We have received many requests for the version of the Bill Adam trumpet routine that Larry Hall and Jerry Hey practiced together at Indiana University under their trumpet professor Mr. William “Bill” Adam. Larry and Jerry were generous to spend several hours researching and compiling the exercises they practiced along with some of the modifications. They provided some examples of how they would modify individual exercises to keep them fresh and expand how they trained their ears. Be creative and come up with your own! This routine is not intended as a one-size-fits-all approach to the trumpet. It should be used as an informative look into their daily routine and how they expanded the exercises.

The Trumpet Routine

Mr. Adam ascribed to the “rest as long as you play” concept. Practicing with a friend helped insure that and also gets one used to playing in front of others. Our daily practice was broken up into sessions. None of this was rigidly adhered to. The 1st session was pretty much the same everyday, but sessions 2 and 3 were pick and choose to keep things fresh, interesting and challenge ourselves. Our practice session times could total 4 to 5 hours.  Mr. Adam always said 3 hours was a minimum comprised of an hour for:  basic maintenance, technique, and solo and repertoire literature.

1st Session

Clarke #1- Start on F# in the staff, F, G and expand outward. The rest of the 1st session of the day is all Schlossberg:

• #6 – Start soft, Crescendo to next bar and Decrescendo
• #23, 24,25, 27
• #36B – Start with variation A, then variations 2, 3, 4 and 5 going up a half step with each variation.
• # 95 – Sustain top notes resting or trading off with you partner at each breath mark.
• #97* – The goal was to play in one breath. Keep air relaxed. This can be extended out to F#.
• #99 & #100 – Play #99 as is resting at the end of each key signature, Start #100 on low F# and extend exercise to F# an octave up or keep going as high as you can.
• #102a* – Each day pick a different variation of scales, (major, minor, harmonic minor). Also pick a variation of intervals, (3rds, 4ths, 5ths).  Extend outward to F#.
• #120-123, #128

*When extending #97 and #102a to F# both low and high, break up doing every one every day. Day 1, start #97 on C, go to B, C#, A, Eb, G, F. Start exercise #102a on C, go to Bb, D, Ab, E, F#, F#.  On day 2 swap these patterns for each exercise. BREAK

2nd Session

Next session start with Clarke 2nd , 3rd or 4th Study. Always start on E below the staff and expand outward to low F# and C in the staff.  When playing the 2nd Study, change modes on each repetition, Major, Minor, Diminished scales. Arban’s P. 14 #16-27 – Play each exercise twice, 1st time all slurred, REST, 2nd time all single tongued. Play a few articulated 8VA. Arban’s #46-50 – Start with #47 and #48, transpose each in all keys. Then play #49, #50, then #46. Schlossberg #45 Arban’s double tonguing P. 175, #77-94 – Play #88-90 in all keys Some Arban’s triple tonguing Schlossberg Chord Studies     #70 single tongue, #71 slur 1st 2 notes tongue next 2, #73 All Slurred Arban’s p.297 Characteristic Study #13 The goal is to play in one breath. “Never heard anyone make it!” –  J Other Arban’s :

• p.39 #3,4,5. p.40, p. 41
• p.138 #35, 38, p.140 #41-47
• p.142-p.151,  p.56
• p.125 #1, p.135 #23
• p.28-36  Single tongue 8th notes, double tongue 16ths.

Obviously not every exercise was played each day but this material would get covered during the week. Saint-Jacome’s 157 Always single tongue, start with 1st exercise, 1st Variant triplets, #4 sixteenths, #11 sextuplets. The repeated G is in the staff, try playing all these variations with the repeated G above the staff.  Once Mastered (J or L) try p. 161 and variations.  CORNERS!!!! OK, I THINK WE’VE HAD ENOUGH FOR A WHILE BREAK

3rd Session

Start 3rd session with another Clarke Arban’s Chromatic Triplets p.76, #1-5, p. 80, 10-23 Saint-Jacome’s Bugle Call  p.19 #26, p.24, p.49 #3, p.68 & p. 81 Selection of Charlier or Bitsch etudes, Art of the Trumpet (Originally titled “Common Sense” by William Thiecke) We usually finished off each day with Maggio Long Range Chromatic. 1st a flexibility pattern to start out loose. Slur from low C, G to C in the staff, lip trill between G and C then back to low C.  Rest. Go down by ½ steps to low F#.  Rest. Play chromatically from low F# up to F# in the staff back to low F#, breath, F# in the staff chromatically down to low F# back up to F#.  Breath. Start on low G and do the same pattern and continue to go up by ½ steps. Continue upward to as high as you can go.  It does get better but never easier. You Do Not trade off or rest till you’re done.  And you WILL be done at this point.