Easy Exercise to Start Improvising

[@ramoneugeniofazmorales5103]

"By learning how to be everyone else, we learn how to be ourselves eventually" - Mr Porter. Great deal of wisdom right there!

[@TheSilverhorn]

Charlie, I've been playing my trumpet for 55 years and I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your lessons. The thing with me is I am a really good horn player but I have been 'stuck' in my approach for many years. This simple lesson here has expanded my thinking and approach - very much. Wonderful stuff, Charlie!

[@Buddy-Ox]

That’s the way to teach bro!

[@GregMetzger-hv1sw]

Taking up trumpet after 58 years at year 72, appreciate you immensely! Greg

[@jimcarter7220]

Golly, I took trumpet lessons until my second year in college almost sixty years ago. I frequently asked my trumpet teacher how to improvise and he would suggest a book of chords. Nuts! So, I dropped out of playing my horn until I was 50ish and was invited to accompany the choir and our church's magnificent organ. The organist, Tim Smith, is tremendous, awesome, and in every way a wonderful musician - and I did a "come back." I had some remarkable performances using written as well as personally modified music to include "A Trumpeter's Prayer" a la Conrad Gozzo and "Amazing Grace" as written by Paul Haack, but added a final variation up an octave with shakes and glissandos (High T to triggered Low F - three octaves). However, I wasn't happy and transitioned to voice - at least, after lessons, no one laughed at my voice. Still unhappy - I like my horn but wasn't satisfied. So, here we are - taking a lesson from you, Mr Porter. I think this lesson will put me where I've always wanted to be. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your most excellent explanation about improvising. I can do this (I think). JWC (BTW: Nelson Hatt put me in touch with Tutti Camarata. He had introduced Tutti to Allen Vizzutti and, in turn, Tutti graciously gave me the score for "A Trumpeter's Prayer.":)

[@terrystrand]

I've been playing for decades and these tutorials are the best I have ever seen/heard. Natural, no baloney, from a talented jazz trumpeter. Thanx much for posting.

[@cooganbeggs4942]

I think youtube should make anyone who clicks “dislike” make a comment to explain themselves! Theres 42 people out there at the time of writing this with some serious explaining to do! This is gold maestro ...thank you for all you do and for sharing your amazing knowledge!

[@TheSilverhorn]

Perhaps the best lesson I have ever heard. Charlie you are a great teacher and you break down complex things into simple to grasp terms. I guarantee if I practice the things you are teaching, I will improve my jazz trumpeting (and piano playing) 1000% !

[@linusbao8650]

this is so helpful, thank you "by learning how to be everyone else, we learn how to be ourselves| ^thats barz bruh

[@a.d.thomas7349]

I love this, but trying to hear your talking points I have to turn up my volume, and then when you play a demonstration I have to turn my volume down. Thanks for these tips, most of us have either stopped playing over the years and trying to re-engage or just trying to get better.

[@francishanover5168]

I played all through high school. You’re giving me back my groove!! I’m 57. Omg. So much fun. Thank you

[@Aleks-91]

Charlie, This is the best expression, teaching, and communication of how to understand and pursue the foundation and soul of improvisation I have come across. You are a master teacher. You are very generous in taking your time to share your knowledge. Thank you.

[@ronaltomare]

You are heads above anyone Ive seen on KZbin regarding Trumpet, I just wished I had the kind of money you want for one-on-one lessons. Pls dont stop your KZbin tutorials

[@cobian2006]

charlie porter is phenomenal.

[@NiiAyi73]

I'm watching this after 8 good years But it looks like a present day lessons Thanks Mr.Porter you are really influencing my trumpet life as a newbie

[@esotericist]

I used to play trombone and picked up a trumpet a couple of years ago. Always wanted to know how to start improv. This YT vid has got me going at it. Brilliant.

[@DJLC0905]

Thank you very much Charlie for your lesson. I am 63 and I will try your method, I think it's the best I have already heard. It's never late to study...

[@williamvanbuskirk7562]

you are great Charlie, I have been playing for 30 yrs. and really learn a lot from you. I would recommend to viewers to do what I do. I watch every video numerous times and u will get something out of it u missed the first,second time and so on. Thanks for the help Charlie.

[@spum789]

this dude is a genius! and he breaks it down sooo much and u don't even have to study music theroy relentlessy in order to have a decent solo!

[@ChilesailorDR]

Three key concepts: imitation, assimilation, innovation. Got it Charlie. Thanks! (I put them here so I can remember as well share them.)

[@barrowmeoct04]

This is brilliant stuff. There are so many educational vids on youtube explaining, which notes to play, how to voice chords, how to play a lick etc etc, very useful stuff... but videos that hint at 'how' to practice the notes in context once you know which notes to play not easy to come by. This short video contains so much. Thank you!

[@wildabdat]

i've no basic in music theory,i play trumpet.one day i asked my friend,"how did u improvise in jazz?",he said "first u gotta learn how to read score,12 keys scale,chord,this,that,etc".i was like "wow that's plenty".recently my other friend told me "bro,just play it what you feel,use ur ear!u don't wanna spend ur entire life by learn all of it right?"he told me to play some blues.i still can't believe that i was pretty fits with the backing track. man,i love ur video.would love to be ur student!!

[@pauldance7387]

For a newbie I finally understand what improvising means, what a great teacher. You posses the process to keep it simple for us, not all teachers can do this. I know “ Marry had a little lamb” I am going to apply what you just taught me....I can play a few different scales I’ll use those to exit the main melody and then return to the main melody..... brilliant, sir.

[@egracyk]

This has turned my frustration of wanting to throw my Aebersold book across the room into wanting to pick up my horn and just start making music. I love the analogy of a baby learning how to talk, it makes me remember that no is an expert right away and to remain patient. Thank you! :)

[@MikeM91320]

Great video instruction. Took me several tries but I finally got it down. Not quite good enough to really improvise and go beyond one note at a time, but at least I got twinkle twinkle down, which gave me some motivation.

[@intrepidpooch]

Charlie, you're a brilliant educator; you're a total natural at explaining musical concepts in such an accessible and understandable way. I've pointed so many students of mine in the direction of your videos and they always truly take away some new understanding everytime they watch one of your videos. Keep up the beautiful work--you SOUND beautiful too by the way, I dig the warm sound you get on your numerous vintage horns (love that old Ambassador and that Conn 8B Artist you were playing on another video)!

[@hostenedouard9403]

Great wisdom mr Porter Rare way of making us feel it even without doing it So cristal clear !

[@MacMichael267]

Hi Charlie! I have always dreaded the moment when my high school big band leader came up to me (playing the trombone back then) and said: "The next solo is yours". Scared the shit out of me and very often I refused to play a solo. Why? Because I had not learned to listen and emulate. Now, at 45, having switched to the trumpet, which has always been the instrument of my dreams, I feel free and I ENJOY improvising, it´s natural, like singing. You hit the nail right on the head, very good lesson!

[@jillybet3]

I'll give it a go, thanks ❤

[@stelioskounadis2906]

Thank you Mr Charlie Porter. I am coming from Greece. Your lessons helping me very much.Wonderful stuff.

[@ariskoktsidis4442]

Stelios Kounadis I am Greek

[@YunaPayne]

Even though I started off with trumpet, I've mainly focused on the violin for 4 years before picking up the trumpet again. This is my 3rd year playing trumpet, having picked it up in my freshman year in high school, and it's so difficult to break the classical training I have, especially since I really want to play jazz. Problem is, I'm too scared to improvise because I never really knew how it worked. Thanks to you, I have a much clearer understanding! Thanks! I'm extremely thankful for this!

[@funnylittlehorn891]

I myself am a jazz teacher and I use a similar approach: playing melodies by ear, lerning melodies by heart, embellishing the melody. Between step 2 and 3 I would let the students invent own pickup phrases to the melody. And it´s important for pupils (and teachers) to listen to players like Bobby Hackett, Ruby Braff or maybe Earl Bostic who created real masterpieces of melody paraphrase.

[@JonHarnum]

Fantastic. Going straight from the page--as happens in school most often--is kind of a backwards way to learn. Great to see this, thanks for posting!

[@anaitslimane]

Hello Charlie, As a beginner in trumpet, I've watched all of your videos explaining how to learn that instrument and I thank you very much indeed for your great explanations. I play strings instruments since a while now and I totally agree with your approach to the improvisation. Really spot on mate. Keep up the great work. Cheers

[@yanyanlau6457]

Thats a really simple and good start to learn Improvisation. As a professional classical musician, it still helps me a lot. Many thanks!

[@captdennypa]

Charlie Porter, you are an amazing instructor! I am a beginner (at age 64) to playing a trumpet/cornet; and, your videos have been very helpful to me. I've got a long ways to go until I'm standing up on the stage next to Chris Botti, or my friend, Geoff Gallante; but I will not give up! Thank you for your very inspiring instructional videos! v/r Denny

[@olijomusic2481]

Thank you very much for this video. This seems much more reasonable than the way I've been improvising: just playing random notes like crazy and at some point I don't even know what note am I playing. There is a chance that it sounds good, but it often fails because I lose the focus on everything else.

[@АсорСолрак]

I am a beginner on trumpet and I'm feeling greatful with your excellent lesson, I hope one day develop my skills as your excellence, Thanks!

[@pankfan60]

Great video, Charlie. And great playing, too. You really show that there is structure and much aforethought to improvisation, and that it's something that can be learned. You make it very clear that it's not a skill reserved strictly for geniuses (but I'm sure that being one would help!) and you make it less mysterious for we foundling improvisors. Thanks a ton!

[@miettoisdev]

this linguistics approach is such a missing piece on ALL music lessons, regardless of which instrument! precious and intuitive rationale, thank you.

[@paulbarrett3805]

Hey Charlie... I wanted to tell you that you did an EXCEPTIONAL job with this video on improvisation! I have been playing for quite a while, piano/keyboards that is, an wanted to see what types of information was in the trumpet improv area on you tube. You really explained things with clarity and simplicity ...EVERYTHING made so much sense....I got so much out of this video....the concepts you went over are ones I will be working on THANK YOU ...!! paul barret south jersey, USA

[@Ntb.Johnny]

Thank you I loved how simple you made it!

[@bobbynunu12]

Your videos are so great! They help me out so much! Thank you so much for providing them for us!

[@NoName-tq7qc]

Thanks for putting this video online. I can clearly understand what you are explaining unlike many other KZbin videos.

[@koffipaulagbotongbe8654]

I love the video Charlie. I always wonder how I can improvise. Now I got the idea.

[@anaitslimane]

1- l'imitation: où il explique qu'il faut écouter et essayer de déchiffrer (à l'oreille) et de reproduire n'importe quelle chanson qui nous plait, il fait une analogie avecle bébé qui apprends à parler: écoute ses parents et essaye de reproduire les sons les plus basiques (maman, papa) 2- compréhension et la perfection de ce que l'on a imité

[@theWarriorUnknown]

This is the best explanation of how to start improvising and easy to understand,great video and all the best to you Charlie.

[@freddyaguilar2793]

Oh my goodness!!! This guy is insanely amazing!!! He makes it looks so easy!!!

[@acsolares2]

Charlie...thx! you are a really smart eloquent guy....I completely understand your complex concepts and will try and apply them...Keep it up!

[@austinhernandez2716]

This was extremely helpful. I audition for ga all state jazz ensemble in exactly 3 weeks. I'm very confident about the etudes, but horrified about the improvisation. That's what killed me last year. I've had similar advice given to me from a private lesson with college jazz professor and trumpeter Thomas Heflin last week. Thank you so much!

[@trumpsahead]

Damn that was good. Your baby analogy is great. I get bogged down trying to play improv then get discouraged & go harder on the mechanics, then back again to the improvs - I still suck, but improving. You make me feel I'm on the right track with ear training. I'm at that point for the 1000th time reremembering that a long warmup makes me limber enough to experiment and jump around on the trumpet easier. I do full range maj scales as warmup, then 2-5-1 maj & min scales before improv. Thanks.

[@scott_maness]

Thank you so much for posting this video. I had a teacher once that told me to do nursery rhymes in learning to improvise, but with this video all the pieces are put into place. Thank you for your very real and very kind approach to teaching.

[@anjarobbens6260]

Hi Charlie, Thank you for your great videos! You are a great trumpet player and teacher!

[@Ganwille]

You changed my mindset totally, I feel much more into it now. Thanks

[@channingmusic]

Super wonderful way to organize such a vast realm of music! Thank you!

[@amv4uav]

Thank you Charlie for these great videos , they are really inspiring for me I'm am 54 years old and have been playing on and off with the trumpet . You really make some one pickup the trumpet and start playing again, keep up these great videos. God Bless you.

[@violinoscar]

Hi Charlie. I really like your tone. Warm and big. I am a professional jazz guitarist/pianist, but I will be dropping these when my chromatic harmonica becomes gig worthy. Arthritis makes playing a nightmare from hell. 10 years ago I took up the trumpet. I really worked hard at this and built my practice up to 2 hours a day. However, after 18 months I still didn't have the range to play with any satisfaction. My highest note was G above the staff and this was unreliable. Notes below low C down to F# sounded floppy and poor. This wasn't the teaching at fault. I had a good teacher. The bottom line is that some people should not play some instruments. Bob Dylan should have never played the mouth organ. I was really happy to hear your philosophy on improvising; it is one I share with you. In '92 I attended a workshop by Bobby Shew. His advise was identical to your own. He added that we should hear an imaginary rhythm section as we play. Thanks for posting this important tutorial.

[@zcb84]

All great advice man! Certainly a help to me in putting ideas and concepts into words for my own teaching. Keep up the great work! You sound fantastic!

[@leonidkorhsenevskyy7598]

Чарли, я думаю что многие начинающие музыканты, могут сказать огромное спасибо за урок.

[@Diaaze]

You are a remarkable teacher!

[@Woodworker360]

Craaazy good lesson on concepts that transcends the instrument and applies to learning music in general. You're a crazy talented teacher.

[@francocappadoro7855]

Thanks Charlie! Very cool approach and very effective. Smart and Personable!

[@kenjett2434]

What a great lesson wish someone had showed me this many years ago. Like you said my music teacher through a beginner's book at me and taught me the notes and how to read music. Unfortunately when olaying horns i got locked into that and wasnt able to expand being reliant on sheet music. I did learn guitar by ear but never understood how to transfer that to the horns. Then i was out of school and working and never got a chance to go back to the horns. I majored on trumpet and saxophone and was good enough to get accepted into Marshall Universities music department through audition. . Unfortunately i wasnt able to go because of curves life throw at you. I'm 61 now and not likely i would be able to pick it back up. Dont believe i could ever regain my lips after so many years and my age.

[@TGGroot]

Thank for this video lessen that inspires me here in Holland.

[@ErikNelson3000]

Thanks for doing all these great vids. You're a very good teacher and player. Extremely valuable content for me. Love it.

[@bolekwr]

Charlie. Your video is very good . Thank you so much for posting it

[@meaty109]

Great stuff Charlie... I'm one of these guys that's try to pickup my horn again after many years. You have a natural ability to teach. Many Thanks

[@francoisfran3574]

Being like babies... Thanks a billion for this simple but deep advice. Was expecting some scales lessons but I now know there' s another way... to be myself . Cheers from France. Take care.

[@JayBerckley]

Charlie, this is a great compliment to your growing musical influence. Thanks for keeping the music honest, sincere, and ever-creative! Best wishes...

[@bleedinghandshughes]

i'm so glad to watch this! i'm learning trumpet at the moment, great lesson

[@guillermogomez6895]

Gracias por tus consejos; son de gran ayuda!! Es una gran suerte disponer de tus videos!!

[@bobbyricelatinjazzbigband]

I liked the written description and left you a video response too.

[@sandyisrael9924]

To learn to play well the melody of any song, Get the recording and memorize and match the timing exactly. Memorize the words to one verse and one Chorus and learn exactly what notes the singer is singing on your instrument. Vocal lines are often much more complex than you expect once you begin to study them. (Slow down software such as "transcribe!" is extremely helpful.) And then play the melody over and over with and without the record until you can sing the part in your head while playing it exactly on top of the singer's timing. This will always create a beautiful, musically sound, and usually professional-sounding solo relatively quickly and without having to make up anything on your own. If someone responds that this was helpful, I can say more.

[@odarrien]

I really like the way you explained this. I'm gonna give this approach a shot!!

[@namtil]

I had to smile when listening to your intro, because I use exactly the same explanation with my students - le. we're improvising in our unscripted verbal conversation, and so on. If you don't mind, I'll link them your video so they can hear your concepts as well as mine. Thank you.

[@claudioturcheschi3956]

left and right brain is what I had been thinking of right from the start, so when you actually said it I went like: there you are! I've been singing in choirs for many years and it's always striken me how people I'd heard sing beautifully before the rehearsal could sound awful with a music sheet in their hands... Thanx for your great advice

[@knotskop]

Nice to have your lesson's on KZbin.

[@amv4uav]

Buy the way ,I will try your lessons ,their great ,keep it up, you really have a talent for it, I mean teaching ,don't stop please.

[@Skeu74]

Hi there, thank you for the wonderful video. Been trying to learn to play Jazz with a trumpet for most of my life (mostly self-tought). Recently managing to learn most important scales(majors,minors,7ths), still not really managing to create nice music when I improvise. Im going to give it a go at you method, you never know. Thank you again.

[@LucasVenda]

You're the man, Porter. Thanks so much, rly. I love your vids. You've a great didactic.

[@jaztrumpet]

What a great explanation of how to begin the process of improvisation! I wish I could take some lessons from you as well.

[@edbaumgartner6243]

EXCELLENT! Thanks for the lesson.

[@contented9626]

Thanks, Charlie. Three steps: imitate, assimilate, innovate. Good luck!

[@theobeulakker3492]

Very well explained how to start trying to make something out of a simple melody, What fascinates me is to keep track of the melody and chords, especially in a song totally improvised.. I was fond of Papa Bue's jazz band in my teens such nice inovative melodies. thanks for these video's

[@roflrolf1782]

I like to improvise in F (only one b) because you basically just need to move your first finger, if your playing a little bit higher

[@ps3598]

Thank you sooo much! This is just awesome: clearly presented, understable just what i've beed looking for!

[@imissthepotters]

Thank you so much I just got into jazz this year and this was very helpful

[@Anahiem]

Well this really helped. I have a much better understanding now. Thanks Charlie!!

[@LuisLopez-no7jr]

Bro, this is music to my ears 👂 . I now have homework 📄. Thank you 🙏.

[@itisjinny]

Thank you Charlie!! This is awesome 🎉

[@Ranchero01]

WOW..! What a wonderful lesson. You really master the skills of a great teacher....!

[@adamjetsmets]

good tips, the only thing, twinkle twinkle that you are playing is in b flat major, c for a trumpet, if it was c major you would be playing f sharps on horn

[@elizabethbradt4385]

Wow Charlie you are the best teacher. He teaches so good

[@FineEpicArt777]

Dude, nice job on the video and instruction. I've seen some of your stuff before and you are a talented player. Keep learning and inspiring others.

[@newtcoll11]

Thanks, I play trumpet and trombone. This is great! Just added a Yamaha Digital Horn to my collection.

[@andresbercellini]

BRILLIANT. thank you for posting this simply explanation and amazing method you have of mind shortcuting the "squared" tipical pedagogy. sorry for my bad english

[@thepepper7720]

Incredible Love your language and the infos as well thanks a lot

[@joby19881]

Brilliant advice Charlie, thanks very much!

[@sylviawaithe9971]

Thank you Mr Porter. Really helpful video.

[@KristianGemini]

Your awesome! Thank you so much for educating those to improvise,its hard getting in,but once you do,its just smooth sailing transcribing and all that :)

[@Ch4id10]

Thank you so much I'm pretty good at the trumpet but I've always been awkward with improve