..Scholarship?

Squeeker · New Member Joined: 19 Oct 2003 Posts: 4

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I really dont feel like going through all the pages in a search trying to find this topic, so I'm just going to post and take what flames I might get for not searching. Anyway, I've got a question to ask of you, but I need to give you some background first so be patient. I'm a sophomore trumpet player from wyoming. I've been playing for about 4 years now, and I'm in my schools jazz band and wind ensemble (the most advanced band, the other is concert band). I play third part in both bands. My range is pretty piss-poor (I saw a post where someone said he could hit double high C as a freshman) The highest i've ever played is C# (the one just above the staff) and that was last year. My range hasnt improved since then, and I've practiced at least an hour every night since then. So anyway I just wanted to ask, do I have even a ghost of a chance of getting any kind of scholarship for my trumpet playing..? Especially with my (lack of) skills. Should I keep trying and use up most all of my time on trumpet to try to get into a college with my playing ability or give it up and try to find something else to do...? thanks in advance..

fuzzyjon79 · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2003 8:27 pm Post subject:

Don't throw your music away just because you think you don't have a decent range. You're only a sophmore in high school and you've still got 2 years to go before college. I suggest you read the following article and maybe it can help you put things in perspective about your playing:

http://www.eddielewis.com/trumpet/essays/babies.htm

If music is your #1 passion, then you should never throw it away.
_________________
J. Fowler
"It takes a big ole' sack of flour, to make a big ole' pan of biscuits!"

PJN · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2003 8:42 pm Post subject:

Squeeker,

I posted that line about the Double C. I Could "hit" the note. I never ever have been able to count on that note for any usable purpose......yet .

I gave music up for a variety of reasons, none of them productive, nor well considered. Twenty years later, I am playing again now, and would give up just about everything else to continue doing so.

My advice is keep practicing, read up on music as a career, search these pages for the information you want and make an informed decision. there are lots of ways to make a living, thereby allowing you to have a life. I would not try to make a life based on how I was going to pay my bills. My father always said find something that makes you happy, otherwise it just isn't worth it.

I may be mistaken here, but I think Clifford Brown was a math major, and Kinny Dorham studied chemistry .
Good luck

_________________
Use it or lose it!
Patrick Nearing

[ This Message was edited by: PJN on 2003-10-20 23:53 ]

Larry Smithee · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Nov 2001 Posts: 4399

Others around here may disagree, but it sounds like your range is the least of your problems. Playing well will come with a price...tons of time and lots of hard work. While a single hour a day of practice will probably be ok in terms of the demands of plaing in your high school band, it may not be enough to get you to the next several levels. Here is a short list of areas for you to worry about. Touching on these will require more time commitment and discipline than a mere hour a day will allow. The good news is that it can be loads of fun.

***Get a private teacher***
1. Listening to recordings of great trumpet players (all styles).
2. Long tones to develop good tone quality and sound
3. Technical exercises to develop agility, speed, and the ability to play demanding music (Arbans would be a good start)
4. Major and minor scales (all keys)
5. Solo literature
6. Work on sight reading skills (this one's a killer and in my view and is one of the most important skills of all)
Larry

p.s. yeah, and J. Fowler's suggestion to check out Eddie Lewis' suggestions is a good thing to do too.

[ This Message was edited by: Larry Smithee on 2003-10-20 23:57 ]

blasticore · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2003 9:08 pm Post subject:

I knew a guy who topped out at a D up there. That note was clear and solid as could be, but he couldn't get anything above it out of his bell for the life of him. Though he didn't have super-range, he developed VERY well as a jazz soloist. It's amazing what that could do on the horn, and all under high D too. Develop your other skills and no one will ever hassle you about range, unless that's all they care about.
If you don't stress yourself out with having to play lead parts, you'll most likely never need anything much higher than what you have anyway. I myself am a TERRIBLE lead player, so I leave it up to someone willing to play the part. I'm fully willing playing 2nd book in jazz band at school.
_________________
Chris King
http://www.cktrumpet.com
http://www.ckbrassworks.com

fuzzyjon79 · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2003 9:17 pm Post subject:

Take Larry Smithee's advice also... if you can find a private trumpet teacher, then do it. You will have fun and a teacher can diagnose problems you may have that can help improve your playing!

_________________
J. Fowler
"It takes a big ole' sack of flour, to make a big ole' pan of biscuits!"

trumpetmike · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:09 am Post subject:

Range does not a trumpet player make.

If playing high is all that matters to you, reconsider your chosen path.

I know many players who are or have been playing at very high levels (London pros - quite good

) who don't have a reliable high range. The dubba C is great fun (if you can do it), but it is not the only thing that matters.
An audience (or audition panel, or the rest of a band) wants to hear music, not just a squeal. If you play within that stave you can make beautiful music and leave the audience tingling. Take a listen to a lot of Miles Davis - the forays into the upper echelons of his range are very few and far between. Is anyone saying that he is not a great player, just because he didn't live in the stratosphere?

Check out the Eddie Lewis site - always worth reading, whether you have a problem or not.
And I absolutely agree with getting yourself a good private teacher. If you can find a good one they are worth their weight in gold.

Annie · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:47 am Post subject:

Look for Honors Bands - the private type and participate whenever you can. For example, like the Lion's Club Honor Band that is held every spring to play for the Lion's Club dinner in Waldorf and is directed by Dr. Sparks. I got a $1400 scholarship from that and my range tops out at high D. But, My C is pretty dang stable. Check with your high school guidance counselor too - there should be someone in the office that organizes the scholarships and things. Get to know him or her, and check as often as you can for any scholarships you might qualify for when you are a senior.
_________________
~Annie

*I may not be great yet, but I'm working hard on it and one day I'm gonna be there.*

Squeeker · New Member Joined: 19 Oct 2003 Posts: 4

from what I know there arent any private teachers in the entire state, and there are no other bands I could be involved in other than the interschool clinic band, which I got put in on third part but its not so much skill as much as a quota that got me in that, and the all state bands, which I've tried out for previously and not made it in. And i'm not that concerned about my range, I was trying to give an example of my playing and i figured that would do, i guess everyone thought I only meant that I had bad range... If I find somewhere to host it I'll make a recording of myself playing the all state tryouts... when I get that done just tell me what you think the chances of me getting a scholarship are...

vivace · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2003 4:36 pm Post subject:

and also depending on what college you go to, they may give you money. I know a lot of people here at byu that are getting pretty decent music scholarships... and it is ahuge school, so they can afford it.

and I didn't have too good of range my sophomore year... i stank compared to what i am now. Don't give up... keep on practicing.. it will help you out immensely. i could be soo much better if i practiced more in high school.

um, i forget who had the quote, but 90% of trumpet music is below high C. So when you can nail everything else, go for the gold. If you work hard riding a bike up a hill, then you get the fun of zooming down.

if you work hard on like, fast fingerings, and lots of technical stuff... it is just making your foundation stronger.

so don't loose hope, and good luck with scholarships. and a word of advice... audition in person for colllege... even if you send in a polished audition tape.. they know that you had many times to do it. But still kicking butt in a live auditon.. they wont care if you messed up a little. And if it is a tie between a perfect tape and a kick butt yet not perfect audition.. they will most likely take the live audition.

yah, enough rambling on from me.... shouldn't i be doing something constructive?
_________________
"All music is folk music. I ain't never heard no horse sing no song." - Louis Armstrong

Larry Smithee · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Nov 2001 Posts: 4399

WaxHaX0rS · Heavyweight Member Joined: 19 Jul 2003 Posts: 524

You say you have no skills simply because you don't think your range is good? There is so much more to it than that, even I know that, and I'm not exactly a trumpet expert. And C# is pretty good, after 2 years you're bound to improve from that, and it should be really good. Like everyone else said, get a good teacher if you can afford it.

_trumpetgod_02 · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2003 7:48 pm Post subject:

Hey,

If you want to be up for consideration for scholarship you need to play with the greatest ammount of musical expression possible. You will need to be adequate in all of the fundamentals yes, but the ability to play musical is about the best thing that you could do. Most teachers really think that they can teach anyone to develope the fine details of playing, however if you completely lack musical expression you will be just like the average joe trumpet player. In order to get a scholarship you need to stick out above everyone else, and if you can do that within the confines of a high C#, you will be far ahead of many of your contemporaries.

Nick

_________________
>>"I hate it when I do something great....... once" - Nick Miller
>>"Here's a variation with triple tonging....... using one tongue"- Al Hirt

[ This Message was edited by: trumpetgod_02 on 2003-10-21 22:48 ]

trumpjosh · Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 7:32 am Post subject:

Don't let range issues be the sole determination of your ability level. I could squeak out some stuff above high C in high school, but if you'd have seen how I had to screw my face up to get it, you'd have laughed. Work on your basic technique first. The hardest thing for younger students to learn is sound production (the hardest thing to teach as well IMHO). If you can get around the horn easily up to high C by the time you graduate high school, I don't think you'll see too many teachers saying "yeah, he/she plays great, but if only they could scream high notes...." Get a good teacher, forget about wailing and get down to the fundamentals of good brass playing. I wish you luck!

Clarion Wind · Veteran Member Joined: 23 Jun 2003 Posts: 141

The most important part of what Larry Smithee said......

1.)Get a private teacher!!!!!

2.)Get a private teacher!!!!!

3.)Get a private teacher!!!!!

4.)Get a GOOD private teacher if you are really serious, not some guy that plays at your church and is forty and has never seen the inside of a college practice room. The reason I say this is not to insult that guy, but a good private teacher has been around the biz and can tell you what that college professor is going to listen for, because he has either been one or been there himself.

Good luck!!!

[ This Message was edited by: Clarion Wind on 2003-10-23 15:51 ]

plp · Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2003 12:47 pm Post subject:

If you can play Arban's cover to cover, trust me, no one will care if you have range above high C. Technical proficiency and quality of sound wins out over range every time.
When you get frustrated, and we all do, focus on the one thing you do really well. If it is quality of sound, play some ballads, and pour out your heart, put eveything you have into it. If it is articulation, rip up some technical excercises at a ridiculous tempo. THEN work on your weakest facet of playing, after you have shown that chuck of tubing who's it's daddy.
To paraphrase someone much smarter than me, trumpet playing is simple. We put the horn to our face, blow, and press 3 valves. We don't have nearly as many keys as a clarinet, we don't have the whole 'positions' issue the trombones have, and that ain't even gettin' into getting the tuba on the bus.....but it can be the most insanely frustrating instrument when it isn't all coming together.
Commitment is the key to improvement. If you will put in the time to develop your skills, woodshed the things you need to improve, and read this forum regularly, you will get better. If I can, anyone can.

Squeeker · New Member Joined: 19 Oct 2003 Posts: 4

...what's Arbans?

roynj · Heavyweight Member Joined: 19 Oct 2002 Posts: 2065

Sure! you could win a college scholarship with two more years of HS in front of you. Realistically, though, you must realize that college trumpet major programs are not going to throw money at an average player. You need to distinguish yourself somehow. Don't worry about your range. Work on tone, technique, scales, solo repertoire, and sight reading. And did I mention to work on tone. You don't have to play the most difficult pieces to get college money. Best advice is to make an appointment with a college prof of trumpet. Tell him your goal and see what he has to say. If possible, take your horn and play for the guy (if he will take a minute to listen to you).

By the way, the Arbans mentioned in the above post is the Arban's Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet (Cornet), edited by Edwin Franko Goldman and Walter M. Smith. You need this book. You also need Clarkes Technical Studies. Your teacher will help you to get through these. Better start now though.

Squeeker · New Member Joined: 19 Oct 2003 Posts: 4

where exactly do I get that then? they dont sell it here.

roynj · Heavyweight Member Joined: 19 Oct 2002 Posts: 2065

try Carl Fisher on line. http://www.carlfisher.com
Search on Arbans. And make sure you get the complete conservatory edition. It's the bible of the trumpet world, sort of. It can be purchased on line. It might even be available from time to time on ebay.