Chronic Comeback Player

[marlon_d_chimera]

Good afternoon,

During the last five years I've referred to this website for information, inspiration, and for occasional window shopping. But love for the trumpet is what brought me here first and what ultimately motivated me to create an account a week ago.

My first exposure to the trumpet was when I was in kindergarten and a brass quintet comprised of members of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra came to perform for our elementary school. My future instructor, Paul Hilgeman, was part of that group and I was entranced by his mastery of the horn and his enthusiasm for music.

A few years later when I enrolled in his Instrumental Music class, I learned that my parents purchased their first house from him--a curious coincidence that still makes me smile today. Mr. Hilgeman didn't balk at my overbite and braces either. He helped me coax the first sounds out of the Reynolds cornet my father scavenged from a pawn shop and I was hooked from the very beginning and drawn into an activity that has made me feel whole no matter how poorly or well an individual performance goes.

Eventually I would continue into the conservatory at DePauw University. And even though my career aspirations were more jazz oriented, I received excellent instruction and performance opportunities while I was a student there. For better or worse I gigged with a jazz combo at the same time and made the regrettable decision to pull a "Miles Davis" move and quit before finishing my degree.

But I never stopped learning.

Local and regional gigs meant exchanging contact information with other musicians which opened the door to the cruise industry where I worked on and off for about a decade. Although the life isn't for everyone and the compensation is rather modest, the experience was invaluable and it prepared me for the zenith of my freelance career--a stint of three years working the convention and lounge scene in Las Vegas!

I was grateful at first for the blessing to play there, but over time my appetite for less than healthy substances compromised my professionalism and I left there in disgrace at the end of 2002. For several years I didn't play much--if at all--until I finally stayed clean long enough to make a comeback in 2006.

Back then I was hiding out in retail but let a coworker know that I used to play trumpet for a living. A few months later he asked me to step in for a gig his reggae band had at a local event. I had a blast playing with the group, didn't drink (or want to), and started a serious effort at becoming a weekend warrior again.

But I was fast approaching 40 and I felt like I needed to do something serious with my life too. So, at the age of 37, I enlisted in the Navy and tried to learn radar maintenance. The service was nothing like I anticipated. Life was relatively easy and predictable. I had plenty of time to practice--and even tried to make a job change into a service band, but it didn't work out.

When I returned home I played with a couple community bands--which I enjoyed tremendously--but I had a day job that I really disliked and my poor handling of that stress made drinking seem like a good idea again.

Over the last five years I've struggled to keep my life together and it hasn't been easy. At the end of April 2015 I gave sobriety another try and I'm pleased that I've been given another chance to live an honest life. Part of living honestly includes playing the trumpet. Right now I'm a full time student studying Economics at IUPUI and I enrolled in the jazz ensemble for this semester. I get up at 500 every weekday morning to get the first 45 minutes of my daily routine done and it's a fantastic way to start my day.

I realize that I've rambled quite a bit for a premiere post and that I've maybe gotten a little too personal, but I believe I'm in a community of people who can relate.

Okay, gotta get back to the horn!
_________________
Bb: '89 Monette 149
'80 LA Benge 3X
FH: Late '60s Couesnon

[WxJeff]

Welcome.

Great first post -- thank you for your honesty. We've all got a story and nearly all of those have some "darker" periods.

So how do your neighbors feel about the 0500 practice sessions?
_________________
Kanstul F Besson International 800 Bb
Jupiter SCR-520

[GeorgeB]

Good for you, Marlon. I can only offer my best wishes on your journey.
_________________
GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
1962 Conn Victor 5A cornet

[J.J.Dodge]

Marlon, Welcome and the best of luck to you.

[steveleblanc]

[BruceD]

Glad I'm not the only new / old guy. Just joined last week I think.

Very courageous post though.

And quite interesting, because my teacher is retired trumpet player from Air Force Band of the West.

When he got out, he put his horn aside, ready to move on in life & do other things. Told me some of his colleagues went to Vegas though, and met a fate almost exactly like the one you were brave enough to share.

Don't know if that's of any interest to you, but maybe stuff like that comes with the territory?

Anyway, best wishes!

--Bruce