The Exercises

About the Exercises
These exercises focus on producing a consistent repeatable sound while developing specific skills. They develop reliable trills, high and low range and clean tonguing. Sample Practice Plans are provided here.

Pay careful attention to the instructions. Without proper instructions drills are just notes on a page! 

Be sure to read How to Play Left Coast Exercises and About Left Coast Horn Playing Technique for important instructions and guidance.

Exercise 1
Our basic warm up exercise

Exercise 2  
To practice keeping the mouth still 

Exercise 3
Preliminary trill exercise
 
Exercise 4
Arpeggio exercise
 
Exercise 5
To develop a consistent sound in all ranges and to learn to aim in one spot

Exercise 6
 To develop fast tonguing and to aim at notes with the air

Exercise 7
An advanced trill exercise, a follow up to Exercise 3

Exercise 8
A great exercise that we use to develop coordination of breath and air, and to learn double tonguing, transposition, etc.

Exercise 9
An exercise to develop the ability to eliminate the space between tongued notes

Exercise 10
To learn to aim at notes with the air while slurring down

Exercise 11
Eliminating space and creating a big sound

Exercise 12
Developing super hard tonguing as a shortcut to proper tonguing

Exercise 13
For air coordination and to learn to rely on the valves when slurring and decrease movement in the mouth

Exercise 14
To eliminate space before tongued notes and to aim at the same place (the Target)

Exercise 15
Building strength for the high range

Exercise 16
A pure high range exercise designed to get you to play the highest notes as much like the mid range as possible. We do this every other day at the end of our playing day.

Exercise 17
An advanced trilling exercise