As a young man I remember seeking ways to become physically fit and visually appealing without having to spend lots of time in the gym. All of my research lead to weights training and specifically using compound exercises. Compound exercises are exercises that use multiple muscle groups for 1 exercise. Training this way got me thinking, “Is there such a thing as compound exercises for my trumpet playing?”. So I got to work researching. I read books and articles written by many elite trumpet players. I watched master classes and took lessons with many of the best players available. From doing all of this I discovered that Herbert Clarke’s 2nd studies can be used to improve almost every aspect of my playing.

This video I demonstrate how I use Herbert Clarke’s 2nd studies to work on both Single and double tonguing and double my tonguing speed and endurance.

I stumbled across an actice written about Rafael Mendez. As one of my favourite trumpet players of all time I found it quite interesting. 

If you have not heard of Rafael Mendez he was known primarily for his unique sound and phenomenal articulation (speed and clarity). 

In the article it talked about how Mendez was able to achieve such an amazing double tongue. Interestinly Mendez mentions he spends months practising double tonguing very slowly before he tries it fast. Check out the video and give it a go in your practice at home.

As Always,

#HappyPractising