Bb Trumpet Practice Tools

Free tools to practice the B♭ trumpet. Everything is in written pitch with the valve fingering for every note, and you can tap any note to hear how it should sound and check your pitch.

Scales138 scales in all 12 keys with fingerings, staff notation and play-along audio with an optional root drone.ii-V-IMajor and minor ii-V-I in all 12 keys: arpeggios, guide tones, the 1-2-3-5 pattern and scales, with play-along audio.Fingering chartEvery note from low F♯ to high C with its valve fingering, alternate fingerings and the concert pitch it sounds.Lip slursThe harmonic series of each valve position and lip slur drills that play along at your tempo.Guitar → TrumpetTurn a guitar chord progression into B♭ trumpet arpeggios and scales, with capo support.

C major scale fingerings on trumpet

The written C major scale (concert B♭ major) is the first scale every trumpet player learns. Under each note you can see its valves: filled means pressed, empty means open.

Why B♭ trumpet music is written a whole step higher

The B♭ trumpet is a transposing instrument: when you read a C, it sounds B♭. To play with guitar, piano or bass, which read in concert pitch, every note is written a major second higher. A concert F is a G for you, and a song in F major is read in G major.

If you play with a guitarist, the guitar to trumpet transposer does the maths for you, even when they use a capo.

What to practice on trumpet every day

  • Long tones: tone and intonation, checking against the reference pitch.
  • Flexibility (lip slurs): slurring partials without changing valves.
  • Scales and arpeggios in all 12 keys, slowly and with a metronome.
  • Jazz patterns such as the ii-V-I to learn to improvise.

Frequently asked questions

Are the notes shown in concert pitch or written pitch?

All notes are in written pitch for Bb trumpet, a major second above concert pitch, because that is what a trumpet player reads. When you tap a note you hear the concert pitch your trumpet should actually produce.

How do I read the valve diagrams?

Each diagram shows the three valves from left to right (1, 2 and 3). A filled circle means pressed and an empty circle means open. 0 means no valves. The small number next to the note name is the written octave: C4 is the low open C.

Why does the same fingering play different notes on the trumpet?

Each valve combination gives a whole series of notes (the harmonic series). You choose which one sounds with your embouchure and air speed. That is why low D (D4) is played 1-3 and the D one octave higher (D5) is played with valve 1.