Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet New Authentic Edition-Spiral Bound-with pacc.Bk + CD

I'll split this review into two parts: the book itself, and the binding/packaging/etc.First and foremost, the binding/packaging/etc:The book was packaged in plastic shipping material with a piece of cardboard inside to keep the book flat and protect it from bending or other kinds of damage in the mail. There was no shrinkwrap or unnecessary wasteful plastic packing other than that.Definitely look at the pictures I attached and make sure this is the kind of binding you'd be happy with. The original Arban's book is quite thick, and I always remember having trouble getting it to lay open flat while practicing on my old copy. I had lost my old copy, so I was on the market for a new one specifically with a spiral binding to help it lay flat while it's on a music stand.This book is exactly that. Please see the attached pictures. It helps the book lay flat, and as far as I can tell the pages won't get damaged or stuck in the process like they do with some other types of bindings. However, you can only lay the book flat - it's not like a metal spiral binding where you can open up the book all the way and have only one page open. This is probably better because the book is pretty heavy and on many types of practice stands, the stand would probably collapse under the weight (lol). Laying the book flat like this allows the weight to be distributed across the stand. However, it's worth knowing in case you are picky about the kind of binding.I'll edit this review if I notice anything in the future, but from quickly flipping through, all the pages seem to be in tact and the book is well-printed. My suspicion is that the music store took the original book and applied the binding in-house, which is fantastic compared to my assumption (that maybe they printed off a PDF and bound it). The cover is consistent with the cover of a paperback book (i.e. not heavily laminated, but does have that glossy finish). I'm sure it will be subject to some wear and tear over time, especially if you're always hauling it around from practice to practice, but if you're careful with it, I bet it'll hold up well.The book itself:Arban's method book is a must-have for any Trumpet player. You can look up the history of the book elsewhere, but I'll say this: I've played the trumpet for about 20ish years now (started when I was in middle school). Across middle school, high school, college, and community bands, I've been introduced to all kinds of different "technique" books... everything from Essential Elements 2000 to technique pamphlets that were composed by the director. Arban's is the end-all, be-all of technique books. Anything that you could hope to find in any one of those other books is in Arban's, and then some. This type of book is meant to help you with your technique - the sound of the horn when you're tonguing or playing long tones, how your fast runs sound, and so on.Arban's not only gives you the music to play, but it also provides explanations at the beginning of the book for how to tongue the notes and how hold your embouchure. After that, the book has hundreds of pages of things to play. In included pictures of the table of contents (which I hope is okay), but most notably, the book includes all the major/minor/chromatic scales, syncopations, slurring, ornaments (like trills), and practice for double and triple tonguing. It also includes 150 melodies and 68 duets.This is the kind of book that every trumpet player should use to integrate into their daily practice. 20-30 minutes a day of working through this book consistently, perhaps with the help of a tutor if you've never received formal training before, and I can just about promise your technique will improve.

Excellent selection and the binding allows the book to lay flat. Stays open well on a music stand.

Received this product in record time consider that this was during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was well packaged and arrived in perfect condition. The book I received is wire-bound versus the stated spiral-bound. Which is what I prefer anyhow. All the pages are there, unlike some reviews on other books were there were complaints about the book being incomplete. The printing is sharp and clear, easy to read. There is even a download link provided for the mp3 and pdf files. I do agree with others that the cover could be plastic, with this type of binding the covers will not last with handling over time. Not a big problem for me, I can laminate the covers and punch new holes in the laminate, I have the machine to do this. This type of binding is a must for this kind of book. This will lay flat on a music stand. Buy this product you will not regret it if you are looking for an Arban's. And the seller, Imagine This Music was a joy to deal with.

I like that the cover is very nice and that the pages are very high quality. The binding itself seems to be made out of plastic which is good. I am overall very happy with this purchase. They even included a sticker which you can stick on the book for your name and contact info. The packaging for the Arban book was also very nice with cardboard protecting the inside so there is no creasing.

I just received this and it arrived in excellent condition. It was well packaged, arrived about a week earlier than estimated and is obviously brand new.It is spiral bound and the plastic coil is heavy duty and should last a long time. As others have noted, the covers are heavy paper. I don’t know how long they will survive repeated opening and closing. With reasonable care the book should last a long time.The printing is very sharp, crisp and easy to read. The book easily lays flat but will need a stand that can hold a book that is just over an inch thick.Inside the front cover is a link to the website and a code where you can download the PDF and MP3 files.

I bought this same book in high school (2001-2004) and I really loved it then. A lot of our state competition audition pieces came from this book. I haven't kept up with my trumpet chops a lot and have been trying to get back into the swing of things. This updated version (I bought the spiral bound and it's totally worth it) has links to their website where you can download the backing tracks to a lot of the pieces. It has been so much fun dusting off the cobwebs of my trumpet chops and has made me remember why I fell in love with this instrument so many years ago.