(I'm not sure if this or /r/trumpet is the right place for this. If /r/trumpet would be better, let me know and I will post it over there)
I've been thinking for a long time about picking up the trumpet. Since we are still looking at at least a few more months of quarantine, it feels like there's no time like the present.
I have no training in any form of music, and nobody on either side of my family has any musical ability at all. Though, I was told by a trained musician I am not tone deaf, so there may be hope. I did take a music class in college years ago; by the end I was able to read the sheet music for a couple simple children's songs and play them on a piano poorly, so that might come back.
Though the said FAQ these didn't need to be explicitly answered, I'm going to anyway:
- I have no reasonable budget, but just doing a quick look around, most new beginner trumpets I saw were around $200 (or less). That general level of investment feels about right to start with.
- I suspect I'll be using a mix of self-teaching as well as some live remote lessons (moving to in-person post COVID).
- Style-wise I lean toward jazz, standards, and pop/rock. I really enjoy Louis Armstrong, some Miles Davis, Chris Botti, and Mike Olson (Lake Street Dive). I recently discovered Roy Hargrove, and just wow.
- No noise or physical restrictions.
- I'm looking to learn just to have fun. I might not ever even play in front of other people, but that's not out of the question either.
With all that in mind I have some questions:
- Any recommendations for a starter trumpet to buy? Is renting a thing? If so, should I rent locally first?
- If I do buy, are there any accessories I would need (I assume regular maintenance needs to be done)?
- Are there things I should learn before even picking up an instrument? Any specific recommendations? I counted, and there are roughly 3 trillion YouTube videos about all aspects of music, and I have no idea where to start.
- With so many resources, are there any YouTube (or other site's) series that are better or worse to start with once I'm ready to sit down with the trumpet itself?
- I'm sure it will be weeks to months before I'm ready, but are there recommendations for beginner pieces? I don't mind "Mary had a Little Lamb" or the like as a stepping stone, but I'd like to pick a specific reasonable goal early, and keep it in mind as I progress. I was thinking opening theme for Star Trek: Deep Space 9, but apparently that is a trombone, and I don't know how possible it would be on a trumpet.
All questions are welcome, and all serious responses are appreciated. Thank you in advance!
Submitted November 09, 2020 at 02:55AM by ATennisPlayer https://www.reddit.com/r/Learnmusic/comments/jqs4yv/a_musical_ubernoob_thinks_about_learning_the/?utm_source=ifttt