Cons & Pros of alcohol and lead playing, trumpet.

[Lionel]

This was almost a high range development post. Because the internal pressures on a lead player are immense. Both psychologically and physically.

A respected professor of music once declared that most of us who seek to become good lead and high note players

"are all a little crazy".

Its like you've just got to have a pretty good ego to face the public and blow high notes. Plus ours is not the easiest instrument there is to get a musical tone out of. And as Maynard once noticed,

"When the lead trumpet player misses a note? EVERYONE notices"

Next to gunfighting? There's not much scarier. Not even skydiving. Enter alcohol. I'm not trying here to advocate per se but just talking reality. Faced with a case of nerves, swollen chops, a chest cold and two kanker sores on my upper lip gums?

I'm gonna take a drink or two. Not seven. One or two and I'm good. I can do this without harming myself because I have a long history of both mild to moderate drinking and an even longer one of playing trumpet.

This isnt a crutch but more a tool. There's a darnned good reason that Jazz was born on Bourbon Street. And granted the tales of alcoholism and trumpet players is a tired, worn out meme. Heck one of Buddy Rich's required tasks was to keep an eye on Bunny Berrigan. Making sure he wasnt too drunk to perform.

Maynard liked his wine. Another of his peers often featured on television is a well known speaker on the A/A circuit. For obvious reasons I wont spill his name. Wouldnt be such an "anonymous" group if I spilled the beans on him publicly would it?

And by the way Lionel, how come you know so much about A/A anyway?

Yeah dont ask... Or do ask as my life is an open book. True, I did the whole 12 step program for almost ten years. Didnt touch a drop. Later fortunately I got diagnosed with anxiety issues and prescribed beta blockers. Once the beta blockerz kicked in? Found that I could drink in mild moderation. Cured of problem drinking. No foolin! I havent had more than two beers on any given day for over 25 years now.

So? I think I know a little something about booze. Well not that anyone listens. My old A/A friends are scared to death of me. Consider me "still out there" or "in denial". And everyone else who drinks normally to heavily doesnt give a crap. Maybe y'all dont care either and I'm fine with that too. Just a little background on the matter. I'm close to being finished now.

Anyway its a damned good thing that I can take an occassional sip now and then. As there's a certain kind of focus I get on stage with one or two beers under my belt. In fact if I'm not playing a gig? I'll usually refuse to drink. But again my level of concentration is greatly enhanced. Better than meditation.

John Daly, PGA great, long ball hitter, obsessive gambler and perpetual lush won most or all of his tourney's while pretty well in the bag. His was too much of a good thing but I can see it happening. Alcohol boosts the ego, loosens the muscles and unless taken to excess can reduce anxiety while allowing an intense focus. According to Daly,

"When I played pool while drinking I'd always win"

But alcohol can be a double edged sword. Many is the man who turned to it as a friend and in turn it eventually turned on him. Graveyards are filled with musicians who over did it. Those poor fellows who didnt take the hint when their body eventually gave them warnings. As Merle and Willie once crowed,

"The reasons for quittin are gettin bigger each day"

In conclusion? Be damned careful with booze! Had I not once heeded my own body's warning signs? I never would have married. Nor lived to be the grandparent I proudly and most gratefully am today. But...

I do drink slightly. Yet most alcoholics will not safely moderate. This is what the law of averages says. But for some reason, praise be I can take a drink when I want to and stop.

And that's a damned good thing. Something about alcohol can pull a lifetime of musical experience out of me. If I'm not in the best of shape chop-wise? The beer will allow me to perform as well as usual. And if I'm in good shape? Its even better.

To each his own. I do not judge others. And dont judge me. Just take good care of yourself and your family.
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[Brad361]

Without going into a lot of detail (that, frankly, would not be especially interesting to anyone other than myself), I happen to know from personal experience that at least some people with alcohol problems CAN one day return to being occasional "social drinkers." AA says absolutely not, and while that's probably correct for a majority, it's not an absolute.

Regarding alcohol and playing (lead or otherwise), I don't do it. I did, many years ago, but for me it just doesn't work. That's not to say it doesn't for everyone, just me. I'm finally at an age and a point where nervousness seldom enters into my playing. Doesn't mean I have any delusions about my skill level, I just seldom get nervous anymore, one of the positive things about reaching near-Methuselah status, I guess.😉

Brad
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[dstdenis]

Interesting post, Lionel. Trumpet playing is a high pressure demanding pastime, for sure.

I've heard Håken Hardenberger explain a few times his view on the psychological demands of playing trumpet at a very advanced, difficult level. In a nutshell, he says that he's very meticulous and demanding of himself when he practices.

But when it comes time to perform, he sets all that aside and puts himself in a mindset where he's just happy and thankful that he's been given the chance to play this thing. Doesn't make performance anxiety go away, but it's his way of dealing with it. Here's one of his explanations of this from a recent video:

https://youtu.be/FO3ZJK_2Ad8?t=937
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[razeontherock]

I use alcohol with my trumpet daily. It's part of Herco Spitballs, which make a fair refill for Blow-Dry Brass if the bore / flare isn't too big. The alcohol displaces water, much like the way it works as gas line antifreeze.

[Robert P]

Not sure what the point of your post is, though it's interesting.

Relying on chemical assistance is a bad idea.

Doc had a drinking problem at one point, gave it up and produced decades of playing beyond what anyone reading this is capable of in gigs that were plenty high pressure.

Besides those who did themselves in with alcohol the graveyards are also full of the victims of people who allowed alcohol to dominate their lives.
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[plp]

There is nothing we do in life that was ever improved with alcohol.

Having said that, we play a gig at a local Irish pub, and one of our forms of payment is two free drinks. I am a big fan of Smithwick draft, and is my poison of choice for that gig.

Outdoors, relaxed atmosphere, and we have a great time with this gig, have been doing it once a month for 3 years now. It is the one where we debut all our new charts, and if something is less than perfect, no problem, will just take it to the woodshed next rehearsal.

If it is kept in context, no problem. When folks get sloppy because of too much, big problem. It has happened in our band, law of averages when you have 14 people. To date, taking the offending party off to the side and a quiet word or two has been enough to correct the problem. It hasn't happened again.

Before I joined the band, had two folks that were kicked out because they could not drink reasonably or responsibly.
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Since all other motives—fame, money, power, even honor—are thrown out the window the moment I pick up that instrument..... I play because I love doing it, even when the results are disappointing. In short, I do it to do it.” Wayne Booth

[LaTrompeta]

There are "pros" to drinking alcohol? And some of these involve trumpet playing? I never met a non-drinker who regretted not picking up booze.

[Crazy Finn]

[kehaulani]

It's a scientific fact that alcohol reduces one's reaction time.

It's also a fact that some would be so distracted with wondering where their next drink will come from, that they're more effective when they do drink.

By the way, drinking while performing is hardly limited to lead trumpet players.
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[Brad361]

[kehaulani]

Yep. But that doesn't negate why they're playing with alcohol. Or how good, for that matter.
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[LittleRusty]

[trickg]

Here are a couple of tidbits from my own experience when it comes to the consumption of alcohol combined with trumpet playing. Given the mixed ages of this board, I'll keep my comments relegated to experiences when I was 21+ years of age.

During my 2-year stint in a Latin band, I always felt that I did a little bit better on the nights where I'd have 1 or 2 beers, and I think that it was just a matter of being a bit looser and more relaxed.

On the flip side of that, when I was playing in the big band, I found that due to the different nature of the music and the fact that we always seemed to be playing a handful of charts I didn't know as well, that the alcohol proved to be a detriment to my playing. It reduced my cognitive abilities just enough to where I'd miss much more than I wanted to, so I stopped partaking on jobs. Immediately my gig performance improved drastically, and I never looked back.

Granted, this wasn't lead playing, but I say it to illustrate that for me, and in that situation, the alcohol was a detriment.
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[kevin_soda]

I have used alcohol to calm my nerves at times in the past in settings deemed acceptable by myself and my peers. But I realized it didn't serve me because it stifled my growth as a musician. It can be fun to get loose and jam with friends but I need more clarity and control in performance. When I'm doing well, I want a vivid memory of how good it felt to play. When I don't do as well, I want to be able to reflect on how I might do better.

The bottom line is that alcohol dulls certain parts of your awareness that can have a calming effect to your approach as a musician. But relying on a chemical response to achieve calmness makes us mentally weaker and progressively less aware as the years go by. When I realized that fact, I felt I had no choice but to confront my insecureties and be more fearless as a performer. Only then did I start to be present in the moment and truly enjoy performing.

Beyond the mental effects, alcohol causes dehydration, which slows recovery after a hard night, and dulls the pain of pressure related injuries. It's just more likely to do harm than good.
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[kehaulani]

Riffing on that, unless you're an alcoholic and just have to have a drink, nothing better takes the edge off than plain old experience and self-confidence.

Story. One night I decided to tape myself playing a Mozart horn concerto with orchestral background. (Music Minus One.) Simultaneously, I drank more and more as my private concert went on.

Then I listened to the playback. I didn't play Horn for several years after that.
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[LittleRusty]

[Seymor B Fudd]

[Brad361]

Part of the problem (and I've experienced it myself), is that the person drinking perceives his own playing as "better." MANY years ago I would have 2-3 drinks during gigs, until one day I HEARD A RECORDING of a gig. That was it, water only for me to this day.

IF you can enjoy a beer (or other drink; alcohol is alcohol) or two while playing and it truly does not negatively affect your playing, fine, but I think sometimes your perception and reality are not always the same thing.
I do understand that "lead" (which is what I do....or attempt to do....sort of....😉) playing can have more pressure than some other types of playing, in part because of the exposure, but if you have to rely on substances you're on a slippery slope.

Brad
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When asked if he always sounds great:
"I always try, but not always, because the horn is merciless, unpredictable and traitorous." - Arturo Sandoval