Trumpetology: Trumpet Book & CD

Harbison transforms daily warm-up time from obligation into genuine musical practice by pairing technical work with a full rhythm section. The structure respects how musicians actually learn: embedding scales, articulation studies, and flexibility exercises into real musical contexts rather than isolating them. For any trumpet section needing to sound unified and musicianly from the first note of rehearsal, this book delivers.

Practicing with a swinging rhythm section lifts the weight of technical work. You hear how intonation matters when it's layered against walking bass and drums; articulation changes how you sit in the pocket. These routines feel less like scales and more like playing actual music.

Intermediate and advanced trumpet players ready to move beyond scales in isolation. Whether you play jazz regularly or work primarily in classical settings, these 20- to 25-minute routines build the technical foundation that any serious trumpeter needs. The rhythm section context makes this especially valuable for musicians who want their fundamentals to sound musical, not mechanical.

• Play along with the recorded accompaniment from the start, even on scales and basic exercises. Locking in with drums and bass forces rhythmic precision and ear training that silent practice cannot build.
• Rotate which routine you practice daily instead of working straight through the book. Variety keeps your mind engaged and lets you return to earlier sections with fresh ears as your chops improve.
• Record yourself playing each routine once per week. Comparing your intonation and tone quality across weeks reveals progress that daily practice can mask.
• Pay attention to which routines expose your weak spots, then extend those by 5 additional minutes at the end of your practice session rather than abandoning them.

Assign specific routines to your entire trumpet section as part of your rehearsal preparation so everyone arrives warmed up and focused. You might rotate which routine the section practices each week during sectional time, ensuring that by semester's end the group has covered the full technical range together. Individual players can tackle one routine per practice session at home, which means the book sustains a full year of focused daily work.

• Playing scales with musical phrasing and steady intonation over a rhythm section
• Controlling articulation clarity across different styles and tempos
• Building range extension and high register reliability
• Achieving flexibility and smooth transitions between registers
• Developing tone quality in varied musical contexts
• Improving rhythmic precision and ensemble timing
• Listening critically to intonation against drums and bass
• Expanding jazz vocabulary and harmonic awareness