Since I started teaching trumpet and trombone a few years ago, both in my home studio and now in the schools, I’ve also taken the opportunity to compose some student works for the instrument. It was a great privilege for me this year that Trinity College London chose three of my solos to include in their new brass syllabus for 2019-2022, as well as including my Ezekiel's Rag in their new Trumpet Exam Book for Grade 5.
And, I'm now pleased to announce that my Minuet and Variations for Trumpet and Piano has been included in ABRSM's new brass syllabus for 2023. You can find it in Grade 5, List A. And, as with all my trumpet and trombone compositions, you can order your copies through Forton Music.
Fanfare for the
Young Lions
This little fanfare was written for some of my students to play for a wind & brass concert. It’s written for a trio but can easily be managed with 2 to 3 players on a part, if desired.
After its main theme is stated in the first 12 bars, we take off on a bit of a fantasy trip with melodic lines winding themselves around each other. Pay close attention to dynamics here, because as one line comes to the fore, the others should pull back to give focus where it belongs. The middle section builds and builds with sustained legato passages, and then abruptly releases back to the opening theme, ending with a rather grand, brassy statement.
The semiquaver passages must be light and detached but never bitten. They should retain a fluidity of motion, always floating on the breath. The greater the dynamic contrasts are in this work, the more exciting it will be to play, and to hear.
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Intermediate
Swing and Rock with Beethoven and Bach
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Swingin’ No. 9 : Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” from the 4th movement of his Ninth Symphony gets the swing treatment here.
Toreador Swing : Here’s the “Toreador Song” from Bizet’s opera, Carmen. In this one there are even more unexpected twists and ‘wrong’ notes.
Bach Rock : This is J.S. Bach’s Minuet in G played here in a boogie woogie 4 time instead of its original 3 time.
Unfinished Swing : Schubert’s wonderful melody from the 1st movement of his Symphony #8, the Unfinished, still unfinished, but severely modified.
Ludwig van's Funeral : Here’s Beethoven’s great funeral march, from his 3rd symphony, the Eroica, gently and softly swung.
Progressive - Easy to Intermediate
10 Easy Pop Solo
for Trumpet & Piano
1. Don’t Get Me Started
2. Feeling Nine Foot Tall
3. Sailing the Sunny Seas
4. What? Me Worry?
5. The Cumnor House Boogie
6. Such a Sad Little Waltz
7. Song for Falling Leaves
8. Channelling Lee Loughnane
9. Who Will I Be?
10. Chuffed To Bits
This collection of pieces emphasises and explores pop, rock and swing rhythms and chord changes, while staying within the range and technical limitations of players from beginner to Grades 1 & 2. Keys have been kept simple––most in either C or A minor, and the piano accompaniments are clear and supportive to the solo player.
Special attention should be paid to dynamic and articulation markings in all of these solos, as only when they are played properly do these simple compositions start to really speak.
Easy
3 Trumpet Quartets
for Young Zoologists
Quartet for Little Animals : Simple yet melodic it divides up one easy melody amongst four players, then brings everyone in together at the end of each section.
Quartet for Waltzing Penguins : The basic melody is divided amongst the players in shorter phrases, creating a bit more need for independent counting of bars and listening to the other parts.
Quartet for Rock Lobsters : This jazz rock tune combines a funky riff which gradually becomes a bit more harmonically complex, before resorting back to its original unison state.
Progressive - Easy to Intermediate
Ornithology Suite
Trumpet & Piano
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Tabby's Duck Goldie : I threw in some repeated notes to represent some hopeful quacking. As always, time spent practicing articulation and dynamics always pays dividends. This piece should be lively, with attitude. Try thinking like a duck.
Finnegan, the Amazon Parrot : Sweet legato lines, smooth slurred phrases create an overall feeling of calm. The parrot at rest.
Blackbird Fantasy : If you’ve ever listened to a blackbird sing, you might have noticed, as I have, that they often will sing a phrase, then wait a bit, as if either waiting for a response or deciding what line should come next.
Progressive - Easy to Intermediate
Trumpet Solos
Trumpet & Piano
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The first BIG BAD WOLF collection of solos for trumpet and piano offers a mix of pop, folk and jazz styled compositions for beginning to intermediate students.
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1. Four on the Floor
2. The Trees of Brambletye
3. Found My Missing Keys
4. The Mist Covered Mountains
5. Andalusian Folk Melody
6. Zeke and Me
7. Cool World
8. Swinging Elise
9. Wolf At The Door
10. One for a Leap Year
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A Little Jazz Suite
Takin’ It In My Stride : The trumpet part is pure Louis Armstrong, with the trumpet often interrupting the conversation with the piano.
Zac’s Blue Morning : Sweet, slow, mournful and blue.
Ezekiel’s Rag : A stride composition that I wrote for my dog Zeke who howls along with my trumpet playing.
Intermediate
Another Little Jazz Suite
One For Herbie : Inspired by the great trumpeter Herb Alpert and his ability to make his horn sound like a human voice.
Waltz For Zac : A gentle waltz with a plaintive melody.
Lost Time Is Not Found Again : This style of this piece is more fusion than traditional jazz with a little progressive rock thrown in for good measure.
Intermediate
Scent of Lavender
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A trumpet solo that peaceful and serene, supported by the steady piano accompaniment. Very much in the New Age vein.
Intermediate
The BIG BAD WOLF duet series offers teachers and students the opportunity to play together. The accompanying backing tracks fill out the ensemble in a motivating, enjoyable way, whilst teaching students the discipline of rhythmic and harmonic structure.
Book 1 Beginner
Optional backing tracks are available for downloading using a code provided at purchase, or printed in the book.
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2. On Our Way
3. Choices
4. Lazy Straw
8. Who Are You?
9. A New Friend
10. I'll Huff
11. Two Gone
12. Let Me Take You to the Fair
15. Swing It!
Book 2 of the BIG BAD WOLF Duets series picks up where Book 1 left off, featuring 12 new trumpet duets. The pop, jazzy backing tracks are here once again, but I’ve also written piano accompaniments for this book in order to make live performance opportunities more appealing.
Book 2 Intermediate
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1. House of Stax
2. House of Spaghetti Westerns
3. House of Fives
4. House of Whole Tones
5. House of Funk
6. House of Fanfare
7. O, Brother! Where Have You Gone?
8. House of Blues
9. A Canoe For Two
10. Wolf At The Door
11. Chicas de Chicxulub
12. Through the Nebulae
Vol. 1 of BIG BAD WOLF is for the beginning trombone player, and although the level of difficulty increases from the beginning to the end of the book, the student parts still more or less follow the ABRSM and Trinity College guidelines for Grades 1 & 2.
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Optional backing tracks are available for downloading using a code provided at purchase, or printed in the book.
2. On Our Way
3. Choices
4. Lazy Straw
8. Who Are You?
9. A New Friend
10. I'll Huff
11. Two Gone
12. Let Me Take You to the Fair
15. Swing It!
A suite for trumpet and piano in 3/4 time, recommended for the intermediate player.
Minuet and Variations for Trumpet and Piano
Sarabande
August Serenade
Intermediate
Three jazz inflected pop pieces for beginning to intermediate players.
Rockin’ Downtown This piece harks back to early jazz rock.
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The Real And Only Blues Sweet and mournful, with a gentle swing.
Cart Full Of Monkeys This is whimsical pop.
Beginner -Intermediate
On the Coney Island Boardwalk is a collection of 5 jazz inflected duets for the intermediate trumpeter, with piano accompaniments.
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1. On the Coney Island Boardwalk
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2. My Girl
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3. This Cat Bugs Me
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4. Grapplin’ with the Apple
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5. Take it to the Shed
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Intermediate
Rondo Giocoso began life as a whimsical piano solo, composed with television theme music in mind. After a while, I started wondering how it might work as a trumpet solo, as its Russian-sounding melody (Prokofiev springs to mind!) lends itself well to the instrument. With some judicious pruning and a flourish here and there, I finished it off and wrote a piano accompaniment for it.
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It is technically demanding and not for the faint of heart, but above all it’s meant to be fun, and I hope you enjoy playing it.
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