Most brass players are familiar with the ubiquitous Clarke?s Technical Studies. Here are some creative variations on Studies I, II, III, V and VII. Click our free sample below to read the introduction and try some easy sample exercises. All the variations are progressive so I guarantee they get harder and will be useful to players at all levels and styles.

There are two essential books that just about every trumpet player has studied; Arban?s Conservatory Method and Clarke?s Technical Studies. The Arban is fondly referred to as ?the trumpet player?s bible?. If that is the case, then the Clarke should be ?the new testament?. I consider Herbert L. Clarke to be the ?George Washington? of trumpet, as he was the one of the first Americans to achieve greatness as a performer on the cornet. He was also one of the first notable pedagogues and taught such greats as Rafael Mendez and Claude Gordon, who was my teacher. I am fond of telling my students that they are the great-grandchildren of H. L. Clarke, one of our country?s first great virtuosos.

The impetus for this set of variations is based on the idea of an ?Expanding Scale? or ?Expanding Range?. Each set will start with a small range of notes covering an interval such as a 5th and will expand over the course of the study to the whole range of the trumpet. The idea is to imagine you are ?holding one note? and let your fingers do the rest. This concept is, of course, metaphorical but if employed will greatly enhance your technique and efficiency.

This is a progressive course, so it is recommended that you practice the studies in the order they are presented. Make note of the intervals in each study. Study 1 is all chromatic, so it is easier to transition from one note to another. The second group is based on Clarke Study 5 and is all diatonic. The third group is based on Clarke Study 2 which is diatonic with some thirds. The fourth group is based on Clarke Study 3 which is arpeggios. So with each group the intervals get a little more challenging. I?ve also included more chromatic work based on Studies 7 & 8.

Flex on the Move is a fun and creative approach to developing flexibility on all brass instruments. Available for trumpet, trombone and tuba. 42 pages and a lifetime of material!
Flex on the Move
There are many great books on flexibility (or ?lip flexibility? as it is commonly called) available to today?s brass players. The commonly used books include Irons 27 Groups, Smith Lip Flexibilities and Colin Advanced Lip Flexibilities. Flexibility studies do go all the way back to Arban and St, Jacome, but became a staple of brass pedagogy in the early 20th Century through teachers and authors like Del Staigers, Herbert L. Clarke, Earl D. Irons and Walter M. Smith.

There are different categories of flexibility exercises. There is ?Long Flexibility? like those found in Colin?s Vol. I of Advanced Lip Flexibilities. With Long Flexibility you stay on one fingering and play a long line that takes you through a large range. Then, there is ?Short Flexibility? similar to what is found in Irons and Smith where you play a repeated pattern on one fingering. Most flexibility falls into the Short Flexibility category. With this book, I would like to add ?Moving Flexibility? to the list. With Moving Flexibility you play a short pattern that takes you up and down through all the fingerings, covering a large range on your instrument. The idea of Moving Flexibility was first introduced in Arban p. 45 #16 and later in Charles Colin, 100 Original Warm-Ups.

Why Practice Flexibility?
Chances are, you?re not going to stand in front of an audience and perform flexibility studies. Flexibility studies are a means to an end, not the end. Most trumpet players practice some form of flexibility every day as it improves overall technique and gets you ready to play music. In our lessons, Claude Gordon would tell me how a particular exercise or routine he was writing would ?get me feelin? good.? So, that is my goal with these studies, to get you ?feelin? good?.

Technique
There are many beliefs among players as to what makes a brass instrument ?work?. Some believe it?s the lip, some believe it?s the tongue, some believe it?s the air, or some (like me) believe it?s a balance or coordination of all three. I don?t think that your chosen methodology will matter when practicing these exercises. If you practice them religiously and correctly, you?re playing will certainly improve.

From Il Trovatore. Great barn-burner. In Arban. Florida Solo and Ensemble List grade 5.