Trumpet - D Major
(Concert C)
Long Tones in a different key
Practicing long tones in a different key can help expand your listening capabilities as well as address intonation from a different perspective. You can also directly apply your long tone work to the music you are performing.
Goals:
After Long Tones & Tuning
Play the Trumpet Tuning Page before this page.
Breath Control
Breathe to sustain the entire pitch
Listen & Watch
Listen to the model and watch a tuner
Look for Patterns
Make notes of consistent adjustments you are making
Mouthpiece & Instrument
Practice on your mouthpiece as well as the full instrument
Practice at different volumes
(Again, note the adjustments you need to make to center pitches at different volumes.)
D MAJOR (CON C) LONG TONES
Est. Time: 4-5 minutes
ADJUSTED NOTES *
These are common notes used in the Key of D that need pitch adjustments.
Play each of these pitches with the audio and adjust as necessary to center the pitch with the tuner.
D Major Intervals #1
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* Indicates notes that need adjustment. Bigger adjustments are indicated by larger * ‘s.
Get comfortable kicking the 1st and 3rd valve slides to lower the D to center.
Similarly, adjust the 1st valve slide slightly for E.
Return slides to normal position when not on low D or low E.
Center the upper pitches with the audio and the tuner.
D Major Intervals #2
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Center each pitch with the audio and the tuner.
Focus your air and your aperture to bring the C# and D up to pitch.
D Major Scale Ascending
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Be sure to kick 1st and 3rd slides on the low D.
Adjust 1st slide correctly for the E
Focus your air and your aperture to bring the C# and D up to pitch.
Center each pitch with the audio and the tuner.
D Major Intervals #3
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Center each pitch with the audio and the tuner.
Focus your air and your aperture to bring the C# and D up to pitch.
Properly adjust pitch with open & warm air moving to lower intervals - especially on the G.
D Major Intervals #4
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Internally hear the lower note before you play it.
Correctly move 1st Slide to center the pitch on the E.
Be sure to kick 1st and 3rd slides on the low D.
Center each pitch with the audio and the tuner.
D Major Scale Descending
FOCUS
Focus your air and your aperture to bring the C# and D up to pitch.
Use warm and open air to center pitches after the C#.
Kick 1st Slide to center the pitch on E.
Be sure to kick 1st and 3rd slides on the low D.
Center each pitch with the audio and the tuner.
Do I really need to make these adjustments? Does it really matter?
Listen to this recording to hear two trumpets playing together. One trumpet correctly adjusts when needed and the other trumpet plays into the natural tuning tendencies of each note.
Notice the waves on the notes that need adjusting.
Also notice how the G doesn’t sound as full as the other notes.
Pitches that don’t match lose resonance and volume.