How to enjoy playing the trumpet outdoors?

[Eduardo90]

Hi everybody hope you are doing really good . I also hope that this is not a very silly question, but in my short experience playing the trumpet i have noticed that the sound that you get when you are playing the horn outdoors its quite different from the one you get when you have walls around you and also i find that my sound its more fluent and resonant playing indoors so i really enjoy listening to myself when im playing in that kind of environment, on the other hand when i play outdoors i feel my sound less fluent in the sense that i can feel more the transition between notes even if i play with good air support (when i play indoors i feel the transition is smoother), the sound at least in my case its also way less resonant , im not a phycisist nor a professional musician but it feels like when playing outdoors the low harmonics of the notes dont resonate too much so i feel more the higher harmonics than the lower ones so the notes sound a little more nasal to me , i have also observed that the same happens even to great professional trumpet players. To ilustrate what i mean here is an example of the spanish virtuosos trumpet player Rubén Simeo playing the Carnival of Venice on concert hall vs outdoors:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59JVULQ_jqU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y22yvvQvoWA

So i would appreaciate if some professional trumpet players could do me the favor giving me some tips to get my best sound even when playing in that kind of acoustic environment. Sorry if thats a silly question and also sorry for my bad english. Thanks in advance

[Robert P]

While what you're hearing is a *recorded* sound - i.e. you're hearing it the way the camera mic hears it, it's true that playing outdoors sounds different. You can't change acoustics - the sound coming out of the horn has nothing to bounce off of. I gather that's one of the reasons trumpets/cornets and trombones were frequently chosen as solo instruments for outdoor band concerts - they project and can be heard.

That's part of why I generally don't like the sound of a marching band - the sound dies outside and the balance changes radically depending on which direction the players are facing.

Play with your best sound, don't overblow. You're not going to sound like you do in a nice indoor hall.
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[blbaumgarn]

Robert P. about sums it up. Outdoors-indoors, indoors-indoors. When I used to play in city band we used to just stand up from out seat for short solos and outdoors in the bandshell where we played you had a different perception of sound as soon as you stood up. Once I was asked to play Trumpeter's Lullaby and the director said I had to stand out front. Now the stage for the bandshell was extended so the instant I started playing out in front of the rest of the band my sound and the perception of that sound was different. We are fine, we just have to adjust to not having walls there. Inside, a church that has high ceilings and marble and stone will resonate and echo with you all day, but a modern church where they have carpeted floors will "deaden" that same sound. You are being heard in both cases. Robert P also said don't overblow. Good Advice and just enjoy. I played outside in a gazebo setting a few times too. Just alot fo fun with a tight group.
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trumpeter's fury-then there is the dark side!" Irving Bush

[Jaw04]

I recommend finding the point where your sound is full and ringing on each note and try to match that level of air while taking care to not blow past that. In other words, don't overblow, but always support your sound.

Outdoors there is a lot of variation in the feedback you will get based on your surroundings. Sometimes you have to ignore some of that feedback and play based on sensation and feel. Feel the resonance in your playing and watch out for overblowing.

[Bflatman]

I will explain what I have worked out and what I do for delivering great outdoor performances.

This will be a long one.

It is a tough environment and the posts so far have been right on the money, Jaw04 in particular is right in saying there is a lot of variation in the outdoor environment and it varies from almost dead to highly reflective.

I have played outdoors constantly for over ten years and I dont have any problems with producing fluent and resonant tones outdoors.

You need to know if I am worth listening to on this topic.

I could give plenty of examples to help you decide but maybe one will give you some confidence. I played in a park some time ago and a lady came over and said she had heard me from away in the distance and she had thought it was a choir singing until she saw it was me on a trumpet. She was a choir singer so I take that as a huge complement.

The first thing to do is to play gently, the sound carries for miles so gentle and sweet is the way to go.

Go for beauty of tone, this is not to sound beautiful there is a reason for it. If I simply play with a good tone the outdoor environment will rob my tone of its richness and beauty so to sound great I have to lift my game and play better than great and as richly and beautifully as possible or my tones will just sound thin.

I have been told many times I have a great tone while I play outdoors, I was told this again just yesterday I have worked long and hard on developing a great tone.

I play on deep mouthpieces to encourage the richness that is needed outdoors but it is your embouchure that delivers the full and rich tones you need the mouthpiece just helps. A yamaha 16e4 is a good choice and will help if you can cope with playing it.

Right now I play on an ancient cornet piece that measures 17mm cup width and 17mm cup depth, it is really an ultra deep vee. It is an original 1892 cookie cutter and I play it on an adapter for trumpet.

This huge cornet piece gives gorgeous tones to die for outdoors but endurance and range can suffer.

I have also had great success outdoors on the 16e4 and great success on several other smaller pieces like the bobby shew jazz, a 7c, and a 10 1/2c. It is harder work to sound great outdoors with the smaller pieces so I choose to use the big ones.

Use the wrong mouthpiece outdoors and the environment will have you on the ropes and it takes no prisoners. Use the right mouthpiece and the right preparation and technique and the outdoors does not stand a chance.

It is not just the mouthpiece however it is what you do with it and the way you use it.

I use reflective surfaces like walls to practice playing against so I can hear exactly what I am sounding like and I use Uan Raseys advice to play a single tone constantly and make it as beautiful as possible.

When preparing to play a piece I put a lot of work in on every note in it making each note as resonant and full as possible Then I play through the piece and work on the richness of the tone of every single note.

There are three rules to playing outdoors

1 play with richness beauty and core

2 play with beauty core and richness

3 play with core beauty and richness

I kid you not

Then when I have beauty richness and core nailed on every single note I put it all together and work on articulation and musicality and sort out any loose ends and imperfections.

When performing I feel it is important to play all the notes in the piece with full and rich tone but gently, not forgetting to use good dynamics and projection when called for.

If you can play all the notes in your range at ppp and play them richly as well then while outdoors your playing will be compelling and attractive and audiences will love to hear you.

Today I played outdoors for an audience and I played several pieces gently at about pp, then I walked about a quarter of a mile to another area and when I got there I was complemented on my earlier playing that they had heard from a quarter mile away,

The sound carries a long way on the wind so there is no need to play strongly or loudly just because you are outdoors,

For me the best way to play outdoors is with a feeling of playing in a small chamber to a few friends this lets you cultivate the super rich tones and great core that you need for outdoor work.

But its not all quiet playing and rich tones, when you let go and blow to the four corners audiences love that too.

Of course in an ensemble or a band outdoors there is far less opportunity to play gently we have to blend and complement the other players but we can still practice beauty richness and core.

I sincerely hope this has been of some use.
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[deleted_user_687c31b]

The wind orchestra I play in is the only band in their town, so for formal and festive occasions, they usually take up the role of marching band as well. Playing is always brutal, with arrangements that have virtually no rests in them, only one player for the 1st trumpet, etc. The way I've come to cope with it is to simply enjoy it for what it is: not the musical highlight of the season, but rather a fun pasttime that's a good moment to complain about everything, enjoy it when it's over, and knowing that the crowds that gather to listen greatly appreciate it.

Sometimes, it's actually quite hilarious. It's a 5 street town with only 1 dead-end street, and yet somehow we took a wrong turn somewhere. Imagine a whole procession including band, cars and a following crowd trying to reverse on a narrow road . It's always either too hot or too cold, the guides are often overly optimistic about the endurance of the players (let's do another lap guys, it's only been 45 minutes!). There've been unexpected traffic poles, narrow streets, kids running through the band...and since you've got a lyre with sheet music in your face, you still miss 90% of what's going on. And afterwards during winter, you get a hot cup of tea for your trouble and all's good again.

[Bflatman]

hibidogrulez you made me smile broadly, I feel your pain.

It can be misery and pain and downright funny playing outdoors.

The misery of playing with numb fingers and hands in the ice and snow.

The misery of missing the high notes in the critical phrases due to fatigue.

The scotsmen/irishmen/australians/english who demand obscure music that nobody has heard of "How can you not know xxxxxxxx"

And the memory lives with me of the man who demanded something wonderful and after playing a beautiful rendition of Evita in which I successfully and convincingly filled in for 30 instruments on my trumpet, he said loudly NOOOOOOOOO, He then said I want something really wonderful. He said I want THREE BLIND MICE. Clearly that must be one of the symphonic masterpieces.

And the memory of the deaf lady who insisted that I play for her will forever haunt me. She insisted that I play louder and louder ... "I cant hear you". Thats cos your deaf madam, as I played loud enough to wake the dead in the hopes that something would register in her ears. I dont accept defeat so I destroyed many a wonderful work in the attempt to get through to her.

I think I must have played FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF and when she finally heard me she said "That was really quiet" By that time my lips were bleeding and several pigeons had died of shock. I half expected the army to approach me to develop a new non lethal weapon. But she finally went away happy, I was just pleased she went away.

And those damned kids following me around, I thought the idea was that you are followed around by rats first and then the children later if you dont get paid. I did the not getting paid bit and the followed by kids bit but no rats.
My hopes of starting a new business as a rat whisperer were dashed.

I was starting to wonder what to do with all those children when they suddenly wandered away so I legged it.

Its like a zoo without enclosures out there.

But there are great moments like when a friend had forgot to pay a court fine and received notification that he had to pay the fine in court the very next day or be arrested and serve a sentence, and he was penniless and couldnt pay it or raise it and I was penniless at the time too.

So I went out in the streets and made the fine in less than 2 hours and gave it to him and he stayed out of jail.

And meeting a scottish piper and teaming up for a short while and playing outdoors together and having a ball, him at the top of his range and me at the bottom of mine.

These are golden moments and if we have enough of them our lives becomes rich. And I have had more than my share of golden moments and they keep coming.

This instrument delivers golden moments in spades and I wish them on you bidogrulez and on the OP and all the members. But I dont think I really need to wish them on you all you will get them anyway.
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[Croquethed]

I found the covered entrance foyer to our local primary school. It is the ideal place to play.

There's a bench. You're sheltered from rain and most the wind. And the building is a combo of brick, glass and tile, so the reverb is wonderful.

It is my favorite place to play (I only play when the only people working are the night maintenance workers, or occasionally the administrators working late). People walking by on their evening walks stop and thank me for playing.

[Eduardo90]

[Bflatman]

Thank you for having confidence in my words.

I feel I should add this, have confidence in yourself and be led by your tone and be guided by audience reactions which are usually genuine and honest.

Children in particular are honest and their opinions can be trusted.

Good luck, I am sure you will do well.
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Conn 80a Cornet
Boosey & Hawkes Emperor Trumpet
Olds Fullerton Special Trumpet
Selmer Invicta Trumpet
Yamaha YCR 2330II Cornet
Selmer Student Trumpet
Bohland and Fuchs peashooter Trumpet
Boosey and Hawkes Regent Cornet
Lark M4045 Cornet