# I want to learn to play Taps.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-to-play-taps/267902>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 6, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-to-play-taps/267902 "2004-10-06T19:46:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-to-play-taps/267902/21 "2013-03-21T01:49:32Z")

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I played the clarinet in middle/high school and learned Taps on trumpet (without using the keys) in about 5 minutes.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-to-play-taps/267902/22 "2013-03-21T03:42:00Z")

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> [@](#):
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> I raised my hand and said I played the saxophone. He handed me a bugle and said “Good, learn to play this.”

Well, that would at least give you the requisite breath control.

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**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-to-play-taps/267902/23 "2013-03-21T04:33:18Z")

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Until you can play it [like this,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fxH-2LnRkc) keep practicing. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-to-play-taps/267902/24 "2013-03-21T21:58:52Z")

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You will also need a fair amount of practice holding a slow steady tempo.\* Playing solo in front of an audience there is a strong tendency to rush.

Pitch: Bugels don’t “want” to play along an even tempered scale. The notes are a harmonic series of pitches 2x,3x,4x,5x,6x. In one sense this is ideal, but only for the bugel’s key. Pianos, orchestras, and importantly electronic tuners typically tune to an even tempered scale that is equally wrong for all keys, but still close enough to sound sort of OK. Since a bugel is a solo instrument, you should eschew equal temperament, and go with the harmonic sequence. My point being if you use an electronic tuner or a piano to see if you are playing in tune, you are aiming at a wrong and more difficult target…you have to bend the notes off the bugel’s resonance to maintain equal temperament.

Look for the “spin tuner” iPhone app. Set it up to show just the base note with two arms, then aim to get 3,4,5 and 6 arms stable.

\*In practice Taps (and Amazing Grace, another funeral favorite) are usually played with fairly loose tempo, but you need to have a target and be intentionally drawing notes out for emphasis rather than just lingering here and rushing there.

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**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-to-play-taps/267902/25 "2013-03-21T22:53:15Z")

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I figured out “Taps” when I first learned trombone back in 5th grade - without using the slide for the notes. So, not too hard. Now, the _quality_…

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