Studies & Duets Book II: Trumpet Book

Broiles writes duets that sound genuinely musical rather than pedagogically obvious. Each piece moves beyond simple rhythm drills to give both players a stake in the outcome, which means your students practice listening and adjusting rather than just hitting their notes.

These studies have purpose beyond the exercise. They sound like music that happens to be well-constructed for learning rather than music that pretends to be well-constructed.

Intermediate trumpet students working beyond beginning method books. These duets work equally well for private studio lessons and ensemble rehearsals where you want to build accountability and interdependence between players.

• Balance the melody between parts. Whoever holds the primary line should project clearly, but the accompanist needs enough voice to support the harmonic foundation.
• Work section by section rather than start-to-finish. Lock in problem areas with one player holding steady while the other navigates tricky passages, then reverse roles.
• Record yourselves. Hearing playback reveals rhythmic drift and intonation issues that disappear in the moment of performance.

Slot duets throughout the year as repertoire rather than relegating them to warm-up. They make excellent recital programming for intermediate students and pair well alongside solo literature to underscore ensemble sensibility.

• Playing with another trumpet while maintaining independent line integrity
• Balancing melody and accompaniment roles
• Intonation awareness in two-part contexts
• Rhythmic precision and subdivision under musical phrasing
• Listening and responding to a partner's tempo and dynamics in real time