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ATrumpetBrony
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Joined: 21 Dec 2015
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Location: Detroit
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 Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2017 7:40 pm Post subject: Getting faster... faster? |
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Hi, folkens.
I'm sure there's at least one person here who remembers that I'm still a bit of a beginner to trumpet, having started (taking it seriously) about a little over a year ago now. In summer I began working on all major scales, and now I can proficiently play *almost* all scales at a set tempo, some at 2 octaves, some at 1.5.
But now I'm looking for tips on HOW I can get faster, FASTER? I feel like I've been drudging along, and though still I'm necessarily getting faster through practice, it still feels far too slow for what I want to be able to do; I feel like I should be moving towards a breakthrough, but it's been 7 months of just diligent scale and technique practice - no 'breakthrough'.
Any tips? Thoughts? Ideas?
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It's not what you play...
It's HOW you play |
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1957Tim
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Joined: 30 Oct 2004
Posts: 192
Location: Hannibal Missouri
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2017 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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MvH ATB,
I like to compare growing musically to growing physically. If one stays healthy, growing physically just naturally happens over time. We don’t usually grow at a physical rate that makes anyone take special note, and I believe the same is true musically. You say that after 7 months of diligent scale and technique practice, you can proficiently play *almost* all scales at a set tempo, some at 2 octaves, some at 1.5. I would say that you are growing musically my friend.  We always want to grow faster physically and/or musically than we seem to be, but if you will continue your diligent scale practice, you will gradually be able to increase your speed. Good luck and keep up the good work.
-1957Tim |
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Albert Castillo
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Joined: 29 Aug 2006
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Location: Munich
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2017 12:52 am Post subject: |
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well... it will be very difficult to me to explain that, specially in English, but you must focus on practice SLOWER.
Let me explain.
When you practice a scale (or an excerpt or whatever) you could say every note is a "vowel" and a "change". With "change" the meaning could be the articulation (the t/d "consonant") and/or the "change" itself from note to the next note, being it valve action or tongue level action (changing notes with the same fingering).
When you practice at a faster metronome tempo, one that is a bit too fast for you, you could actually be shortening the "vowel" part of the note and letting the "change" part untouched even maybe worsened (in fact slower). At some point (some tempo) you find your plateau: no matter how long you try, you can not play faster, even you could but it doesn't sound clean ("vowel" part to short to be understood). You are wasting your precious practice time.
BUT... when you practice slower AND you focus on SOUND, that is the "vowel" part, trying to get more of it, your unconcious mind (which is way much more powerful, you know) begins to shorten the "change" part.
So, the more you "ignore" the "change" part, the less important it becomes, and with that, it becomes FASTER.
That is why so many teachers (and TH users) will tell you to practice slow/clean.
Of course, if you want to play faster, you must practice also at the wished faster tempo, or near it. There is no way around.
But the real practice progress is in the slow practice. Beat the plateau with mindfullness and patience.
Practice both slow and fast. Focusing in slow. (let say 80% / 20%)
One of my teachers made my sometimes play slower, but letting the metronome at the same tempo.
I didn't understand it then.
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drboogenbroom
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zaferis
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Joined: 03 Nov 2011
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Location: Beavercreek, OH
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2017 10:04 am Post subject: |
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| Albert Castillo wrote: | well... it will be very difficult to me to explain that, specially in English, but you must focus on practice SLOWER.
Let me explain.
When you practice a scale (or an excerpt or whatever) you could say every note is a "vowel" and a "change". With "change" the meaning could be the articulation (the t/d "consonant") and/or the "change" itself from note to the next note, being it valve action or tongue level action (changing notes with the same fingering).
When you practice at a faster metronome tempo, one that is a bit too fast for you, you could actually be shortening the "vowel" part of the note and letting the "change" part untouched even maybe worsened (in fact slower). At some point (some tempo) you find your plateau: no matter how long you try, you can not play faster, even you could but it doesn't sound clean ("vowel" part to short to be understood). You are wasting your precious practice time.
BUT... when you practice slower AND you focus on SOUND, that is the "vowel" part, trying to get more of it, your unconcious mind (which is way much more powerful, you know) begins to shorten the "change" part.
So, the more you "ignore" the "change" part, the less important it becomes, and with that, it becomes FASTER.
That is why so many teachers (and TH users) will tell you to practice slow/clean.
Of course, if you want to play faster, you must practice also at the wished faster tempo, or near it. There is no way around.
But the real practice progress is in the slow practice. Beat the plateau with mindfullness and patience.
Practice both slow and fast. Focusing in slow. (let say 80% / 20%)
One of my teachers made my sometimes play slower, but letting the metronome at the same tempo.
I didn't understand it then. |
This is excellent!
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Arjuna
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Joined: 11 Oct 2016
Posts: 240
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2017 6:28 pm Post subject: Re: Getting faster... faster? |
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Slower=faster. Play no faster than you can hear. Practice slowly and softly.
Practice Bill Adam leadpipe buzzing and Caruso's 6 note exercise.
Find your ideal mouthpiece and trumpet.
| ATrumpetBrony wrote: | Hi, folkens.
I'm sure there's at least one person here who remembers that I'm still a bit of a beginner to trumpet, having started (taking it seriously) about a little over a year ago now. In summer I began working on all major scales, and now I can proficiently play *almost* all scales at a set tempo, some at 2 octaves, some at 1.5.
But now I'm looking for tips on HOW I can get faster, FASTER? I feel like I've been drudging along, and though still I'm necessarily getting faster through practice, it still feels far too slow for what I want to be able to do; I feel like I should be moving towards a breakthrough, but it's been 7 months of just diligent scale and technique practice - no 'breakthrough'.
Any tips? Thoughts? Ideas? |
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mm55
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Joined: 01 Jul 2013
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2017 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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Fast, slow, high is low.
One's ambitus must exceed
one's tessitura.
Hai Karate
Ie Karate
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trumpet.sanity
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Joined: 24 Oct 2016
Posts: 763
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2017 10:18 pm Post subject: |
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| mm55 wrote: | Fast, slow, high is low.
One's ambitus must exceed
one's tessitura.
Hai Karate
Ie Karate |
Haven't seen a good haiku on the trumpet herald in a while. Thanks!! Made me laugh at the end of a long day.
Hai Karate. hahahahahahahah  |
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trumpet.sanity
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dstdenis
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Joined: 25 May 2013
Posts: 2123
Location: Atlanta GA
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| Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 7:00 am Post subject: Re: Getting faster... faster? |
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| ATrumpetBrony wrote: | | I began working on all major scales, and now I can proficiently play *almost* all scales at a set tempo...But now I'm looking for tips on HOW I can get faster, FASTER? |
I don't have any specific tips on how you might play scales faster because I haven't heard you play and I don't know what's slowing you down. But I can suggest a general approach that you could follow to figure it out and fix it.
Before you play scales, or anything really, ask yourself what it would sound like if you played it perfectly. Be very specific: how loud, how fast, the clarity of articulation, intonation, the length of the notes, the note shapes, the tone color... everything.
Then play it. While playing, pay close attention to the details of your playing to see how closely it matches your idea of perfection. It won't be perfect of course—nobody's perfect. The goal is to assemble a list of deficiencies in your playing, then to figure out how to fix these deficiencies.
For example, say you noticed that your scales are slow because your fingers are getting tied up. The remedy is obvious: practice the fingerings over and over again, even without blowing through the instrument, to make them smooth, consistent and instinctive. Or perhaps your tongue is slow. Then practice tonguing exercises. Maybe your embouchure is unresponsive. So work on exercises to improve sound production and efficiency.
If you've ever attended a masterclass or watched one on Youtube, you've seen this process at work. The student plays while the master observes and notices flaws, maybe things the student was unaware of. This is because the master has a more detailed understanding of what perfection should sound like and keener powers of observation to notice little flaws in the student's playing.
The key to getting better is to develop our ideals of perfection and powers of observation, then to use them during practice. Don't just sit there and blow through the material like a robot. Think about what it should sound like, find the problems and fix them.
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ATrumpetBrony
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Joined: 21 Dec 2015
Posts: 152
Location: Detroit
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 9:03 pm Post subject: Re: Getting faster... faster? |
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| dstdenis wrote: |
I don't have any specific tips on how you might play scales faster because I haven't heard you play and I don't know what's slowing you down. But I can suggest a general approach that you could follow to figure it out and fix it.
Before you play scales, or anything really, ask yourself what it would sound like if you played it perfectly. Be very specific: how loud, how fast, the clarity of articulation, intonation, the length of the notes, the note shapes, the tone color... everything.
Then play it. While playing, pay close attention to the details of your playing to see how closely it matches your idea of perfection. It won't be perfect of course—nobody's perfect.
The key to getting better is to develop our ideals of perfection and powers of observation, then to use them during practice. Don't just sit there and blow through the material like a robot. Think about what it should sound like, find the problems and fix them. |
Thanks for this post dstdenis! I think I've been missing that a lot - using my inner ear to 'previsualize' how it would sound if it were absolutely perfect.
Would one have to look at what I'm doing in my execution to figure out what might be holding me back in my physical performance technique? Or are there any tips on that that could diagnose stuff like that?
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ATB
It's not what you play...
It's HOW you play |
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