We have the instrument put together. Now how do we hold it? 
We will break it down in this order Left Hand, Right Hand and Instrument to Body.
Left Hand
  1. Grab the trumpet by the valve casings with your ring finger in the 3rd valve slide ring. Be sure to grasp it firmly without causing any tension and keep your wrist straight.
  2. Make sure the buttons of the trumpet up towards the ceiling, slightly turned to the right to help keep your wrist straight. 
Right Hand
  1. Act like you are holding a tennis ball or holding a glass of water.
  2. Maintaining the tennis ball shape and keeping your wrist straight, place your thumb below the lead pipe and between the 1st and 2nd valve.
  3. Maintaining the tennis ball shape and keeping your wrist straight, place your fingers on top of the buttons of the trumpet.​ Be sure your pinky it on top of the little finger hook.
  • ​The purpose of the little hook is to support the weight of the trumpet when turning pages. If you have your pinky in the hook, you run the risk of add unnecessary pressure on the embouchure.​
In short, follow these 3 steps when holding the instrument:
  1. Secure, relaxed left hand grip.
  2. Curved right hand finger (tennis ball)
  3. Little finger on top of little finger hook
Both Hands on the Trumpet
Now both hand are on the trumpet, we need to be sure all of angle are correct before we start playing.​
  1. ​Your arms from each elbow to the trumpet should create a 90 degree angle.
  2. When bringing the instrument to your embouchure, that angle must to remain.
  3. When the instrument connects to your embouchure, the trumpet can be slightly rotated to the right a few degrees to relieve stress in the wrists.
The image on the left has 2 common posture errors: Incorrect Arm Angle and the Horn Angle Too Low. Keep an eye out for both of these. Sometimes fixing one fixes the other. These are simple errors to spot and should be addressed immediately!
Instrument to Body​
Remember the phrase: "1, 2, instrument to you." Our posture is set, our hands are in place and we can now bring the instrument to us.
1. Check that your posture is tall and relaxed.
2. Check that your upper body (shoulders, wrists, and fingers) is relaxed and your hands are in the correct areas.
3. Rotate from your shoulders to bring the trumpet to your embouchure. 
        - Your shoulders should remain in place. If they raise, start the process over and focus on keeping them down and relaxed.
​          - The angle of the trumpet can be slightly down, if you head is in the correct position. 
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