Best books about musical brass instruments according to redditors
We found 90 Reddit comments discussing the best books about musical brass instruments. We ranked the 46 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Lol at the person who already mentioned Jaco, he really is the god around here. And for good reason. But seriously, great jazz solo stuff. check out Chromatic Fantasy, Portrait of Tracy, and if youre really up to the challenge, Donna Lee.
Im sure you could easily make your own solo arrangements of Blackbird or Teen Town as well.
Transcriptions of all of those can be found in The Essential Jaco for like $15 used as well. I have it, and most of it is very accurate (I think a few notes in Donna Lee are just a tad off, but I digress.)
I'm not a huge fan of his music, but Vic Wooten is another one I'm sure you would enjoy at least checking out. Classical Thump and Amazing Grace are some Essentials, although neither are super jazzy.
Hope that is a good starting point!
I doubt it was an actual solo book, but more likely Arban's Famous Method for Trombone. A number of bassists have used this successfully. As a brass/bass doubler, the etudes in this book are a little more interesting and musical than what you'd find in the Simandl or similar bass methods.
Guarantee that if you can play the entire scope of this book, you'd definitely, one hundred percent, without a doubt, be a monster on bass. It will take tons of work, though!
Welcome to the instrument.
What you basically need is (obviously) a foundation. This is a warm-up set devised by Toby Oft, principal trombonist of the BSO. It has the dual purpose of fulfilling the desired foundation with long tones and flexibility, as well as being a warmup. Skip or simplify any of the exercises that are too hard for now - if you hammer away at this set day after day, eventually you can just breeze through them.
The next thing you need is a book on technique. I personally prefer the Arban method, but lots of other alternatives exist. The Arban is broken up into subjects: rhythmical, multiple tonguing, flexibility, etc. Take one exercise from several sections (say, five or six) per week.
Finally, choose a piece to work towards. At this level, if you're having trouble finding trombone pieces that are worth working towards, consider playing a cello piece (since the two instruments have similar ranges).
The Arban is a great investment for long-term, often called the trumpet player's Bible, but I'd never hand it to a beginner and tell them to go wild. Too easy to develop bad embouchure techniques playing hard/high stuff or burn out from overly challenging material. Still good to have around, especially if you can have a more experienced player/director pick out specific exercises for you (plus there are old edition pdf's that can be found online for free) but here are some more beginner-friendly recommendations.
First of all, get a trumpet method book. I'd go with whatever your school uses if that still applies to you, but if you need recommendations we use Essential Elements in my district - I like the online practice stuff. We've also used Measures of Success which is also good, and was written by some great composers.
I love this book for beginners. It's got etudes that are more musical and not as boring but are still super helpful. This one is for very early beginners, but there's a second one that jumps up a good bit in difficulty. I like this one a lot - we use it in Illinois for our middle school state festival auditions.
For some more "serious" books that are commonly recognized, Chicowicz's flow studies and long tone studies are good for warmups/tone production, and the Clarke studies are great to get your fingers moving. All of these are a little more challenging and arguably more dry so proceed with caution, but they're excellent industry standards that will make you great.
Finally here's one of my favorites if the earlier etude books were too easy for you. This is definitely more challenging but I love it because it's got studies in every major and natural minor key that are fun and musical, plus some bonus scale stuff at the end.
If you have more specific questions or would like more recommendations feel free to reply or pm me. For now it's getting late and all my trumpet books are out in my car so I can't remember anything else. Best of luck!
Edit: First of all, I format like an old man. Second, I actually carefully read your post, so here's some things to investigate on Youtube beyond just these books: trumpet embouchure first and foremost, long tones, breathing exercises (the breathing gym is a good place to start), and key signatures if you're not already well versed in them - you're gonna see different ones more frequently than you're used to on mallet percussion. Also, please try to find someone to help teach you. There's no substitute for in-person instruction, and a good teacher is going to be able to tell you things in more detail and prevent bad habits before they get their grips on you.
What I'm going to say, I'm not saying maliciously. You need to stop being short-sighted and wanting instant gratification. You're not very good right now and you're not going to be good for a while. You need to make a practice schedule and stick to it. The tone, range, dexterity, and reading skills will come eventually through hard-work and dedication.
This is a great website for ear-training: http://www.musictheory.net/exercises
Beginning books: Clarke, Irons, Schlossberg
Good beginning pieces to work towards, (I've included links to videos and purchasing sites): Charlier Etudes 1 & 2, Leroy Anderson's Trumpeter's Lullaby, Handel's Aria Con Variazioni, Jules Levy's Grand Russian Fantasia
Found it. It is called Advanced Modern Rock Guitar Improvisation by Jon Finn
Here is the warp principle
Here is the shape concept
Here are the shapes applied vertically (ie scales, OPs point)
Here are the shapes applied horizontally
It goes into other mind blowing stuff (adding notes in between the boxes), but I didn't go through with it.
I use the Getchell book with my beginning students once they have started to read music and can play up to C in the staff. It’s a good progressive etude book.
Other than that, play what you like!
>Arban's artistic ideals, his sound musicianship, and invaluable instructive principles were perpetuated in his splendid "Method for the Cornet", which has maintained the very highest position among similar instructive works.
>Its practical superiority, as well as artistic plan, has never been surpassed and as proven by the present new transposed edition, its fundamental pedagogic principles are as adaptable and serviceable for other brass instruments as the one for which it was originally conceived.
Link to amazon page
Don't close up your throat, and don't force your horn into your face when you play, It will exhaust the muscles that form the embouchure and weaken them by restricting blood flow. Raise the tongue when you blow. It will take practice and endurance. Warm up with fundamentals. Id recommend The Art of French Horn Playing for any horn player
Here's what I learned to use for buzzing: The Buzzing Book (Complete Method) for Trumpet and Other Treble Clef Brass Instruments with MP3 Accompaniments https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UJY3T0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_QKSAyb0GVP259
Mel Bay Presents Advanced Modern Rock Guitar Improvisation by Jon Finn. Great Book! Both pentatonics and the other major/minor modes can be broken down this way.
http://www.amazon.com/Presents-Advanced-Modern-Guitar-Improvisation/dp/0786668660/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405726531&sr=1-1&keywords=jon+finn
This is a fantastic book, but I don't think it's necessarily a good starting place for Afro-Cuban rhythms. Work through the Malabe book and at least get started in the Uribe book first.
You obviously know how to play a wind instrument, so that's an explanation about air that doesn't need to happen. One thing most people don't consider before jumping onto another instrument, after having played one for a while, is that they're not strictly a beginner.
The best thing you can do, is be patient with yourself. Don't over-extend to the point where you clearly know you're not benefiting yourself in practicing. I'd recommend practicing in 15-20 minutes intervals, rather than long sessions that just create lactic acid build-up in muscles, and are in turn counter-productive to development, and very often cause bad habits due to poor reactionary technique.
That said, long tones will help you figure out fingerings, and coordinate your facial muscles to do what they need to. Trumpet isn't about strength, but rather, making sure you've trained your face to play the thing without more effort than you have to put into it. Once you've got a good grasp on fingerings and facial facility, learn scales (all of them, would be nice). This will be the quickest process to making your knowledge of fingerings applicable.
I should add, by the way, that you should do the long-tones with a tuner in front of you. Pitch can get wacky, and most people try to play sharp due to their perception of where the note really is. This will train you to eliminate that issue. Marching band tends to sour anyone's sense of pitch anyway.
When you're acquainted with fingering patterns and whatnot, you might do well to invest in a good of easy-to-intermediate etudes. I'd recommend Getchell - First Book of Practical Studies for Trumpet & Cornet. I use this book with a lot of my students, and it generally carries you a long way, if you commit to playing things absolutely clearly. Pay attention to the articulation and dynamic markings very closely. They're not difficult nor vague, so this is an easy task if you can muster the concentration.
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Since you'll be doing marching band on trumpet, I omitted a few things that might've otherwise been helpful to have under your belt. For instance, every marching band does some sort of flexibility study (at least among the brass section) as a warm-up. That'll give you a good idea about slurring between partials of the harmonic series, and reinforce the knowledge of fingerings.
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If it matters for context, though...
I'm a professional trumpet player who also teaches a collection of students. I do marching band camps when in season, often perform repairs on brass instruments, and write for all sorts of pop/top 40/rock/R&B/Funk/Soul/Latin/Ska groups. While I'm mostly a freelance performer doing random gigs all the time, I do work for a major company as in-house entertainment, and have played with scores of Grammy-Winning artists. My students normally receive superiors at Solo & Ensemble, and several have gone on to great music colleges within the United States. I also cook.
The Beeler Method is a bit older. It's like the others for the most part. Here's a link:https://www.amazon.com/Beeler-Method-Cornet-Walter-Instruments/dp/0769225667
Also consider starting your student early on books like the Arban's, Clarke's Technical Studies, and Charles Colin's Advanced Lip Flexibilities for Trumpet.
The most economical thing to do would be to pick up an Olds Ambassador from eBay, you can get them for around $100 in good condition. To get back into playing you'll need to do a lot of long tones and lip slurs, my favorite complete warm up method was compiled by Greg Wing, based upon his studies with Bill Adams, found here. You could pick up an Arbans book for some etude playing, I also recommend the Getchell books, the etudes aren't too hard but can get tricky enough to be rewarding. That should get you started if you're serious you might want to think about picking up some other method books, Clarke, Schossberg, Irons, and Saint-Jacome are some of my favorites.
Grab this, do the high attack exercises, grab any flexibility exercises, I have a Hector McDonald routine, Stamp is also great, but anything that gets you sustained high work is the way to go. Try this pressure reducing exercise: Sustain a C in the stave, slowly move the leadpipe away from from lips until you're barely holding on to that sound, then pull back in until you get a good tone again. It'll help train you to use less pressure, and when you play high, on-mouth pressure is the enemy. That takes care of the technical side
Process cues: Think lower air to go high. imagine the air dropping lower and lower as you go higher, it'll help keep the back of the throat open, and you need a lot of core support to get there anyway. Tighter lips isn't really it, it's fast air, a whistling sensation that pops you into the upper partials, meaty support in the lips and most essentially: singing brain. Tongue lift is also important, if you can whistle, as the sound goes higher the back of your tongue comes up. Same thing happens in the horn, so, something to think about.
If all else fails, work with a high specialist in person to get exact diagnostics on your present play style. tbqh, everyone has their natural limits. I'm never going to get down to double pedal C if I live to be 100, but I can get that E above the stave no drama llama ;-)
OK, I've recommended this book on this subreddit before and will continue to. This book is amazing. Advanced Modern Rock Guitar Improvisation by Jon Finn is pretty spectacular. I took the class that he wrote the book around and it's pretty eye opening. I can't rep a single book harder when it comes to just straight ahead practical rock playing with a solid theoretical background.
After that, Chord Chemistry by Ted Greene is a classic and every guitar player should have a copy.
Based on this, I would recommend the Getchell First and Second Book(s) of Practical Studies. I used these for transposition exercises in college, but I've used them with intermediate students for sight reading or lyrical work.
Sounds like they would work out well for you. If you want some more "musical" stuff to play, try the Canadian Brass Book of Beginning Trumpet Solos - it even has an accompaniment CD.
Any reason why your teacher is telling you that you have no chance??
For my audition I just played a few drum set grooves (swing, bossa nova, samba, 3/4 swing, and a ballad), sight read a snare drum solo, and sight read a marimba piece. I had already spent a semester in the percussion ensemble (because I originally wanted to be an English major, but after meeting the faculty of both departments I settled on music) so my teacher already knew me and had a good idea of my skill level.
My first semester was mainly rudiments and solos from Cirone's portraits in rhythm. Pretty much snare drum only focusing on building my technique. My next semester I got started on Frank Malabe's Afro-Cuban book and John Riley's Art of Bop Drumming. Beyond that I worked through Riley's Beyond Bop Drumming, Ed Uribe's book on Afro-Cuban drumming, and his book on Brazilian drumming. After that I spent a lot of time working on solo transcriptions, playing pieces that my instructor and I picked out for drums and vibes, jamming with my instructor on vibes or on drum set, and working on pieces that I was writing. By the end at lot of what I was doing was driven by my interests and what I wanted to work on to improve.
As far as the music department as a whole I took your standard history, theory, aural skills, and piano classes, along with tons and tons of ensembles.
Are you sure you need to ~replace~ the springs? It's often possible to adjust the spring tension just by some careful bending of the wire spring. Not sure about your bari, but on both my alto and tenor, the springs for the side Bb and C keys are easily accessible from the side. (It's fairly easy to do -- but then I'm the sort who does a lot of my own maintenance and repair work.)
If you're anticipating doing a lot of your own repairs in the future, a good reference book is Hayne's "Saxophone Manual", written by Stephen Howard. Here's a link to it....
http://www.amazon.com/Saxophone-Manual-Choosing-Setting-Maintaining/dp/1844256383
Regarding neck corks, you might want to have a look at the Music Medic website. (Disclosure -- I buy a lot of my repair parts from Music Medic, but I don't have any financial association with the company.) They've got some very clear, straightforward, and detailed instructions on doing lots of different repair procedures. They sell a nice neck recorking kit with the cork already beveled on one side. I believe it's about $6 -- and they'll ship it free to a US address. You'll need to have a bit of fine sandpaper, a utility knife, straightedge, and some contact cement in addition to the kit, if you want to recork it yourself. Music Medic also carries springs, if you do indeed need replacement ones -- as well as the proper pliers for doing spring replacement.
Hope this helps!
No notes, minimal knowledge of music theory, no lessons.... I can't say this is a recipe for success. Can one become a poet without knowledge of words and grammar?
Now, are you willing to increase your skills and abilities in notes and music theory? If you are, I would strongly recommend (if you refuse lessons) to spend the ~$5 on a method book, like standard of excellence. This book, while full of really lame music, will give you foundational skills and information,and you'll learn to read music! Use youtube for interesting and fun things to play.
>The instrument seems pretty simple and highly intuitive, unlike a guitar for example.
Actually, I think the trombone is more like a guitar than any other wind instrument. Kind of like a guitar in reverse and you can only use one string at a time.
I don't want to discourage you from starting, but you seem to want something for nothing here. There's a reason lessons are expensive. This shit's hard, but rewarding. Open your mind to learning to read and a little theory. It's not so bad.
another great book, kind of an encylopedia reference http://www.amazon.com/The-Essence-Afro-Cuban-Percussion-Drum/dp/1576236196
[this is better] (http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Jaco-Pastorius-Recorded-Versions/dp/0634017675/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396495436&sr=1-1&keywords=jaco+pastorius)
It has both notation and tabs. Nice comparison when learning to read...
Oh man...you just reminded me of my favorite warm-up book, the Remington Warm-Up Studies. Dang it, now I have to go find it again.
Most long tone exercises come from a book called The Remington Warm-Up Exercises.
This book has Portrait of Tracy transcribed correctly in standard notation, and also includes tablature. Normally I am opposed to tabs in all their forms, but in this case they're very helpful as they show you the proper places to play the harmonics, which are not always very obvious. This should be a good place to learn from, good luck!
I agree with u/thomasJCK on the trumpet suggestions.
Regarding books, you could try Arban's.. since you can download it for free from imslp.org http://imslp.org/wiki/Method_for_the_Cornet_(Arban%2C_Jean-Baptiste)
Though it's definitely not the best for beginners.
I've recently bought these for my kids.
Thanks! Is it this one? https://www.amazon.com/Arbans-Complete-Conservatory-Method-Trumpet/dp/162654039X/ref=nodl_
I love Joe Singer's Embouchure Builder. Great book.
Get a private teacher and/or start reading up. I can recommend the following:
The DeRosa/Reynolds are more advanced, while the Farkas talks about basics -> advanced. Highly recommend the warmup/exercises in the Reynolds and DeRosa though, the farkas can be....strenuous. Your high school band director should know enough to help you with the basics as well.
Hit up your local college's music library; they may have copies of the above, and if nothing else you can sit there for half an hour and skim or copy down the exercises.
Credentials: Licensed Music Educator, 2nd Year in Master's in Performance
Edit: Generic rule: If you feel tight, you are probably doing something wrong. Relax!
Since you played Euphonium and a bit of Trombone before, is it safe to assume that you can read music (and specifically the Bass Clef)?
I've always liked the 'standard of excellence' beginner method books. You can get all 3 for around $25 from your local music store or online. Having played before you may be able to skip the first one and go right to the second, but it might be a good idea to zip through the first one anyway as a refresher. After that something like the Arbans or Rubank book as well as the Rochut book are good 'intermediate' books.
As for condition - for trombone it's all about the slide. dents in the bell section don't matter at all, they might even add a little character to your sound. Dents in the slide are a big deal. You'll want to clean the horn very well in lukewarm water with just a hint of dish soap, clean the outside well with a clean rag, the inside with a slide snake (you can get these from any music store if you don't have one already), and then lube up the slide well with your favourite product (I like 'Slide-o-Mix', others are fans of Trombotine, please don't use valve oil). The slide should have almost no resistance once it's clean and properly lubricated.
If your slide is dented or out of alignment, a reputable repair shop should be able to sort it out for ~$60-100 (depending on how bad it is). I highly suggest you ask for recommendations from local musicians or the trombone.org boards before getting slide work done though - an unskilled repairman can do more damage than good on a trombone slide.
Arbans
Saint Jacome
Clarke
Schlossberg
And my personal favorite The Embouchure Builder
I was referring to James Stamp and a book of his. The first part of my warm-up routine is a modified version of one of his exercises. I have a rehearsal tonight, but if I find time tomorrow I'll try to record a demonstration video of what I do.
As for range stuff, I've seen a variety of methods that mostly have a tonic-fifth movement in them. Here is one I found that basically covers the same stuff. Doing this as a part of your daily routine is a great way to built your range over time without busting your face. Just follow the instructions and the three strikes you're out rule.
Also, if you find that you're needing the 14A4a for your gigs, just go ahead and use it full time during a show. It's usually best not to switch around throughout the night which a lot of people try. I would still suggest practicing on something like the 3C for fundamentals, but before a show, if you're gonna need a lot of stuff over C, go ahead and warm up on the Schilke so that you don't end up with slotting problems and bottoming out because you're lips are swollen from a deeper cup.
Essentially anything out of a Clarke or Kopprasch studies book would be great for a technical etude. I would look in the Pottag horn book for lyrical exercises.
These books are staples in college so it wouldn't hurt to invest early.
Kopprasch
Clarke
Pottag
If you're teaching yourself, get a book with exercises, etudes, etc. If you choose mellophone, trumpet books will work perfectly. There are a million to choose from. I like Schlossberg for exercises and Getchell for etudes (the second book is good too).
Disclaimer: I am not a music teacher.
"Lip Flexibilities for All Brass Instruments" by Bai Lin
"Mastering the Horn's Low Register" by Randy Gardner
"40 (Forty) Characteristic Etudes French Horn" Kling
The last 2 are must haves for any performance studio. The first I've seen great results with.
That one would work but I would suggest starting with this one first. First Book of Practical Studies Practice the first 7 exercises every day till you can knock them out damn near perfect. At that point drop the first one and tack on the next one (#8). Continue to do the same thing until you are playing the last 7 in the book. They are easier than the other book but if you are truly able to knock this book out without issue, then up the BPM. On that note, you should always have your metronome ticking away.
The first thing you need to get for him is the 1st Getchell book. Link below. I don't know how to make hyperlinks all nice and fancy. So sorry for the big long link. This is a great book for beginners. He will spend a long time on each of them, but it is well worth it..and will help him start reading music. Don't let him write in fingerings!!! But to answer your question about buzzing, lets say he is working on the first etude in the Getchell book. He would sing the first 4 bars, then try his hardest to buzz it. Then sing it again, then play it. That should be the method for EVERYTHING he does on the horn. I'm working on my DMA in trumpet performance and I still do this with absolutely everything I play. Also, Smart music has some wonderful play along things (with piano/band/orchestra) that are super easy and fun for kids to get into. BTW, lots of people, including myself, give skype lessons all the time. With beginners, one or two lessons really go a long way. When it comes down to it, the kid has got to figure it out on their own, but with little nudges in the right direction, they will be well on their way.
(http://www.amazon.com/First-Book-Practical-Studies-Trumpet/dp/0769219578/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409615395&sr=8-1&keywords=getchell+trumpet)
Right. And I'm not saying dont buzz, but be careful not to do hours of just buzzing. Here's the book with the routine. Its touted by a large amount of players for being the reason they play so well. It didnt work for me in college, but I've come back to it and have been enjoying it a lot more and feeling better chopwise. Its best to have a teacher take you through it to do it properly. Or read about it online.
https://www.amazon.com/Technical-Studies-Cornet-English-German/dp/0825801583
I'm not sure what a cornet is, but this works great for trumpet. ;)
This is a fantastic explanation, and is also described in more detail in Jon Finn's excellent book: Advanced Modern Rock Guitar Improvisation
Here's a link to buy the book on amazon. It's a staple for many trumpeters, both professional and amateur.
There's something similar in Jon Finn's Advanced Modern Rock Guitar Improvisation although I think he only applies it for the pentatonic scales. It's been a long time since I've read it though.