Description
King Sigmunds March Easy Trumpet Trio
Here is another cut time trumpet quartet for the second of our beginner levels. This cut time piece is a little more difficult than the previous one (Jesus, Lord and Savior) in that it utilizes eighth-notes.
It is possible to perform this easy trumpet trio in four-four meter, and it will sound okay. However, if you are using these easy ensembles as part of our educational system, then it would be better for the students to learn it and perform it in cut-time.
Funny Story
If you are familiar with my compositions, then you may have noticed that the main theme for King Sigmund’s Victorious March is also used in Trumpet March Royale. I am typically very organized with my “inspirations”. I store them in a folder and mark them when I’ve used them. In that way, I have what would seem like an endless flow of ideas.
But this time, my system broke down and I used the same “inspiration” twice.
To me, an “inspiration” is a music idea that comes to me unbidden. I have collected so many of these ideas that I probably will never need to rack my brain for material again in the future. However, the trick is keeping them separated.
King Sigmund and March Royale are an example of what happens when I don’t follow my organizational structure. Ha ha ha… Two compositions based on the same theme, very similar but also different. To be honest, I had no memory of writing the first one while writing the second. And in fact, I can’t even recall which was first and which was second. I could look at my finale files, but it doesn’t matter, because both pieces are completed.
Fortunately, King Sigmund’s Victorious March is an easy trumpet trio, and Trumpet March Royale is an easy trumpet quartet. So that helps a little to justify publishing both of them.
Thematic Context
This piece is named after one of our four cats. We adopted a male and three females as kittens that we kept after the mother disappeared. The male, Sigi, was sick for a while and Pearl nurtured him back to health. King Sigmund’s Victorious March commemorates Sigi’s victory over his illness.
Skill Level
The skill level for King Sigmund’s Victorious March is the second skill level in our seven level system. This is our Trumpet Tyro level. The highest note in the piece is fourth space E and the fastest moving interval is the eighth-note (in cut-time).
We are aware that some band directors and/or publishers might want to put the difficulty of this trumpet trio at an intermediate level.
We use cut-time, in our system, to break the students out of the one beat quarter-note rut. When they understand the fractal nature of rhythms, it frees their minds to read other, more mature time signatures.
Practice Recommendations
We strongly recommend counting with the traditional systems.
“&|| 1 & 2 & a| 1 & 2 & a |” etc.
With this style of counting, the students will feel that the half-note gets the beat and that quarter-notes are two per beat.
Another wonderful technique is to ask the students to conduct the piece as they listen to the recording. Teach them the two beat conducting pattern and show them how to do it for this song.
Combining counting and conducting is another valuable technique.
Free Trumpet Play-Along Video
We have a free trumpet play-along video for this composition in our You Play First Chair video series. The series was created to give trumpet students an opportunity to practice sight reading and ensemble skills, but it also works well as a way to give you a chance to take the composition for a test drive. Click on the following button to access the trumpet play-along video for King Sigmund’s Victorious March:
King Sigmund’s Victorious March Demo Video
The following is a score video of King Sigmund’s Victorious March. We believe in making our score videos available so you can make an informed decision as to whether to purchase the piece or not. We want you to be absolutely certain this is what you need because we want you to be a truly satisfied customer.
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