after having a consultation lesson with a pro horn player, I was told to go out and buy the Arban Trumpet Method.
This cost me over £25, and I dont use it massively.

Do trumpeters and any other brass players use this method?

And how should I use it most efficinetly?

Scale Studies P.59 start there. That will keep you busy a for while.

Hornplayer,

I have been taking lessons for over a year now, and the first book my teacher insisted I bought was the Arban Cornet Method. I have found it invaluable, and a great help in my development on both cornet and trumpet.

Rather than blindly going through this trying to work out what to do yourself, or seek advice from this forum (through which you might get many diverging answers), I suggest that you go back to the pro you say recommended this book and get them to work out a comprehensive lesson plan for you that covers a period of, say, 6 months.

If you can afford regular lessons, that's great. If you can't, try to save up so that you can have a lesson at least every 4 weeks so check that your lesson plan is going to plan.

Regards,

Mark.

I use the Arban Trumpet Method, and I don't even play the trumpet. (My brother does, which is why we have the book... my old horn teacher came to my house, spotted it and told me to use it!) I've found it really helpful for lots of things, although some of the exercises are near impossible on the French horn!

which bits are useful on horn?!?!?

I have that book as well! it actually belongs to my teacher and he'll occasionally tell me to work on a study or two from it- I don't think he picks them for any reason, he just seems to flick through it and find the hardest ones, even though they're ALL hard!!!

Hello, all!

I have found that the Arban's is best gone through with a teacher, initially. It has wonderful, graded duets to play with your teacher. Plus, the excerpts from opera are great for developing a sense of phrase, which is just as important to your overall sound as is your technique. Other books, though, are better for working with all the keys!

For working with keys, each of the Sigmund Hering etude books are invaluable. A few years in those and I can play equally well in every major and minor key.

See ya.

a few years?!!?!

i wanna play more than just studies when im at college/uni.........

i use it... it's so annoying...

I used it from 7th to 12th grade. By the 11th grade I had no problem playing Arban's arrangement of "Carnival of Venice" or Clarke's "Bride of the Waves". It's a lot of work, but I highly recommend its use.

Hello everyone!

Forgive my late entry to the discussion - have only just discovered this forum.

I'm mainly a trumpet/cornet teacher, so can only add my views from that perspective, rather than a horn expert.

If you go to any pro. cornet/trumpet player, you will find that the Arban Cornet Method is widely used as the Bible.

I personally wouldn't recommend beginners to buy it, as it does look very daunting, and there are sufficient exercises in any good tutor book to start off with, that are more "manageable" than Arban's. But it is definitely a book to buy once you are serious about perfecting your technique.

Even though I'm a teacher myself, I've sought the advice of a couple of pros. for my own playing. To give you an example, one of my weaknesses is breathing and projection. Therefore I've found that long note practice such as that on page 11/12, along with the slurs on page 39/40 is helping. Exercise 7 on page 116 is a real test of stamina - I'm practising it witn maximum projection in mind, and not breathing after every two bars. After persevering, you do notice a difference.

Page 32 to 36 is good for practising tonguing.

Fuzzy-felt is absolutely right - there is no particular correct route-map through the book - you need some more lessons/consultation to identify what are your particular areas of weakness - e.g. projection, tonguing, flexibility, dotted rhythms etc. to arrive at a plan of action.

I use it too, it's every trumpet player's bible, trust me, a worthwile investment...