What's Your "Rough Day" Routine?

jjtrumpet · Regular Member Joined: 20 Oct 2015 Posts: 52

I'm pretty sure we all have those days when we just... well suck. Stuff isn't speaking. You're missing notes left and right. I'm sure you know the drill.

I've heard everything from "spend an hour doing clarke instead of what you intended to practice" to "just put the horn away, come back tomorrow."

Anyone have advice for getting through those occasional crap days?

Nonsense Eliminator · Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 3:26 pm Post subject:

If you have the luxury of putting the thing in the box and walking away, sometimes that's the best option. It's certainly the easiest!

But sometimes -- or usually, depending on your playing schedule -- we don't have that option. I think the biggest mistake you can make is to think, "Man, things are really messed up. I should totally focus on how crappy I feel and do stuff I never do!" I understand the temptation to try to correct course and force things to work; but I can't say I've had a lot of success with that approach... and I've certainly tried.

I just do my thing. It worked yesterday and the day before that, it will work today. I might take more time between exercises, I might back up and do something again if it starts coming off the rails, I might just keep doing my routine over and over until it works. Better yet, I might go listen to recordings of Herseth for a while to wash out my brain. Trying to fix things just draws my attention to what's wrong, and that way lies frustration. For me, if things aren't working, it's because I need to get my head out of my posterior cavity and into the sound... where it belongs.

Even if you don't buy into to that kind of approach to the instrument, I still think the best solution to bad days is a calm, careful, focussed effort to return to what you always do... by doing what you always do.
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John Mohan · Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 3:39 pm Post subject:

I find practicing a consistent, well-balanced daily routine reduces or eliminates "off-days" entirely. If I have an off-day, I don't deviate from my routine - I just do the best I can. If my routine is the correct routine for me, what would be better?

Best wishes,

John Mohan
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razeontherock · Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 3:58 pm Post subject:

Reinhardt Routines, day 1. (And day 2 is a nice follow up to that, for the next day). This deserves the caveat that it will work better if your first time playing these drills isn't a day as described in the OP, consistent with what the 2 above posters said.

dstdenis · Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 4:28 pm Post subject:

Unless I’m just exhausted from over-exertion, I work on whatever seems to be giving me trouble, at an easy enough level that I can start turning it around successfully.
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homebilly · Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 4:29 pm Post subject:

well let's see.......

I let my beard grow out
I get my leather together

oh, you said rough day routine

oops! never mind
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Turkle · Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 4:49 pm Post subject:

homecookin · Heavyweight Member Joined: 07 Nov 2013 Posts: 868

dutchtrumpet · Last edited by dutchtrumpet on Mon Oct 02, 2017 7:56 pm; edited 1 time in total

something like this...

http://www.simpletrumpet.com/trumpet-blog/its-not-a-routine-unless-it-happens-every-day

kevin_soda · Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 7:53 pm Post subject:

I do simple things and spend extra time breathing and listening.
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homebilly · Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:24 pm Post subject:

JVL · Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 11:10 pm Post subject:

hello
like John Mohan & others said, a good regular routine will prevent you from such probs; BUT sometimes, it's not sufficient (shape, or hard rehearsal or gig the day before etc). In such case, i mean when you are tired more than usual for various reasons, if i don't rest completely, i do a lot of fluttering, and play clarke only in the low register, slowly and piano-mezzo piano.
best

Seymor B Fudd

GeorgeB

Turkle · Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:30 am Post subject:

I'm reminded of - I think it was Bud Herseth? - someone said "when you sound great, it's because you're breathing well."

So when my chops are not responding correctly, I play long tones, breathing real easy, and the first few Schlossberg exercises. Once I have my breathing together, everything else falls into place. Everything - range, articulation, accuracy, the whole bag - starts with a nice relaxed breath.

Hope this helps.
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cheiden · Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 7:57 am Post subject:

I'm with John M. It's very rare that I can't get in productive practice by just scaling back my expectations and focusing on fundamentals.
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JVL · Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 7:59 am Post subject:

the aspect talked by Seymour is right too.
i'll add to my previous suggestions leadpipe playing for couples of minutes, previous to the soft "oxygenating" practice

RandyTX · Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 8:53 am Post subject:

Somewhere along the way I decided that most of my bad days, were really bad warmups. By that I mean, I was a little 'hungover' chopwise from the day before, and the warmup felt horrible initially.

Then I decided to do part of it, for about 10 minutes or less, then put the horn down and walk away for about a half hour while the increased blood flow flushed out the previous days leftovers, if you will.

Seems to always be much better when you come back to it a little while later. Unless you really wounded yourself somehow, it seems to solve most of those 'what's up with my face today?' warmups.

Free to try it out for yourself.

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kevin_soda · Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 9:58 am Post subject:

It's rare that I ever feel truly wrecked but when I wake up feeling swollen or tight I try to make the easiest sound. I start the day focusing on the sound I expect to produce and listen for the most immediate response with breath attacks. I do the "Pah" pronunciation on the leadpipe before proceeding on to middle G until I start to feel normal. Then I do the regular routine but try to do it a little softer and take more time for rest.
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Raggerty · Regular Member Joined: 07 May 2016 Posts: 99

Do an easier version of what I normally do. Slower, lower, and creep up to the standard version of what I normally do, but if I cannot get there I finish early and put the horn down.