It's easy to get overwhelmed by our struggles on the trumpet, until we realize the simplest idea that needs work. From that point we can be creative in finding exercises already written, or making up our own exercises that will give us the best result in the simplest environment.
For example, I'm struggling to play long passages, with several breaths, that extend into the upper register throughout. This is a necessary skill on the trumpet. So, last night, I got creative. I played a simple melody that I know well, four times in a row, ending on a note above the staff. I made sure that every breath was a full, artistic breath, and really went after the flow, and the music. This was still not extremely easy, but it's a simple environment where I can build success on the simple task at hand. I'm going to continue making similar exercises up, or finding simple etudes (Getchell Book 2, for instance), and build positive experiences doing what I need to improve.
Time to keep exploring,
Adam C White
