Aunt Gloria's Hat Boutique!

Old lady clerk: "Why hello! Welcome to Aunt Gloria's Hat Boutique, home of the finest headwear in Cincinnati. What can I show you today?"

You: "Well lady, my teacher said I need more style, more color, and more personality in my trumpet playing. It was strongly suggested that I get accustomed to wearing different hats. So here I am." 

Very well then. Let me show you four hats that should definitely impress your professor. 

How about this one over here? Full disclosure however. This one is not very popular. I've had no sales in recent memory. Young folks especially are not interested in wearing this hat for some reason. One student complained that it "creeped him out", saying it "stifled his artistic creativity."  However, try it on. I'm told it works wonders when it's worn daily. And I think it will go nicely with your ears. It's our lovely PERFECT INTONATION HAT!

Now walk this way, and I'll show you another. This is our coveted BEAUTIFUL SOUND HAT. Its amazing, but if you don't keep it on, quite frankly, your sound will stink badly. All sorts of junk will quickly pollute your tone. Here, try it on. Oh my! Yes indeed, you look gorgeous!

The next hat is a strange one, a bit of a chameleon actually. It will morph instantly from sharp and prickly, to suave and smooth depending on the music you are playing at the moment. It gives you subtle finesse as well as cutting-edge boldness! Your playing will take on shades of vividness you never knew you possessed! Put this on when you feel faint of heart, and watch what happens. This hat is my favorite, the CLEAR ARTICULATION HAT.

Now let me show you our best selling hat! These are flying off the shelves. However I must warn you that there is a disclaimer that is usually ignored. Side effects of overuse include high likelihood of injuries such as: swollen and/or split lips, loss of front teeth, strained esophagus, back problems, bowel blockage, and in some cases, severe infertility. But never mind that. This hat does wonders for your ego! Wear this as you enter the warm up room at your next audition. Fellow competitors will marvel and gawk with envy at your nonstop screeching power! Yes, you guessed it, our HIGH NOTE HAT.

You: "Gee, thanks, Aunt Gloria! I'll take all four." 

Aunt Gloria: "You are quite welcome. Remember, never go hatless!" 

All notes on display!

Imagine that all the notes you played today were on display in the window of your local jewelry store. Your advertisement reads: TOP QUALITY GEMS - REFINED, POLISHED, PURIFIED, READY FOR PURCHASE, AVAILABLE IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES - BOLD, BRAZEN, BRIGHT, SPARKLING, RADIANT! 

Ideally, a crowd of gawking passersby are standing amazed and eager to purchase large bundles of your valuable notes. "Wow, honey, look at those! They're gorgeous! Each one of them is perfect!"

Your job is to flood the market with an endless supply of solid-gold notes, always keeping in mind that cheap junky notes just won't sell. A daily commitment to refining and polishing is simply what you do. Being able to display a great product is worth the painstaking effort. Few are good at it because few have the clear vision and patience required. Rarely do you hear students carefully preparing each note, one by one.

What constitutes a high-priced note? Each has great quality of sound regardless of size. Each is clear and well-defined, with accurate pitch. Each great note fits properly into its phrase.  Fuzzy edges and unfocused tone are immediate disqualifiers.  If listeners were taking melodic dictation, they must easily be able to notate what you are performing. Your music critics will honestly use adjectives like clean, clear, vivid, solid, secure, stunning!

When your brain is programmed like that, your embouchure will start to cooperate, and your product will improve dramatically!

The Powerful Weapon Against Nerves

"I don't know what happened. I thought I was totally prepared, but as soon as I walked onto the stage, I froze and felt paralyzed. Even after all of those hours of preparation, nothing seemed to be working as intended!" 

Although stage fright can be devastating, it is not a permanent or life-threatening ailment. Be encouraged. You can begin to exchange fear for confidence even under enormously high-stress situations.

So, what's the antidote for those "deer-in-the-headlights" moments? Is it more practicing, deeper breathing, more singing, more listening, more mouthpiece-buzzing, more thinking, or being super-resolute? All of those are important, but very likely your secret weapon has not been adequately utilized. 

Simply put, your enthusiasm for what you are about to perform must be greater than your nervous doubts. By instilling this mindset firmly on a daily basis, you will be building an effective strategy that will withstand the paralyzing trauma of stage fright. 

Bottom line. Strengthen your passion for music. Approach each etude, each excerpt, and each solo with a zeal for its musical message. Resist boredom. Inspired beautiful playing always matters. This applies even to your warm up. Aiming for musicality and expression is what fuels your success on stage and enables you to overcome nervousness. 

Your job is way more than just producing notes. It brings into play the very reason we are invested in music. Without a strong consistent dedication to music-making, we become easy targets for the assaults of the dreaded nerve giant. 

Why not pretend?

Imagine yourself sitting right now in the most prestigious trumpet chair in the country! Nerves are not the issue here. We're looking instead at the benefits of having to produce at a high level with each note you play. With this in mind you will be on the fast track to becoming exceptional, distinctive, and inspiring!  

True, you're not there yet, but why not pretend? Go into your next rehearsal or performance with that mindset. Have the focus and musical drive to excel no matter where you are today. Make others notice. Play like you belong in the best trumpet section on the planet! Compete with the giants of the past.

What a great way to prepare for upcoming auditions! It's not a matter of fear of failure, but of a strong passion for consistently producing way-above-average trumpet playing. Now that kind of preparation will greatly reduce excess nerves and self-doubt. It will also make your practice sessions much more efficient.

Remember, your eyes are not on the enormous canyon below your feet, but on the glorious finish line. Success at the end of the concert is a standing ovation. An ovation not for you but for your wonderful playing. You inspired. You entertained. "You're hired!"  

The Nasty Drill Sergeant

Annoyed conductor: "Trumpets!! You're not with the rest of the orchestra, you're out of tune, and way too loud!

You're thinking: "No way, man! Your conducting is impossible to follow. It's the strings who are sluggish and the trombones have the pitch problems, not us! And furthermore, maestro, we were not loud enough!" 

Only in your dreams can you respond like that. Try it just once and you won't like what happens. Conductors always get the last word, so don't even think about answering back. You do so to your own detriment.

So how do you handle brutal in-your-face criticism, justified or not? Your response reveals a lot about you. First, realize that the fruits of discipline are usually painfully acquired but necessary for personal and corporate success. The job of the nasty drill sergeant is not to be well-liked but to develop character, self-control, obedience and toughness in his recruits. So fall in, or fall out!

Consider the benefits of the end game. Physical and mental strength tend to put jittery nerves to flight. Developing a steely reserve is vital for success under extreme pressures. So learn to anticipate the insults. They will only make you stronger. Respond well and the next testing will be easier. In so doing you'll win the approval of your sergeant. Responding with silence in the face of unjust or just accusations is often a sign of strength not weakness. Resisting instruction is to refuse improvement.

A brass section of touchy, coddled egos will not be a unified fighting force in the orchestra. They'll argue and go to pieces at the first threat to their manhood. On the other hand, teamwork, humility, submission, and strong leadership are the earmarks of a great section.

Resist tough training and you lose. Expect it, deal with it wisely, and you and your colleagues will win.

Earning a Solo Bow

Concerts are all about entertainment and appreciation. When the audience has been entertained the musicians will be duly recognized. That can be a wonderful motivation that can eliminate nervous anxieties.

A great show is marked by an instant rousing ovation, not by a smattering of polite applause. The signal from the maestro for you to stand for a solo bow at the end of the concert is the exclamation point to your successful performance!

That becomes your goal in practice, rehearsals, and especially in concerts. The effective performer has practiced overcoming fear with confidence in his ability to deliver the musical message. Love it when the nerves loose and the playing wins!

Last week in preparation for a performance of Dvorak's Symphony No. 8, two trumpet graduate students played a dry run for the CCM trumpet studio. Everything was pretty much in place. Homework had already been done. Everything was OK, or was it?

"Hey, guys! Do you want the audience to applaud at the end or not? Will the listeners say your playing was so-so, or will you hear bravos and cheers?"

For sure: play in tune, play together, and play everything you see on the page. But that often is not enough. Exaggerate the dynamics, play all of the articulations marked, open up the sound and project it over the orchestra and well into the hall. To illicit an enthusiastic response from the audience and the conductor, lift your bells, add energy, life, and spark. Have fun performing this great symphony. A performance should never seem like business drudgery. Mel Broiles used to say that exciting concerts required jolts of pizazz from the trumpet section!

Later that week at the close of the concert:  there was thunderous applause in Corbett Auditorium from a full house. And, just as anticipated: a solo bow for both trumpet players! Well done guys!

Accuracy Matters

Mel Broiles once claimed at my trumpet lesson that there is only one thing that separates a good student from a pro.  Any Juilliard trumpet player, he said, is just as good as any top orchestral player with one exception. Experienced professionals are dependable, whereas students "trample the daisies", as he put it. 

There are probably many more differences between seasoned and non-seasoned players, but his simple emphasis on consistency was exactly what was needed that day. It was as if he yelled, "go home and practice, but stop missing notes!"

How can we expect a smooth-sailing recording session when our lack of control is a public problem? How can we deserve a rousing ovation at a concert or recital when we played well but missed dozens of notes?

At my sixth grade solo performance of Moss Rose, my younger brother could be seen in the front row constantly counting something on his fingers.  When I asked him what he was counting, he said "all of your mistakes!" 

Quality without accuracy is not quality. 

Your own Personal Trainer

Does your playing need a good tuneup?  How's your tone, intonation, accuracy? Has it gotten a bit shabby over the summer? Well, there's a personal trainer at your fingertips that's ready to help. And it won't cost you a cent! Your help is only a few buzzes away. Put that trumpet down and prepare to start your free training session.

Your personal trainer is your own mouthpiece. Play perfectly in tune and with your best tone.  Be the best buzzer ever!  Buzz with no fuzz. Be very picky. Win the audition with superior buzzing. If it's great on the mouthpiece, it'll be fabulous on the horn.  

   

PRACTICING SANITY

How would listeners to your daily practice sessions describe what they hear? Would they say you are insanely amazing, or amazingly insane?

Great performances follow great rehearsals. Great rehearsals require great practicing. And great practicing is characterized by clear thinking. Needed: daily generous doses of sanity. 

Helpful adjectives for your practice sessions: calm, patient, organized, purposeful, controlled.  Not: frantic, hurried, haphazard, out-of-control.

Inspired energetic playing must first be disciplined. Inspiration without discipline is as useless as discipline without inspiration. You must develop both, but discipline comes first. At the end of your day, you want to be satisfied that you worked efficiently, not frustrated that nothing happened. The improvement you want won't happen with fruitless frantic flailing. 

Sloppy practice never produced a polished performance, but it does give your nerve demons permission to wreak havoc on your performance! Preparing to do your best is better than hoping for the best, which is insanity.  

Getting a Good Grip

One phrase can be better than a thousand words, and more memorable!

Years ago an orchestra colleague was commenting on Maurice Andre's amazing clarity. I'll never forget his six-word summary: "He has contact with every note!"

What does every note require? A clean start, centered pitch, and a good sound. Great players take excellent care of their notes.

There's a quick fix for sloppy articulation, poor accuracy, and faulty intonation. Simply slow down and get a grip on each note. A more relaxed pace gives the brain and the ears a chance to focus on vital details. Only after you can hear an individual note, can you begin the polishing process. Think slow-motion cleansing.

Imagine that every pure note you play rewards you with a crisp ten dollar bill. How much money would you accumulate by the end of the day, if any? Or, if you could cut and paste any of your random notes, would they sound good enough to splice into the Pictures Promenade? 

Consider your driving. You shouldn't speed frantically through neighborhoods, blowing past stop signs, riding on sidewalks, and recklessly doing wheelies on private property! No, you carefully obey all traffic signs keeping control of the car at all times. Play as well as you drive. Handle all notes with care. Quality-control matters.

The Unseen Instrument!

"You have two trumpets, one in your hand, and one in your brain."  Train the one in your brain first. (Arnold Jacobs)  The audience sees that shiny trumpet, but they must hear that glorious trumpet sound that emanates from deep within you. That's the one we train!

Our job is to build vast reserves of musical expression in the imagination flowing through the instrument and reaching the audience unimpeded. That's the goal. So the trumpet becomes not the obstacle, but the receptacle and the conduit for your great musical message. 

As Mr. Jacobs stressed, think music not muscle, message not mechanics. Your secret weapon and power source is the trumpet in your brain. Nurture it, depend on it, and let it teach the trumpet in your hand.  It will discipline your work to be drama-efficient. Always sing before your play. Without that strong first trumpet, the second one doesn't have a chance! 


 

Are you better than a metronome?

Which is best, rhythm from your mind or rhythm from your gut? Answer: both, but one is preferable! Is your rhythm mental or instinctive? Are you using your brain or your heart? One teaches only mechanical perfection, while the other stimulates musical expression. 

Your mind can try to make you play in perfect time, but your inner rhythmic instincts can do a much better job.  To put it crudely, music from the mind reaches the mind, while music from the gut reaches the gut.

Think of the metronome as no more than a strict school master. It is not a drama coach. It's the angry drill sergeant, but not the sensitive maestro. It's better to train and rely upon your God-given inner rhythm, than to depend solely upon your ability to place every note in its proper position. 

Are metronomes superior to musicians? Nope. A stoic metronome is not capable of phrasing, nuance, or expression, only millions of lifeless clicks. Its only function is obnoxious clicking. Certainly a living person should be superior to a machine! We have breath, energy, and purpose.  A metronome has none of that.  It has no brain, musicality, expression or soul! Don't live only by the boring pulse of a machine.

Great time-keeping is the foundation upon which energy, phrasing, and expression are built.  Always be building artistry on top of great rhythm. Don't neglect your inner rhythm, and don't be boring. You are much better than a metronome!

Got junk?

JUNK-ELIMINATORS:

1. My first notes of the day will be pure quality. 
2. I will play slow enough to be accurate and clean.
3. I'm going to play perfectly for 5 seconds. Then 10, 15.
4. I'll be paid for only good notes.
5. I'll play my solo very slowly, resting every 4 measures.
6. It will never be said that my playing is boring.
7. Every phrase will be stunningly musical.
8. I'm going to be able to impress my friends with how softly I can play without loss of tone.
9. I'm going to amaze my friends with how loudly I can dominate without loss of tone.
10. My future employer is listening just outside my practice room door!  . . . . "You're hired!"

Freedom in playing comes when junk has been dealt with. No one wants a flawed product. Goal: eliminate wasted notes and wasted time. Put the practice room on stage.  Eliminate junk playing.



 

 

A Simple Practice Plan

You have arguably only one goal when practicing or performing, and that is quality control. Whether the notes are long or short, low or high, loud or soft, the aim is the same.  Produce the best possible sound on every note.

Step one: THINK SLOW. Give yourself enough time to find the center (the sweet spot) of each note. Don't proceed until all of your notes are usable.  (During one of my lessons with Mel Broiles, he accused me of "spraying the air with thousands of notes of highly questionable value!" He used a slightly different wording, but I got the point.)

Step two: THINK MONEY.  Imagine that every top quality note you produce instantly deposits dollars into your checking account. Likewise consider that any stuffy, unfocused notes will painfully charge your account big bucks! It's your choice: severe fines or rich rewards. 

Step three: THINK CONDUCTOR.  You live for the conductor's favor, not his displeasure. When you play, you want to see his uplifted hand and expression of approval, not an annoyed grimace as he frantically shushes your strained efforts.

Step four: THINK AUDIENCE. They're why we do what we do! It's not about us. We simply deliver beautiful phrases to a music-hungry audience one good note at a time.  That's the goal even in the practice room. Always insist on high quality and drama.  Think APPLAUSE, STANDING OVATIONS, BOWS! Quality is guaranteed!

Taming the Bear

An audition can be like a snarling bear who seeks to maul each contestant daring to step onto the stage.  All it takes to get him provoked are a few timid and unconvincing excerpts.  Dare to squeeze out one more excerpt played like that and that great bear ferociously charges the stage, chewing up the sorry contestant, and spitting out his bones on the spot. "Growl. Get outta here! Who's Next?"

That bear however is very tamable! Two things will not only keep his rage at bay, but can also turn him into a friendly pet (more or less). Those weapons are preparation and communication.

It's been said, "You don't have to play perfectly but you do have to play accurately."  The goal of perfection puts great pressure and extra fear of failure on the performer. Whereas accuracy (of styles, tempos, dynamics, drama and overall musicianship) communicates better, and rescues the performer from himself.  Perfection is about the performer; communication is about the audience.

Prepare daily to defeat the audition monster with accuracy and dramatic communication. Poor preparation is followed by fear of the bear.  So slave wisely over the details, but slay the bear with your practiced noticeable dramatic skills as well.  Be sure to practice the message at least as much as the mechanics.

At the next audition the bear may threaten, but you have assured his defeat with your mighty weapons: singing, expression, rhythmic precision, dynamic contrasts, beautiful phrasing, excellent quality of sound, drama, and game-changing standout musicianship! 

Instincts on High Alert

What does this little guy have in common with a principal trumpet player getting ready for rehearsal number #18 in Zarathustra? Or how about our prominent first entrance in Ravel's Piano Concerto in G?  Or, getting ready to kick start Pictures all by ourselves? Of course there's Mahler 5 to boot up as well.  So many starting assignments! So many opportunities to belt that 90-mile-an-hour fast ball out of the park! It's like the composer said, "Here, kid, see if you can catch this one!"

So what is this boy doing that so many neglect?  Answer: he doesn't know, he's just catching the ball. Similarly, we should think music, not muscles; message, not mechanics. Catch the ball, hit the ball.  No time to analyze.  Instincts matter. Training them to work for you on very short notice is a fun project. Focus quickly, play great. Don't give yourself time to get nervous.

Suggestions on a quicker response.

• Sing it.

• Valve it.

• Sing it and valve it precisely together.

• Eliminate extraneous prep time. Pick up the horn and make your statement without hesitation.

• The way you react when someone suddenly tosses something at you is your model.

• Think: catch and shoot!

• Play your absolute best at the drop of a hat. 
• Q Q (Quick Quality)

Benefits of the Boot

"Ladies and gentlemen: Thank you for your participation in today's orchestra audition. Unfortunately the committee informs me that none of you advanced. On your way out, be sure to help yourselves to a free FAILURE tee shirt and shorts with the BOOT on the back, compliments of our fine orchestra committee. Thank you, and have a nice day."

We've all experienced days like that. Nothing seems to alleviate the painful frustration of an audition dismissal, not even a free tee shirt! A swift kick would be less painful.

So how do you respond to those dreaded words, "NO THANK YOU! NEXT!"  Are there any positive takeaways? Three suggestions. These should impact the efficiency of your practice, maybe the direction of your career, and hopefully your perspective on life. That boot may have actually been a good thing after all.

1. Today's "boot" could be just what your practice sessions need - a total shakeup. Auditions are reality checks that reveal deficiencies that have been neglected or in need of more attention. The orchestra committee expects good intonation, pleasant sound, steady rhythm, clean articulation, accuracy, phrasing, dynamics, and dramatic impact. When these are present, you advance. When they are lacking, you go home.

So, go home and take inventory. The good news is that you now know exactly what to focus on. Organize your practice sessions so that you regularly listen for sound, rhythm, intonation, articulation, musical phrasings, etc. Cleanse your notes. Don't play so much. Make every note count. Pretend that your studio is being bugged and that the committee is listening. Use a tuner, a metronome, a decibel meter, and plan to score major points on your imaginary musical drama sensor!  Your goal is to improve and to impress. "Thank you, next!" is not a death sentence, but just what you needed to hear!

2. Today's "boot" could be the best thing to happen to you - a change in career direction. Being turned down at an audition does not mean that you should give up. However, if there is a pattern of endless struggling with little satisfaction, then a career adjustment could be a wise move. Be realistic in assessing your situation, and consider that there could be something for which you are better-suited. If defeats always defeat you, you're in the wrong business. Be encouraged. That boot could be the beginning of a new and far more rewarding direction for you. 

3. Today's "boot" could be the best thing to happen to you - a better understanding of yourself. This could be the most important takeaway of all. The manner in which you respond to "Thank you, next" reveals a lot about you.  If you're quick with the blame game, anger, bitterness, depression, or self-pity, then you're missing a major benefit of the boot.  None of those negative responses will improve you or your playing.  Life is easier without all of the critical attitudes, and so is trumpet-playing.

Who you are as a person is way more important than how well you play. An audition always shows us our weaknesses, musical and personal. The one who handles adversity with maturity is the one who is best prepared for the next step in life, whether the audition is won or lost.

Armando Ghitalla used to say, "We play the way we are." Use the defeat to step back and take stock of who you are. Life is bigger than an audition. A punch to the gut can provide the humbling that leads to a much improved player and person. Absorb the hit, learn, and go on with life.

Wardrobe Functions

Musicians must have an impressive wardrobe ready for all occasions.  Their back stage lockers are crammed with all manor of snazzy outfits perfectly suited for every show. Audiences expect entertainment, not boredom, so we dress appropriately. When we walk onto the stage, we're ready and dressed to kill!

We are actors of a thousand emotions and expressions, made up and outfitted with beautifully detailed costumes.  Colorful decorations matter. This is the entertainment conceived by composers, encouraged by conductors, and delivered by the musicians. What a thrill, what an honor to play a part!

The richness of the music, the colors of the instrument groups, and the passions of the players all contribute to make concertizing an art.  More than a job, it's a mission, a commission.  We get to translate all those little black dots on the printed page into sound, magically bringing them to life, and then singing out that message to the people.

What room is there for fear or pride?  This "business" is far greater than the performer.  We are just the somewhat lowly messengers of the music.  This is exhilarating yet humbling. It is also a tremendous antidote for stage fright. We are consumed by the beauty of the product we deliver.  Honing that product is our life's work, our passion, our frustration, and our satisfaction, however imperfectly we may do it. We don't shoot for perfection, we shoot for excellence in communication.

The great Mel Broiles had his blunt way of getting his students fired up about practicing. "You're not going to deliver any pizzazz in the show if you haven't ever done it in the practice room." 

Roto-Rooter!

Clogged pipes? Call ROTO-ROOTER! Clogged arteries? Call for an angioplasty! Clogged notes? Same strategy.  Clear out the pipes, and fill up the notes.

Are your notes all shriveled up and your air stream restricted? Is a superhuman effort required to force anything through the horn and into the audience?  If the answer is yes, you may have a serious case of the dreaded constrictivitis. You need to call NOTO-ROOTER.

Students will clean the horn, but ignore the notes.  Even your shortest notes must be slices of your top quality whole note.  The Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition puts our focus on tone and freedom of delivery.  Likewise all notes must be "Pictures" notes. The beauty of the whole depends upon the beauty of all the parts.

Try putting a fermata on at least one note per measure to check for quality.  Learn to listen for and expect a great sound on every note, even in difficult technical passages.

To remind you of your cleaning mission, NOTO-ROOTER will include a free ball cap with a beautifully stitched toilet plunger on the front when you call 1-800-MAX-TONE today!

Avoiding the B Word!

"So, how did your audition go?"  

"Pretty well, in my opinion. I hardly missed a note, but the committee wasn't impressed.  I don't know what they were looking for!" 

Even if your solo and excerpts were flawless, there must have been something that they didn't like. Maybe it's not what you did, but what you didn't do that got you eliminated.  Did you infect the committee with a deadly dose of the B word?  BORING!  Be careful, even perfect playing can come across as uninspired. Spraying the hall with the pungent aroma of mediocrity usually yields the response, "Thank you, next!" 

News flash: the perfect audition never happened! And there is no perfect musician. Squeaky clean is always the goal, but so is bold, assertive, standout playing. Shooting for splendid, ravishing playing frees us from the nerve-wracking pressure of having to be note-perfect.

An Eastman violin professor once warned, "if you are going to play like that (lacking depth of emotion), you'd better play perfectly."  Accuracy matters, but so does style, energy, and great overall musicianship.  Having to be note-perfect puts tremendous pressure on you, but there is great freedom in immersing yourself totally in the drama of the music.  So be encouraged. Don't try to be perfect. Try to make an impression. You're on stage to give, not to measure up.