How to become consistent

[TCEmusic]

Hi all, this is my first post. I'm a high school trumpet player, I've been a lurker here for a couple of years but finally decided to make an account and post.

My playing unfortunately varies greatly in quality from day to day.

Currently I have some amazing days where I own an in tune and solid double C (not that I've ever needed it), have a great resonant sound that puts me on par with students from the local college, and can multiple tongue and play technical passages with clarity at very fast tempos with ease. Other days I only have a slightly-better-than-decent tone can only play up to an out-of-tune 4 ledger line G and have difficulty playing technical or multiple tongued passages. And other, other days I sound like complete crap.

I want to be able to consistently sound amazing every day not just some days. How can I do this?

[Rubo]

What does your private teacher have o say about this?
_________________
1974 LA Benge CG
Bach Stradivarius 180/43
Yamaha 8310ZS Bobby Shew
1965 Conn Connstellation 38A cornet
Couesnon Flugelhorn

[TCEmusic]

[Trumpet_Lover]

First: don´t play 2ble high c´s, you don´t need that, that is for a very experienced lead....they have strong chops...they know how to scream without hurt, your lips are young, you need years of Maggio or another high range technique...........OK you can hit 2ble high c´s t but remember that your lips are the only tool you have for the rest of your trumpet life...not like the W.W....they broke Reeds and just buy another one...we don´t. Is better to start with a good solo repertoire than kill your lips with scream stuff, you know...in order: for example
________LEVEL 1_________
Barat - fantasie en Mi bemol
Corelli/Fitzgerald - Sonata VIII
Handel/Musser - sonata for trumpet
Ropatz - Andante and allegro
BALAY - Andante and Allegretto...the with the time go for an advanced repertoire like F.J. Haydn J.N. Hummel –A. Arutiunian –E.Bozza –Neruda- Tomasi...Don´t play this at the begining....take care of your lips...they are a baby!!! teach them first to walk...don´t to fly!!! –please don´t forget the David Hickman trumpet excerpts.

Second: Get the Allen vizzuti Book 1, for intermediate beginners....please follow his instructions, Allen is an extraordinary experienced player and professor, he knows this instrument better than Me and you...you cannot play because of your intense routine, your lips are killed!!! so in that manner you can play any time...and yes....Allen includes a wonderful high range exercises....this is a very fine book. Best.
sorry for grammar.
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Time for practice!
Sonare TR9-Bys Trumpet
V.Bach Mercedes Trumpet
Getzen Flugelhorn
Bach 1.5 open
Bob Reeves 41S

[crzytptman]

That's how it goes when you're a young, developing player. Consistency comes with maturity in age and with the horn. Just keep trying to play your best every day.
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Crazy Nate aka Jive-a-licious
www.themodernancients.com
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Strive to have a great day, full of learning and enlightenment, using the mind that God gave you.
"Am I really crazy, or just so sane I blow your mind?" - Cosmo Kramer

[TCEmusic]

@Trumpet_Lover, thanks for all the advice but I have 3 things to say:

1) How does playing high notes hurt my chops- I don't force them out and use tons of pressure I actually play them with ease using a focused air stream and tongue arch (Claude Gordon style).

2) You recommended Allen Vizzutti book, for intermediate beginners, but I'm not exactly a beginner, even at my worst I'm closer to late-intermediate or early advanced. Do you have any books to recommend for a player at the level I described?

3) I don't think its a chop problem- regardless of my quality of playing on a given day (even my bad days) I always have good endurance and never get tired. I'm not actually sure what the cause of my inconstancy is.

[EdMann]

Your level of consistency is a function of your life as a human animal. When you're more consistent with when you arise, when you hit the sack, what you eat for brkfst, your attitude from day to day, what/when you exercise... you get it-- then you can think about becoming more consistent in your musical life. Until then, forget it.

When we sound like crap, we feel like crap, and the latter precedes the former.

ed

[Trumpet_Lover]

Ok so you are not a beginer!!! in that case you can make a good routine but basically is the same...Wake up in the morning, make a lip buzzin 5 minutes excercises, then go to some trumpet mouthpiece buzzing stuff, like arpegios, then long tones, then some technical etude like clarke, start from 1st space F and go 1 up 1 down in that order you can practice all of them without get tired, Allen include a wonderfull exercises on this, in that order you can practice all of them without get tired, then rest.....2 hours or more....believe me...I played, Boza rustiques, Arutiunian , and Hummel all on Bb trumpet in the same night!! Bach 1.5 open throat I made a good consistency in this maner...believe me I tried docens of routines...this is the best!!! for a good sound..a fresh sound anytime, a fresh atack anytime anywhere, good range...now I can focus on music not on survive!!! I recomend you the Allen Method...
1- Warm up
2- Technical stuff
3- Music- Band. orquestral excerpts and repertoire, some jazz stuff.
Follow thw Allen Model. Books. the next is an example.

Legato
• Arban, Complete Conservatory Method (Carl Fischer) - Easy to Medium - "The Art of Phrasing"
• Collins, In the Legato Style (Manduca Music Publications) - Medium?
• Concone, The Complete Solfeggi (Balquhidder Music) - Easy to Medium


Scales
• Arban, Complete Conservatory Method (Carl Fischer) - Easy to Medium - pp. 17-20, 59-75
• Gates, Odd Meter Etudes (Fox) - Easy to Medium Difficult - #1,5,7,9,15,18
• Mathie, Drudgeries (Giardinelli) - Easy to Difficult
• Pfund, The Trumpeter’s Supplemental Guide (Pfund) - Easy to Medium - pp. 29-31
• Williams, Method of Scales (Colin) - Easy to Medium


Arpeggios and Chord Progressions
• Arban, Complete Conservatory Method (Carl Fischer) - Easy to Medium - pp. 20-21,42-151,256,258,290
• Bousquet, Thirty-Six Celebrated Studies (Carl Fischer) - Medium #19
• Charlier, Thirty-Six Etudes Transcendantes (Leduc) - Medium to Difficult - #3,8,11,15,17,19,23,32,34
• Lillya, Trumpet Technics (Balquhidder Music) - Medium to Medium Difficult - pp. 16-17,21-22,24-27



Range
• Colin, Advanced Lip Flexibilities (Colin) - Easy to Difficult
• Lin, Lip Flexibilities (Balquhidder Music) - Medium to Medium Difficult
• Walter Smith Top Tones



Finger Dexterity
• Clarke, Technical Studies (Carl Fischer) - Medium
• Hickman, Trumpet Lessons, Vol.4 (Tromba) - Medium



Sightreading
• Barker, Sightreading and Technique (Moorcraft) - Medium
• Hickman, Speed Reading for Melodic Instruments (Wimbledon) - Medium
Eddie Lewis Daily Practice Routines
Shlossberg CD??
David Hickman trumpet excerpts Vol 1 to last.
GOOD LUCK

_________________
Time for practice!
Sonare TR9-Bys Trumpet
V.Bach Mercedes Trumpet
Getzen Flugelhorn
Bach 1.5 open
Bob Reeves 41S

[Trumpet_Lover]

OHHHH I made a big mistake...The Book 1 of Allen is for Intermediate/advanced players....not beginers.
_________________
Time for practice!
Sonare TR9-Bys Trumpet
V.Bach Mercedes Trumpet
Getzen Flugelhorn
Bach 1.5 open
Bob Reeves 41S

[trumpetninja]

For my playing to be consistent on a daily basis I have to get in a good warm up and I need to practice every day. There are some excercises that if I don't do, my playing just doesn't feel right. Do you warm up daily and do you practice approximately the same amount daily? Perhaps this is part of the problem.

Best,
E.
_________________
Music is my business.
Living the good life.
1973 Bach custom 37*
1994 Bach 229/25H
1939 N.Y Bach 31 Bb trumpet (in need of work)
2008 Yamaha 9820C Picc.
Vintage Leblanc Flugelhorn (made by Courtois)

[irith]

I had much the same issue until I started doing more thoughtful warm-up. What you do for warm-up isn't that important (beyond starting simply and easing into more complicated things), but how you go about it is critical. Pay close attention to what you feel and hear as you're starting, and iron out any issues. Don't brush past everything on the good days, either. Make sure you go through the whole warm-up routine, whatever it is.

Mostly, make sure you're centered, having good response, sounding your best and feeling stable over your entire range. Be in control of the instrument, don't let it control you. After that, just have patience. This may do very little at first, but you'll soon realize the benefits of a consistent warm-up.

I'll also echo the comments about getting non-trumpet things more consistent - start playing at the same time every day, have a consistent sleep/meal schedule, etc.
_________________
Trumpets.
Mouthpieces.
I have some.

[royjohn]

Hi TCEmusic,
You wrote:

[Trumpet_Lover]

So my suggestion is ......the warm up I mentioned above , then rest 4 to 5 hours, pre warm up #1 ( like stamp, first with mpc then trpt..... each one mpc trpt) not to much of warm up,then fingering exercises (don’t start to high) same method mentioned above...start on F 1st space 1 up 1 down, go to Tongue exercises 1 of each...single...with K, double, triple, then Flexibility (Scholssberg or anything like this...just one...don´t kill yourself...(remember the routine goes far away) then one range etude (just one) , rest 4 to 5 hours, then time for music!!!!! if you notice your previous practice was not to much...you are fresh!!!! pre warm up #2 you can repeat the stamp stuff, then go to repertoire 1 or 2 pieces, some Excerpt, some jazz etude or improvisation if you want...then warm down...the Warm up A of Maggio is a good one . Very good Luck see yaaa
_________________
Time for practice!
Sonare TR9-Bys Trumpet
V.Bach Mercedes Trumpet
Getzen Flugelhorn
Bach 1.5 open
Bob Reeves 41S

[zackh411]

[swthiel]

I have a comment and some questions for the original poster:

The comment: I see a lot of wisdom in the posts above by crzytptman, EdMann, and irith.

The questions:

1) What is is your playing day like -- content, pacing, time(s) of day?

2) How consistent is your practice routine? Do you have a "standard" warm-up and progression through your practice material?

3) What do you use to start your playing day (warm up)?
_________________
Steve Thiel
Matthew 25:31-46

[Matt Parkinson]

Hi there,

Lots of things can affect your day to day playing such as how much you played the day before, general health and also mental attitude.

I believe consistency comes when both the physical and mental elements of playing trumpet are, pardon the pun, 'in tune'.

Practicing a solid routine focusing on the basic seven elements of trumpet playing will build the physical side and then as a bi product of being able to play well you become more relaxed in your own playing and the 'fear' aspect diminishes or disappears.

My advice would be to start practicing the Claude Gordon material, which has done wonders for me and many of my friends and colleagues, and try not to worry about the consistency, it will come

Maybe get a lesson with Jeff Purtle (www.purtle.com), he will definately put you on the right track!

Regards,
Matt

[Derek Reaban]

In addition to many of the good suggestions that you've already received, I would suggest that you watch the Hal Galper masterclass video in this link. The ideas that he presents are certainly worthy of your attention and will certainly lead to great consistency provided that you put forth some effort. Good luck!
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Symphonic Wind Ensemble / Symphony of the Southwest

[TCEmusic]

[TCEmusic]

[Fuzzy Dunlop]