Back after 20ish years off. Playing with others

[Phobucket]

Hey all,

New to the forum here. My oldest son picked up trumpet in achool this year and I have been bitten by the bug. We're having a blast during family jamily time, playing Christmas songs. I'd like to play with other people as well. Although I played music professionally as a bassist for many years and have kept my reading chops up, my only trumpet experience was in high school. Is there a minimum level I should have in terms of range, endurance or other skills (improvisation) I should have before attempting to play with others? I'm thinking of something like 4th chair in a big band.

Thanks,
Ben

[HERMOKIWI]

I don't think there's any specific minimum for participation in a "for fun" big band. Certainly you want to "fit in" but the skills necessary to "fit in" vary from ensemble to ensemble.

In terms of playing the 4th book I think if you have range to high C (second ledger line above the staff) almost all 4th parts will be within your range. If something is out of your range you could take it down an octave. Doing that is OK in a "for fun" big band.

Jazz improvisation sometimes is written into the 4th part but if you can't improvise then the solo could be given to another player, so I don't think improvisation skills are absolutely necessary in a "for fun" big band.

Endurance is difficult to quantify. Ideally you want to be able to produce your full range at the end of the session whether it's a rehearsal or a performance. If you can come close that's probably OK for a "for fun" big band particularly since you can take something down an octave if necessary to play it at its musical best.
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HERMOKIWI

[GeorgeB]

Unless you're my age ( 81 ) I wouldn't worry too much about endurance. That will come as you develop your playing ability. I agree that the ability to play high C above the staff is important, although I play first chair in a local band and I have never been called on to play anything more than an A above the staff, but it is a seniors band and other community bands have different standards. The main thing is not to develop bad habits in the early stages, especially when it comes to playing with too much pressure.
Good luck on your journey.
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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

[MichaelMcCrary]

I would look for a community band to start.
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michael
Selmer Radial
Selmer K-Modified - Trumpet and Cornet
Selmer Paris Flugelhorn
Martin Handcrafted Dansant

and a few more

[dstdenis]

Requirements will vary from one band to another, depending on the bands in your area. I'll share what I've seen in community jazz bands, which can be a lot different than what you'd find among pro and semi-pro bands.

I'd say a general goal that would get you into some community jazz bands would be stamina to play a 90-minute rehearsal or a one-hour performance. Range to at least a high C (2nd ledger line), high D would be better (thinking of the end of "In the Mood," for example).

Some community jazz bands don't mind if their lead player takes the really high stuff down an octave, while other bands expect the lead player to wail on everything. For this reason, I think stamina can be the more important criteria than range, unless you want to join a band as a bona fide lead specialist.

Some bands have permanent part assignments, while others allocate parts evenly across the section, especially if they don't have a lead specialist. This means your assignments could include an assortment of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th parts. This approach helps maximize endurance across the section.

Many easier and some mid-level arrangements have both chord changes and written solos. Not every member improvises well, so if that's a problem, don't worry, you could get by. As a bass player, though, I bet you'd probably take to improvising faster and better than most, and I'd encourage you to give it a try. The most important thing with soloing, regardless of whether you're reading a solo or improvising, is to play with style and ease. It's okay to simplify the solo if that helps you to play it with a better sound.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you!
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Bb Yamaha Xeno 8335IIS
Cornet Getzen Custom 3850S
Flugelhorn Courtois 155R
Piccolo Stomvi

[Phobucket]

Thanks for the helpful replies, everyone. After two weeks of working on the Claude Gordon book I can pretty consistently hit a high C for a few minutes window in my practice routine, which is more than I can say for my skills in high school. Thankfully, twenty years off seems to be sufficient time to break the habit of smashing the trumpet against my lips while trying to play high notes. So the range is getting close, but the endurance needs a lot of work.

It's only this morning that I have found myself beginning to bypass the mental step of classifying an arpeggio as a shape on the bass and then translating those pitches to trumpet.

I'm going to keep shedding through the end of the year and target joining a community band or taking an ensemble class at the Jazz School in Berkely in January.

Thanks again for the advice.
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Selmer K-Modified

[ButchA]

[Phobucket]

Butch, I definitely would have been cracking up. I signed up with the Awesome Orchestra, ehich is a local sight reading orchestra. Should be fun!
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Selmer K-Modified

[GeorgeB]

Hey, Butch, you're a riot, and the kind of man a lot of us like to have as a friend. Keep on smiling, buddy, and keep us smiling, too...LOL !!!!
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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

[ButchA]

Thanks, George! I appreciate it!

I guess I just like to put a little fun in music and do whatever I can to keep people smiling. Band practice and/or rehearsals should never be stressful or worse - cause a person to give up and quit.

If I could say this without it coming out wrong... YOU, yes you George! serve as an inspiration to many of us! You're the man!
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1967 Holton Collegiate Trumpet --> my grade school band trumpet. I just can't part with it!
1975 Olds Ambassador Cornet --> my new/used eBay special. Sounds great!
2018 Regiment WI-800 Bugle --> my inexpensive Chinese made bugle from Amazon.

[GeorgeB]

Oh, man, I am so flattered. Thanks, Butch.
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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