Trumpet Practice Plan

Phase 4: Preparing and Learning Il Triello

Goal: Learn and perform Il Triello (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) — trumpet solo with band or piano (e.g. Johan de Meij arrangement, grade 4).

Approximate duration: 8–16+ weeks at 30 min/day.

Previous: Phase 3: Lyrical and Technical Repertoire

Skills you need before starting Phase 4

From Phase 3: You can perform 2–3 grade 2–3 solos with clear dynamics, phrasing, and secure high notes. You have double tonguing under control for any fast articulated passages (from Phase 2 and any Phase 3 piece that used it).
If your Il Triello arrangement has fast articulated passages, use the same double-tonguing approach you used in Trumpeter’s Lullaby and Phase 3 pieces.

What Il Triello Requires

Range: Up to around high C (and possibly a bit higher in some arrangements); comfortable G–C above staff.
Style: Lyrical, dramatic, with clear dynamics and phrasing (like a film theme).
Stamina: Several minutes of sustained playing; some sustained high notes.
Rhythm: Steady pulse; some syncopation and dotted figures.
Articulation (if needed): Some arrangements have fast repeated notes or runs; use double tonguing (“ta-ka”) as in Phase 2 and Phase 3.

You’ve built these in Phases 1–3. Now you apply them to this piece.

Skills to Reinforce in Phase 4

Skill	What to do	How to know you’re doing it right
Sustained high notes	Long tones on the highest notes in the piece (e.g. high G, A, B♭, C) at mf and p.	They speak easily and hold without wavering.
Phrasing and drama	Play each phrase with a clear beginning and end; make crescendos and diminuendos obvious.	It sounds like the movie theme—bold where it should be, tender where it should be.
Stamina	Play the whole piece at performance tempo. If it’s long, play the first half twice, then the second half twice, then full run.	You can finish the piece with good tone and control.
Accuracy under pressure	Isolate the hardest 2–4 bars; play them until they’re reliable at tempo.	You can play them correctly 3 times in a row.

30-Minute Session in Phase 4

Warm-up (5 min): Long tones, slurs, scale to high C. Include the highest note of the piece.
Fundamentals (5 min): One scale and one range or long-tone exercise.
Piece work (20 min):
- First 1–2 weeks: learn the tune in small sections (e.g. 4–8 bars at a time).
- Then: connect sections, add dynamics, work on hard spots.
- Later: full run-throughs, with backing track if you have one.

Il Triello: Edition and Alternatives

Primary	Alternatives
Il Triello (Ennio Morricone, arr. Johan de Meij) — trumpet solo with concert band or piano (Molenaar Edition, grade 4)	Il Triello in other published arrangements; The Ecstasy of Gold (same film); other Morricone/western-style trumpet solos at grade 4.

Sheet music: Phase 4 — Il Triello (Molenaar/Johan de Meij; Stretta Music, Molenaar, and other retailers).

Learning Il Triello in Steps

Listen. Find a good recording (film soundtrack or concert band with trumpet solo). Sing or hum the main melody. Know how it goes before you play it.
Map the piece. How many sections? Where are the highest notes? Where do you need to breathe? Mark breaths and dynamics in the part.
Learn in chunks.
- Chunk 1: Beginning to first big phrase end.
- Chunk 2: Next section.
- Continue until the piece is in 4–8 learnable chunks.
Run each chunk slowly, then at tempo. Fix wrong notes and rhythm first, then add expression.
Connect chunks (e.g. Chunk 1 + 2, then 2 + 3, etc.), then play the whole piece.
Polish. Dynamics, phrasing, tuning, and stamina. Record and compare to a professional recording.

Ready to Perform?

You’re ready to perform Il Triello when:

You can play the entire piece without stopping, with correct notes and rhythm.
Dynamics and phrasing are clear (you and a listener can hear the shape of the piece).
High notes are secure and in tune; tone stays good to the end.
You can play it two full times in a row without the second run falling apart.
A recording sounds like a real performance—not perfect, but confident and musical.

How to Self-Assess

Record the full piece. Listen for: wrong notes, rhythm slips, weak high notes, flat phrasing. Fix the biggest issue first.
Play for a parent or teacher and ask: “Where did it sound best? Where did it sound uncertain?” Use that to focus the next week’s practice.

Videos to Watch (Phase 4)

Each links to the video section in Skills & Video Reference:

Il Triello — listen and play along — Play-along with backing track; tempo, style, stamina.
Sustained high notes and stamina — Reinforce range and long-phrase control; revisit High notes / range if needed.

See also the Skills → Video sections index.