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When it comes to establishing a daily routine and warm up, trumpet players are all over the map. In spite of this fact, the Stamp Warm-Up routine has found its way into almost every player’s routine at some point. Usually, it seems that people have just been introduced to one fragment of the routine, or one exercise. The purpose of this article, though, is to introduce you to the entire warm up routine as I use it, and as I use it with my students. When done properly, the Stamp routine can help a student work through inefficiencies in his technique, and allow him to play in a way that he could previously only imagine. It is important to remember that I am not trying to pose as a “Stamp Expert” who knows every in and out of how James Stamp would have instructed a student to play. Rather, I am presenting to you my ideas of how to use this routine in order to see real and tangible improvements in your playing. The method has worked for me, and it has worked for my students. It is because of these experiences that I have decided it is important to write this article.
The first and most elemental step is simple: buy the book! It is published by BIM and is titled James Stamp, Warm-Ups + Studies. Don’t make a copy of your buddy’s or your teacher’s book. Get your own. Why? Because we need companies that print books like this to make money, so that they can continue printing them in the future. In addition, when you own your own book you can make all of your own markings in it, and the commitment you show in purchasing the book will be more likely to be continued into actual use of the book.
The very first page in the book (page 2) shows some breathing exercises. Do them. The language in the book is clear, and all of them will improve your breath control, and, consequently, your playing. I find that I tend to pick just one group and do it each day; the entire group of four tends to take too long for my taste, so I simply rotate through a new one each day. You should decide for yourself what works for you.
On page 3 are the Preliminary warm-ups, and it is here that more clarification than the book offers is needed. I do these exercises on either my Bb trumpet or my C trumpet. If I am doing them on Bb, then all of the buzzing exercises (lips alone, and mouthpiece) are done in the key of Bb and starting on a Bb concert. If I am going to use C trumpet, then they are all done in C and starting on C. If you are new to these exercises, then begin by using your Bb trumpet exclusively.
Lips alone:
Sit down at a piano with a metronome set to quarter note = 60. Play a Bb below middle C on the piano (low C on a Bb trumpet), count 1, 2, 3, breathe, then blow on beat 1 as you bring the embouchure together in a “poo” shape. Don’t confuse this with the act of forcing the lips together and starting the sound with a percussive “p”. Instead, bring the lips toward a “poo” shape as if embracing the air stream. You don’t want to force the vibration to begin, but eventually you should be able to start the vibration exactly on 1. On your first attempt you may not be able to make any sound, or it may be a tight anemic-sounding buzz. The sound you want is a full sounding, resonant, focused buzz. There should be just enough tension in the lips for the sound to be produced, no more. As I said, you might not be able to make a sound the first time you try. In fact, it may take several days before you can make a sound with the lips alone, but not usually. Conversely, it may come very easily, and you may rocket through this exercise in no time.
Once you are capable of producing the first note, count yourself off and sustain the Bb for 6 counts. Rest 6 counts while you play a B natural on the piano and then buzz the B natural for 6 counts. Continue in this manner until you get to F on the piano (middle G on a Bb trumpet). Again, this may happen the first time you do it, or it may take weeks. If you are not able to reach the F, do not continue with the rest of the warm-up. Simply begin your day with this exercise, and then continue with your normal routine. Once you are able to reach the F, then you can move on to what should be titled #1, the first notated exercise in the book on page 3.
Exercise #1 should be performed at the piano with a metronome set to quarter = 60. Play a Bb major triad, then count yourself off and buzz the exercise. During the rest, play a B major triad on the piano and continue in this manner as high as you can go. You should still begin the sound with the “poo” attack to better focus the embouchure. Read the text in the book prior to beginning the exercise. There are some good clues there. When doing this exercise, I tend to turn the last quarter into a half note. The fermata over the bar line should be a fixed length and at least 2 beats long. Continue as high as you can go. It is important to mention that Stamp says you should continue to at least a middle C (concert Bb by my rules). However, since you just now got to where you can buzz an F lips alone, it is unlikely that you will be able to go any higher than that, and in fact you might not make it to that F in the context of the exercise. Don’t worry about it! This is an oversight in the book. Obviously you could not be expected to suddenly be able to buzz up to a fourth higher than you were previously capable of going. Again, it may take a few weeks or more to be able to reach that minimum level of Bb concert. Once you are capable of that, make a point of going at least that far.
The second exercise on page 3 should really be labeled #2, and it is performed both lips alone and on the mouthpiece. This exercise should be done in the manner described above with one notable exception. This exercise is diatonic, meaning that all of the notes are taken from the C major scale (Bb concert). Thus I play a Bb major chord on the piano for the first bar, then a c minor chord for the second bar, then a d minor chord for the third bar, etc. The pitches you buzz should all be members of the Bb (on the piano) major scale. The fermata on the 5th eighth note should be held at least 2 beats. Continue this exercise as high as you can go, but remember, if you are just starting out you may only be able to reach a concert F. Thus, you may only be able to buzz the first bar of the exercise. This will improve with time.
We will continue discussing the next part of the Stamp warm-up in the next installment of Stamping It Out in the November 1 issue of LivMusic News. In the meantime, focus on getting as comfortable as possible with buzzing on the lips alone. Be very patient with this process; it can be quite foreign when you are just starting out. Until we cover the rest of the Stamp warm-up, you should just add the lip buzzing to the beginning of the day, then go about the rest of your normal daily routine. Good luck!
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