How to Hold a Piccolo Trumpet

The piccolo trumpet comes with its own set of issues for posture and playability. Holding a piccolo trumpet is similar to holding a regular trumpet, but the hand position is much more compact, and the pinky of the right hand has to be placed in a specific location. Learning how to hold the piccolo trumpet is the first step toward learning how to play this difficult instrument. The benefit of playing the piccolo trumpet in addition to the B-flat trumpet is that you will have more performance opportunities that will help you find paying performances.

Step 1

Sit with proper posture. Your back should be straight, your shoulders relaxed and your head and neck should be loose and free of tension.

Step 2

With your right hand, wrap the thumb underneath the lead-pipe to help support the instrument. Place your index finger on the first valve, the middle finger on the second valve and the ring finger on the third valve. The pinky will rest on the side of the tubing that connects with the third valve.

Step 3

Curve your left thumb around the first valve casing beneath the right thumb. Place the remaining fingers along the side of the valves on the left-hand side and underneath the top of the piccolo trumpet tubing and above the tuning slides.

References

Dallas Music: Guide to Piccolo Trumpet [http://www.dallasmusic.org/gearhead/Piccolo%20Trumpet%20Guide.html]

Virginia Tech University: Piccolo Trumpet [http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textp/piccolotrumpet.html]

Comments

Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory

Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. So, I felt writing a blog post to celebrate would be appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged the conventions of Western music. He was influenced by the impressionist painters, the exotic sounds of gamelan music, and the symbolist poets. He created a musical language that was expressive, colorful, and atmospheric. One of the most remarkable aspects of Debussy's music is his use of harmony. He did not follow the rules of tonality and functional harmony that dominated the music of his time. Instead, he used modes, scales, chords, and parallel movements that created a sense of ambiguity and fluidity. He also experimented with timbre, texture, rhythm, and form to create musical images that evoked moods and emotions. Debussy's music can inspire us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities in our own compositions. We can learn from his innovative techniques and his artistic vision. We can also apprecia...

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no...

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str...

UreMusic Education

Search This Blog