Musician's Musings

Staring today and continuing until All-Region auditions at the start of December, I will be posting weekly practice suggestions to help you prepare for the TMEA All-State process. My goal in these posts is to suggest some supplemental material take can boost your fundamentals that you can then apply to the etudes. For a while we will focus on one etude a week but as we get closer to the audition date we'll make sure to keep all three etudes under our fingers. Be sure to come back every Monday at 9:00am CDT for the latest installment. 

Week 1 - Wurm Etude No. 26

The hard great thing about playing in minor keys is you're really dealing with three scales in one. In order to comfortably play this etude the performer should be comfortable with the d natural minor scale as well as harmonic and melodic minor. In addition to having our fingers feeling at home in d minor we need to make sure our tone is solid throughout the range on the piece (two full octaves from low b-flat to high b-flat.)

This week's practice regimen comes from the Arban's book. 

I. First Studies - No. 34 III. Scales - No. 57-62 III. Scales - No. 71 (Note: depending on which edition you're working from the pages numbers can be different but the chapters & exercise numbers should remain the same.)

For all these exercises, be mindful of the key signature. The Arban's book has a lot more studies in major than in minor so we're going to change some things to make this work for our needs. For each of the exercises, change the key signature so you are working in d-minor. Furthermore, be sure that you are practicing in all three types of minor scales (adding the necessary accidentals as you go.)

If these studies don't appear difficult to you from the start, it might be tempting to start flying through them at top speed. Be sure to keep in mind that we are working on two aspects of our performance this week, fingers dexterity and tone quality throughout the range. My suggestion is to start the week at a slow tempo and really focus on the quality of your sound. Can you make those high A's sounds just as full and dark as the your middle register? Over time you will build up your muscle memory in the fingers and by the end of the week you can push up the tempo. Lastly, be sure not to cut the staccatos too short, we want to insure we are playing with a full tone all the time. 

Best wishes as you begin your journey! 

www.jeffsummers.com

Greetings fellow trumpet players. Starting Monday I'll be starting a new series called "TMEA All-State Bootcamp". It's going to be a weekly series giving practice suggestions for anyone working on the Wurm etudes that are part of the TMEA All-State process for 2014-2015. 

Please be sure to come back every Monday morning at 9:00am CDT for the latest installment. Until then happy practicing and have a wonderful weekend!

TMEA 2014-2015 All-State Band Audition Etudes Cornet/Trumpet

Wurm – 40 Studies for Trumpet

Selection 3 Etude Title: No. 38 Tempo: Quarter Note = 84-100 (Play from beginning to end) Errata:          The articulation in m. 1 should match that of m.5.          The F in beat two of m. 8 should be an F-sharp.          The third beat of m. 28 may be treated as an 8th note as in mm. 8 & 16

Performance Guide:

This is a stylish piece, which has traditions in Polish dance that should be played with a great deal of character and exaggerated expression. If the etude is played too fast the style will not have as much musical impact. Special attention should be paid to the dynamics and mixed articulations. Taking care to begin the etude "piano" as marked and returning to the soft dynamic at mm. 9 and 32 will create an appropriate mood.

All trills should evolve from slow to fast rather than just a blur of fast notes. It is suggested that the notes at the end of mm. 8 and 16 be played with plenty of length for a musical release. This is also true for the quarter note at the end of m. 24. The performer is encouraged to play the dotted 16th notes in mm. 26, 27, 30 and 34 full value and the 32nd notes clearly for good musical affect.

Extra dynamics should added to express the performer’s musicality, particularly slight decrescendos or tapers at the ends of certain phrases (mm. 16, 24, etc.). 

TMEA 2014-2015 All-State Band Audition Etudes Cornet/Trumpet

Wurm – 40 Studies for Trumpet

Selection 2 Etude Title: No. 36 Tempo: Dotted Quarter Note = 40-52 (Play from beginning to end) Errata:          M. 4 – the three 16th notes after the first note should be slurred.          M. 21 – the two 8th notes on beats 4-5 should be slurred.

Performance Guide:

This is a very expressive and soloistic study that challenges the performer to demonstrate beautiful phrasing, quality of tone and control of the instrument from low F sharp to high C. This piece should never sound anxious and can be played with an appropriate sense of rubato. Phrase endings can slow down naturally, allowing for a good breath before beginning the next phrase (mm. 8, 16, 27-28).

The first two notes of m. 23 can slow down, allowing time for a good breath for the next phrase. M. 24 should not be rushed, rather played expansively as it leads to the subito pp in m. 25. The overall rhythm of the etude should be mastered first without the trills or grace notes. Adding these later will solidify the musical phrasing and overall learning process. As trills are added resist the temptation to play too many notes. The trills and grace notes (always placed before the beat in this style) should sound appropriately elegant, not hurried or compressed.

Though the overall dynamic is marked piano, the tone should always sound full and the performer, comfortable. There should be moments when a mf dynamic is reached for the sake of contrast. It is often helpful to think of the softest dynamics in a soloist way and as a color or character, rather than with just a concept of volume. Repetitive rhythmic figures such as those found in mm. 21-23 should be crafted and shaped for the sake of musical contrast and effect. 

TMEA 2014-2015 All-State Band Audition Etudes Cornet/Trumpet

Wurm – 40 Studies for Trumpet

Selection 1 Etude Title: No. 26 Tempo: Dotted Quarter Note = 60-72 (Play from beginning to end) Errata:          none

Performance Guide:

This etude in composed primarily in key of d minor. It will be very useful to become fluent in this key separately from the etude by practicing various scale patterns focusing on the d harmonic minor scale (which includes B-flat and C-sharp). Diminished 7th chords (made up of all minor 3rd intervals) are also present and should be mastered apart from the etude (mm. 24, 29, 34).

The only dynamic marking is mf, allowing the performer to craft the dynamics and phrasing according to their own taste and to convey a creative sense of musicality for the listener; efforts should made to provide clear dynamic contrasts throughout. It will be helpful to consider this etude in five parts: mm. 1-12; 13-21; 21-28; 29-downbeat of 36; 36-end.

It is appropriate to add a slight ritard at the end of each section to aid in preparing for a healthy breath for the next section. Careful attention should be given to the pitch on the low D’s and C- sharps, using the valve slide(s) to make proper adjustments. Though the non-slurred sixteenth notes are marked staccato, the performer is encouraged to play all these with a healthy tone and length (not too choppy) rather striving for the “illusion” of staccato. The proper sense of contemporary staccato style can be achieved by playing slightly detached or separated eighth notes and tonguing long 16th notes with a firm attack.