You came back to the trumpet but you're struggling. Now there's a clear way forward.
The Returning Trumpet Player Method is a structured path for comeback players who want to rebuild their range, endurance, and sound, without wasting time in practice so that you can play music with and for the people you love.
Choose Your Plan
You love this instrument. You've missed it. And since picking it back up, some things have gotten in the way.
Your range stops well short of where it used to be, and the high notes you remember feel out of reach.
You run out of gas partway through a session, and your chops feel it long before you want to stop.
You feel exposed playing with a group, and part of you has started avoiding it.
You aren't sure what to practice, or whether what you're practicing is moving you forward.
Underneath it all is a quiet worry that a piece of who you are as a musician is slipping away.
That's why I created The Returning Trumpet Player Method
It's built for comeback trumpet players who have unfinished business with the trumpet and who want a clear, organized way to work on it. The method rests on three pillars, so you always know what you're working on and why.
Sound & Body
Most challenges on trumpet are a result of wrong form. Learn the right way here.
Flexibility
Flexibility is the master key to trumpet playing since it unlocks access to the entire trumpet.
Coordination
You will develop new skills along the way but you will need to learn how to help them play well together.
You don't have to piece it together on your own. There is a way forward, and you'll have people with you along the way.
What's included
Every plan includes all of the following.
The Returning Trumpet Player Method practice book
A practice book that gives your sessions a structure, so you can sit down with a plan and know what comes next.
Video Library
A library of video modules that walks you through the work, so you can see and hear what you're aiming for.
Community recording feedback
Post a recording of your playing in the member community and get feedback on it.
Live Office Hours
Live session with Chris where you bring your playing and your questions.
What Office Hours are like
Office Hours aren't private lessons but you do receive personalized attention. Some would call them Hot Seats. You bring your playing and questions, or the thing that's been frustrating you, and you get real, personal attention on it while others listen and learn alongside you. Members have said it's one of the most beneficial parts of the program.
Schedule: Thursdays at 4:15p.m. Central Standard Time | Replays are available.
What other returning players have experienced
These are real members, and they're here as examples of what they experienced. They aren't promises. Every player starts from a different place and moves at a different pace and that is welcome here.
Russ, Iowa
"Last night I practiced for over an hour and a half, and not because I had to. It's because it's fun and I can."
Veronica, England
"Don't wait. The longer you wait, the less progress you'll make."
Louis, Chicago
"The Returning Trumpet Player Method is well thought out, organized properly, and customer friendly for the Comeback Trumpet Player."
Veronica, England
Veronica came back to the trumpet after about 50 years. At the start, anything above the D on the staff was out of reach. Today she plays a full sight-reading piece without stopping, and she plays in several community bands.
Away from the trumpet for 52 years. In roughly three months, Russ gained nearly a full octave of fange, without range drills.
Russ told us he used to run out of lip after about ten minutes. These days he plays for over an hour.
From Struggling Through Taps in a Lower Key to Playing With Confidence Again, After 40 Years Away
"After being away from the horn for about 40 years, I picked it up to play Taps and had to force the performance in a lower key just to make it through. It was pretty rough. Today I'm diligent about my practice, I'm enjoying playing again, and I'm ready to expand my goals and play in a community band. This is all thanks to Chris."
Is RTPM the right fit?
This is for you if:
- You've played trumpet before and you're returning to the trumpet, whether it's been a few years or several decades.
- You ant a clear structure instead of guessing at what to work on
- You're willing to practice and to follow the work through.
- You'd like to improve alongside a community of other returning players.
The RTPM is not for you if:
- You're a total beginner who has never played trumpet before.
- You're a skeptic who isn't open to trying a new approach.
- You're hoping for a magic pill and don't plan to practice.
- You're looking for motivation to open the case.
Hi Trumpet Player!
I'm Chris Davis.
For more than 35 years, trumpet has been a part of my life and eventually became the way I have supported my family. So when my endurance disappeared, it was not just frustrating. It was a real problem. I started turning down work I used to say yes to without a second thought.
Range was its own battle. I've never been considered a high note player and did not learn to play comfortably in the extreme upper register until I was nearly 40. A late bloomer by any measure.
The turning point was hiring a teacher of my own. He showed me what to practice, how to practice, and how the right routine could change what my body was capable of on the trumpet. He caught habits in my form I did not even know I had. Once we fixed them, my range opened up well above and below the staff, and my endurance came back stronger than before.
I started teaching those same concepts to my own students and watched their playing turn around too. That work became The Returning Trumpet Player Method.
You can get there.
If any of this sounds familiar and you've ever had the sense that you are behind where you "should be", I want you to know there is a path forward.
I have lived it, and I have watched other comeback players live it too.
Join The Returning Trumpet Player MethodJoin The Returning Trumpet Player Method
Questions You May Have
Is there any difference between the plans?
What happens after I join?
What if it's been decades since I played?
Do I have to be retired?
Are Office Hours the same as private lessons?
Can I cancel?
Is there a refund or guarantee?
You were made to play trumpet.
Every month you wait is another month of playing the same way you're playing today. You came back for a reason. When you're ready, there's a clear way forward and a group of returning players working on it with you.
Call To Action