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Author Topic: 14 yr. old trumpet player want to play for my church choir- need help  (Read 3921 times)

cpowe

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I am 14 years old and I have been playing the trumpet for 3 years.  I am in high school band, read music very well and play well also. I've been in honor band in junior high 2 straight years-second chair (this is for you trumpet players who know what I am trying to say here) and to make a long story short I do not play by ear.  All the musicians at my church including my pastor play by ear. I have been to choir rehearsal and I just can not pick up what key to play along with them.  Even if I go out and buy the sheet music, the way the change the songs I feel I will still be somewhat lost. My question is : How can I take the talent that God has given me and play for my church choir.  The musicians have tried to give me notes here and there but it has not worked.

Please anyone who can give me some advice to help me.  I really want to use my talent for the lord.  Look forward to getting feedback. 

God Bless!!!

Offline THE WOLFMAN

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Re: 14 yr. old trumpet player want to play for my church choir- need help
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2007, 07:50:17 AM »
Bring a tape recorder to record how the flow is in the songs, and mebbe practice making up licks to go along

Offline ajband

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Re: 14 yr. old trumpet player want to play for my church choir- need help
« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2007, 10:42:45 AM »
I, too, can only read music.  I play clarinet.  I got desperate, so I started a bandabout 9 months ago.  My church had a set of at least one book from the instrumentation for "500 Hymns for Instruments" arranged from the hymnal "Worship in Song" (which is the Nazarene Hymnal) by Harold Land.  These books can be found on the internet.  It is good instrumentation for winds and strings.  It only lacks music for instruments that use the tenor cleff (such as viola).

Most of the members come from many churches in the area.  My church sponsors us and so far we have played concerts for the missions group.  We do not perform for Sunday service.  We have played for several nursing homes.  (Not the whole group.)  We rehearse in my church on Sunday evenings when the worship center is not being used and a second church as an alternate location.

I found you when I started to look for printed music so we could broaden our repertoire. 

I sure hope you find some help.  It's what I wanted to do as well, only I'm not an accomplished player like you.  Good luck.

Offline theexclusive

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Re: 14 yr. old trumpet player want to play for my church choir- need help
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2007, 08:28:17 PM »
I had this same problem before.  First, you should know and be able to play the major scales.  Once you do that, ask the choir what key they are playing in, and basically play through that scale to see what notes sound good with each part of the song.  And, create your own riffs and runs just based off the scale of that key.

The other thing you could do is find out what chord progression the choir is playing, and play that progression.  That would be the easier thing to do until you learn all your scales, and start soloing off the scales that you learn.

Offline Dan Duncan

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Re: 14 yr. old trumpet player want to play for my church choir- need help
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2007, 05:04:25 PM »
HI young trumpet player.  First, you'll have a much easier time if you just memorize all of your major and minor scales.  You need to be able to play them easily.  So take your time, but work at it.  Also, it would be great if you could just start practicing your church songs with out music.  You'll need to know what key it's played in to start.  Practice playing lots of familiar melodies without music.  Your brain will begin to make connections which will carry over into church rehearsals.  Practice must be a discovery process.  You must never be afraid of making mistakes.  Learning is always, (or at least should always) be messy.
The person who suggested that you record the songs at rehearsal had a great idea.  That way you can go home and do all your discovering in private.  When you start to get a bit better, you'll want to show off your progress.  It's not about being great...it's about progress.  Your mind works just fine.  You do however need to kind of program it first.  You do that be "wood shedding," which simply means whittling away at it until it starts to look, (sound) like something respectable.  It's dirty work, but you HAVE to do it if you want to progress.  So go for it.  Take some chances, get messy, and make mistakes. 

Dan D
Studio Musician (trumpet)

Offline ferrente

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Re: 14 yr. old trumpet player want to play for my church choir- need help
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2007, 03:15:07 PM »
Welcome To LGM,  theexclusive
Trust in the Lord and do good so shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed.

Offline ferrente

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Re: 14 yr. old trumpet player want to play for my church choir- need help
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2007, 03:16:04 PM »
Welcome To LGM,  ajband
Trust in the Lord and do good so shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed.

Offline ferrente

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Re: 14 yr. old trumpet player want to play for my church choir- need help
« Reply #7 on: April 24, 2007, 03:16:53 PM »
Welcome To LGM,  Dan Duncan
Trust in the Lord and do good so shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed.

Offline trumpetmaster050994

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i'm just like you a muscian of four instruments (piano, drums, trumpet, & sax) and i still can only read music and improvise a little. I also have a hard time folowing along at practice but i also have trouble finding music where do you find yours.

Offline BassPlayr

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Re: 14 yr. old trumpet player want to play for my church choir- need help
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2007, 01:17:29 PM »
Here is an Idea:
1. tape the rehearsal or the live performance and then listen to it and then determine the key by playing along with the taped recording. this will improve your ear because you have formal training this should be easy. then score your parts on notation paper.
I had this same experience a long time ago in church. Pray and ask God to show you how to score it to please Him and you will be surprise at the results!
Bassplayr.

Offline ferrente

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Re: 14 yr. old trumpet player want to play for my church choir- need help
« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2007, 11:07:09 AM »
Welcome To LGM,  BassPlayr 
Trust in the Lord and do good so shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed.
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