The Shepherd Trumpet Trio

Description

The Shepherd Trumpet Trio

By Eddie Lewis

The Shepherd Trumpet Trio is an original composition that I wrote while I was dealing with some health issues. It was a short period while I was being very selective with the gigs. I was also limiting my range while practicing at home, to a range lower than what most of my students can play.

I decided that, during this time, I should only compose music within that range. That way I wouldn’t have to go outside of that range to make the demo recordings.

I often tell people that my easy trumpet music is not something I will ever be ashamed of. I tell them that, if the music isn’t beautiful enough, or meaningful enough, to include it in one of my recording albums, then I won’t publish it. In other words, I don’t “dummy down” my music for beginners and intermediate trumpet players.

The Shepherd Trumpet Trio falls in that same category. Except, in the end, I gave in just a little, adding a few notes in the first part that went above the staff. But most of the music in this song is limited to inside the staff. So, officially, the skill level of The Shepherd is the Trumpet Apprentice level. But the majority of the piece is written at our Trumpet Tyro level.

I am quite happy and proud of The Shepherd trumpet trio. It was originally titled, “When the Shepherd Comes Searching”. I figured that was too long of a title and shortened it to just, “The Shepherd”.

I consider this composition to be a pastoral. It speaks from within my wunderlust for the outdoors. I often yearn to be out in the country-side. I grew up taking very long walks in the rural areas, wherever we lived. Even when we were living in Hawaii.

Today, in contrast, much of my work is sitting here at my desk at home (especially during the time mentioned above, when I was cutting way back on gigs). So The Shepherd trumpet trio was my opportunity to “get out there” in my imagination and somehow express that through the composition.

It is my hope that it will do that for YOU, too. Let’s take an adventure together into the peaceful countryside!

Trumpet Apprentice Skill Level

The most obvious aspect of the Trumpet Apprentice Skill Level is that the highest written note is B flat above the staff. The Shepherd Trumpet Trio follows this convention.

The Shepherd trumpet trio is a bit longer than what I would typically compose for trumpet students of lower skill levels, and the A above the staff is what makes it an Apprentice level piece. But the rest of it is very simple and has lower written notes.

The piece is written in rondo form with five sections (A, B, a, C, A).

Practice Suggestions

Here are a few recommendations for working on The Shepherd Trumpet Trio.

• Work on endurance if this is a problem.
• Learn about the four keys used.
• Study the rhythms independently.
• Pay attention to dynamics.

The Shepherd Trumpet Trio Play-Along

There is a free trumpet play-along video for this The Shepherd Trumpet Trio. We publish these free play-along videos for educational purposes, but they also offer a wonderful opportunity for prospective buyers to take the piece for a “test drive”.

Click the following button to go to that video:

The Shepherd Trumpet Trio Play-Along

If you are interested in more of these play-along videos, then the best way to access them is on our other website, EddieLewis.com.

The Shepherd Trumpet Trio Score Video

Alternatively, we also have a score video for The Shepherd that you can access by clicking HERE. The score allows you to see and hear the duet before you purchase it.

You can use the score video as a substitute for the play-along video. You can even use it to play the second part. But that’s not what it’s for. It’s meant to give you an opportunity to look and hear the piece.

The Shepherd Trumpet Trio Performance Video

Below is a performance video of The Shepherd Trumpet Trio. The purpose of the performance video is so that you can see that the parts are genuinely playable. In our modern times, it is too easy to write music on computers without ever knowing if the music works. We make these live performance videos to demonstrate that the duets are indeed accessible.