practice routine

[taswalb]

This is my first week back after 40 years off. I am practicing 3 times a day. I am starting with long tone slurs on/below the staff. Then shorter tone slurs on/below the staff. A few scales, none above high F on the staff. Finally, I play a few measures from a couple of pop music songs (Londonderry Air, You Raise Me Up, Moon River, Fly Me to the Moon) again staying on/below the staff.

I started to keep a log Monday night of my practice times. I am resting about the same as I play after each exercise. I am practicing until I feel my lip fatigue.

Here is what I have done so far.

Total practice time per day (in 3 sessions) so far:
Tue 35 min
Wed 48 min
Thu 52 min

Am I going too fast or too slow? Should I be able to play longer?

Thanks.
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Started back on 10/10/2022 after 45 years off.

Yamaha Allegro 5335 G
Mouthpieces Bach 3C, Yamaha 14B4 GP, Bach 7C

[Croquethed]

One thing I would advise against is thinking that you need to play longer every successive day of your comeback - that's very similar to somone new to running who thinks every run has to be faster then the one previous. That's really a sure way to break down.

Playing until your lips JUST START to fatigue is probably safe now, though it's really hard to resist the temptation to push it. I find that an easy day a week, maybe 20-25 minutes total instead of my aimed-for hour, helps recovery after a day of pushing either endurance or range.

The physical framing of playing the trumpet is very similar to that of any exercise and eventually you learn that your body is telling you how far it can go any given day. It takes some time to be able to interpret those signals, so be patient with yourself.

Welcome back. I, too, took a 40-year break (39 years to be exact) before I confounded my wife by buying a new horn and starting up again. That was 9 years ago and it has become an indispensable part of my day.

[kehaulani]

Looks like you're on the right trajectory. It's good not to push your self, range-wise, too soon but, if I understand your words correctly, there's no need to stay in the bottom range; either. Maybe work out of Lowell Little's book, "Embouchure Builder" for a while.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Little%27s+book%2C+%22Embouchure+Builder&crid=178SSJJHQQZ5K&sprefix=little%27s+book%2C+embouchure+builder%2Caps%2C205&ref=nb_sb_noss

And do the lower tessitura exercise from Clarke's "Technical Studies for the Cornet".
https://www.amazon.com/Technical-Studies-Cornet-English-German/dp/0825801583/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3ASLQDYRXVE9U&keywords=clarke%2C+trumpet&qid=1665759233&sprefix=clarke%2C+tru%2Cpet%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-1
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[JayKosta]

Welcome back! In addition to the suggestions about practice material, now is a good time to review your 'embouchure fundamentals'. Many people developed less than ideal embouchure usage when they first learned because it seemed to work, and they never gave it much thought or analysis about possible problems or better ways.

My thoughts about how an embouchure 'works' is here -
http://users.hancock.net/jkosta/Embouchure_Basic_Concepts.htm
And NO, it is unlikely you'd need an 'embouchure change', maybe just some tweaks if there are problems with what you currently do.

This is a good video from another TH member -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxTb2gEaTU4
Even though the primary audience is beginners, the embouchure basics are solid.
_________________
Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.

[Dayton]

Welcome back to trumpet playing! I'd suggest that 35 minutes is probably better than 52 minutes at this early stage. Stop before your chops feel tired, and add time gradually over a period of weeks/months.

Playing just about anything within your comfort zone is fine right now, but give some thought to a teacher and a practice routine to help you build your fundamentals back up.

You could start with Harold "Pappy" Mitchell's "Mitchell on Trumpet," volume 1, which has a series of progressive lessons that cover the fundamentals really well. It is available from Amazon.com and perhaps your local music store. Another option is Bill Knevitt's "Getting Started Right on Trumpet" and then "The Developing Trumpet Player" -- also a series of progressive lessons. The two books by Knevitt are available from qpress.ca. Either option is highly recommended (and no need for both).

Good luck!