Whats your practice Routine?

[PH]

Try playing while wearing closed ear headphones. Or, try playing in a walk-in closet with all the coats hanging around you. In either case you can develop the ability to play well when you can't hear yourself optimally.

[mark936]

I only seem to have time for the C.G. range exercises.

I've been on lesson 15 for the last 90 days-- trying to get in 25 consec days before moving on.

Parts 1 and 2 only. The range stuff.

Then blast a few hard passages for 10--15 mins.

Claude would give me a Lesson out of that book for a month so he wasn't in a rush to hurry on those 52 lessons.

Suggestion. Xerox your practice routines. Don't carry around five books all the time.

mm

[wildebrook]

I try to incorporate playing music (solos, going over charts for groups, etc) into my practice routine. It's not just to avoid boredom, but to get to know the music well enough to be expressive with it instead of just playing the notes come performance time.

Since my full time job is not music, I have to make time for rehearsal. For me, the best time I can count on being free to practice is early AM, so I try and get about an hour and a half in then. Most of the time during my lunch break I try and get another hour in (ok, I don't eat much!). And then in the evening I am either at a rehearsal with a group or try to fit in another hour or so at home.

I like to begin with lip slurs and chromatics for about 15 minute warmup. In the am I do Colin flexibility studies and Clarke technical studies for about 30-40 minutes. Then work on solos. And end with about 10 minutes of long tones going to the pedal tones, ala Claude Gordon exercises. During my "lunch" I do another Clarke Technical study, then work some on my piccolo or D trumpet. Then evening has more clarke and some characteristic studies such as Arbans. I try and incorporate the different horns I play (Bb, C, D, pic, flugle, cornet and an alto horn!) into the routine instead of always playing Bb(and the emphasis on horns depends on what horns I would be using in upcoming gigs). I also try and do some rehearsing soft instead of loud all the time. And finally, I am careful during my rehearsals to incorporate rest (small rests!) instead of playing nonstop. This principle is used in the Colin book, but I find it useful in general.

I know that some would think this routine to be boring. Don't know how to respond to that, except to say instant gratification is not possible with good trumpet playing. I look at it more like training. Do any athletes (winning ones, that is) figure on skipping the calesthetics and workouts? Sure it is work, but if you don't enjoy your work perhaps you should find something else to do with your time instead of grumbling about how boring it is. Playing trumpet well just doesn't happen by accident. I have come to actually enjoy my
"workouts"(can't say as my family agrees!). Coming from someone whose "day job" is often stressful, sometimes something tedious is a good thing!

[jgadvert]

Hi Wildebrook!

Yeah, gotta keep a positive attitude about the mundane exercises. Regardelss of mindset, they must be done...period. It just helps to do stuff thats fun that also incorporates alot of the technical aspects. I could bore you with many examples of what I mean.

I heard some really good things about the Colin book. A friend is supposed to be coming by with it (and the Caruso book) for me to check out. Can't afford to buy everything!