Buzz to Brilliance

Buzz to Brilliance engages students personally, technically and musically as they begin their study on the trumpet. The book journeys with students from the moment they first open their trumpet case to years later as they prepare for college auditions. It abounds with technical information and practical tips including buying a new trumpet, mouthpiece selection, adjusting to braces, and marching band.
Chapters on practice skills, sight-reading, and performing are a must-read for any musician, while special features give students a window into diverse worlds, from the workbench of a master repairman to the French horn studio of a master teacher. Drawings, diagrams and pictures invite students into each page, making even advanced technical concepts easy to understand.
Following the written portion of the book, a comprehensive set of scales and technique-building exercises address topics including breathing, high range, pedal tones, lip slurs, accuracy, articulation, and pedal tones. With practice schedules, mouthpiece comparison chart, pitch tendencies and more, this book is a treasure for any trumpet player.
Buzz to Brilliance is the perfect companion for any beginning method book, and the first text on the market that provides a comprehensive set of essential studies selected specifically for beginning and intermediate players.

Adrian Griffin is Adjunct Professor of Trumpet, University of Texas - San Antonio, Performer in the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and contributor to The Instrumentalist magazine

- 1.: Meet Your Trumpet
- This section introduces the parts of the trumpet and their basic assembly. Learn how to break in and oil your valves, grease your slides, and care for your new trumpet.
- 2.: Posture and Placement
- The best trumpeters look as good as they sound, and for a reason.
- 3.: Buzz to Brilliance
- You will learn how to set your embouchure, what to look for to make sure it is correct, and how to adjust your embouchure to fit your particular lip and teeth characteristics.
- 4.: Basics on the Trumpet
- What to expect as you start playing the trumpet, from learning the notes to emptying your water keys.
- 5.: Breathing
- You've been breathing for years, but blowing into a trumpet adds a new challenge. Playing trumpet will take your breathing into a whole new dimension!
- 6.: Accentuate Your Articulation
- Trumpeters are famous for their feats of articulation. Learn this skill correctly the first time, so your playing is crisp and clean at any speed.
- 7.: Warm-Up and Warm-Down
- Set up a successful practice with an intelligent warm-up, then prepare for the next practice with a good warm-down.
- 8.: Practice: Laying the Foundation
- The key to success lies in how well you practice, not just how much. Learn to set goals, focus on difficult parts, and refine your listening.
- 9.: Strength and Range
- Extending your range requires building excellent embouchure strength and control.
- 10.: The Perfect Note
- Advanced players train their ears and lips to produce the finest nuances of sound and pitch.
- 11.: Playing at the Extremes
- 12.: Trumpets and Mouthpieces
- As a more advanced player, you may be ready for a professional level trumpet and mouthpiece. This chapter will help you make the right choice.
- 13.: Adjusting to Braces
- These tips will help you make the transition to braces with minimal discomfort and adjustment.
- 14.: Sightreading
- Reading unfamiliar music is a skill that must be developed like any other. Learn the tricks of successful sightreading.
- 15.: Performance and Audition Success
- The key to success under pressure is good preparation, both physically and mentally. Seasoned performers have command on stage because they have command in the practice room!
- 16.: Marching Band
- You have to be there to know what goes into this exciting experience! Some things to expect as you start your first season.
- 17.: Trumpet Care and Repair
- Detailed instructions for cleaning your trumpet, having it repaired, and giving it an acid bath to remove heavy build-up inside the tubing.
- 18.: Musical Destinations
- Knowing what you're aiming for will keep you inspired and help you find the way to get there.
- Additional Resources
- Glossary
- [Appendix 1] Famous Trumpeters Every Student Should Know
- [Appendix 2] Practice Sheet
- [Appendix 3] Beginning Practice Schedule
- [Appendix 4] Intermediate Practice Schedule
- [Appendix 5] Trumpet and Cornet Fingering Chart
- [Appendix 6] Mouthpiece Comparison Chart
- [Appendix 7] Transposition Chart
- <1> Exercises and Technique Builders
- [Exercise 1] Breath Control
- [Exercise 2] Endurance
- [Exercise 3] Counting Beats
- [Exercise 4] Metronome Practice Drills
- [Exercise 5] Ever-Expanding Buzz
- [Exercise 6] Long Tones
- [Exercise 7] Extreme Dynamics
- [Exercise 8] Lip Bends
- [Exercise 9] Lip Slurs
- [Exercise 10] Arpeggio Flexibility Study
- [Exercise 11] Eight On, Two Off
- [Exercise 12] Articulation Studies
- [Exercise 13] Articulation Variations
- [Exercise 14] No Split Notes
- [Exercise 15] Accuracy Practice
- [Exercise 16] Tongue and Finger Coordination
- [Exercise 17] Stamp's Warm-Up
- [Exercise 18] Developing High Range
- [Exercise 19] Pedal Tones
- [Exercise 20] Finger Busters
- [Exercise 21] One-Octave Scales
- [Exercise 22] Two-Octave Scales