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An aha moment



 
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Learson
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Joined: 27 Dec 2022
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2023 4:58 pm    Post subject: An aha moment Reply with quote

Tonight in my practice session I was able to put together the things that my teacher and I have been working on in my last few lessons. My airflow, posture and tounging "suddenly" came together. As this happened my endurance and range we're improved.

Very satisfying.
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jhatpro
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2023 8:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congrats to you and your teacher, too!
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GeorgeB
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2023 4:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice feeling, isn't it, Learson.
George
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Learson
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2023 10:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It is a nice feeling.

Thanks guys
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JayKosta
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2023 10:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So ...
was there something special that led to the ideas being 'put together'?

From your description, the ideas had been worked-on over the course of several lessons, but apparently without much individual effect. Was that because you had not completely understood the ideas, that you were not doing them to best advantage, etc. ?

I'm asking because I would like to understand how you arrived at the point of it all working. Was it a matter of 'explaining in a different manner', just having done enough practice of the items, etc. ?
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Learson
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2023 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's hard for me to pinpoint what exactly caused it to click. I have been practicing these skills separately and together. I guess it was just a result of putting the time in.

I used to play guitar. I remember having times where my playing would go to another level. I liken this experience to that.

Cheers!
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Trptbenge
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 6:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congratulations! It is a good feeling. Sometimes it may feel like you are not making progress or things are worse or in chaos. It is often right after this period where things all of sudden click. That is why you should not get frustrated and give uip.
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chrisf3000
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 7:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I still remember in my undergrad my teacher trying to explain for weeks the concept (and feeling) of efficiency. One day I did it and he says, "Yes! That's it!". I was like, "Oh, that. I can do that, no problem". [teacher slaps forehead]

Sometimes the concept needs to be felt in order to get the point across. There's instruction, and then there's experiencing it. I'm so glad you had that a-ha moment. Keep going!
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shofarguy
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 8:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A mentor of mine (not musically related) had me read the book Psycho Psybernetics. It is a treatise on how our brains work. The main point I remember from the book was an illustration that compared how our own brains work with how the Sidewinder missile works. The author pointed out that the sidewinder does not aim at the target it's seeking. Rather, it's goal is to gather feedback from the heat source. It computes positive and negative data. We might say it this way:

"I'm getting closer to the heat source; I'm moving away from the heat source; correct my trajectory; I'm moving toward the heat source; I'm moving away from the heat source; correct my trajectory," and so on until the missile either hits or misses the target.

This is what causes the missile's characteristic back-and-forth "sidewinder" flight path. Our brains work the same way. We gather positive and negative feedback in order to keep moving toward our target. When the Sidewinder succeeds, its path ends in an explosion. When we succeed, our path ends in a "mind explosion," your "Aha Moment."

I remember several years of vocal technique instruction and practice aimed at blending what is called my "chest voice" with my "head voice," in order to eliminate the vocal "break" that most people experience. Teenaged boys get teased about this when they hit puberty and their voices begin to "crack."

Some years after college, I found myself teaching vocal music at a private school in California. I taught eight hours a day, K-12. One day, I was working on warmup sequences in my car and, for the very first time, perfectly blended my chest voice into my falsetto. No break whatsoever! Aha! It took a number of days before I did it again, but I kept trying to find that very fine alignment of body and effort until I could regularly get it to work reliably. I ended up with four octaves of usable (notice I didn't say "listenable") range. And it didn't hurt to sing for eight hours every day Not one bit.

I'm still trying to duplicate that sort of thing with my trumpet. I'm getting there, slowly. But, not so slowly or painfully as it was in HS or college.
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kehaulani
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 9:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A caveat to the Psycho-cybernetics/Sidewinder analogy is that now, more than ever in my lifetime, there are "cultures" of people who pick what results they want first, then square peg/round hole the predetermined results to.

One of my "Aha" moments came in an unlikely situation. I was listening to a combo in a club and the trumpet player wanted to take an "urgent" hormonal break with one of the listeners. He shoved his trumpet at me and said "Here, play for a while".

I sat in for him and on my first solo I was aware of the absolutely tasteful support the drummer gave me. It was the first time I had experienced such personal support and it determined what I listened for ever since then.
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Learson
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 10:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

That is an interesting illustration about the sidewinder missile.
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Bethmike
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 2:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congratulations! That is nice feeling. The result of solid, focused practice.
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Learson
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bethmike wrote:
Congratulations! That is nice feeling. The result of solid, focused practice.


Thank you!
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nela16trumpet
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 2:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That is definitely a nice feeling, being able to understand the concepts and put them together and seeing progress. Congrats!
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Trumpjerele
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2023 2:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

[/quote]One of my "Aha" moments came in an unlikely situation. I was listening to a combo in a club and the trumpet player wanted to take an "urgent" hormonal break with one of the listeners. He shoved his trumpet at me and said "Here, play for a while".

I sat in for him and on my first solo I was aware of the absolutely tasteful support the drummer gave me. It was the first time I had experienced such personal support and it determined what I listened for ever since then.
[quote]

Beautiful story, thank you for sharing it
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Jerry Freedman
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2023 4:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A few years ago ( I have been around for a while) a fellow who was a regular here and a top tier player ( Buddy Rich) but whose name I forgot and who has passed wrote about his experience with mouthpiece buzzing. At first he was very excited about it but after a few months he changed his mind and decided that it was detrimental to his playing
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