Trouble playing all the way through solo

[ZonalThrone]

I am working on the 1st movement of the Hindemith sonata for trumpet and while I can play each part fine alone I just can’t make it very far together. Any advice to playing through the whole thing? Thanks!

[Athos]

A good approach can be to work it backward. Start near the end, and train yourself to sound great to the end. Then start adding more material, always with the goal being to sound great. You not only train your endurance, you train your expectation of success.
I hope this helps.

[btomcik]

Just keep at it. Your endurance will gradually increase and eventually, you'll be able to play it all the way through without crapping out at the end. It's like weight-training - continued steady effort, and make sure to take rest days to allow for muscle recovery. It takes time, patience, and perseverance, but you'll get there if you keep at it.
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[kehaulani]

Or you could do the opposite of Athos. and that's playing until it's not wise to proceed. Then, as you go onward, start at the beginning and go to where you had previously stopped but add a measure. Do that until you can play the solo all the way through.

Then to maintain that level, play the entire solo all the way through, routinely.

This is not to imply ignoring other work on the solo as part of your practice like isolating problematic phrases and paying them special attention.

And this is just me, personally, but I think the average listener listens most intently to the music's opening and closing phrases, so I make sure those are given special attention.
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[Dayton]

As was previously suggested, working backward can be a powerful tool for learning a piece and having the endurance to play well through the end.

Regarding Hindemith's Sonata specifically, a few thoughts:

First, make sure you keep the dynamics under control. If your louds are too loud you'll wear out your chops quickly. One of the key places to bear that in mind is at the 4/4 "Breit" section just after rehearsal mark #7. Dynamics are relative, so focus on contrast rather than sheer volume.

Second, your opportunities for rest in the first movement are limited. Make the best possible use of them. Get the mouthpiece off your lips, however briefly, to get the blood flowing again.

Finally, it is a challenging piece. It may be beyond your current ability to play it through in good form. If you are preparing for an audition, talk to your teacher about whether or not this is the best piece for you. If you are just working it through as part of your practice, keep at it once piece at a time. You'll eventually get there.

Good luck!

[kehaulani]

"Breit" is a German (of which Hindemith was) word meaning broad or wide. It has nothing, in and of itself, to do with volume.
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"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[abontrumpet]

I second Athos advice and somewhat disagree with btomcik's advice of "just keep doing what you're doing"

The following is assuming you're already playing every note with the exact sound, articulation, and musical intent that you desire.

1. Find out how long it takes before your chops feel the fatigue.
2. Take 20% of the measures off of that (so if it was 40 measures, your now back at measure 32). That's your first chunk.
3. Take a few minutes off
4. To find your second chunk start at the measure you determined (in the example it was 32) and continue until you feel the fatigue again. Take 20% off.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 until you're at the end.

Then, what you will do is play the first chunk. Rest 1 minute. Play the second. Rest 1 minute etc. Do that every other day for week 1. Then the next week, reduce it to 30 seconds. Then 15. A this point you can lengthen your chunk like combine two chunks, rest 30 play 2 chunks. Or whatever. To build endurance you can either reduce the time between chunks or lengthen the chunks or both.

If the above doesn't work, and you are making sure you are keeping your chops fresh (don't practice until your tired!!!) then perhaps you have some inefficiencies in your production that need to be addressed.

[btomcik]

[Dayton]

[Irving]

It has nothing to do with the Hindemith per se. You want to increase your endurance. You probably need to practice more. Etudes are good. See how far you can go without needing to rest. Start off with etudes in the middle register. Gradually do the same transposing the etudes up a step or try playing more difficult etudes. It takes a while to develop good endurance, so don't rush, and stop when you get tired. Maybe do long setting studies as well, like the Caruso 6 notes.

[Jason Rogers]

I Agree With Irving

Work on endurance.
By the way, the Hindemith is a solo that I play on C trumpet ( transposing from the Bb )...it can give you a little more edge on the endurance factor...

Practice throughout the day in 20 to 30 minute sessions to expand your endurance. Don't tear yourself down in one hour long practice session!!!

Work on what some call "fundamentals" like:
*Long Tones
*Scales in Arban's
*Practice specific phrases in the Hindemith that require your greatest attention to support...intonation...articulation...endurance etc.
*Build endurance over time and with patience
*Excessive pressure on your embouchure kills your ability to develop!!!
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[JoseLindE4]

1. I’m also a fan of the working backwards approach. Slowly challenge and push yourself.
2. Endurance is easier if you are really efficient with the piece, so lots of slow, focused practice, singing, slurring everything, to make sure you are reinforcing putting every note in the center.
3. There are two parts to endurance: getting “stronger” and working less. Etude practice will help you learn to play longer.
4. Prioritize ease of production and working with the horn (find the center of every note and learn that sound) in your daily fundamental practice. Tone production needs to be practiced every day. The best thing you can do for your endurance is to practice daily on tone production. Find a beautiful sound to start every day; it’s much easier to play on a beautiful sound than it is to fight the horn.
5. Make sure to tune well. Find the center of your tuning note and adjust the slide as needed. Fighting to put the horn in tune is exhausting.
6. Consume yourself with music. A more musical approach will make the endurance issues easier as well as distract you from any discomfort.