How to Learn the Piccolo Trumpet

[@t.l.williams3684]

I love the way you make it fun and approachable. Great wisdom for the piccolo trumpet. Spot on! Thanks for reminding me of a number of points that I had forgotten.

[@rextrumpet]

Thank you T.L.!

[@ChallengerAndyOfficial]

Wow! Love your tone. I haven't heard it played too often, but the way the articulation usually sounds is just irksome to me, but you sound wonderful! Looking into getting one mainly for just arranging purposes rather than becoming proficient on it, but they are so darn expensive

[@rextrumpet]

Thank you so much for these kind remarks! Piccolos are indeed pricey, but you might be able to find a great used one for a good price.

[@michaelfoxbrass]

Very useful information on approaching the piccolo trumpet, Rex. I appreciate the discipline and focus you apply to study and mastery of every aspect of our horn(s), and music overall!

[@rextrumpet]

Thanks so much Michael!

[@UKTrumpetmike]

Wish someone had given the young me the advice at 5.25 - first piece I performed on a (borrowed!) piccolo was Brandenburg. Took a few years to recover/adjust and start playing the piccolo "properly" after starting with that one.

[@rextrumpet]

Hey mate! Sorry I missed this!! Yes, it's very easy for a kid to bust their chops up on picc, even - or perhaps especially - someone with a natural high register like you. I try to start my students on super-easy rep. (Torelli or Purcell Sonata) so they can get a good feel for the back-pressure before exploring the high register.

[@pangpengmaster]

This ablassen is immaculate 🔥

[@rextrumpet]

Thanks so much!

[@ricaard]

Wonderful playing, I like your jazz on the instrument as well!

[@rextrumpet]

Thank you!

[@stickyfox]

Suddenly I'm nine years old, and it's Sunday morning and the only problem in my life is trying not to spill my Cap'n Crunch on the sofa.

[@rextrumpet]

Awesome!

[@Valkyry5]

Excellent sounding Yamaha and Exquisite performance!

[@rextrumpet]

Thanks so much!

[@THall-vi8cp]

The great Rafael Mendez said it takes as much air to play a trumpet as normal conversation. I'd add that picc only takes a whisper.

[@rextrumpet]

Yes, I agree 100%!

[@meaty109]

Marvelous video.....like your instruction very much....and your Abblasen is fantastic..I liked your speed.

[@rextrumpet]

Thanks so much!

[@joksal9108]

I liked that pedal tones/multiphonics thing you did on picc on that other video. It sounded like Don Ellis-style electric trumpet. Some hyper modern composer could use that on a wild Bb/picc concerto!

[@da11king]

I think you were born with the perfect trumpet embouchure! What a setup! Seems effortless wow! 😵🎺.... I can't play a high C or D consistently (I am a beginner ) but I heard stories that maynard ferguson played double C within a year after picking up the trumpet 🤷🏾‍♂️🎺. Thanks for the piccolo instructions ...🙏🏾✨

[@rextrumpet]

Thanks for the kind words - so, it may be that I placed the mouthpiece properly when I started - but I played terribly! I had to develop my embouchure by focusing on flexibility and centering the sound. Anyone can do it if I did!

[@da11king]

@@rextrumpet thanks for your timely and kind reply. Is centering the sound about "aperture control" ? I can't play comfortably soft yet....In other word, how do I "center" the sound? guess I need more practice , more time 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@deedoble7737]

Just found your channel. Terrific information, great style and beautiful playing! Curious on your recording set up. Microphone(s), placement of the mic(s), reverb coming from room only? Ie no post processing? If so what’s the room like? Looks like wood floors? Thanks so much and will be looking at your other posts!

[@senior4790]

What is the piece you played in the beginning of the video? You also sound great by the way!

[@daniellauton2789]

Magnífico!

[@CanadianDivergent]

So are you playing higher notes or do they just sound higher because its pitched higher?

[@rextrumpet]

Thanks for the question. For most people, the piccolo trumpet doesn't really add to their range; it just gives us more control and stamina in that top range of the instrument. For the player it feels like you are fingering down an octave to play pitches in the same range as the conventional Bb trumpet.

[@HowardJohnstone]

You present a very good tone indeed, but how do you perform at the very low end? I was always very afraid of the toy sound that suddenly could appear at low registers.

[@rextrumpet]

Thank you! And a great question. I think that in one sense, we should approach the low register on the piccolo just as we do on the big horns: find that center resonance, using bending tones as needed. On the other hand, the piccolo-specific danger in this range is over-blowing. We need to keep our exhalation very relaxed, just finding that resistance in the instrument, rather than trying to force the air in. This can be an easy pitfall, especially because we can get away with "big" air in the low range of the big horns, as long as we keep our corners engaged (i.e., firm but not rigid, not letting them collapse in that bottom range). I hope this helps!

[@57dogsbody]

Great video......but, if your highest note on the Bb tpt is C (above the staff), is there any point even starting on the picc? how on earth do you build range. Please reply, Rex. I am at a loss!

[@rextrumpet]

Good question! I think if you can only play a high C, you are probably either dealing with some flexibility limitations (in which case things can be improved with practice), or mechanical limitations (in which case you might have an embouchure problem). If you're confident that your embouchure is stable/healthy, I'd suggest checking out these exercises: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJmmZXmGn9N-aLc and kzbin.info/www/bejne/aou6mKqHq7WXh9E I can email you pdfs of the charts if you like. If you're not sure about your embouchure, feel free to send me a video with a few seconds of you playing, from the low register to high C, and I can give you a tentative diagnosis. I say "tentative" because embouchures are tricky, and dangerous to mess with...so ideally it'd be between you and your long-term teacher to sort out any kind of an embouchure change.

[@57dogsbody]

@@rextrumpet Many thanks for your reply. I'm pretty sure my chops are healthy, I think the problem stems from not starting on trumpet 'till I was in my mid 50s. I'd be most grateful if you could email me the PDF for the exercises. [e-mail]

[@rextrumpet]

@@57dogsbody Great! I will email them to you!

[@juancarlossanchez2792]

Saludos desde México, Rex

[@wythetrumpet6419]

Great video Rex! I have question; so much of the literature is written for trumpet in D or C. When you teach this using the piccolo in A, do you have your students learn clef transposition or transpose a fourth or minor third? Also today there are more pieces available with a written piccolo part in A. I just wondered how you approached this. Thanks!

[@rextrumpet]

Hey thank you so much for the kind words! I tend to encourage students to keep this simple: to HEAR the intervals as clearly as possible, and then to think of up a 4th or minor 3rd (actually down a 5th or major 6th when you account for fingerings...but that's too complicated LOL!). For me, transposition has always about 1) Knowing precisely what a phrase sounds like melodically and 2) Being able to play that phrase in any key. My aural analysis is much better than my IQ LOL -changing clefs would be too complicated for me!

[@arejbleite4938]

Parabéns 👏👏Brasil

[@rextrumpet]

Obrigado!

[@Markus_Breuss]

👍👍👍

[@ruvenw]

Hi Rex! I was wondering what kind of mouthpiece you would use on a piccolo trumpet compared to your everyday Bb trumpet mouthpiece. Same rim but shallower cup? Cheers, Ruven

[@rextrumpet]

Hi Ruven, thanks for the question. Yes, that would generally be the starting point, I think...stick with your rim but try something a bit shallower - not SUPER shallow though; you are really looking for something that will help you to play in tune in the top range, not to actually increase your range. However, I don't think there are any "rules" here - you can start with that idea and then continue experimentation until you find the best option! E.g., you might find a bit narrower rim helpful too, etc.

[@valentinocaico]

Grande Maestro! What Piccolo trumpet is it?

[@rextrumpet]

Thank you! It is a Yamaha 9835.

[@valentinocaico]

@@rextrumpet Grande Maestro!

[@kieronconcannon]

Wow.

[@russellziske7385]

That first bit is infinitely better than Wynton’s showy, self aggrandizing TV version.