Casual Morning Stroll Easy Trumpet Quartet

Description

Casual Morning Stroll Easy Trumpet Quartet

by Eddie Lewis

As I’ve said in the descriptions for some of our other easy trumpet ensembles, I don’t believe beginner trumpet students should have to wait until they develop an advanced range before they work on advanced musical concepts. This is the reason why I began composing music for lower skill levels, because most of the literature on the market advances in range too soon for my students. I want them to work on advanced skills as soon as they are ready to understand them.

That’s what Casual Morning Stroll is. It’s a trumpet quartet composition that gives the students what would more typically be considered intermediate skills, but without challenging their range.

The first is working in six-four time signature. Under my system, the students learn four-four first, then three-four, two-four, all in the first level. Then in the second level was add cut time, six-four and six-eight, in that order. We teach the time signatures in this order for a reason. The exercises and etudes I assign help the students to understand the overall, general concept of how the time signatures work. By the end of the second level, they are ready to read six-eight music confidently. Music and exercises in six-four time helps lead the students in that direction.

The other specific skill Casual Morning Stroll addresses is tuning seventh and sixth chords. These four note harmonies are an important part of the modern trumpet student’s development.

Skill Level

In our skill level system, Casual Morning Stroll easy trumpet quartet is at the Trumpet Tyro skill level. This is the second skill level in our system. Most students who have been playing for between six months and a year will be able to play this piece.

Practice Recommendations

It’s very important that the students should master skills before the try to use those skills in a musical context. The individual parts in Casual Morning Stroll easy trumpet quartet are very accessible to most trumpet students who have been playing for between six months to a year. But the full benefit of playing the piece comes from learning the music after they learn the skills.

So, six-four is something the students should master first, before attempting to practice this piece.

I also recommend that the students spend time in rehearsal tuning individual chords. For example, the chord in the second half of measure four is a D9 chord (with no fifth). They should hold this note and practice tuning the individual parts until it sounds good.

Please note that sounding good does not always match the tuner. I don’t have anything against using tuners as a practice tool, but the students really should learn how to tune by ear. That can’t happen if their eyes are buried in the tuner while their ears are switched off.

There are pretty chords throughout Casual Morning Stroll easy trumpet quartet. The first three beats at A are a G Major chord. The next half of that measure is a G6 chord (with a quick passing chord). These are sounds the students will not be familiar with as beginner trumpet students. So, they should spend quality time on each chord to practice tuning them, and also to soak up those sounds for future reference.

Casual Morning Stroll Easy Trumpet Quartet Play-Along

We have a free trumpet play-along video in our You Play First Chair video series for Casual Morning Stroll easy trumpet quartet. These trumpet play-along videos are educational tools meant to help trumpet students practice their sight reading and ensemble playing. But they also work very well for letting prospective customers take the piece for a proverbial test drive. Click on the following button to access the trumpet play along video for Casual Morning Stroll:

Casual Morning Stroll Easy Trumpet Quartet Score Video

The following is a score video for Casual Morning Stroll. We offer these score videos so you have an opportunity to see and hear the piece before you buy it.