Etude 1:

Page 8-9, No. 7, C Minor, No. 7
Tempo: Quarter note 92 - 104
Play: beginning to end
Errata: none

Performance Guide:

As you practice, strive for a confident style of performance. Be sure to maintain a steady tempo, esp. in measure 8 and measures 17 through 22; the sixteenth rests are shorter in value than you might think! Remember that the grace notes are only ornamental, and should not be accented.

Observe the dynamic markings, making a difference between passages marked p, mp and pp. When playing measures 21 and 22, create forward motion through the passage, arriving at the theme at the end at a robust, forte dynamic with plenty of color to the sound. Practice slurring measures 20-22 so as to encourage proper air support to the sound, and then play the printed articulation. Staccato does not mean brutally short, but merely detached, or separated. Continue to play with a beautiful sound!

Be certain to determine where to breathe, and make those markings on your etude; there is no sense in leaving that kind of decision to chance. Experiment and see what works best for you.

Etude 2:

Page 19-20, No. 19, E Major, No. 19
Tempo: Dotted quarter note 102 - 114
Play: beginning to end
Errata: m. 42 a tempo should read "Tempo I"

Performance Guide:

Practice slowly with a metronome and a tuner. Strive to minimize physical motion, esp. in the wider intervals, and keep the airstream moving. If a note is missed in a jump, it usually has more to do with the note just before it.

Mm. 21-24 (line 5) sets the stage for the meno mosso section, with regard to both tempo and dynamic, so be mindful of how it unfolds.

The meno mosso should be played expansively, singing throughout. Make the breaths as inobtrusive as possible, and re-enter on time after taking a breath. Be sure that the piano and mezzo piano sections (mm. 33-36) remain in time and in tune; don't let the pitch rise while playing softly. Practice playing those measures with a tuner, playing at a piano dynamic, then forte, then piano once again, and keep the pitch steady.

Practice short passages on the mouthpiece, with a drone playing the root of the chord, e.g., mm. 1-3, 5-6 and m.8, a concert D, and in mm. 9-10 and 13-14, a concert B flat. Then repeat them on the trumpet, striving for a sense of ease while playing.

Etude 3:

Page 4, No. 2, Bb Major, No. 2
Tempo: Quarter note 108 - 124
Play: beginning to end
Errata: m. 14 and 15 should both have a tenuto mark on the downbeat.

Performance Guide:

Use a metronome, feeling eighth note and sixteenth note subdivisions. Practice blowing and articulating these figures without the trumpet or mouthpiece, using plenty of air. Then try them buzzing the mouthpiece. Blow through the articulation; don't allow the sound to become choked.

Create the most resonant, lively sound you can in the beginning of the etude, and do your best to maintain it, regardless of printed dynamic, note value and pitch register.

In mm. 6 and 7, use a tuner to be certain that the A is low enough and the E flat is high enough. Note values in the penultimate measure should lengthen as the tempo slows.

Practice slurring arpeggiated sections to promote proper pitch placement, increasing the speed as the sound accuracy improve. In mm. 20-22, increase intensity as the line ascends. In those measure, be sure that the sixteenth note on beat 2 is long enough. In m. 24, listen to F and A on beats 3 and 4, and use a tuner to make certain that they are both low enough in pitch.