breathing. Several small breaths may slow the
tempo or cause ensemble problems within the sec-
tion. If students cannot play the entire passage in
one breath, the entire section should take a breath
midway through the passage when other instru-
ments play similar parts. Stand partners can also
work out a system of staggered breathing.
The literature of different musical periods should
be played with various types of attacks. The tutti
fortissimos of 20th-century music are often played
with a solid accent, but works of the late 19th cen-
tury should have a string-like attack. Although no
less intense than their 20th-century counterparts,
Romantic-style articulations begin with an air
attack followed by a sudden swell to the desired
dynamic level. The cornet entrance four measures
after the andante maestoso in Wagner's Trauersinfonie
Students should pick various difficult notes and
practice hitting them cold, without a second
chance, as it would be in a public performance.
I
In the second movement of First Suite in E^ by
Gustav Hoist (Boosey & Hawkes), the solo cornet,
oboe, and clarinet share a whimsical melody that is
difficult to shape. The eighth-note figures are easily
lost because of the quick tempo and absence of
articulation. The figure will be inaudible unless the
eighth-note patterns are played out of balance with
the rest of the line.

Li- j r f
arranged by Erik Leidzen (Associate Music) is an
example of this type of attack.
ff

" ff
-9--I
%
_j p.f -F r^1 -^F!
Trumpet students usually play a big ascending
Trumpets in the early 19th century had no valves leap by pinching the embouchure, squeezing the
and were pitched an octave lower than modern throat, or adding a burst of air to the upper note. In
instruments so performers could play stepwise pat- the second and third measure after [29] in Liebestod by
terns by using the upper register. As a result of the Richard Wagner, arranged by Glenn Cliffe Bainum
longer tubing these horns produced a softer attack. (Kjos), students have difficulty hitting the high
Passages that begin on a high note are difficult to note.
attack accurately. Roger Voisin, former principal
trumpet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, sug-
gests rewriting some parts to reduce the risks on a -wT ~* r r r F=^
difficult entrance. Because high school band litera-
ture seldom puts trumpets in keys with more than
pp cresc.

four flats, young students have more trouble playing

a Cl>6 than a B5. The first note of the largo passage
in Overture 1812 by Tchaikovsky, arranged by
Mayhew Lake (Carl Fischer), might be changed dim.
from a Cl> to a B'l
If they lean on the low As, students can use them as
springboards to the upper notes. To avoid squeezing
the embouchure on high notes, directors should
encourage students to think of reaching out, rather
than up.

18 THE INSTRUMENTALIST / MARCH 1997

 Many students have difficulty playing three equal
notes over two beats and usually cheat on the last
note. The second statement of the theme in the
comet part of Emperata Overture by Claude Smith
(Wingert-Jones) has two sets of troublesome
triplets.
, 3,
^=\ e
9. .... 'J
j L 1 r*
11
'J
a
:pfe= ffV* -
-w*
t)
J LJLLi
^H
Draw attention to the unevenness of the sound by
having students play simple quarter notes on beats
three and four in place of the triplet to get used to
the sound. They should strive to maintain the same
evenness on the triplets. Another way to under-
stand the quarter-note triplet pattern is to replace
each quarter note with two eighth notes, grouped as
eighth-note triplets.
When students can play the eighth-note triplet pat-
terns evenly, they should tie each pair of repeated
notes. The end result is a quarter-note triplet.
Ties within rapid passages cause rhythmic prob-
lems because students tend to be late on the notes
following the tie. Composers often use a tied note
in place of a rest for ease of reading, not intending
the pitch to sound for its full value. Rapid notes lose
clarity if they are not spaced. The cornet passage at
measure 150 in Emperata Overture illustrates this
problem.
To improve rhythmic accuracy, students should
omit the tied eighth note. The space after the tie
will add emphasis and clarity to the moving six-
teenth notes and help place them correctly on the
second half of the beat.
Inexperienced musicians may rush sixteenth
notes, especially when they occur in pairs, as in the
comet line at measure 50 in Rossini's Italian in
Algiers Overture arranged by Lucien Cailliet (Sam
Fox).
The sixteenth-note pairs should be played deliber-
ately, pulling back the figure to avoid rushing. A
good practice technique for learning such passages
is to substitute two sixteenth notes for each eighth
note. After students can play the repeated sixteenth
notes evenly, they can tie two to correspond to the
written eighth notes.
e The dotted eighth-/sixteenth-/eighth-note pat-
tern in | in the third movement of Liturgical Music
=J
for Band by Martin Mailman (Mills Music) gives
students problems.
1
The tendency is to play the sixteenth note too
soon, resulting in an eighth- and two sixteenth-
note pattern in \. To solve the problem, iso-
late and practice the figure at a slow tempo so stu-
dents will learn to subdivide the dotted eighth note
into three sixteenth notes. A slight hesitation at
the end of each figure, between the eighth note and
the following dotted eighth note, will help.
Seemingly simple rhythmic patterns present
major difficulties when they are played at a fast
tempo. The trumpet line at measure 24 of the third
movement ("Gloria") would be relatively easy to
play at a slow tempo; students will have to memo-
rize the pattern to perform it at J. = 80.
In performance these passages cause problems
because students rely on reading the music without
memorizing the tonal, rhythmic, and finger pat-
terns. Experienced musicians realize that they will
not be able to read certain passages under perfor-
mance pressure and commit the music to memory
to be safe.
The third-valve slide is not only for use during
slow passages. Students should always extend the
slide to lower the pitch when playing D4 and CH,
about halfway out for D and all the way out for CH.
The unison cornet part at measure 72 in William
Byrd Suite by Gordon Jacob (Boosey & Hawkes) is
often out of tune because D4 is sharp on the trum-
pet and D5 is flat.
MARCH 1997 / THE INSTRUMENTALIST 19
Students can extend the third-valve slide before This intense focus will help in learning the solo and
starting to play and leave it out for the entire pas- develop the confidence to perform it under pressure.
sage because D4 is the only note affected by this. The concluding statement of the piece is
The amount of slide movement for good intonation demanding in all four parts.
should be established in advance by tuning to D5.
r6 t \" r Mh
Grade 5 Compositions j
A straight tone heightens tension in music and
vibrato releases it. Vibrato on the dotted quarter Tpts.
* B^ ff f
notes in the cornet solo in Turina's La Procession Du j '
Roc/o, arranged by Alfred Reed (Editions Salabert)
gives the line the espressivo quality marked in the & a .. JJJ e r
*
3 i

T=f=
^ *
score. JS^
Solo SIR. MUTE if^ f rrrfn1 -e- *

*
2 >*=--^ Lr_ a

0 L L? ***^
mp express
r- J-,

Little or no vibrato on pitches above the staff usu- J =p=

ally indicates that the player is using more mouth-
piece pressure than air support.
One of the delights of bravura-, or heroic-, style
music is that the listener experiences the distinc-
tive sound of releases as well as attacks. Unfor-
tunately, releases are often at the bottom of the list
of trumpet players' concerns. The opening of Festive
Overture by Dmitri Shostakovich, arranged by
Donald Hunsberger (MCA), is an example where a
round release between the half notes and triplet fig-
ures adds as much beauty to the line as the clarity
of the attacks.
Students should listen carefully to compare the dif-
ference between stopping the sound with the
tongue and feathering it for a graceful release.
Inexperienced musicians do not pace themselves
during a concert and quickly run out of energy and
endurance. Although 12 measures of strenuous
playing precede the final flourish, the poco meno
mosso should be played cleanly and with a good
sound.
In the fifth measure the first trumpet plays an
octave above the rest of the section. The F5 is
sharp under the best circumstances, and fatigue
makes the problem worse.
Young players will always play the fortissimo
chords at the end of a major work out of tune. The
final chord of George Washington Bridge by William
Schuman (G. Schirmer) sounds better at a fortis-
simo, or even forte, level than at a painfully out-of-
tune fortississimo.
i r-jS JJS ] r
U tJ fff

Eventually, they will take as much care in releasing Cm.

JJJ

a pitch as they do on attacks. in -Sf

vB
0 -* c>
p *f
The best advice for the fourth cornet player in
^ J^
performing the solo in measure 57 is to take as big i 0 |^
-g-
a breath as possible before starting. A large amount
Tpt.
'U -& ft V * - =
of air will add an element of ease to the sound and
buoyancy to the higher pitches. A wonderfully balanced homophonic sound with
good intonation is more important than the
dynamic level indicated by the score.
It is a true mark of excellence when the eighth-
and sixteenth-note rhythms in Rimsky-Korsakov's
Procession of the Nobles, arranged by Erik Leidzen
(Carl Fischer), are deliberate and plodding.
Allegro moderaco c maestoso ( j = 112)

Directors can build an etude around the solo if stu-

dents play the theme slowly, then twice in tempo
fortissimo, and four times in one breath pianissimo. marcala assai

*AUST/ MARCH 1997

Amateur musicians will rush the tempo and
rhythms within each beat, so the piece loses its
inherent dignity. Although young players will be
unable to stretch these rhythms throughout the
entire piece, frequent reminders will keep them
closer to the correct style.
Most notes above the staff are sharp on the trum-
pet, but A5 is one of the worst because the 1-2
valve combination is sharp in almost every register.
The first-valve slide or third-valve alternate finger-
ing should be used to produce a lower pitch. The
third-valve A5 is also darker in color and less likely
to crack. This fingering works well at measure 37 of
the third movement ("He de France") in Suite
Francaise by Darius Milhaud (MCA).
-JMU_^ - 1
H H 1
Because the first phrase ends on a long note, stu-
dents often make the G in the third measure a half
note in order to take a breath, which leaves a gap-
ing hole in the middle of the tune. Instead, they
should hold the note to the end of the measure and
take a catch breath. With practice students will
learn to gasp a large breath quickly.
Students who cannot double-tongue will not be
able to play the thirty-second notes in the cornet
solo in measure 12 of Variation I.
\> >?ff *v- ^

Although eighth notes in bravura style are played

with space between them, the tempo of the music
determines the actual length of the notes. In the
concluding fanfares of this piece the eighth notes
should become progressively longer during the
molto ritardando.

molto nt.

Regardless of tempo, students usually make the mis-

take of maintaining a consistent note length
throughout a particular stylistic section.
Portato articulation in wind literature imitates
string technique more closely than any other brass
articulation. Favoring the body of the note over the
attack is difficult. The combination of slurs and
staccatos in the cornet line in Mendelssohn's n nMip~~ C.

p6*tsr:
f
Overture for Band, arranged by Felix Greissle (G.
Schirmer), confuses young players.
/r\i Even if a player is capable of this technique, the
articulation will probably be too short. When using
^ multiple-tonguing patterns, students should
lengthen the notes to compensate for the severity
of the technique.
Incantation and Dance by John Barnes Chance
(Boosey & Hawkes) concludes with a big brass
sound.
This is an ambiguous notation that means the ini-
tial attack of each note should not be accented, cre-
ating a pushing or pressing effect. Portato literally
means to press. String players perform this articula-
tion by separating the notes without changing bow
direction.
In Charles Ives' Variation on America arranged by
William Schuman (Mercury) the cornet part is
often phrased incorrectly. Continued on page 92

MARCH 1997 / THE INSTRUMENTALIST 25


Laudermilch, Continued from page 25
Good taste suggests that the trumpets
should back off a notch or two on the
dynamics after the initial attack of
each sustained chord.
On difficult runs, such as those in
the soli trumpet passage in Blue Lake
Overture by John Barnes Chance
(Boosey & Hawkes), players tend to
lean on the first and last notes, back-
ing away from the notes in between.
Instead, students should blow into the
center of the run, which will give clar-
ity to the slur and allow each note to
be heard. This also helps move the
musical line forward.
Young players often over-play sfor-
zando articulations, using slapped or
hard tonguing. The sff in the trumpet
passage in measure 140 should be an
air attack.
m the lines. In the opening of his Sym-
ff ar=
As in portato, an air attack actually
hides the attack and starts the sound
with a burst of air that quickly sub-
sides.
The dotted eighth-/sixteenth-note
figure, which can easily become a trip-
let, plagues even professionals. Al-
though the figure in the cornet part
at [50] in Festival by Clifton Williams
(Summy-Birchard) substitutes a six-
teenth-note rest for a dot, the passage
is just as difficult to play correctly.
The sixteenth note should come as
close to the eighth note as possible,
played almost as a thirty-second note,
which is more in the character of the
work than a triplet feel.
Most players learn to triple tongue
using the syllables ta-ta-ka, which
works well for rapid passages. How-
ever, ta-kti'ta is better for slow triplets
and gives players more rhythmic con-
trol for figures in such cornet passages
as the one in measure 211 of Jericho
Rhapsody by Morton Gould (Belwin).
Fast and brilliant
t=t
92 THE INSTRUMENTALIST / MARCH 1997
1 1 1 l"hf f f I l"hf
Unless the tempo is quite fast, players
will lose control of triplets when using
the ta'ta-ka articulation. The ta-ka-ta
technique is easier to manage at tem-
pos that are too fast for single tonguing
but too slow to use ta-ta-fca.
Recommended for arpeggios and
stepwise passages, the ta-ka-ta tech-
nique of triple tonguing adds clarity,
punch, and greater accuracy to the
opening trumpet fanfares in Bern-
stein's Divertimento arranged by Clare
Grundman (Boosey & Hawkes).
Allegro non iroppo, ma con brio J = 100)
The fast tempo of the trumpet pas-
sage at [cl in the first movement of
Four Scottish Dances by Malcolm
Arnold, arranged by John Paynter
(Carl Fischer) dictates the use of the
ta-ta-fca articulation for the triplets.
Players will not be able to keep up with
the tempo using ta-Jca-ta.
Wagner was a master at delaying
final cadences by means of melodic
and harmonic progressions. Bernstein
does the same thing within the space
of a single motif using dynamics,
exemplified in the opening motif of
Overture to "Candide" arranged by
Walter Beeler (Amberson Enterprises).
S gle and multiple tonguing.
The first three notes should be fortis-
simo with hard attacks and a crescendo
into a kind of musical slap on the last
note. Although the score indicates a
simple crescendo, a drop in dynamic
on the half note followed by a quick
molto crescendo to the top note cre-
ates a more dramatic effect. The same
thing occurs in the short second state-
fnent, only more quickly.
Students usually play the little rip at
the end of the theme in the first cornet
part late.
muted
/ 3
The music is moving so fast at this
point that players have difficulty feel-
ing and hearing the entrance. Soloists
should be aggressive here and play a
fraction ahead of the beat.
The problem with the first cornet
part at measure 216 is that low notes
speak softer than other pitches, mak-
ing register changes tough on trumpet.
J? c/"fic. poco a puco
cresc. inttllti
Students can improve consistency
throughout the passage by practicing
slowly, increasing the dynamics on
descending notes, even as much as
double the volume. All the pitches
will then sound equal.
Grade 6 Compositions
An interesting attribute of Paul
Hindemith's writing is the intensity of
phony in B^ (Schott & Co.) the trum-
pets are called upon to sustain a C5
forte for almost three counts with little
room for shading.
The strength of this opening state-
ment will set the tone and character
for the entire work.
Trumpet players often have passages
that are too slow for double or triple
tonguing but too fast for single tongu-
ing. The trumpet part in measure 73 of
From a Dark Millennium by Joseph
Schwantner (Helicon) will sound bet-
ter if players use a combination of sin-
Players can easily handle the passage if
they begin each motif double tonguing
and switch to single tonguing after the
first six notes. If players start by single
tonguing they may fall behind; if they
double tongue in the slow sections the
passage will lack clarity.
Although spacing between notes in
a fast tempo is common, trumpet play-
ers often connect notes in passages
such as the one in Be Glad Then,
America by William Schuman (Merion
Music).

r but the whole city took pride in the
There should be space between the
dotted eighth and sixteenth notes,
quarter notes, and even the half notes.
Space gives clarity to the music and
adds to the forward motion.
Someone once said that the two
most important members of a band are
the bass drummer and first cornet
player: the bass drummer helps main-
tain a steady tempo, and the cornetist
carries the melody. Unfortunately,
band directors who are not trumpet or
even brass players will have difficulty
helping the trumpet section master the
repertoire. If the trumpet line is flawed
with cracked notes and poor intona-
tion, a piece can fall apart. Directors
should know these problem spots
before beginning rehearsals and be
able to offer constructive suggestions
to the players. D get excited and involved and become
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National Intercollegiate Band
Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta
!igma fraternity and sorority will
ccept taped auditions from all college
tudents for membership in the
Jational Intercollegiate Band, which
'ill perform at their national conven-
lon July 27-29, 1997 in Scottsdale,
irizona. John L. Whitwell of Mich-
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lation call 800-543-6505.
Raessler, Continued from page 15
could see a difference in the Williams-
port program at the high school level,
program when it happened. With
change in the music program came
change in the community. People sud-
denly wanted to move into the city
because of the music program. Realtors
congratulated the school board for
what we had accomplished and urged
them to support our efforts. The
Yamaha Corporation noticed us be-
cause the local dealer went from a
small operation to a multi-million dol-
lar business in ten years. When
Gemeinhardt sent a research team to
find out how we had achieved such
success, they even asked people on the
street if they knew about the music
program; everybody did. All of this
happened because the music faculty
worked together for the good of the
students in the program.
As the ensembles improve, students
the program's best communicators;
success breeds success. The reputation
of the music program in Williamsport
also improved when students were
accepted at the larger and better col-
leges after graduation. At first music
students chose regional schools within
a 50-mile radius of the city, but sud-
denly we had graduates going to Ivy
League schools as well as major music
schools and conservatories. The guid-
ance people took credit for this, and I
was happy to give it to them, although
I knew music was helping students to
advance in the world.
Students begin by loving the teach-
er, but once they learn to love music,
there's no stopping them. Music edu-
cators are the only teachers who call
themselves directors, and they view
themselves differently. However, music
directors have to remember that they,
too, are educators and should always
work to dispel any suggestion that
music is a frill and not basic.
Although new teachers just out of
college are anxious to get their hands
on a performing group and make it
great, they should think of themselves
as teachers first, directors second, and
extra-curricular entertainment special-
ists third. A school district will try to
put new teachers in charge of district
entertainment, but they have to realize
that the primary job is to educate, not
entertain. The music teacher is the
one who sets the standards and is ulti-
mately responsible for the quality of
music education in any program. O
Honors and
Appointments
Pearl Corporation added Julie Davila
and Jim Casella to their clinic staff.
Davila is the percussion specialist for
John Overton High School in
Nashville and serves on the Percussive
Arts Society Marching Percussion
Committee and the Sport of the Art
Marching Percussion Advisory Com-
mittee. Casella is the percussion coor-
dinator and arranger for the Santa
Clara Vanguard drum and bugle corps,
an active performer with a number of
bay area symphonies, and principal
percussionist with the Peninsula
Symphony.
Sabian Ltd. announced two new
artists relations management positions.
Steve Oksenuk was promoted to
international artists relations manager.
Previously the East Coast manager,
Oksenuk will now be heavily involved
in Sabian clinic and festival activities.
Bobby Boos is the new artist relations
manager dealing with activities in the
United States and Canada. Boos is the
in-house product specialist providing
service for Sabian artists.
Chamber Music of America awarded
$1000 each to two outstanding teach-
ers who jointly won the 1997 Heidi
Castleman Award for Excellence in
Chamber Music Teaching. Lisa
Kozenko is director of the chamber
music program for the New York Youth
Symphony and is principal oboe of the
New York City Opera National
Company. Ann Crowden, director of
The Crowden School in Berkeley,
California, is a violinist from Scotland
who emigrated in 1965. Crowden also
serves on the faculty of the University
of California at Berkeley.
The American String Teachers
Association announced the winners of
the 1997 awards given for exceptional
leadership and commitment to the
string teaching profession: violinist
Franco Bulli, who won the Artist
Teacher Award; violinists Roland
Vamos and Almita Vamos, who
together won the Distinguished
Service Award; and veteran school
teacher E, Daniel Long, winner of the
Elizabeth A,H. Green School
Educator Award. Citations for excep-
tional leadership and merit were given
to Evelyn Elsing, cello; Margaret
Motter Ward, violin and viola; and
Mary Wagner, cello.
U A P f 'U 1 QG7 !