Dang near passed out playing Clarke first study today.

[Rob Thomson]

So, I've recently started a routine based on Claude Gordon's principles. I'm easing into it, modeling my practice after John Mohan's comeback routine from a few years ago. I'm somewhat of a comeback player, so it makes sense.

Things are going well. I'm only working out of Irons and Clarke at the moment (SA is on order), but today I almost passed out as I was extending Clarke first study into the upper register. During the line that goes to F above High C, I felt really light-headed and had to stop.

Has anyone else experienced this? What do you recommend I do to mitigate it? Everything else seemed to be working.

Thanks!

Rob

[Hudson08]

Start jogging

[trpthrld]

Get with a good teacher who can see you, live and in person, and can then evaluate and suggest ways of playing so that you don't have that experience anymore.

Asking for free information on this site on something like this is not really going to help you much at all.
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[Brassnose]

Not to nitpick but in my Clarke the first excercise only goes to high C and not to F above high C. The highest phrase starts at F# and then goes up to high C. If that is the sequence you are talking about I’d either take a break of a day or two and/or see a teacher. I certainly am no high note player but Clarke 1 is a great warm up excercise for me and usually works very easily.
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[Destructo]

1. Clarke should only be taken as high as it can be with relative ease. If you're straining up there, it's doing more harm than good. The book stops at High C for study 1. You only extend higher on around pass 3 through the book.

- First pass, familiarity, fingers, ease.
- 2nd pass, finger speed, breath control.
- 3rd pass finger speed, breath control, range extension.
It'll take about 6months minimum to do a whole pass through the book, so don't rush.

2. Clarke should be played comfortably soft at first, and then softer still on a second pass through the book.

3. Don't try and do breath control in the upper register until you have excellent breath control in the lower register. Meaning you can do those clarke one lines 16 times in one breath. Playing softly in the upper register takes less air, and if you aren't used to essentially holding that lung full of air for a good long while, you're going to see stars when you have to do it while also compressing the air for the soft upper register playing.

[astadler]

Feels like this should go without saying, regardless of the school of pedagogy: if you’re playing to the point of passing out, you need to do something different. Slow down, breathe more often, take time between exercises, sit down, something. There’s 0 reason to be anywhere near passing out while practicing the trumpet.

[stuartissimo]

[Craig Swartz]

[Jeff_Purtle]

I've known John for years. He used to take his lesson with Claude right before me.

What John listed is not bad but you have to put things into proper perspective. We all could benefit from doing more steps from point A to Z. That's the point of systematic practice. Extending Clarke higher can be an easy thing later but it's not meant to be a range study like the Systematic Approach book and should be done with flexibility material so various parts of your practice routines compliment each other instead of tear things down.

Take a look at some of the YouTube videos from my conferences where I explain the 7 items and how to apply them. There's one presentation that goes into more details about practice routines. I also do that a little more in the final chapter of my ebook.

Studying with someone privately can accomplish more because all of us progress at different rates with various skills and we aren't always our best best critics. That's why Olympic athletes have coaches and it's good to have a trainer at the gym to catch form and technique to get the most of your work.

Jeff
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Trumpet Lessons Online since 2004, teaching since 1983
MultiTouch book on Claude Gordon
+1 864-354-3223 iPhone w/ FaceTime
Skype: jeff_purtle

[Rob Thomson]

[Rob Thomson]

[Jeff_Purtle]

I might not have made this clear enough. You don’t want to do two range studies a day. If you are pushing your limits with Clarke then you’re in effect doing that. For John or myself I go much higher on the range study like Systematic Approach. I usually get to an F or Ab above Double High C, which means a High F is no big deal for me. I could play a High F after 5 hours of playing and being deathly ill and it would still be no big deal. Claude would usually have students take things a little farther depending on what they could do. Another example, may be the Etude in Clarke 5 in one breath. I’ve done that and have a bunch of students that have done that. Claude had some students do it twice in one breath. One of my friends did that and I’ve almost done it being a line or two away from a second time. To try to do that the first time or two through the book would be bad. That’s some of the reason Claude shared the story about Clarke chasing him around the room for playing too weak when playing soft. Wind Power comes before Wind Control. Things must be developed in a proper order of priority.

I hope that helps it make more sense.
Jeff
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Jeff Purtle
Trumpet Lessons Online since 2004, teaching since 1983
MultiTouch book on Claude Gordon
+1 864-354-3223 iPhone w/ FaceTime
Skype: jeff_purtle

[Rob Thomson]

[Rob Thomson]

[Jeff_Purtle]

Start on Lesson 2 in SA.
I need to do a video on chickowicz and flow studies.
Start with flexibility. Get Daily Trumpet Routines and start on lesson 3 and do all the models and spend at least 2 weeks on each lesson. Do the irons and similar stuff before or after that first. Don’t forget breathing exercises. Remember stuff that’s easy is going to change you over time even if you feel like you can play it well the first day. Don’t forget the kick on the upper notes and feel that click or slotting as you coordinate tongue level and wind power. That simple stuff starts to help you feel how it’s more air doing it and less lip.

You’re working for a knack of feeling how to play easily. That is what opens up so many things like endurance and range and a nice open free sound.

It’s about how you do it instead of just playing the notes.

For ITG next year I’m thinking of doing a couple free private lessons and streaming them so people can see what it’s like. It’s not instant but about 90 days of doing stuff this different way will really be noticeable around the 90 day point.

The CG way of doing things is more than just one routine and more about how to work through material in a way that gives you practical knowledge that’s so much more valuable that equipment or gadgets. That practical knowledge becomes yours and you’ll have something others don’t understand that haven’t done it. It’s about changing habits and getting the knack or feel. Everyone that does it long enough then sees what it does. Then, you can apply the principles to any book because you see a framework that is like a grid you see everything through.

Awesome that you mentioned KTM too.
Have fun with it and be patient.

Jeff
_________________
Jeff Purtle
Trumpet Lessons Online since 2004, teaching since 1983
MultiTouch book on Claude Gordon
+1 864-354-3223 iPhone w/ FaceTime
Skype: jeff_purtle