Carol of the Bells for trumpet quartet

The popular song "Carol of the Bells" has its roots in the melody of an old Ukrainian folk song called Shchedryk, featuring a four-note ostinato and is in 3/4 time signature.
Not originally a Christmas tune, Shchedryk is actually a song to celebrate New Years. The most famous version has music written and arranged by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in 1914.
More about this on Wikipedia.

Here is my arrangement for four trumpets, with video this time:

You may download the music sheet as PDF, or in MuseScore format, so you can edit, transpose, transcribe and customize it to your own needs. Click the image to download the format you want:

I hope you enjoyed the video and you'll have fun playing it.

Carol of the Bells (for 4 trumpets) by Mihai Sorohan

Disclaimer:
All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.

Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai

"Farandole" from "L'Arlésienne" by Georges Bizet

A simple accompaniment of "Farandole" from "L'Arlésienne" suite no.2 by Georges Bizet, for trumpet. This is fitting the trumpet arrangement made by Jerry Lanning.
Buy the notes here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Experience-Collection-Trumpet-Piano/dp/B006BULGT2 

 
Disclaimer:
All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.

Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai

"Barcarolle" from "The Tales of Hoffmann"

This time is just a backing track. The trumpet transcription by Jerry Lanning is copyrighted to Cramer Music.
However, there is no interdiction on making a backing track fr it, so here we go 😉
The notes you can buy here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Experience-Collection-Trumpet-Piano/dp/B006BULGT2

Enjoy the backing track:



Disclaimer: All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.

Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai

Bebop Lick #2

Not really much to say about this one. Like the previous one, it uses chromatic approach notes, and you should do what you do to all technical exercises: start wherever you want and go whatever direction you chose, internalize it and play it without notes, changing direction or even going in "spider pattern".
Here's how it looks:

There are some ideas in the sheet that you can also follow. You can combine it with the other one, going up with this, going down with the first lick.

You may download the music sheet as PDF, or in MuseScore format, so you can edit, transpose, transcribe and customize it to your own needs. Click the image to download the format you want:

  

Disclaimer:
All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.

Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai

Mastering the Diminished Scale #3

This starts to feel a little bit repetitive...
Same concept, diminished arpeggios, this time in quintuplets on the diminished scale.

You may download the music sheet as PDF, or in MuseScore format, so you can edit, transpose, transcribe and customize it to your own needs. Click the image to download the format you want:

  

Disclaimer:
All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.

Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai

Bebop Lick #1

In a previous post I was saying about easy to use vocabulary, so here's one thing that can be used as a part of your jazz vocabulary, as well as a warmup or daily technical practice. Here is the lick:

And here's how it sounds and an idea how an be used in real life situation:

I wrote it in all tonalities, starting from G1 and going chromatically to G2. You should be able to start wherever you want and go whatever direction you chose. You should internalize it and play it without notes, changing direction or even going in "spider pattern", same like the diminished arpeggios patterns.

You may download the music sheet as PDF, or in MuseScore format, so you can edit, transpose, transcribe and customize it to your own needs. Click the image to download the format you want:

Disclaimer:
All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.

Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai

Mastering the Diminished Scale #2

In the first part of this series, we took a look at diminished arpeggios in triplets on the diminished scale, notes grouped 3 by 3 in a zig-zag pattern. Now we go with the next logical step, notes grouped by 4, in sixteenth notes, also in zig-zag pattern.
Like the previos pattern, it's not really a "lick" but it can be used as one, as well as used as a daily exercise/ routine/ warm-up, to keep your fingers moving.

The exercise starts on low F# and ends G1, but you should be able to start wherever you want (on C1, for example) and go whatever direction you chose. You should internalize it and play it without notes, changing direction or even going in "spider pattern" (start on G, go on A♭, then F#, then A, then F, then B♭, then E... etc, you get the idea).

You may download the music sheet as PDF, or in MuseScore format, so you can edit, transpose, transcribe and customize it to your own needs. Click the image to download the format you want:

  

Disclaimer:
All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.

Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai

Mastering the Diminished Scale #1

For quite a while I tried to wrap my head around two ideas;
1. Why classical music education (most of the time) doesn't give you an easy to use vocabulary that is actually usable "in the real world".
2. How to improve my technique to be able to shift fast from "linear" playing to a more "angular" approach.

I will come back to the first idea also later, for now, here are some diminished arpeggios in triplets on the diminished scale, notes grouped 3 by 3 in a zig-zag pattern. Usually, a zig-zag pattern is easier to use, it's not really a "lick" but it can be used as one, as well as used as a daily exercise/ routine/ warm-up, to keep your fingers moving.

The exercise starts on low F# and ends G1, but you should be able to start wherever you want (on C1, for example) and go whatever direction you chose. You should internalize it and play it without notes, changing direction or even going in "spider pattern" (start on G, go on A♭, then F#, then A, then F, then B♭, then E... etc, you get the idea).

You may download the music sheet as PDF, or in MuseScore format, so you can edit, transpose, transcribe and customize it to your own needs. Click the image to download the format you want:

  

Disclaimer: All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.

Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai

Ra-ta-ta - Easy Version

"Ra-Ta-Ta", or "Ra Ta-Ta-Ta" is a 1970 German song written by Hamburg pianist Chris Juwens and Christian Heilburg (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

It was in some popular tv series from 70s and 80s, and for some reason a remix of it got popular with the kids this year. Normally, some of my trumpet pupils wanted to play it, so I transposed to B♭ to be easier to play. Here's the cover version that got my pupil's attention:

You may download the music sheet as PDF, or in MuseScore format, so you can edit, transpose, transcribe and customize it to your own needs. Click the image to download the format you want:

  

My cover version starts directly with the trumpet, the backing track to play along has a short intro, so you have enough time to press the play button and take the trumpet, or to give you a count in, so you get the tempo.

Here's the example track:

 and here is the backing track:


Disclaimer: All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.

Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai

Bernie's Tune - Michael Rabinowitz' Solo Transcription

Another "Bernie's Tune" solo transcription, this time from a not very well known recording, from a not very usual instrument in jazz.
I think the first time I've heard "Bernie's Tune" it was on bassoon, on Michael Rabinowitz' 1998 album "Rabinowitz in Utopia". Unfortunately I can't find very much information about that album.
Here's a transcription of the bassoon solo, transposed to B♭ and made to fit the trumpet ambitus.

You may download the music sheet as PDF, or in MuseScore format, so you can edit, transpose, transcribe and customize it to your own needs. Click the image to download the format you want:

  

Again, we'll use a backing track from learnjazzstandards.com, a great resource for whoever wants to learn jazz. There you can find a lead sheet with chord progression in concert C, B♭ or E♭.

Disclaimer: All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.
Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai

Bernie's Tune - Chet Baker's solo transcription

As a young trumpet player, I was always intrigued and attracted to jazz. "Bernie's Tune" is one of the standards that I used to play with one of my early bands. That time, somebody told me that I should transcribe some solos, to learn how to improvise.
After more than 20 years, I found the notebook with my old transcriptions. I checked it again, corrected some places, wrote it nice and pretty in Musescore and here it is.
You may download the music sheet as PDF, or in MuseScore format, so you can edit, transpose, transcribe and customize it to your own needs. Click the image to download the format you want:

   

On this instance we'll use a backing track from learnjazzstandards.com, a great resource for whoever wants to learn jazz. There you can find a lead sheet with chord progression in concert C, B♭ or E♭.

A bit more information about "Bernie's Tune" can be found here:
http://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions-3/berniestune.htm

The original version, with Chet Bake's solo can be heard here:

Disclaimer: All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.
Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai

Allan Street - Rondino

A list with "Rondino" by Allan Street, performed on trumpet and piano accompaniment, as well as several piano only backing tracks at different tempo (70, 90, 100 and 130 bpm).
Music sheet can be found here:
http://www.boosey.com/shop/prod/Street-Allan-Rondino-for-Trumpet-Piano/623792
or here:
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/rondino-sheet-music/4140459

The piano part contains an extra intro of 2 bars, just enough to press the "play" button and take your horn and practice :)


Disclaimer: All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.
Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai

Baby Shark - Easy Trumpet Version

If you have kids and they can access the internet, you probably got already an overdose of "baby shark, doo doo doo doooo". If not, here's your chance 😆
The original is this:

I took the chance to teach another technique using this tune. Before you try this one, try to play a G1, then, same note and press pistons 1 + 3. Now, instead of articulating the notes, just play a long G1 and switch between no pistons and 1 + 3. Here's a video tutorial on how to do it:

You may download the music sheet as PDF, or in MuseScore format, so you can edit, transpose, transcribe and customize it to your own needs.
CM Shark Week font was used in the musescore sheett.
https://www.fonts100.com/font+20202_CM+Shark+Week.html

Click the image to download the format you want:

   

Here is how it should sound:

And here is the backing track:

Disclaimer: All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.

Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai