Failure.

[Big Daddy]

Dave,
Nice to see a fellow Seagull Guitar owner. I own a Entourage Mini Jumbo Rustic. Great sound.
_________________
2010 Getzen 3895 Custom Flugelhorn
2010 Getzen 3850 Custom Cornet
2009 Bach Stradivarius New York 7
1956 Olds Recording

Monette 6BS1
Monette 6B FL - Cornet
Kanstul C.G. Personal F - Flugelhorn
http://www.reverbnation.com/robertmeyersjazz

[jhatpro]

Anyone who is willing to try again is not a failure, but someone with high standards.
_________________
Jim Hatfield
Glen Ellyn, Illinois

"Unfortunately, music is not my first language."

[veery715]

orchestral617 -

Notice that several responders here refer to themselves as crazy. This is no coincidence. If you want to enjoy the trumpet, its challenges and rewards, you NEED to be a little crazy. If you want to do something which doesn't challenge you so much, then pick the guitar or the saxophone. Do easy crossword puzzles and look up the answers.

We go for the hard stuff because a good challenge stimulates us. We thrive on what is difficult, and it is SO rewarding because it is that way. Take a good deep inside look at yourself and you should see someone who has an endless thirst for improvement and growth. If this IS what you see, then stop beating yourself up and accept that in order to be satisfied you need to realize that you are NOT PERFECT. Find pleasure in the fact that you can make progress, even if it is small, on a daily basis. The joy needs to be in the journey and not the destination. Remember that you love the trumpet, that music is a gift from God, and that every note you play is a statement of that gift - even the BAD ones.

If upon self examination, you find that you are not the person I described in the last paragraph, then find something else to do which floats your boat.
_________________
veery715

Music is what feelings sound like.

[spach]

If you want to learn something of the challenges, and joys of becoming a top tier trumpet artist, find yourself a copy of Ollie Mitchell's recently published book, "Lost, but making good time: A View from the Back Row of the Band". I'm pretty sure you'll find it more than a little interesting. Ollie's 85, still playing, enjoying life, and sharp as a tack. So, I have to agree with other posters, don't beat yourself up. And btw, you can make your own definition of success, one little piece at a time.
_________________
1934 (or '35) Meha (.460)
Benge 5B, MV 7C mpc
"Where, then, does the soul reside with its better body while it awaits the sound of the trumpet?"--Stephen J. Gould

[daDavemeister]

[lownote]

Another stamp of approval: lots of great advice has has been given in this thread, read it!

You're failing time and time again? I'll bet you otherwise. In fact, I'll bet you have at least a 7+ year streak, perhaps 10+ year streak of never failing to do something correctly. The thousands, perhaps millions of times you've put the horn to your face, I bet you've remembered to put the correct end of the horn to your face, the mouthpiece end, 100% of the time. In fact, even under the most extreme of pressure, you've still remembered to put the correct end of the horn to your face! All those many times, that's an extreme accomplishment!

That sounds pathetic on the surface, likely because you've taken it for granted all these years. I don't know, maybe you don't deserve a medal for that, but think of it. If you've taken that for granted, how many finer, more critical aspects of your playing, which others may be missing, are you doing spot on, yet taking for granted?

Something else to think about...

I'm about a year into a serious comeback on trumpet. On top of removing myself from thinking of any audition circuit, I've voluntarily removed myself from the idea of any jobbing scene. After taking tons of pressure off myself, not only am I playing far better than I ever did in my "prime", I'm improving at a far greater pace. I think the whole audition circuit / jobbing scene mentality is that there's multitudes of players going for scant opportunities, and the scant opportunities are drying up, an industrial mindset for lack of better terms. I've taken on a more entrepreneurial mindset to my playing, focusing more on creating opportunities than filling opportunities. Also, I think in business as in music, the person in the greatest position to renege on a deal has the bargaining power. If you have greater opportunities lined up should you lose an audition than the auditioning body has lined up should they lose the opportunity of having you, the confidence will carry over in your playing.

I'm definitely not telling you to give up. However, are you putting the validation of your music career in the hands of the competition, auditioning entities, and etc., or are you the one in the driver's seat? If you don't have yourself in the driver's seat, get there ASAP!

Finally, to sum up this post: Success isn't guaranteed to bring happiness, but happiness is guaranteed to bring success!
_________________
Horn:
Bach Stradivarius 72
Mouthpieces:
Jet-Tone 7D
Jet-Tone 7MD
and occasionally:
Bach 1B
Bach 1D

[razeontherock]

[Crazy Finn]

[percivalthehappyboy]

[mchs3d]

[mchs3d]

We all know the real issue is that you are using the wrong mouthpiece!

[razeontherock]

[mchs3d]

[cheiden]

Great thread!

Playing the trumpet can be a rush but it comes at a cost. If you're dilligent then eventually the thrill will far outshine the ocassional falter.
_________________
"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb
Yamaha 731 Flugel
Kanstul 920 Picc
Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim/Bach 1-1/2C underpart

[veery715]

[Craig Swartz]

If one considers himself a failure it usually means the failure to meet a certain goal or set of standards. So... has the OP actually set some goals or acknowledged a bar by which to judge one's self or merely want to "sound good" or better than those around him? There is a lot of generic good advice and confession here but I'd suggest setting some realistic goals first, then let the judgement begin after some time attempting to work in that direction. Having a teacher, colleague or mentor to help set them would be a good idea- trying to be better than those around you is a vastly different thing for someone living in W. Armpit, MT than it might be for someone in the Chicago heights or NYC area. Good luck, everyone.

[tommy t.]

[solo soprano]

There's nothing wrong with not being satisfied with your playing. That's what makes for progress. But since we all have are limits, myself included, why destroy your chances of ever becoming an outstanding player, while making your life miserable, just because of where your limits happens to be right now ?

[razeontherock]

[razeontherock]