Who Is This Book For?
This is Vol. 2 of the Thompson Flexibility Studies for trumpet players. It is designed for intermediate trumpet players.
The intermediate level trumpet player is the largest, most populous group of players.
My best guess is that 70% - 80% of all trumpet players around the globe are intermediate players.
Think about it: Most beginners at some point after 2-3 years, will find themselves no longer a beginner, but a developing intermediate trumpet player. They no longer have to go to the back of their band builder trumpet book to look up a fingering. They typically know the difference in a whole note and a half note. They also have had experience playing in a few band concerts too.
So, all beginners turn into intermediate trumpet players in a few short years.
What happens then?
Most stay in the intermediate camp of trumpet players the rest of their life unless something special happens.
If an intermediate trumpet player develops notions of wanting to play high like Maynard Ferguson, or wanting to play great trumpet concertos like the Haydn and Hummel Trumpet Concertos in the style of Maurice Andre, or if they are constantly striving to play 1st trumpet parts and/or solo parts in their ensembles, a special thing may happen to these players:
ADVANCEMENT!
Because of their burning desires listed above, they may increase their practice time. They may involve themselves in months or years of private trumpet lessons. They may even help out first time beginners in 4th grade or 5th grade.
With a lot of hard, but fun work and experience, they might eventually join the ranks of the sparsely populated Advance Tier.
Not too many trumpet players around the globe are advanced trumpet players or professional trumpet players.
Some good, intermediate trumpet players may like to think that they are advanced, but more likely than not, it is wishful thinking on their part.
A good test to figure it all out would be to add up your concentrated practice sessions from when you began playing until present times.
1000 hours of good, solid trumpet practice will likely put you at the bottom rung on the ladder of advanced trumpet players.
It is not as easy or quick as you may think.
Let’s look at a typical scenario based on my almost 40 years of teaching experience as of the publication of this Vol. 2 version:
5th grade - Average 15 minutes a day of practice for a whole year. (Band practice does not count. Practice is what you are doing by yourself with the horn and some trumpet music.)
6th grade - Average 15 minutes a day of practice for a whole year.
7th grade - Average 30 minutes a day of practice for a whole year.
8th grade - Average 30 minutes a day of practice for a whole year.
9th grade - Average 30 minutes a day of practice for a whole year.
10th grade - Average 30 minutes a day of practice for a whole year.
If you add up all the practice time in the above scenario, you would be getting close to 1000 hours of practice.
How many trumpet students this young are religiously practicing the amounts listed above?
Not many.
The above time is for every single day of the year. 7 days a week, every month, all year long and never missing.
Based on that, it is likely that most trumpet players that start in 5th grade and graduate high school in 12th grade, never make it to the bottom rung of advanced trumpet players.
Thus, my analysis is correct: MOST trumpet players on the planet, at any time, in any country, city, state, or region are…Intermediate Trumpet Players!
It truly does take something special to allow you to transition to the advanced and professional levels of trumpet playing.
Each of you most likely has the ability to make it happen should you want to get better and become advanced, but the fact of the matter is, you can have a lot of fun playing trumpet as an intermediate level player.
It would not be too difficult to be able to enjoy playing trumpet all your life as an intermediate player especially if you were distracted by a very busy career and family life.
To become an advanced trumpet player, you would have to make sacrifices.
Big Time Sacrifices.
So, for now, just enjoy being where you are: Intermediate Level Trumpet.
I have limited the high range of this book to High G. The High G is the note that sits right on top of the treble clef staff.
It is my experience that most intermediate trumpet players would be served well by not having to worry about practicing their lip flexibility studies above High G.
Yes, I know you are eager to start popping out those high notes.
I am not telling you to refrain from playing high notes, but regarding your flexibility, a lot of progress can be made with a variety of exercises that utilize the notes in the staff as you will soon find out.
The exercises that follow are not a walk in the park either. There are some fun and decent challenges awaiting you here in Vol. 2.
Further, I am pricing this trumpet book lower than anywhere else you're going to find it online including Amazon.
Since I actually have the book in my possession, I can ship it out right away. Sometimes, Amazon shipping for books tends to be slow.
FREE MEDIA MAIL SHIPPING if you reside in the U.S.A. 50 states!
If you factor in the shipping and the overall price, your overall price here at Trumpetsizzle.com will be lower. Not to mention, if you request, I will be happy to sign the book for you.
Kurt Thompson
