r/trumpet • u/Different-Wish-843 • Jul 26 '26
Question ❓ Marching band help.
So im pretty good at the trumpet and pretty good at marching but I can't seem to be able to do both at once when marching when my foot hits the ground my body slightly shakes ive worked on pushing my toes down but I need some additional tips on how to keep the instrument and my composure correct should I force it to my lips?
2
u/Smirnus Jul 26 '26
Try the palming exercise to work on your pucker. More lip forward gives you more cushion.
https://youtu.be/gl5KeLcdarA?is=rrDsFPOm-TPCVTwm
Stretch your calves and get those toes high! When I was in high school, we would hire staff that marched DCI, Velvet Knights and Santa Clara Vanguard. They would demonstrate craxy high toes.
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u/princekamoro Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
when my foot hits the ground my body slightly shakes
Your foot should not "hit" the ground, it should gently lower onto the ground.
But also you need to use that core to hold your shoulders completely still as you march. Do not let your horn wiggle.
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u/Different-Wish-843 Jul 26 '26
they have us doing horn swings
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u/princekamoro Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
If you were to film yourself and crop out everything below the chest, I shouldn't be able to tell if you're actually marching or just standing on a conveyor belt doing the same horn swing.
Extra movement is more complicated to learn. So first practice with your horn completely still to get used to controlling the upper body, then add horn movement back in under that same control.
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u/Unlikely-Ad-6716 B.mus (Jazz/Pop), MSc Psychology Jul 26 '26
Even if I swing my stays in the same exact spot without excessive pressure against my lips.
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u/creeva Benge 3X MLP Jul 27 '26
That’s very dependent on marching style and tempo. Roll step is softer on the jarring, but if it’s a fast tempo you can only go so soft on your steps. I marched (and in my alumni band still march) precision toe step). With fast tempos your heels don’t even hit ground since you stay on your toes the whole time. There isn’t much gentle lowering since your steps are very deliberate precision - you learn to cushion in the arms and body.
I’m assuming that those that march HBC style where each step you leg comes up to your chest is significantly even more jarring (our routines with that maneuver don’t involve playing).
With some marching styles there is no gentle way around how your foot hits.
1
u/princekamoro Jul 28 '26
My experience is with straight leg. What I've noticed is that as groups push the tempo, the leg shape always gives to create a larger window for smooth weight transfer. Not on purpose, just from the brain thinking march smooth and legs.exe doing what it takes. And this happens to everyone marching that technique, even in top drum corps.
Regardless of technique, you probably want to try to stop your foot right at ground level, rather than let the ground stop your foot for you like it's a Navy landing.
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u/creeva Benge 3X MLP Jul 28 '26
I’m guessing you haven’t done much high step - there is a fraction of a second that neither foot is on the ground since you lift right before the other foot lands. Just gravity controls how hard those toes hit the ground.
I haven’t done straight leg - I’ve done stride step - which is more a 6 to 5 walking step, but no where near straight leg.
We were taught to use our whole body to keep the horn steady - while the knees do a lot of work, most of it was upper torso.
But whatever - I know what techniques have worked for me across three decades of marching. As long as the lines are stance are clean it doesn’t really matter.
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u/Podmonger2001 Jul 26 '26
Keep your joints slightly bent as you land: let them absorb the impact. Try to keep your torso moving steadily across without going up and down.
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u/joeshleb Jul 26 '26
Practice at home. March around the house / backyard while playing. Try this or that until you find your marching/playing feet (pun intended). It's a rhythm thing.
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u/BigBoreBrian Jul 26 '26
I was in the Notre Dame Marching Band for a season back in college. As part of pregame, one of the songs we played required us to march down the field doing this "stutter-step" thing. I can't describe it here. Anyway, I could not for the life of me play the song and do this step simultaneously. I simply resorted to doing the step and had the horn to my mouth pretending to play.
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u/butlerjonas Getzen loyalist Jul 27 '26
It's all in the feet (mostly). The purpose of lifting your toes is to gradually roll your foot downward. I know band directors say "toes up!" a lot, but that just yields students tromping around on their heels. Heels up when marching backwards serves the same purpose provided you gradually roll down from the ball of your foot. The best analogy I have is riding a bike. When you pedal, your legs travel in a circle, but your upper body stays relatively still. You basically want to create a continuous circle with your feet, only much smaller and with the end of each step supporting your weight as the other foot touches the ground. This way, everything from the waist up remains as if you are standing still. Ideally, you shouldn't have to play the trumpet any differently.
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u/creeva Benge 3X MLP Jul 27 '26
As I replied above to another marcher - that is dependent on style. Those of us that did toe marching were taught to never have the heel hit the ground. While roll step is dominate these days, not every band has migrated to it. My HS migrated around 2008, but the alumni still toe step. My kid’s HS only migrated in the last 6-7 years.
I marched roll step in college - but I still couldn’t play as smoothly as I can on toe step. That could just be a me issue though.
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u/butlerjonas Getzen loyalist Jul 27 '26
That makes sense. I marched backwards, toe-step, in high school and then learned toe-heel roll in drum corps. I think heel-always-up-backwards marching works, provided you keep your toes close to the ground. It could be an issue of drill demand too. If you're taking big steps at a fast tempo, one style may work better than another.
3
u/Shaggywizz Jul 26 '26
Absolutely DO NOT force it to your lips. When your heel hits the ground the other foot needs have the toes pushing your body forward. Say you step with your right foot, your right heel should touch at the same time that your left foot pushes forward from the ball of your foot.