Developing the Trumpet Section

By Dr. Stephen Hawk, Professor of Trumpet & Director of the Slippery Rock University Jazz Ensemble I

Basics to a Successful Section

Ability to work as a team

	Ego-loss vs. Confidence
	Learning to listen from the heart
	Personal vs. Group

Individual Duties

Lead Player

Ability to communicate freely and honestly with your section

Relationship with sax, trombone, and rhythm sections

Disbursement of power

Quality of

Sound

Phrasing/time/feel

Consistency (of both interpretation and performance)

Flexibility

Taste

Support Players

Responsibility towards the music

Respect for:

Lead player

Other section players

Director/Band Leader

Self

Patience

Complete understanding of the lead players "role"

Second chair generally plays most of the solos and blows "up" to the lead

Third chair is the glue of the section (pitch, chord, balance, etc...) Assistant lead player!

Fourth chair has potential to make the lead player sound much stronger (Must be aware of the lead players pitch tendencies.) Also is a solo player