The Note F
The note F is written in the first space of the staff.
This melody features the note F along with the other notes you have learned. A useful way of memorizing notes is to sing the names of the notes to yourself as you follow the music. When changing notes, make sure your fingers are in position for each new note at the exact time that you tongue the ntoe. This will avoid "flams" at the start of notes.
The Three Four Time Signature
This time signature is called the three four time signature. It tells you there are three beats in each bar. Three four time is also known as waltz time. There are three quarter notes in one bar of ^ time.
The Dotted Half Note
A dot written after a note extends its value by half. A dot after a half note means that you hold it for three beats. One dotted half note makes one bar of music in ^ time.
Here is a typical example of the way dotted half notes are used in b time. As there are no rests in this example, breath marks are placed in every fourth bar after a dotted half note. From this point on breath marks will mostly be placed every four bars to encourage you to develop more breath control. However, you can still breathe more often if you need to.
The Note G
The note G is written on the second line of the staff.
The fingering for the note G is the same as the note C. The difference is that you use more pressure with your lips to produce the G note. Because there are only three valves on the trumpet, there are many notes with identical fingerings.
In these cases, the different notes are always the result of more or less pressure applied with the lips. Notes which have the same fingerings as lower notes are called harmonics. The following example alternates between the notes G and C. Practice it until you can easily play either note at will.
This example uses all of the notes you have learned so far. Remember to aim for a strong, even tone with everything you play.
