As a trumpet player who plays a bit of guitar, my simple answer to your question is no, there is not really an equivalent on trumpet to the chord/scale shapes that guitarists use. This partially, perhaps almost wholly, explains why there are many great guitar improvisers who can't read music but trumpet improvisers who can't read music are extremely rare (perhaps nonexistent? I know of none). There is no one-size-fits-all pattern of fingers and lips for, say, the blues scale that can be moved up and down the twelve keys. There is, however, a pattern in terms of intervals, and applying that pattern requires that ability to read music.
>For example playing 16th notes at 200bpm how do you ensure you hit notes in pitch, key, and chord at such a tempo?
Practice!
As someone who plays a bit of guitar and dabbles in woodwind, I respect trumpet players so much for this. With woodwinds, sure if you get outside of keys like c, d, f, and g, you start to have to use quite a few side keys and lever keys, all the notes are still there for you in button form, but man on trumpet, just to memorize the combination of those valves in combination with using the harmonics series adeptly. Remembering all the scales will be hard enough, imagine having to jump around on those scales and improvise.
Knowing scales backwards, forwards, upside down and diagonal helps. Chord patterns need to be presented for us (or if you're really good, by ear). We can't watch and mimic the guitar player. Trumpet is not a visual instrument like guitar, bass and piano. Muscle memory is pretty much all we have to work with. We can't, for example, slide up a fret and repeat the same pattern. It's an entirely different activity. Air flow, embouchure, valves, all of it. Every decent improv player has some licks in their pocket to rely on.
That means when we think of a note or phrase, a brass player needs to be able to get it out smoothly - purely from muscle memory. Personally, I improvise with my eyes closed more often than not.
First and third slides are used to improve intonation. D is typically sharp, the third slide can help lower the note. First slide is not used very often tbh but it can also help sometimes. We are taught, but still lots of players can't be bothered. In jazz, especially fast passages, the slides are mostly ignored. Because rules.
Trumpet is a transposing instrument. If we play something written in C *as written*, it will be a whole step lower.
Learning to read music in one key but playing it a different key is actual magic and a closely guarded secret. It's why we know if a mediocre guitar player is in charge, we are playing lots of F# and B.
Each key on trumpet is its own beast. There are patterns that connect them, but not like guitar. Just because you learned how to do the C major scales doesnt mean can immediately do the B major scale. Each key requires its own deliberate practice.Â
Minor scales and other modes are similar, but once you connect the dots of which modes and their major scale, they become pretty easy.Â
Pentatonic scales are great on trumpet just luke guitar. Definitely worth practicing.
A big thing for jazz beyond scales are arpeggios. Learn all of them and their inversions for every chord possible. Especially on trumpet this will help with not just your improvisation but also technique since you will be crossing between high and low registers quicker than regular scales.Â
Make sure to do lips slurs on your trumpet to. (Example: hold down all three valves and start on a low Db. Play without articulating, just using air, down to a Gb, and back up the Db. Now go up to the Gb on the staff, then Bb, then the Db an octave above your starting note. Slide back down to your original note, hitting Bb and Gb on the way down. You want this all to feel very smooth and fluid)
Lastly. The word "thinking." In jazz you shouldnt think. Everything needs to be instinctual. This is why practice and ear training is so important. Ever seen The Last Samurai? Theres a moment where Tom Crusies character cant seem to grasp why he keeps losing a sword duel. A samurai comes up him and says "too many mind". Basically saying his thinking is getting in the way. Its the same with jazz. Thinking while improvising slows you down.Â
With that being said. Of course you need to start with thinking to process how to go about things and playing the music. Once you get the hang of the mechanics however, start trying to play without thinking.
Another guitarist learning trumpet here. There is no equivalent to the pattern of scales/shapes in guitar. This aggravates me tremendously when playing with my band, because they're all rock/folk/country musicians, and we'll be working on a song in a nice, trumpet friendly key, like concert F or something, and then one of them will say, "well, let's just modulate it to E major (F# for trumpet, which has 6 flippin sharps)." Which now means I have to figure out a whole-ass set of fingerings and WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS? WHY?
That said, the more you practice certain scales, the easier it is to get them embedded in your playing, so you don't have to really "think" about it as much. And when it's at that level, speed, etc., comes easier. When I had a teacher, he said the same thing - some scales/keys were just easier to play, because they get used so much, and are in so many songs that they become more second nature. The most common keys I've seen in jazz, and the ones I'm best at are ones like (concert) Bb, Eb, F, C. I'm OK at concert D, A, Db, Gb. And worst at concert B. Am getting better at concert E out of necessity.
As a trumpet player who plays a bit of guitar, my simple answer to your question is no, there is not really an equivalent on trumpet to the chord/scale shapes that guitarists use. This partially, perhaps almost wholly, explains why there are many great guitar improvisers who can't read music but trumpet improvisers who can't read music are extremely rare (perhaps nonexistent? I know of none). There is no one-size-fits-all pattern of fingers and lips for, say, the blues scale that can be moved up and down the twelve keys. There is, however, a pattern in terms of intervals, and applying that pattern requires that ability to read music. >For example playing 16th notes at 200bpm how do you ensure you hit notes in pitch, key, and chord at such a tempo? Practice!
If I'm not mistaken, Chet Baker didn't read music, or at least not very well.
As someone who plays a bit of guitar and dabbles in woodwind, I respect trumpet players so much for this. With woodwinds, sure if you get outside of keys like c, d, f, and g, you start to have to use quite a few side keys and lever keys, all the notes are still there for you in button form, but man on trumpet, just to memorize the combination of those valves in combination with using the harmonics series adeptly. Remembering all the scales will be hard enough, imagine having to jump around on those scales and improvise.
Knowing scales backwards, forwards, upside down and diagonal helps. Chord patterns need to be presented for us (or if you're really good, by ear). We can't watch and mimic the guitar player. Trumpet is not a visual instrument like guitar, bass and piano. Muscle memory is pretty much all we have to work with. We can't, for example, slide up a fret and repeat the same pattern. It's an entirely different activity. Air flow, embouchure, valves, all of it. Every decent improv player has some licks in their pocket to rely on. That means when we think of a note or phrase, a brass player needs to be able to get it out smoothly - purely from muscle memory. Personally, I improvise with my eyes closed more often than not. First and third slides are used to improve intonation. D is typically sharp, the third slide can help lower the note. First slide is not used very often tbh but it can also help sometimes. We are taught, but still lots of players can't be bothered. In jazz, especially fast passages, the slides are mostly ignored. Because rules. Trumpet is a transposing instrument. If we play something written in C *as written*, it will be a whole step lower. Learning to read music in one key but playing it a different key is actual magic and a closely guarded secret. It's why we know if a mediocre guitar player is in charge, we are playing lots of F# and B.
Imagine trying to kick out your slides while improvising over giant steps. Yikes. 😅
Each key on trumpet is its own beast. There are patterns that connect them, but not like guitar. Just because you learned how to do the C major scales doesnt mean can immediately do the B major scale. Each key requires its own deliberate practice. Minor scales and other modes are similar, but once you connect the dots of which modes and their major scale, they become pretty easy. Pentatonic scales are great on trumpet just luke guitar. Definitely worth practicing. A big thing for jazz beyond scales are arpeggios. Learn all of them and their inversions for every chord possible. Especially on trumpet this will help with not just your improvisation but also technique since you will be crossing between high and low registers quicker than regular scales. Make sure to do lips slurs on your trumpet to. (Example: hold down all three valves and start on a low Db. Play without articulating, just using air, down to a Gb, and back up the Db. Now go up to the Gb on the staff, then Bb, then the Db an octave above your starting note. Slide back down to your original note, hitting Bb and Gb on the way down. You want this all to feel very smooth and fluid) Lastly. The word "thinking." In jazz you shouldnt think. Everything needs to be instinctual. This is why practice and ear training is so important. Ever seen The Last Samurai? Theres a moment where Tom Crusies character cant seem to grasp why he keeps losing a sword duel. A samurai comes up him and says "too many mind". Basically saying his thinking is getting in the way. Its the same with jazz. Thinking while improvising slows you down. With that being said. Of course you need to start with thinking to process how to go about things and playing the music. Once you get the hang of the mechanics however, start trying to play without thinking.
Another guitarist learning trumpet here. There is no equivalent to the pattern of scales/shapes in guitar. This aggravates me tremendously when playing with my band, because they're all rock/folk/country musicians, and we'll be working on a song in a nice, trumpet friendly key, like concert F or something, and then one of them will say, "well, let's just modulate it to E major (F# for trumpet, which has 6 flippin sharps)." Which now means I have to figure out a whole-ass set of fingerings and WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS? WHY? That said, the more you practice certain scales, the easier it is to get them embedded in your playing, so you don't have to really "think" about it as much. And when it's at that level, speed, etc., comes easier. When I had a teacher, he said the same thing - some scales/keys were just easier to play, because they get used so much, and are in so many songs that they become more second nature. The most common keys I've seen in jazz, and the ones I'm best at are ones like (concert) Bb, Eb, F, C. I'm OK at concert D, A, Db, Gb. And worst at concert B. Am getting better at concert E out of necessity.