play every day or take days off?

[Brad361]

[Jason Draper]

I agree, Doug. That was me in college. Over the years I've learned to trust my skills, make music, and have fun. How we practice is the key to improving vs. how much we practice.
Jason

[Billy B]

I never go more than 12 hours without playing
_________________
Bill Bergren

[Vin DiBona]

Bud Herseth - always practicing but he would take time off for vacations.
If he had a tough concert week, he would take it relatively easy in his practice sessions. If it was an easy week, he worked harder.

Doc Severinsen - constant practice. Very demanding of himself and it showed.
He could play for hours.

Wynton Marsalis - from a friend who was his lead trumpet, Wynton's warm ups were something to behold. He was another who always found time to practice.

I heard Itzhak Perlman remark that if he doesn't practice for one day, he knows it. If he doesn't practice for two days, his colleagues know it. It he doesn't practice for three days, the audience knows it.

These players are the best of the best.

If you are an amateur, it won't make much difference.

R. Tomasek

[Bill_Bumps]

[bach_again]

[Brad361]

Deleted.

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

[kalijah]

[Cuso]

Practice as much as I can, but always adjusting that load to take into consideration what lays ahead and behind me. I don't need or want to practice every day, and frankly I play better without warming up for more than 10 minutes or so.

Days off as needed, but then always doing something with the fingers/chops/girlfriend. Not necessarily in that order.
_________________
YTR 8335 LAS II
'72 Benge 3X
Couesnon Flugelhorn
Yamaha YTR-9820 Piccolo

[Brad361]

[John Holifield]

I have way too much experience with the fact that I and many of my students that were too ambitious and excited that we all forgot we are human beings. Our embouchures are not made of steel but are delicate membranes made of flesh and muscles much like the rest of your bodies. I've written a book addressing this phenomenon of over-doing things and how to manage our physical and mental needs versus our ambitious drives and excitement when we encounter moments of success that drives us to want to keep moving forwards towards our goals. We all have dreams of playing our instruments in some manner but we have to keep it within realistic parameters given our own personal situations depending our time, for the most part, family, jobs, financial and other considerations. In my experience, spending too much time trying too hard does not work, but finding out how to balance our physiology along with our time available and the proper equipment, if we have enough time available, to make gains, works much better to hopefully achieve our goal(s).
_________________
Working hard is great. But, it is more productive and rewarding to Work Smart!

[dave111]

thanks everyone. i appreciate all the perspectives. i think maybe i just need more mouth pieces and mutes?

[weeeeve]

This is a very interesting topic for me, as I'm a comeback player in my early 60s, and I wonder what the best approach for me is.

In my 20s, I toured for 4 years with a funk band with a very demanding book. Three hours a night of hard playing. If we played 4 nights a week or less, my chops suffered; at the end of the gigs, my chops would be sore, and my consistency would suffer. Those times when we would play 28 days a month, my chops were iron, and I couldn't miss a note if I tried.

A few years later, I was on a cruise ship playing 7 days a week for two years. Several nights during the week were light playing, and I never felt as good in those two years as I did those months of hard playing in the funk band. And it didn't matter how much I practiced on the light days. It never seemed to be enough.

Now as a comeback player, my biggest concern is that I'll never play enough to have decent chops or consistency. But I miss the horn too much to not try.

Sigh...

Steven
_________________
Steven Laurent

Bach Strad Model 72
Holton Firebird

My music: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5vmwM185PWOnMCC1I8Cwjr

[spitvalve]

[weeeeve]

Hmmm... that sounds a lot like me.

Like you, my brain isn't what it used to be (not sure it ever was), but I think we were both in Mike Steinel's trumpet improv class?

Steven
_________________
Steven Laurent

Bach Strad Model 72
Holton Firebird

My music: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5vmwM185PWOnMCC1I8Cwjr

[cbtj51]

Playing in multiple groups regularly with the necessary accompanying rehearsals demands consistent chops! The best way that I can manage this is by daily practice with the rare day away, mostly due to the occasional cold or medical side(mis)step.

My much younger wife is also a devoted trumpet player, often leading us to examine concepts foreign to our previous thinking. Therefore, we practice together every afternoon besides our individual face time, as a rule of thumb . We play and travel with several groups in common which is also how we met! Our backgrounds and approaches are quite different as well, bringing our minds together in ways that are unique to my experience. This established routine brings much joy to all aspects of our marriage.

Life IS Short! Finding true Joy IS often a joint effort!

Mike
_________________
'71 LA Benge 5X Bb
'72 LA Benge D/Eb
'76 Bach CL 229/25A C
‘92 Bach 37 Bb
'98 Getzen 895S Flugelhorn
'00 Bach 184 Cornet
'02 Yamaha 8335RGS
'16 Bach NY 7
'16 XO 1700RS Piccolo
Reeves 41 Rimmed Mouthpieces

[spitvalve]

[Quadstriker]

TMBG answered this one for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geTSBFb_GR4&t=44s