Your Best Tutor

What player wouldn't welcome some quick help with sound quality, focus, and intonation?  Since we all have limited practice time, what's a good fast remedy for these vital issues?  Well, consider your friendly tutor, that much ignored little corrector, your mouthpiece!

We shouldn't expect the trumpet to correct our unrecognizable pitches, our unfocused tone, or our floozy attacks. However, after some consistent accurate buzzing on the mouthpiece, you can enjoy instant improvement. 

(Some argue that buzzing is different than real playing.  I agree, but I've always noticed marked improvement after enjoying a good buzz.)

It seems that when it's unclear on the mouthpiece, it's also unclear on the horn.  But when it's perfect on the mouthpiece, it's a whole lot better when you add the horn.  It's like a ball player swinging two or three bats before stepping to the plate.  Don't trust me, or yourself. Trust your mouthpiece.

Assignment:  buzz any phrase slowly and accurately with as little fuzz as possible.  Don't modulate, and don't approximate.  Just nail each note, spot on with ease and no hand pressure.  Watch what happens after even a single session of conscientious buzzing!  Now, simply add the trumpet, play like you buzzed, and, voila, an amazingly improved sound and focus!  Repeat often during your day. Very cool! Your own personal tutor!

Bullets to Go

Trying to keep lesson assignments short and simple.  A daunting list of expectations is discouraging for student and teacher alike.  A few bullets to go is the goal.  The lesson should end with a doable agenda clearly in mind.  Here are some items covered today:

• SING IT - Before playing, sing your music with all the inspiration you can muster.  Most of us sing way better than we play.  This ought not to be.  Don't let the trumpet be a music inhibitor.  Try to sing everything the music indicates, but with no horn yet.  Don't even think about it.  Just sing well, play it later.

• BUZZ IT - Your goal is to buzz the mouthpiece with accurate intonation and pure tone.  Remember: it must be in tune and clear.  We demand too much of the trumpet when so much can be accomplished on the mouthpiece alone! Buzz it.

• SLUR IT -  A slurred line always has better tone than an articulated line.  Suggestion: slur the whole line first while listening for your best tone on all notes.  Check with your clarinet player friends.  They always do great at this.  Slur it first, tongue it later.

• TONE IT -  Try for a "Pictures" tone on all notes, especially the short ones.  Do you recall any stuffy or fuzzy notes in Pictures at an Exhibition? It's quality control on everything. Tone it.

• CLICK IT - You must be a metronomic freak.  Your rhythm must be awesome.  Amaze all listeners with your unusual ability to be STEADY.  Rhythmic character wins jobs.  Click it or ticket.

The Day the Music Dies

Do these little guys look familiar?  One is very upset because his trumpet playing is just never good enough no matter how much he practices. Poor guy. The other fellow unabashedly displays his who cares attitude.  Poor guy.

The first is usually an emotional wreck and a perfectionist grump, while the other just shrugs and yawns apathetically.  We have obsession and ambivalence, total opposites yet both preparing for a career in music!  Which one 's going to make it?  Maybe neither!  Attitudes matter.  Unfortunately their attitudes usually have the same result: their music has died.  Why?

One works like crazy and is never content, while the other is content not to work. Somewhere there exists that wonderful balance between these bitter extremes. An all-consuming passion for learning music must be balanced by an it's-not-the-end-of-the-world mindset, but it must never descend into lethargy.  Have a passion, but have a life!  Where do you fit in?

Sadly this poster has little to offer for the ailments of the frenetic and the discouraged.  You'll have to prescribe your own remedies.  Just saying that we should beware of both of these little guys. You will observe that no method book has a section on obsessing or laziness. 

So, work wisely.  Feed the music beast.  Stay inspired, my friends, but be reasonable.   Don't be crazy, and don't be lazy.  



 

When Losers Win

"I am sorry but no one advanced from your round.  Thank you for coming."  To make it worse, this announcement is delivered with absolutely no emotion or sympathy.  Equally painful is that deafening silence that follows one of your less than perfect excerpts. Oh, and there is that infamous verdict: "Thank you. Next." Life is not good.

We can learn a lot about ourselves when under the pressures of competing and performing. It's decision time. Will it be depression or motivation?  A loss doesn't define you. It serves instead as your most effective instructor.  Don't give up. Losing is part of progressing. Consider this ordeal your best lesson, not a judgment. This is not the end, but the beginning of a wiser and much improved trumpet player. You lost that battle, but the war is still yours for the taking. 

Appreciate that you have just been given a more focused practice agenda! We don't have hundreds of notes to waste each day.  Every note counts, exactly the audition scenario!  Work on eliminating that which will eliminate you.  Strap onto your bell an anti-dismissal filter which allows only excellence to escape.  Don't ever remove it!  Next time, try as they might, the committee won't be able to find anything wrong with your playing.  Even better, they'll find lots to like.

Audition Priority

What would you say is the most important thing you can do to win an audition? What is likely going to be the deal-breaker for the committee?  Multiple choice:

Is it great TONE, demonstrating great RHYTHM, showing all the DYNAMICS, playing with amazing STYLE, and/or exuding enormous CONFIDENCE?  Doesn't that about cover it all?

We might be able to rack up high marks on sound, dynamics, expression, rhythm, and style.  But without a high degree of accuracy, the whole product is unsellable.  Without accuracy, you are hoping the committee will be willing to take a huge risk.  Few are willing to gamble on a hit-or-miss player. 

Simply, you must never miss.  You play with all of the above goodies, but you must be all nails.  Hit the target center with every note.  With that skill and mindset in your arsenal, you can't miss!

Mask-wearing

Which one of these faces is you?  The smirk, the grimace, the deadpan expression, the angry, goofy, playful, proud, the furtive?  Shades of expression seem endless.  Never mind your temperament or personality type. You have your many masks to hide behind.  It's OK. Play the part. In any performance you will have to strap on any one of these masks and enjoy it, so get used to it.

Have someone observe your playing.  What do they hear, and what do they see?  Is your playing bland, colorless, and always the same with no variety? Don't bore your observers and listeners!  Boring doesn't sell. 

Oh, and just when you might be getting comfortable with your new persona, you must be able to turn on a dime and swap masks.  There's nothing like acting!  Performing is convincing. Go ahead and play the part. 

Eyes Closed

Here's a non brilliant idea for your practicing during these summer dog days. You might find it useful. Close your eyes and just play. No books needed, just a good supply of musical imagination and your passion for playing. Get out of the practice studio, at least in your mind, and play what's on your heart.  How long has it been?

A constant connect with the printed page can result in a too-well-thought-out performance, not that that is a bad thing.  For a change however, try the blindfold approach. Listen rather than watch.  Feel rather than follow.  Create rather than be totally captive to the black and white page.

Go somewhere with your trumpet.  Don't be confined to four walls and a boring study book.  Think movie soundtrack, nightclub trumpet solos, studio recording.  Imagine your picture on the cover of your own solo album!  Whatever you would expect to hear, do it.  Why wait for money and fame.  Go for it now as you practice.  Do it often. Your message will be noticed. Close your eyes and play.

Avoiding Trauma

The orchestra has tuned.  The maestro bows, and the baton slowly descends. The music says pianissimo.  It's time for drama, not trauma.  Yes, drama can happen in very soft passages too. Have you prepared for moments like this? If not, you'll know pretty quick.

The first side effect of poor soft prep is a lack of response and air flow.  It quickly gets worse however.  Next, your assumed artistry is out the window. Flummoxed by this unexpected trauma, the body frantically tries to function in an unfriendly zone. Your worst nightmare is happening. Does this sound familiar? Anticipate these potentially uncomfortable situations. It's hard to be musical when fear rules. Wise prep trumps fear.

Take the opening of the second symphony of Schumann.  You do not want to hear "softer, trumpets!", nor do you want to see the conductor's wincing expression or the palm of his left hand.  (I've never heard of a conductor wanting more sound on the opening.) So to avoid this showdown you will need to have a large reserve of soft, smooth, slow air, delivered with perfect intonation. 

Just as an on deck batter surveys every move of the pitcher, we must plan for unexpected curve balls from the maestro.  The conductor, like the pitcher, can be an ace.  Be prepared!

Note: Marching band season is approaching as well as all of those loud outdoor concert events.  Be sure to balance all of that fortissimo playing with careful pianissimo practice.  Mel Broiles, one of the strongest and loudest trumpet players, told his overeager students that the best players in the business are the ones who can be relied upon to play very softly.  

Playing with a Full Blow

A full bow is our full blow.  Often a good picture is our best instructor.  The violinist's fully extended bow arm reminds us that a full breath followed by a full blow matters.

Why is the violin bow as long as it is? And why do our lungs have the capacity they do? Both bow and lungs were intelligently designed for, among others things, the ability to produce a great sound.

What would the best Stradivarius violin sound like if played with only a three inch long bow?  Similarly, would you want to listen to a brass player who only played with tiny sips of air?  The sound of that little ToysRus fiddle bow resembles the tone quality of a brass player playing on a soda straw.

Of course, there are many times when small bow and small air is called for.  Often though, when the maximum tone is required, we default to the small blow/small bow tendency, and the sound suffers big time.

Violinist Gil Shaham in a master class at CCM was frequently encouraging more bow for better results.  If he had to hear a bunch of trumpeters, likely his advice would be the same: more air flow for better results.

The violin bow draws out the violinist's great singing tone.  Our air is on the same mission. Don't short change your sound by using sips instead of controlled gulps.  Learn to be comfortable with a full blow.  Your sound depends upon it.

Mamma said they'll be days like this!

Which is worse, physical pain or mental anguish?  Many would say the latter? Smooth sailing is occasionally met with sudden and unexpected bouts of discouragement and depression.  Why? We don't always know. How quickly though we can go from the best of times to the worst of times! Thankfully, turnarounds happen.

Unfortunately discouragement is part of life and the growing process. Don't be surprised when you discover that you didn't leave home without it.  It can be used to your advantage however. Think of it this way. How would we ever learn to overcome adversity if we never had to deal with it? Although the road to improvement has its potholes and roadblocks, they must be viewed as necessary keys for our improvement.

Take the audition/jury/board/testing scenario for instance.  It can be an absolutely dreadful ordeal, agree?  Funny. Auditions may or may not produce a winner, but they always produce a whole bunch of "losers".  Who doesn't hate when that happens? Although it is often brutal, it can be the best experience for us as a person and as a player.  Who never lost at anything?

We are built to fight, not surrender.  A set back is not a defeat.  Losing is not failing.  I just heard it said concerning an audition loss, "it wasn't a waste of time unless you didn't try your best."  Someone will always play better than you, and you will always play better than someone else. Comparison is not the issue.  Consistently trying to do your best is all you can do.  

A little humbling, whether deserved or not, can be just what is needed to jump start improvement and greater maturity. It's so trite, but true: "don't get bitter, get better."  Auditioning takes practice.  The next one will be easier. 

OK. Calling all of us "losers"!  Let's sit down, take stock, evaluate, pray, be grateful, we're not done yet, we haven't lost at anything!  We just experienced an emotional lesson on how to deal with emotions.  Hey, if you want to look at it this way, with each loss comes opportunity for growth.  

Improvement is not without discomfort, and pain is part of progress. No one is exempt from days like this, Mamma said!

 

What's on your mind?

Thoughts matter.  As the brain dictates, the body responds. What are you feeding your brain?  If we are constantly downloading the negative and fearful, things will not end well.  Begin instead to build a successful performance mindset.  If we can begin to control our thoughts, we have taken the first step towards mastery. 

Don't you like words that support what you want to do, words that describe what you are training to do and to be? Make this summer a time of taking mental and verbal inventory.  You still have to practice of course, but why limp around in heavy shackles making improvement next to impossible?  Inject the positive and reject the negative. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."


Here are some of our old unfavorites which we want to obliterate from our thoughts, conversation, and playing:

• Fearful
• Inhibited
• Cautious
• Apologetic
• Tiptoeing
• Hesitant
• Insecure
• Visibly unprepared
• Nervous 
• Uncontrolled 
• Boring 
• Weak

How about these instead?

• Confident
• Expressive
• Bold
• Risk-taking
• Leading
• Soloistic
• Sensitive
• Flexible
• Musical 
• Controlled 
• Powerful
• Dramatic   

Note:  For all who have ever observed and/or heard Bud Herseth playing or speaking, this second list well describes him.  He had no time for fear or negative thoughts. He seemed never to have even given them a first thought.  He was way too busy making great music on his trumpet. 

Bud Herseth Remembered

When asked how he would like posterity to remember him, Bud Herseth replied, “as a fairly decent guy who gave it his best every time he had the chance.”

For those connected in any way with Mr. Herseth either personally or through his many recordings, master classes, or concert performances, it can certainly be said that his request was granted.  Never was he known to deliver anything but his best effort.  It was difficult not to come away impressed, improved, and inspired by both his amazing playing and perhaps his secret weapon, that carefree and musical approach that was so Bud!  

In one of my lessons with Mr. Herseth we worked on the Credo of Bach's b Minor Mass. I was struggling on the piccolo trumpet with the high parts, and needed his input.  I don't know exactly what he told me, but after a few moments of walking energetically around the room, singing and gesturing dramatically, he said, now try it again, Phil.  Whatever he did worked.  I proceeded to get up a head of steam and sailed all the way up to the top of the line, feeling like I could hold onto that high G forever!  For once I was not blasting and pressing, but floating and singing. I couldn't resist laughing in amazement.  He smiled and nodded.

If only that kind of communication could be bottled and reopened whenever needed!  I then told him I didn't know exactly how much he charged for a lesson, but it was worth ten times that amount.  He declined any payment of course. 

Making someone confident, encouraged and happy with himself was a big part of who he was.  He was definitely way more than a decent guy who gave his best every time. Time spent with him, or just listening to him, was simply unforgettable.  How wonderfully he could bring out the best in you! That was Bud!

The Great Music Inhibitor

So many fine musicians share one huge problem, they play the trumpet. Oh to be able to perform all that the brain and the heart intends without that pesky instrumental impediment! 

Every time we sing without the instrument the result is good, usually very good.  Add the trumpet however, and we suddenly develop issues.  The good news is that we are able to sing what the printed page demands pretty well.  The bad news is that we hold in our hands the great music inhibitor, the trumpet.  Sadly, few are conquerors, and many have been maimed and slain by the 3-valved brainless monster.  So who is able to deal successfully with our beloved and hated foe? 

Our simple mission is to overcome the inhibitor.  We overcome by wisely utilizing our enormous inventory of artistry and passion.  We need a steadfast resolve to make the instrument obey the music master within us.  Practice is a daily struggle for dominance as the music does battle with the instrument.  When we dwarf the musical input, the horn wins every time. When we strengthen the musical intent, the instrument will become our servant.  

A successful battle requires an intelligent strategy and a persistent, careful attack on the enemy.  The enemy's victory depends on a bewildered and frustrated opponent.  Having a weak musical message and sloppy battle skills results in certain defeat for the musician. Again, we must prepare for a daily battle which is quite winnable but requires great musical vision, determination, and wisdom.  

Who's enlisted for the fight? 

Injection Therapy

Hey, Doc, it's happened again, another nasty case of the goo, trumpet doldrums big time.  I need help now!  Seriously, this is the worst yet. What have you got for me?  

Well, I have found that the most effective therapy for uninspired days of practice room boredom is quite easy to take and very effective.  I'm recommending massive doses of this medication with no limits on refills! Oh, there are side effects, but I don't think you'll find them to be a problem.  In fact, I think you'll find them euphorically addictive.  Simply inject generous portions into each ear several times a day, and I doubt you'll be needing a followup appointment.

Label instructions:  Apply liberal amounts of your FAVORITE BRASS RECORDINGS. Inject into both ears.  Repeat at least 3 times daily.

WARNING:  Failure to take this medication consistently may cause boredom, drowsiness, depression, and in some cases suicide.  Musical Alzheimer's has been shown to be the result of listening only to oneself for long periods of time.  

High quality brass playing is infectious.  Don't leave home without it.

 

Unrealistic Expectations

Why do we get so easily discouraged in the practice room?  Not long after those first notes are sounded we find a reason to think, "This just isn't working today. Nothing feels right." Likely we are having the wrong expectations! Maybe we need to rename our practice room "THE WRESTLING ROOM".

Most of us have three unrealistic expectations when it comes to practice sessions.  First, we expect that everything will be fun and painless from the first note to the last.  Hence we become depressed when we encounter any resistance.  Furthermore, we expect instant improvement.  We have little patience for long term technique-building.  Rather, we want it all now.

Finally, we fail to realize that high quality music making is a long term growth process, and making the instrument behave is a daily task. We see the goal, but we are not committed to follow the path. Wrestling is not blindly lunging or frantically flailing with intermittent bursts of bluster. We must enter the practice room anticipating and planning for a tough match, winnable yes, but not without a lot of wrestling.

(Hebrews 12:11 is a nice parallel. The writer was probably was not addressing trumpet players, but the principle is the same. "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.")

Expect to work hard and smart for mastery.

You're too Smart to be Dumb!

Vacchiano used to say, "nowadays, trumpet players know too much to make a mistake."  We have been trained with all the information required for perfect execution.  Well then, I guess by now all concert halls should be mistake-free zones.  Unfortunately missed notes are still going to happen, but his point was that we have no excuse for them. 

Most mistakes are mental failures. We expect our mighty chops to make up for the insanity of our frantic stabs in the dark.  Our mind is simply not on the same page as the music.  If only we would allow the brain to process the notes fast enough, we would be able to turn out perfection. Don't you hate making those stupid mistakes?  The problem is that the mistakes aren't stupid, it's the player! 

That's great news! Maybe there is hope! It might not be so much a chop issue as it is a thinking, or preparation issue.  How about SLOW practice, slow enough that mistakes don't ever happen.  Let's starve the mistakes.  Give your brain a fighting chance.  Even the dumbest of us can get through Petroushka if the tempo is slow enough, right? 

Let's stop the madness. Put your professors out of business.  Stop them from their professing. You've heard their practice rants long enough.  You can extract those pesky mistakes from your playing if you really want to, or you can continue to step on the daisies, forever wondering why you are plagued with those stupid wrong notes.  You can begin to play smart, or you can continue to play dumb.   

Making a Splash

In auditions winners are usually noticed quickly, like from their first notes!  So why tiptoe into the music?  Why not jump right in and make a grand musical splash from the get go?  Go for it. Just lift the bell, aim, and fire!

Some excerpts like the octave call in Zarathustra are like a cannonball splash, while others demand a smooth unobtrusive beginning.  In all cases however, there must be a precise entry point.  Let's practice that.  Make all entrances notable, whether for shock and awe, or for sly subtlety. A great sound always impresses.

(Suggestion for practice: Play the 3-second game, and save your chops.  Just practice getting off the starting block.  Start your excerpt, and then quickly stop it.  You are Quick-Draw, the master excerpt starter.  Remember, you are out to perfect just the first 3 seconds of every excerpt, an enviable and rewarding skill!  This will help train all instincts to be on instant command!)

Take the Ravel Piano Concerto.  You're allowed one brief muted sizzle before bursting right onto the scene in full attack mode, firing nonstop for the next 15 seconds.  Your notes are spikes.  Think "pokey, pointy, perky, snappy, bitey, cocky".  Your playing must be bold, crisp, and unafraid.  It's not a lullaby.  Think percussion.  Aim and shoot.  Oh, one thing: no misfires allowed, only bulls eyes. So set your embouchure for all the notes, and hit all of them in one blow with no letting up.

Next up: the opening to Schumann Symphony No. 2.  This calls for an entirely different approach.  Picture yourself swimming slowly beside a gliding swan.  No splashing, splattering or sputtering is permitted. You will scare the swan. Think "graceful, elegant, quiet, and smooth."  Now breathe accordingly.  Big bucks are awaiting those who master this one.

Whatever the demands, the first notes are vital for your security and for securing the job.  Auditions are always too short, so make the most of those few minutes.  Make a great impression immediately.

Bob Sullivan Master Class at CCM

CSO Principal Trumpet Robert Sullivan led an excellent master class last week at CCM.  It was all quality with not a wasted minute, an especially informative and inspiring event that will not be forgotten. Great stuff was shared that appeared to stick.

Grad students Nathan Sheppard and Dan Arute played some of their Air Force Band Audition repertoire receiving excellent pointers. Bob also coached and joined the CCM Philharmonia trumpet section on portions of the Mahler 3rd Symphony with Adrienne Doctor, Dan Arute, Rico Flores, and Tim Dailey.  The concert will be performed on March 2.  (Can't wait to be there.)

The theme of the morning was How to Practice.  Bob discussed and demonstrated the James Stamp approach as well as sharing a number of stories highlighting major points.  He spoke of the importance of having a secure technical foundation, stressing efficiency, and the need for inspired playing.  He spoke fondly of one of his mentors, the great Armando Ghitalla, former Principal Trumpet with the Boston Symphony.

The following are some notes submitted from a number of trumpet students in attendance:  

FOUNDATION OF TECHNIQUE

• "The greater the discipline of practice, the greater the freedom of performance." - Armando Ghitalla

• Build your foundation everyday. Start your day with conditioning and technical exercises. Once you've covered everything you need for the day you will be freer to focus on making music. The image was suggested of a beautiful beach house with little foundation having been totally ravaged by a hurricane. Foundations matter. Point made will not be forgotten.

• You have to be eager to go back to square one every day. Build a foundation that can weather the storms that will hit your playing.

• I liked how he talked about having a foundation to come back to. Eventually, something will happen, emotionally or physically.  When you come back to the trumpet, what will you come back to, a washed away house, or a strong foundation still in place? We must have fundamentals to come back to when we lose our way. I thought that was a great point!

• Lastly, he mentioned fundamentals and building a strong foundation. It easy to overlook that when things get busy and there's a ton of rep to work through.  These sentences don't quite capture how much impact his class had on me and all of us!

 EFFICIENT PRACTICE 

•  "It is impossible to reach perfection, but it is our responsibility to try. " - Armando Ghitalla

• Don't waste your notes.

• Double forte is two players playing forte. Triple forte is three players playing forte.  Quality of sound is still essential in fortissimo. Out-of-control blasting is to be avoided.  It also wastes precious energy and doesn't always project.

• He talked about practicing fast articulations with longer notes and a very clear articulation to help the musical line come out.

• His relaxed approach was so shocking, in a good way. He was very at ease which was apparent with his clear powerful yet beautiful sound.

• Practice using slurs or removing them to know how the air flows through the whole passage.

• Sustaining is more effective than over-blowing.  A sustained note projects better than one with only a huge attack. 

• Write out the part. We learn more from re-writing.

MUSICAL MOTIVATION

• He insisted on having something to say every time you pick up your horn. Being able to make people stop and listen is more important than playing technically perfect.

• Play the music like there's no time signature while still playing completely in time. The direction of the line is most important.

• Play the music, not the trumpet. Say something when you play. He recommended Aaron Copland's book, "What to Listen for in Music".

• Play with character.  This was my favorite!  I tend to just read music and try to play what its written, which is right.  Add the performer's character to it. I guess that is interpretation. Tell something to the audience, and convince them! 

• The master class was fascinating for me and I'm pretty sure for my colleagues as well. There are many thoughts I had, but several things that I liked and impacted me were - not having to play too loud, just sustain more, and more support from the section. 

JAMES STAMP METHOD

• Mr. Sullivan helped us understand the Stamp method.  I really liked his discussion about how to properly approach the Stamp concepts/book. Thinking up when down, and down when up, helps to avoid embouchure stress, intonation problems, and fatigue.

• The lost Stampism: play to the stem. Conceptualize the note as being where the stem of the note head is, usually an octave displacement. Do that for high and low notes. In the middle, play to the note heads. 

• Don't relax on the low notes.

• Blow down on the high notes (as from above), and blow up on low notes (as from below)

A trumpet player's greatest need is often the ability to organize practice time efficiently, having a plan, a goal, and a mindset to work.  Wise and inspired daily work seemed to be theme of the day.  Our thanks to Mr. Sullivan for a terrific class! 

This Unexpected Bummer!

There you are, all set to go, and now this!!  Oh, those unexpected and unplanned for bumps in the road that effectively stifle anything productive!  Your "this" can take many forms, be it sudden physical ailments, personnel squabbles, conductor's demands, problematic seating, unfavorable acoustics, unfavorable repertoire, a stuck valve, major fatigue, even a square wheel.  You can fill in the blank, but be sure that some sort of "this" is going to happen somewhere, somehow, sometime.

Success is when you have learned to deal with life's "this's". Good luck with that! Once the little fellow trying to ride his bike gets over his initial anguish, he will think clearly to find a solution.

"Dad? Someone? Help!"

"Son, you know that a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor."

"Swell! Thanks, Dad.  I'd like to see you ride this thing!"

P.S. James 1:2-4

Avoiding the Crash

Wow, what a dream house! There it is in its impressive location, high, mighty, and seemingly impervious to the ravages of nature.  But what happened?

CSO Principal Trumpet Robert Sullivan described well for us in his master class at CCM the tragic picture of glorious beach houses suddenly overcome by hurricane Hugo some years ago.  Although constructed high on stilts, they were quickly destroyed by an inevitable onslaught of wicked weather.  Further inland, it was those basic ancient concrete fortresses that easily withstood the nasty elements.  That vivid image serves to remind us of our dependence on a sturdy foundation.  Daily attending to the state of the structure is our responsibility.

So what is the structure of a multimillion dollar dream house?  Its structure is NOT the lush landscaping, nor the plush expensive decor.  The enviable external facade has its glory for sure, but the lasting structure of any building is unseen and plain, but very strong. 

A trumpet player may have awesome skills and incredible musicianship.  He/she likely has an array of abilities on call for the thrilling of audiences.  But the real value of the player is the strength and endurance of those basic foundational skills that enable great playing.  Those boring bolts, nuts, beams, screws, planks, and nails are all securely fastened to and part of a sturdy immoveable foundation that is rooted way down deep.

The proper use of wind, articulation, and flexibility are just some of those foundational issues that must be restrengthened every day.  They are not necessarily fun to deal with, but when attended to regularly, they free the player to focus solely on music making.  Well worth it, wouldn't you agree?

It is easy to see only on those outward attention grabbers - loud, high, fast, and faster.  Rather it is paying attention to those unglamorous basic foundational elements that marks the great players who overcome obstacles and who are still playing well after the storm.



  

Bad Chop Fix

"What happened?  I could play last night, but now nothing works!  I've been playing up a storm all week, but now this! What's the remedy for this dreaded dead chops disease? HELP!"

Feels like a horrible dream, doesn't it?  Except that when it happens it is all too real, and slapping yourself just makes it worse. Who hasn't awakened at some point with this scary predicament?

Many have their own therapy for such times. Remedies for an over-worked embouchure include taking a few days off, applying ice, massage, acupuncture, sandpaper, blubbering, etc., etc.  Some have even bullied their way through it by beating their chops into submission, not always a good result however, and not recommended.

One of the most effective ways out of this predicament is also an almost instant cure!  It is buzzing the mouthpiece very softly with a clear tone and perfect intonation.  However, you must insist on the following:  You want instant response.  You want it pianissimo.  You want dead-on accurate intonation.  And you also need frequent rests. 

Remember to use very light pressure on the lips as you buzz your soft perfectly-in-tune melodies.  Keep it simple and keep it soft.  No bravura concertos, just pure clean sounds in tune!  Rest and repeat.  Have a good night's sleep.  You won't need to call me in the morning. 

Sound Rules

What good is a very flashy line of music if the sound of most of the notes stinks?  If sound matters, why not try for the same sound quality as the solo in the opening of Pictures at an Exhibition?  Short notes should not get short-changed.  Sound rules.

#1. Play the first note of your passage with your best centered sound and sustain it for a full breath.

#2. Play the same note while fingering the notes of your passage on the lead pipe.

#3. Play that note once again but articulate the passage as one long note with many tongues.

#4. Now slur the passage maintaining your great tone.

#5. Next, play the passage with the correct pitches but with all long notes.

#6. Add some length to the short notes but keep the tone full.

#7. Gradually approach the correct tempo and articulations of your flashy passage with no loss of your full sound on every note.

Flashy is fine, but sound rules.

A Great Lesson

What constitutes a great lesson?  Is it one that leaves you really impressed with your teacher, or one that gets you totally pumped, or is jam packed with detailed information? Impressions, emotions, and information are each important, but can be quickly forgotten. A good lesson is one that immediately improves your playing and that stays with you. Quite simply, if your playing improves on the spot, you just had a great lesson! 

What makes a great student? One that does not require constant jump starts and repetitions of instructions.  He or she is quick to appropriate information and eager to utilize good musical instincts. The turn around time for hearing and doing is amazingly rapid.  Future lessons do not require constant rebuilding.  The lesson studio functions more like a locker room assessment at half time, and less like a hospital clinic.

Think not of spending 4 to 6 years to improve.  Think that school only lasts for a semester.  What can you get done NOW?  It depends on being a great student who is ready to have great lessons. 

What they want to hear

Three things ought to be your focus as you prepare for a performance.  Your audience wants to hear a message, a line, and a pulse.

Be sure of what you want to say.  If your message is only notes, you better not miss any.  But if you can tell a story, that's what they'll hear.  A beautifully phrased line sustains interest, but static notes get stale fast.  A consistent pulse gives stability, but tempos that are all over the place are annoying and rob you of the interest you want to capture. 

So, keep your goals simple:  Say something, go somewhere, and keep it steady.

Say something.  Some sort of programmatic theme should be your focus as your music unfolds.   Bring the listeners along with you.  Exaggerate for drama.  Give yourself completely to the message of each moment.  Play confidently without being cautious.  Look for all the magic moments you can find.  Ensure that the audience receives your message clearly. That's why you're there.

Go somewhere.  Find the high points in the music, and build your performance to make each one special.  Look for the loudest moment, the highest moment, the softest and lowest moment.  Bring out the sumptuous, the bazaar, the elegant, the brutal, and the sweet.  You'll need these highlighted features to mark your performance as legendary.  Go very soft, go very loud, go very dramatic, but always go very something. Ordinary and mundane are not what you want remembered about your work.

Keep it steady.  The mark of immaturity is rushing and unsteady tempos.  Deliver a rhythmically rock solid performance, and everyone will assume you are a seasoned pro. Good rhythm doesn't require great chops.  Just be steady! There's a place for rubato and waxing rhapsodic, but usually not.  Be a metronome and you'll stand out.

Your journey will be fun when you have something to say, somewhere to go, and steadiness in your pursuit.

Avoiding the Whatever Restaurant

Imagine a fine restaurant that had no menus.  There would simply be no balanced or nutritious suggestions ever offered. You just pull up a seat and start ordering any food that comes to mind.  Who needs menus anyway?

Welcome to the Whatever Restaurant. Nibble a little here, chug a little there, and then proceed to bite off way more than is chewable for a couple of hours at a setting.  Sounds like a nasty gorge fest and a recipe for some unanticipated ailments.

The thought is disturbing and absurd of course.  Yet is that not how we often approach our daily practice sessions?  You just pull up a seat and start in on huge helpings of chop-busting gorge fest goodies.  You try a little of this and then a bit of that.  But quickly your session turns into a whole lot of unwise blasting as you shower the air with a multitude of unusable notes.  Soon the chops cry "UNCLE!" and any cringing listeners gasp "NAUSEATING!"

Suggestion:  Don't ever eat at the Whatever Restaurant!  Plan your practice agenda for the day in advance so that your mind rules your session rather than your appetite at the moment.  Do what is needed, not what is fun. Rest between courses. Sow where there are deficiencies, so you will enjoy the reaping later.  Plan your daily menu as well as your weekly menu.  Don't cram a whole bunch of asparagus down in one session.  You get the benefits when it is taken over time.  Don't shun it either.  Include the unpleasantries along with the pleasantries so that you don't gag when they appear on your plate. 

Oh yes, there can be ice cream! But it tastes best when it has been earned and is guilt-free.  PLAN AHEAD!

Fluster-Proof

The word for today is fluster-proof!  It is that skill or temperament that marks you as incapable of being flustered.  Look at you!  No one dares mess with you.  Others are flummoxed, flustered and distracted, but not you.  They quickly sense that you are not to be put into a state of nervous or agitated confusion. Congratulations! You have graduated cum laude with that coveted degree of being unflappable! 

When you are fluster-proof, you are consistently good, dependably outstanding, automatically awesome.  Sounding great is just what happens when you play.  Your whole level of playing is simply better than everyone else.  You woodshed in hard labor just like every other student, but with the difference that you work intelligently just like a pro.  You're a business pro, and there's always brains behind your blow.

So what does this thick-skinned degree mean?  It means that you will not be paranoid or hyper sensitive to others' feelings about your work.  Nerves are not an issue for you because you know exactly what you are to do.  It matters not if it's slow or fast, loud or soft, who is there, or who is not, where you are, or where you're not.  You play music on the trumpet, period. Have trumpet, will perform.

NOTE: You will need this degree for recitals, auditions, performances, interviews, and more importantly for yourself.  You will listen to yourself way more than anyone else will for the rest of your life.  So you must be consistently able to convince yourself that you know what you're doing from the first note of the day to the last encore on the recital.  Don't criticize yourself right off the stage.  Be pleased, and your listeners will be too.   Mr. Fluster has no place in our business!

"Thank you. Next."

"Uh, thank you.  Next." We all know the pain of hearing those words.  For every promising day on the horn, there are seemingly countless days when we have seriously considered "why am I even doing this?" Especially discouraging is that dreaded response from the committee after a horribly played audition.  We interpret that "thank you" to be a pronouncement of "FAILURE!!" Angrily and sadly we pack up our gig bags, and trudge back home. 

Putting emotions aside, the reality is that this unpleasant weaning process does more than just produce finalists for the committee to further traumatize.  It serves to redirect or readjust the paths of those whose fulfillment is to be best found elsewhere.  It also serves to define and refine competitors for future ordeals. 

Retrace the steps of the greats.  If they all quit after their first rude dismissal, who would be left on stage?  Yesterday's lasts are often tomorrow's firsts.  Losses always precede victories.  Nobody waltzes straight to success.  Failures happen.

Consider also the adrenaline and emotions expended as a good basic training program for the toughness required for future performances.  If you can't survive one defeat, you won't do well on stage for a whole career of shows. Pressures can destroy us, redirect us, or strengthen us.  Emotions are real, but they change quickly and shouldn't be our only guide for direction.  

Ultimately failures don't define us.  You are more than a trumpet, or an excerpt, or a well or poorly played solo.  A failing performance pronouncement can be your best prodding for tomorrow.  Expect it and go on. We should learn to process "Thank you. Next" for our good. 

Not Enough Ears

The problem with your practice is that there are simply not enough ears in the room.  Only two is not working out so well for you, is it. That's because they're yours. You need a few famous listeners hanging around your practice room every day.  Will they like what you're doing?  Decide whom would you like to serenade, and play for them accordingly.  Don't be wasting your notes.  Someone is listening.   

Arnold Jacobs did his warming up just down the hall from Maestro Fritz Reiner and numerous other famous visiting conductors.  Why?  Because he wanted the reminder that all of his notes mattered.  Someone important was within earshot.  Don't blow it!  As Mel Broiles used to say, you need always to be performing in the practice room, or else you might not be able to turn it on at show time. Play to impress, or don't bother.

You want the audition to be just another day at the office, don't you?  Great playing is what you do, not what you hope to do someday.  You absolutely don't have to wait four years to get some document that declares you a Bachelor, or a Doctor, or a Performer, or an Artist.  Your only creds are the notes you consistently crank out of that horn.  Are you listening?  

Playing Like a Pig

Is playing like a pig ever acceptable?  Certainly you've been challenged to approach the music as aggressively as a hungry dog with a bone, but have you ever considered unleashing all restraints and going absolutely hog wild after the music?  The results might surprise you.

There lies within each of us a killer instinct that has probably been rendered dormant or extinct, especially after a year or two of conservatory restraining, I mean training.  Too often unchecked enthusiasm has been forbidden rather than nurtured.  Instead of honing a vibrant individualistic style, trumpet players tend to share a generic musically correct monotone with almost every other trumpet player in existence.  How about a nice course in pig-feeding!  Let's begin a project of nurturing that inner pig within you! 

Audition committees prefer aggressive, confident playing to cautious, tentative tiptoeing.  A high degree of technique must be attained without losing the ability to summon instantly that dog-eat-dog, king-of-the-mountain, winner-takes-all competitive mindset.  What makes our prize-winning pig so special is its amazing skill and control, in spite of its obnoxious piggy behavior.  We must train the pig without killing it. 

Envision a thoroughbred race horse with the eating habits of swine in the slop!  You must have the brute force of a Neanderthal, yet with the skill of an Olympic athlete.  You are the elegant and the visceral in one body.  Your front license plate says "CHEETAHS", but your rear plate says "PIGSRUS"!!

Somber, Sacred, and Joyous

Somber, Sacred, and Joyous Christmas Brass Music from the Cincinnati Pops 1989.

Promoting not ourselves here, but the One who has given us all so much.  "O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord."

Listen:

Heralding Brass

A Merry Christmas Season to everyone from the Cincinnati Pops Brass, recorded in 1989.

Listen:

Best Audition I Ever Took

I was walking on air, ready to conquer the world with not a single worry about failure or competitors!  It was one of those precious few windows in time when I owned it all, or so I had conveniently convinced myself.  Ever feel like that?  Nice that it does happen once or twice in a lifetime, hopefully a lot more often, like every week!

Our task is to make it appear to happen every day!  If our feelings  falter, our confidence must not.  The audience must never know that we are not totally thrilled with every single moment of the show.  Success is when you can mask those pesky competing emotions.  Success is having practiced to the point where you can convince yourself and your listeners that there is nothing at all wrong with this picture.

Now back to that marvelous audition.  The neat thing about it was that for much of my journey, my trumpet was not needed. Listening and visualizing the performance is more important than lip slurs and long tones.  Great strides can happen when there is no obstacle in hand to thwart your merry jaunt.  Of course the grunt work of rehearsing and practice had long since been my routine. There is always time to take a deep breath, however, and to enjoy the fruits of all the laboring. Now to scale the summit, nail the finals, and on to win the job!

So, what's the key after all you can do has been done?  Put the horn down and sing it perfectly.  Create all the energy, rhythm, and character of the music with your feeble voice.  Be able to drop in on the exact mood of each excerpt with no hesitation.  All musical instincts must be on high alert.  The committee calls for the piece, we deliver the music.  We are to produce the product as easily and naturally as reaching out to catch a tossed pencil.

(Way too much rambling here, but that tends to happen when the future is in the past.)  To the point: sing it to win it!  Score highly on rhythm, dynamics, and character, all with really nice intonation.  When you can dazzle without the horn, you are then free to sizzle with it.  The horn is the final piece of your musical puzzle.  If all those prior pieces are in place, the horn will fit nicely into position. 

That audition was fun, not a nerve-fest.  It was simply a special-delivery day.  It was how I had always imagined it would be in high school back in NJ sitting in my room practicing and dreaming.  Have we lost the wonderment of our profession?  Do we finish conservatory only to burn out and hate our work?

Am I still too dreamy and unrealistic?  Yes.  But why not give ourselves to recapturing the romance we once had with music?  Our jobs and our audiences depend on it.

Wallpaper?

You dutifully open your Arban Complete Conservatory Method to pages 142 through 151 to begin work on your lesson assignment.  Anticipating dazzling solo material full of triple-tonguing pyrotechnics and flourishes of cornet heroism, you instead are greatly disappointed to discover only repeated boring wallpaper designs!  Groan . . . grumble . . . close book!!

You ask, "What does great music have to do with these endless patterns of boredom?  Or vise versa? Why must I practice these same uninspired measures in every single key! I turn the page and there they are again in minor, then once again in dominant sevenths.  The next page has even more drudgery in diminished insanity! How dull is this picture!"

Quite dull indeed, if that's how you want to think of it.  You must learn to thrive on the architecture of music as well as the drama. Theory matters. Arpeggios are to music what steel girders are to skyscrapers.  Without the ability to arpeggiate in all keys, performers would be severely handicapped.

How boring if all music had to be confined to C major simply because musicians could not handle any other keys.  "Sorry, Johann, we can't publish any of your Brandenburg Concertos because of the key signatures.  Ludwig, you are not allowed to delve into any of those foreign keys.  Such extremes will only flummox, dumbfound, and bewilder the musicians."  

For peace of mind and confidence, own arpeggios in all keys.  You will not have time to read every note of those fast-approaching arps in context of solos and orchestral music.  Welcome the "worst" keys imaginable and conquer them.  Make it a game.  Vacchiano would offer money to anyone who could play the one-line g sharp diminished seventh study on page 149 of the Arban book without a mistake.  Apparently he never had to fork over any money to any challenging student!  Amazing.     

Is it wallpaper or music? 

Hanging with Fred Mills

It was 1970 something, and our yearly tour to NY!  That meant that at the first free moment I was off to Giardinelli's Band Instruments to try every trumpet in the store.  My purpose was to pick a winner, (and also to impress everyone within earshot.  You know how brass players think, or don't.)

Something about that famous place invited a dangerous overload of all competitive juices.  Common sense had a way of disappearing as soon as you entered the building. There was more showing off at Giardinelli's than anything else, sadly. Anyway, it was worth all the blasting, for by the end of the day I had discovered a nice new prize to take home. 

Something else happened however that was more memorable than my new trumpet. Soon after I began trying instruments, the door to that tiny trial room opened, and in walked Fred Mills of the Canadian Brass.  He quietly said, "Hi, Phil. Mind if I listen?"   He sat in the corner for a long time observing intently as I proceeded to blow out both lips and brains.  I was pretty sure he was amazed, but not for the reasons I imagined.

After a while I began to tire, having sprayed the room with every excerpt and solo lick I knew.  He got to hear me plow through oft repeated strains of Heldenleben, Aida, Mahler 5, Don Juan, Hummel and Loeillet Concertos, and anything else I could possibly think of.

Finally I asked if he wanted to play.  He shrugged, picked up a horn and began to play soft, perfectly clean and totally controlled scales and arpeggios.  He only played briefly, but the finesse was amazing for me to hear.  Somehow I had neglected to test and practice those vital elements of music-making.

I was given a very valuable and free lesson that day.  In his own humble way Fred Mills had just taken me to school.  "Here, I think I like this one the best," he said.  He handed it back, grinned, and left.  Great playing is not so much about the boldest blaster, but about the most controlled and versatile musician.  And that was Fred to a tee.  Lesson learned.

(See other post on Fred Mills in blog dated September 8, 2009.) 

Petroushka Ballerina Dance and Waltz

Ballerina Dance and Waltz from Stravinsky's Petroushka

Listen

Solos at 2:50 through 5:45

Snare Drum: Bill Platt

Britten - Trumpets from Young Persons Guide

Young Person's Guide, Variation K - Trumpets

Listen  

Snare Drum: Bill Platt 

Avoiding the Barrels

Caution: You are approaching orange barrels.  Slow down!

Following your macho instincts instead of your intellect, you disregard the highway warning signs to reduce your speed.  Instead you begin swerving recklessly between as many barrels as possible.  Impressive moves, but dangerous.  An eventual glance in the rear view mirror reveals a lot more bumped and smashed barrels in your wake than you realized.  Nevertheless with a carefree shrug, you proceed unfazed at your frantic pace.

At the end of your speedy meanderings however, a traffic ticket awaits you. Rushing carelessly on the audition or performance stage also has unpleasant consequences. In both situations the lesson is clear.  Slow down to avoid destruction, be it barrels, notes, or chops!

You can't be driving treacherously at 75 mph in busy congested areas, nor can you consistently blast your way through tough passages at great neck speeds.  The results are not good: "Here's your $75 speeding ticket!"  Even worse: "Thank you. Next."  Or, "Here's your pink slip!"

Slow down so your brain has a chance to catch up. Muscles remember well, so train them for dependability, not foolish risk-taking.  Train for drama, not trauma.   

Days Like This!

You never guessed that on that magical day when you fell in love with music and chose the trumpet to be your lawful wedded spouse, that there would actually be days like this!  Frustration is not how you envisioned your enchanted music career to be.  Admit it.

Behind every successful performance however, there are more days like this than anyone would care to admit.  Prior to success was stress.  Before cheers there were fears.  Before birth, labor.  Before courage there was none of it!  Bruising, physical and emotional, can produce a certain required toughness.  Everyone passes through the city of Anguish. Who do we think we are to expect a clear path to success? The wise learn to reap the benefits of obstacles. 

A few thoughts for all of us as we each experience our stress issues:  Frustration happens, expect it. Struggle is necessary for mastery. Recognize that points of pressure are usually the best agents of improvement.  Do you remember that familiar statement:  the harder the fight, the sweeter the victory? Both the music and the musician stand to benefit.  Days like this are not fun for sure, but necessary, and eventually profitable for you and for your audience.  

Daily Doses Mandatory

So, how have your chops been doing?  "Well, they're a little beat up lately. I've had a ton of stuff to deal with."  So goes the typical appraisal of life behind the mouthpiece.  The spirit is at times quite willing, but the embouchure is too often weak.

What we need for a successful career is chops that can consistently handle brutality, and yet be able to preserve subtlety.

A teacher of mine used to give the following advice, "When you have to play Mahler, practice Haydn and Mozart.  When you have to play Haydn or Mozart, practice Mahler."   (I would have welcomed some more specifics, but his point was well taken.)  I say, how about practicing some Haydn and Mozart everyday regardless. 

Control of soft dynamics is a necessity.  Days and weeks should not go by without secure contact with pianissimo notes.  You should be able to perform a successful "soft check" at any time.    

Thankfully there is a cure for the deadly smash-mouth ailment.  Other than rest and good air flow, it is soft purity. That's it. There is no treatise-reading required, or any guru-seeking necessary.  Just practice Haydn and Mozart!

Trumpet parts simply require command and control. Flamboyant cadenzas and great soaring bravura lines are for another day.  For the health of your chops, practice clarity, security, and dependability, one note at a time.  And don't forget to play softly!  

Drilling for Bach

ME!!!
Getting ready for BACH at CCM!!!

Tromba I

Tromba II

Tromba III

Hi, guys!  B Minor Mass is fast approaching. Another sectional tomorrow.  Ready?

Dr. Clean

One goofy picture can make more of a lasting impression than a bunch of stern lectures.  O.K. meet Professor Clean, the friendly note-scrubber. He's more thorough than any other chipped-note picker-upper out there. He is tougher than he is kind, but he gets results.  And what brings him a smile? Spik and span playing!

His mindset is CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GREATNESS. He warns us that nobody buys a flawed product.  Dirty notes don't sell.  Junk-tolerance must be zero, says the Doc. The doctor's mission: a total playing make-over by putting our whole house in order. 

Audition committees easily recognize students of Dr. Clean. They tend to advance quickly to finals and beyond.  "See," he says with a wink and a grin, "it pays to be clean." 

How about plastering a sticker of this guy on your bell?  How about using his ringtone on your phone?  How about dying your eyebrows white and shaving your head?  Anything that works on those grimy stubborn bad notes.  Hint: listening helps.

Oh no, Dr. Clean is not your teacher.  He must be you! You must let him scourge and purge your practice room of all filth and slime.  Let's start tomorrow's practice session singing his wonderful theme song:

Dr. Clean gets rid of dirt and grime

and grease in just a minute.

Dr. Clean will clean your whole house

and everything that's in it.  

 

Dr. Clean, Dr. Clean, Dr. Clean . . . .

The Purpose of Knuckles

Why do we have knuckles?  Multiple choice:

• for threatening people?
• for punching obnoxious colleagues?
• for poking your Charlier book right off the stand?
• for confusing your pitcher by giving no sign at all?

Answer:  all of the above plus one more.  When chops are wasted, when fatigue brings productive practice to a halt, and when you think there is absolutely nothing more to be accomplished . . . you are wrong, valve oil breath.  It's knuckle time! 

Notice that your three right hand valve fingers fit perfectly on your left hand knuckles?  Oh, the wisdom of our Creator!

Much of our lack of clarity involves sloppy right hand technique.  Valves are either slammed down way too hard causing violent jerks in the sound.  Or, valves are pressed halfheartedly in a wimpy fashion causing blips and bleeps.  And/or, the fingers have not been trained to strike precisely on command.  And likely, they are simply not coordinated with the tongue.  At any rate, sloppiness happens which is not the fault of the lips. 

Hence, an entirely new session should be included in our daily practice routine, knuckle-popping.

• Step #1 - put horn and mouthpiece in the case and close it.  

• Step #2 - make a fist with your left hand.  

• Step #3 - place right hand fingers into slots on your left hand, and begin precise fingering on any passage you need perfected.  No music?  Fine.  Do scales, major, minor in all forms, chromatic, and arpeggios, major, minor, diminished, and augmented. This works for all trumpet music with the exception of bugle calls.

Our purpose here is precision without penalizing the chops.  The embouchure does way too much of the work already.  Why make it suffer as your fingers fail to perform?