Technique · October 20, 2026
By Justin Comstock · JazzValve creator, longtime guitarist and adult trumpet learner · Updated October 22, 2026
Trumpet Lip Slurs: Comfortable Same-Valve Exercises
Connect comfortable same-valve pitches with counted lip-slur exercises, clear written registers, generous rests and a short jazz-phrase application.
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Get Blue Lines freeTrumpet lip slurs connect notes that use the same valve combination without tonguing each new pitch. They let you work on a smooth change between the instrument's available resonances while keeping your attention on sound and timing.
Begin with two comfortable notes, not a race through the full harmonic series. This lesson uses short, counted studies between written E4 and C5, with rests after every attempt.
What makes a lip slur different?
In an ordinary slurred melody, you may change valves as you move between notes. In a lip-slur exercise, the valve combination stays fixed while the pitch changes. Tongue the first note gently, then connect the following notes without a new tongue attack.
The word “lip” does not mean you should make a large visible lip movement or force the mouthpiece into your face. Yamaha's trumpet playing guide demonstrates that different pitches can sound with unchanged fingering and cautions against pressing the mouthpiece firmly into the lips.
Start with notes you can already produce separately. If either pitch is unreliable, establish it with a comfortable attack first. A teacher can help you adjust the coordination; extra pressure is not a useful substitute.
Choose a pair in a comfortable register
All notes below are written for B-flat trumpet. Written G4 is the second line of the treble staff, B4 the middle line and C5 the third space. Written E4 is the first line.
| Valves held throughout the pair | Lower written note | Upper written note |
|---|---|---|
| Open | G4 | C5 |
| 2 | F-sharp4 | B4 |
| 1 | F4 | B-flat4 |
| 1+2 | E4 | A4 |
Valve 1 is nearest the mouthpiece; “open” means no valves pressed. These are octave-specific pairings, not a claim that every note with the same letter uses the same valves. Compare the register with Yamaha's trumpet fingering diagram.
Each pair spans a perfect fourth. Pick the pair that feels easiest today. You do not have to begin with open G4–C5 if C5 is not comfortable yet.
A B-flat trumpet sounds a whole step below the written pitch. For example, written G4–C5 sounds concert F4–B-flat4; written E4–A4 sounds concert D4–G4. These drills need no backing track. If a piano helps you hear the two notes, use those sounding pitches.
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Study 1: Make a slow downward connection
Set a metronome to quarter note = 60 in 4/4. The examples below use G4–C5; substitute any complete pair from the table if it is more comfortable.
- Bar 1: C5 quarter note on beat 1, slur down to G4 as a half note on beats 2–3, then a quarter rest on beat 4.
- Bar 2: Rest for the full bar.
Keep the valves open throughout the notes. There is one initial tongue attack on C, not a second attack on G. The change happens at beat 2, not somewhere between the clicks.
Before playing, sing or hum the two pitches in a comfortable octave. Then try the slur once and listen. Does the lower note settle clearly, or do you hear an extra pitch or a break between the notes?
If the connection is unclear, play the two pitches separately, with a breath between them, to recover their sound. Then return to the slur. Do not repeat a failed attempt rapidly until it turns into a new habit.
Study 2: Reverse direction without adding force
Use the same rhythm:
- Bar 1: G4 quarter note, slur up to C5 as a half note, quarter rest.
- Bar 2: Whole-bar rest.
Aim for a connected sound with the upper note arriving at beat 2. It does not need a louder attack to announce the change.
The ascending direction may feel different. If you need to jab with the tongue or push the horn harder against your lips, stop and use the lower pair E4–A4 instead, or return to separate notes. Keep the practice within the range that is comfortable now.
Tennessee Tech professor Joshua Hauser's lip-slur and flexibility guidance recommends beginning slowly before increasing speed. Here, stay at the same tempo until you can repeat both directions with a consistent sound.
Study 3: Join the two directions
Try one complete arch:
- Bar 1: G4 quarter note on beat 1, C5 quarter note on beat 2, G4 quarter note on beat 3, quarter rest on beat 4.
- Bar 2: Whole-bar rest.
Tongue only the first G. Slur G–C–G, keeping the valves open. The playing bar has three beats of sound and one beat of rest, followed by another four beats of rest.
Record two attempts. Listen for whether the middle C becomes much louder or whether the final G arrives early. Keep the notes as quarter notes while fixing either problem.
When one pair is dependable, try the same arch with F-sharp4–B4–F-sharp4, holding valve 2. On another attempt, use F4–B-flat4–F4, holding valve 1. Change valves only between attempts, not during an individual arch.
There is no need to complete every pair in one session. One smooth connection is a better practice result than a fast sequence full of cracked notes.
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Study 4: Change the timing, not the range
Once the quarter-note arch is comfortable, compare these two versions:
Version A: G4 quarter note, C5 quarter note, G4 quarter note, quarter rest.
Version B: G4 and C5 as two eighth notes on beat 1, G4 half note on beats 2–3, quarter rest on beat 4.
Rest for a full bar after either version. Play the eighth notes evenly for this coordination study. Version B gives you less time for the first change but does not add any higher notes.
If the shorter note makes you tense, return to Version A. Do not increase tempo and change rhythm at the same time; otherwise it is difficult to hear which change caused the problem.
Bring the connection into a jazz phrase
Read the note and rhythm transcript below. Staff notation requires JavaScript.
Notes, rhythm and playing instructions
- Bar 1: beat 1, G4 quarter note, fingering open, sounds F4, initial tongue, start slur; beat 2, C5 quarter note, fingering open, sounds B-flat4, no new tongue attack, end slur; beat 3, B4 quarter note, fingering 2, sounds A4, light tongue; beat 4, quarter rest.
- Bar 2: beat 1, G4 half note, fingering open, sounds F4; beat 3, half rest.
- Bar 3: beat 1, whole rest.
- Bar 4: beat 1, whole rest.
Show the open-valve G4–C5 lip slur followed by a lightly tongued B4 valve change in an existing original musical application. steady quarter-note pulse; no swing marking or invented rhythmic alteration Slur only G4 to C5 in bar 1, both open. Lightly tongue B4 on beat 3. Optional written Cmaj7 accompaniment sounds concert B-flatmaj7; it is not a mandatory progression. Concert pitches in the transcript are references only; play the written pitches on B-flat trumpet. No audio playback or fixed swing ratio is implied.
Now put the open-valve pair inside a short original phrase:
- Bar 1: G4 quarter note, C5 quarter note, B4 quarter note, quarter rest.
- Bar 2: G4 half note, half rest.
- Bars 3–4: Rest.
Slur G4–C5, then lightly tongue B4. G and C use open valves; B4 uses valve 2. The last movement is a normal valve change, so this is now a musical application rather than a pure lip-slur drill.
These notes fit written Cmaj7, sounding concert B-flatmaj7, if you add accompaniment. Hear the major-seventh color of B rather than treating it as a wrong C.
For more choices about which notes to tongue or connect, use the jazz trumpet articulation lesson. Lip flexibility and musical articulation are related, but they answer different practice questions.
Know when to stop
End the study while the sound and coordination remain comfortable. If your tone becomes pinched, you start pressing harder, or you feel pain, stop rather than finishing a repetition target.
Write down the pair, rhythm and one result: “F4–B-flat4–F4, quarter notes at 60; upward change stayed smooth.” Keep that same pair next time before adding more range.
Balance this work with sustained sound, listening and actual music in your trumpet practice routine. For another set of short daily ideas, the free Blue Lines workbook is available with email signup.
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Free trumpet workbook
Blue Lines
Thirty days of focused B♭ trumpet practice: tone, time, jazz language and improvisation.
Email signup required
Get Blue Lines freeSources
- Yamaha: Techniques for Playing the Trumpet — https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/trumpet/play/
- Yamaha: Fingering Diagram for the Trumpet — https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/trumpet/play/play002.html
- Joshua Hauser, Tennessee Tech: B-flat Trumpet/Baritone TC Warmups — https://sites.tntech.edu/jhauser/brass-warmups-with-mp3-play-a-long-tracks/bb-trumpetbaritone-tc-warmups-with-mp3-play-a-long-tracks/