Things that create bad playing days

danny45635 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 01 Feb 2015 Posts: 508

I've decided to create a list of things that cause bad playing days because of all off the threads people make about bad playing days and how worried they get when that have them. Everyone has bad days!!!

So here's a list of thing I find that contribute to bad playing days...
1. Over practicing (the most important and most common in my opinion). I learned this the hard way, and so have many other people. I used to practice 5-6 hours a day with little to no progress. All I was doing was injuring my lip. I'm not saying barely practice, just find the optimum amount of hours where you won't injure yourself. I now do around 3-4.
2. Lack of sleep
3. Dehydration
4. Not accepting that bad days exist (nobody's perfect)
5. Too much pressure
6. To much strain/tension. I'll quote Claude Gordon "playing brass instruments should be just as easy as breathing" (or something like that. He's trying to explain that no tension and strain should be necessary). Be relaxed!!!

I know a lot of this seems obvious, but theses are the things we can overlook and cause bad playing days.

Feel free to add!!!
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Davlippo7 · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2015 1:14 pm Post subject:

I read something about the psychological aspect that we tend to place our self-worth on our performance which adds mounds to the pressure. When pressure is present then playing on a trumpet is pretty much impossible. In contrast, I can be playing in solitude and still not perform well either but I do obviously stay less tense. The confidence or lack thereof is like a snow ball rolling or exponential in nature and you can either implode very quickly or rise to the top. If nerves take over then the embouchure, facial structure and associated muscles turn to jelly. It's important to always remember that self-worth is imputed to us by God's love for us and is not determined by our trumpet performances.
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zackh411 · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2015 3:10 pm Post subject:

I'm going to add one...
- Being a diva about your chops.

I truly believe confirmation bias can trick you into having bad days. When I stopped babying my chops, I started having a lot better good days.
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falado · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2015 3:32 pm Post subject:

Here's another, watch what you eat or drink before the gig. I never eat heavy before a gig. But, when I was in the Navy Showband we were playing a concert somewhere in South American (I don't remember where, it was 25 years ago). I was playing lead and the guy on 2nd, Chris, had a drink earlier I the day with ice in it (remember, don't drink the water). We were half way through one of the early numbers and just finished a strong shout section and he looks at me and says, "I think I just $#!? myself". Of course we were wearing whites and I told him to go take care of it. He did, and he did. Newton's Law, Murphy's too! Sometimes I miss those trips, lots of free entertainment.
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cheiden · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2015 4:07 pm Post subject:

Lack of an effective routine is the biggest factor by far.

Here are some other reasons.
- Bad horn/mouthpiece maintenance
- Cleaning a very dirty horn/mouthpiece right before a gig
- Paying too much attention to you lips
- Too much gear swapping
- Performing different than you practice (louder, different horn angle,..)
- Playing in an unfamiliar venue
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crzytptman · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2015 6:20 pm Post subject:

danny45635 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 01 Feb 2015 Posts: 508

graty · New Member Joined: 02 Sep 2015 Posts: 10

1. Stress
2. Fatigue
3. Recent break-up/divorce
4. Blue balls
5. Too much Jack Daniels
6. Not enough Jack Daniels
7. Headache
8. Upset stomach
9. Anything by Toshiko Akiyoshi

jungledoc · Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2015 2:55 am Post subject:

Valuable lesson #387: Don't try to catch up on practice the night before your lesson. Learned last week.
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Billy B · Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2015 8:58 am Post subject:

Trumpet playing is;
90% mental
9% air
1% all the rest
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dstdenis · Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2015 9:41 am Post subject:

If I'm having a bad day practicing, I switch to easier material that I can play well and work on my playing at that level (assuming I'm not just over-tired). Then I build from there. Sometimes this can turn a bad day into a productive day.
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John Mohan · Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2015 10:04 am Post subject:

EdMann · Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2015 11:16 am Post subject:

Over taxing your chops have always been the easiest way for me to find an early grave during a rehearsal/gig, every time. Babying? no, I'm talking about hour after hour of punishing routines, even after an evening before a day gig. Guys like Roger Ingram warn against it, Bobby Shew, Lew Soloff did when I studied with him... if there's a choice between rest and routine, choose rest.

ed

gstump · Heavyweight Member Joined: 14 Nov 2006 Posts: 934

-Playing too loudly on just the mouthpiece.

-Playing a dirty horn. (causes sore chops due to trying to maintain sound levels from an ever shrinking trumpet bore.)

-Playing with too many lizards
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razeontherock · Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2015 1:26 pm Post subject:

I challenge the notion that there have to be bad days. Lots of ideas in this thread can be put to good use to turn what would have been a bad day, into at least an acceptable day.

I find that is the primary purpose of daily practice. On my very worst days, I still gotta get the job done. Tomorrow will be brutally hot, the load-in will be physically demanding and have a rushed set-up and sound check, I'm weakened by my allergies peaking, and I've been under with a migraine for 2+ days that actually made me miss practicing yesterday. And I'm still not feeling so hot.

Tomorrow I will play just fine!

EdMann · Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2015 1:52 pm Post subject:

Getting the job done and performing at your best, two different wicker baskets.

Pete · Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2015 3:11 pm Post subject:

I've had a rare two week stretch lately that I don't have to play a gig. Mouthpiece experiments! I'm back to the mouthpiece that I have been playing on for years. I tried to go slightly wider... Nope. I try to minimize bad playing days. I consistently use the Shew 5 minute warm up before I do my initial playing. This has helped me quite a bit. It gets the chops ready before playing.

You have to find what works best for you to maintain consistency.

Pete

roccotrumpetsiffredi · Veteran Member Joined: 04 Jul 2015 Posts: 169

razeontherock · Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2015 4:31 pm Post subject:

JoseLindE4 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 791