The trumpet is one of the most rapidly changing instruments ever created. The musical purposes of the trumpet are forever changing, as are their mechanical characteristics. It\u2019s use covers practically every genre imaginable. Every style of music from Baroque, to avangarde contemporary music require trumpet. This wasn\u2019t always the case.There was a time when the trumpet was nearly incapable of playing chromatically, and most effectively served as background accompaniment in an orchestra. Although this may seem less rewarding than studying the trumpet as modern performers know it now, it is vital to learning how to continually cultivate a group of musicians eager to contribute to their shared development.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an instrument the trumpet is still in its infancy. Players and manufacturers are constantly evaluating how to produce more advanced instruments. In combination with this constant desire to examine our future, we should make an effort to learn from our past. Since the invention of the keyed trumpet in the late 1700\u2019s trumpet players have been trying to make new instruments to solve the problems of our current equipment. It is true that the technological improvements we\u2019ve made should be taken advantage of, and celebrated. However, our past faults stay with us, regardless of how much better our equipment is today, than it was 300 years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because of this, many trumpet players have become quite complacent when thinking about solving their fundamental problems. Many of us decide to buy the newest mouthpiece, or instrument in order to distract from the deep rooted habits we foster. The important thing to know is that these distractions didn\u2019t exist at the time of the keyed, and natural trumpets. The instruments were less developed, and because of this, there were less options. This forced professional musicians to have a higher stand for the pitfalls of the instrument they were playing. Those wanting to have a career playing the keyed trumpet had to pay a great amount of attention to intonation- otherwise it would quite frankly be horrendous. Because of its lack of valves or keys, natural trumpet players had to develop the ability to accurately audiate the music they were expected to play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to this, studying these two instruments would allow a trumpet player to develop a more accurate survey of what the pieces we study on modern trumpet are really supposed to sound like. These 3 skills are crucial to being a successful performer. If modern musicians were able to look towards the past as a means to fundamentally progress, they would see staggering growth because of the obstacles of these period instruments present. As a trumpet player who recently began to seriously study the natural trumpet, I can say with a high degree of certainty that studying period instruments exposes our flaws in a way that forces us to improve with a great deal of success.
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As is true with any type of practice- knowing what to improve is just as important as taking the first step towards progress. Considering how different the keyed, natural, and modern trumpets are, it is very vital to put the other instruments into a context that allows us to understand what we want to get out of practicing each instrument. Historical study of each instrument allows us to see their flaws, strengths, and the opportunities we are given to improve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Natural Trumpet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Natural trumpet is one of the modern horn\u2019s most important precursors. In its most authentic form it has no \u201choles\u201d or \u201cvents”. Because of this, it can\u2019t play chromatically unless it is in an extremely high part of the harmonic series. The baroque, or natural trumpet as we know it can be dated back all the way to the 14th century. Instruments similar to this can be dated back even further. One interesting fact about the natural trumpet is that even when the keyed trumpet was developed, the natural trumpet outlasted it. One of the main reasons for this is because of the keyed trumpet\u2019s faulty design. The keyed trumpet was notorious for having significant problems with intonation, and consequently, playing in an ensemble. Although the baroque trumpet was limited in its range, its design was much less complicated. Because of this, the baroque trumpet was typically more intune, and had a better sound. Where the keyed trumpet lost resonance because of its holes, the natural trumpet had an abundance of overtones due to its length. Because many composers had yet to write any significant trumpet parts before the invention of the piston and rotary trumpets, the ability to play chromatically was not worth the trade offs with intonation and sound. After the keyed trumpet lost favor to the natural trumpet, it virtually disappeared until i\u2019s recreation in 1970. This is interesting considering that trumpets from the baroque era have been consistently played across parts of the US, and Europe pretty intensely since its creation. To hear the natural trumpet in its most accurate setting it should be compared to modern instruments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n