David Baldwin

Practice Suggestions

David Baldwin is a student of :

• R. Nagel
• R. Crisara
• W. Vacchiano
• MM, MMA, DMA Yale Univ.

Equipment:

• Bach BbTrumpet
• Yamaha Bb Trumpet 96345 (Rose brass bell)
• Bach C trumpet (A25 leadpipe, gold brass bell)
• Bach 1C mouthpiece (also at times the Benterefta #1-wooden cup)
• see a list of bach users

Fundamentals:

• "Lips of Steel" 10 point maintenance and embouchure builder

Fundamental Suggestions:

• Ease mouthpiece pressure at all rests and phrase endings.
• Rest equal to the amount of play time (when you feel tired).
• Sing and finger the passage you just completed while you rest.
• Read an upper register passage down an octave to develop ease and security.
• Practice piccolo parts on Bb.
• Use pedal tones and a 10-20 min rest to extend your practice.
• Do isometric exercises with the lips.
• Accelerate the air as ascending.
• Decelerate the air as descending.
• Practice playing on cold chops (in order to be ready for any situation).
• Play an easy arbans lyrical study or orchestral excerpt prior to warm-up to practice playing on cold chops.
• Form an embouchure and press the mouthpiece against your lips
• Repeat this 3-5 times as a substitute for a warm-up in an orchestra (or show) where there is a long resting situation.
• Try timing your rest periods during your warm-up.
• Plan alternative activities to fill the space while you are resting.
• Try working backward through the phrases of an etude.
• Take an occasional day off in order to help mental and physical recuperation.
• Develop consistency in daily practice as a student.
• Strive to play even the most mundane exercise in a beautiful way.
• Consider devoting less time to repetitive material and more time doing musical material.
• Warm-up (fairly quickly) so that the best part of the practice is devoted to the most musical material.
• Experiment with longer and shorter warm-ups.
• Give yourself plenty of rest.
• Try something completely different from your usual routine for a few days.

Suggested Etudes:

• Theo Charlier 36 Etudes
• Walter Smith's Top Tones (play the first one, rest 30 seconds, play the next one, rest 30 seconds, etc.)
• Reginaldo Caffarelli 16 Etudes
• Arbans 14 Characteristic Studies
• Arbans Lyrical Studies