Rehearsal vs Performance

[Dufcapers]

Man oh man....
So many times I'll work my range studies at home (often out of the Vizzuti book) and be peeling the paint with the High Gs (4th ledger) and Abs. But then come show time can't seem to play the F# in a specific solo.

It's really pissing me off, and I know honestly the more pissed I get the more likely to miss it due to psyching myself out; and beating myself at the tennis match before it has even begun.

I practice the way I play - standing/moving around.
I've played the song in rehearsal and nailed the F# then as well; most of the time in fact. But then in performance the ratio is flipped and I hardly ever come close to hitting the F#.

I feel like I've done everything short of recording the F# in rehearsal and playing the recording back during the show...LOL

Range AFTER that song in the show isn't an issue either. I usually have a solid F-F#-G by the end of the night. The song with the F# is usually somewhere in Set 2.

How do I break down this wall that I've built for myself?

[TKSop]

Mentally - when you get a good performance where it works, latch onto it and build confidence from it... if you're capable of it once, you're capable of it again.... and again... and again... and eventually to the point where you feel nigh on invincible.


Also, possibly look at intonation - if you're a good musician as well as a strong trumpet player, then you're going to notice if that note is out of tune and you're going to try to do something about it (and this may not be a conscious thing)... if the intonation on your preferred fingering isn't right, then it's possible you get into context and try to play it where it would be in tune and it just doesn't want to be played there.


Are you definitely playing it exactly the same in rehearsal as you are in context - you don't wind up playing it, for example, louder in performance and find yourself either using more pressure or running out of enough air?
If you play it (say) 10% quieter in performance, what happens? (Up there, it'll carry anyway!).


As a side question, are the G and Ab a kind of "brick wall" to your range (where you can't go higher no matter what) or is that where you start losing power or...?

[Dufcapers]

[TKSop]

[khedger]

I'm not a high note guy, but there was something that came to mind as I read your description of the problem.

One thing to think about is when you practice, do you always practice the same exercises for your high note stuff? That is, are you essentially practicing such that you're basically doing stuff in the same sequence or order in time?

I know that even without it being high range stuff, it's easy to practice stuff the same all of the time and then when you're on a gig and circumstances are different, it can throw you.

For instance, if you practice an exercise which has you moving up a step at a time to start, you get used to eventually ending up at the high stuff via the same 'route' (for lack of a better term).

So, I would recommend to make sure that you spend at least some time practicing stuff out of any particular order or sequence (like you'd play on a gig). I.e. don't always arrive at a particular high note via a scale leading up to that note. Instead make up some non scalar motives around that high note....approach it differently than you would in the exercises you practice.

I know this is a somewhat confusing post...I'm having trouble putting into to words what I mean, but I hope it might help with the problem.

[Dufcapers]

Not confusing at all! Great idea Khedger. Honestly, I do vary a bit, but probably not as much as I should.

Often when I get tired of the exercises I'll just grab the Real Book and start doing tunes 8va. Works on my range WITH musicality and differing approach. Your point makes me think I should probably up the number of times I do that vs. the exercises.

[Turkle]

I personally find that on high-energy gigs I tend to play MUCH louder than I practice or rehearse. This goes for my loud rock bands and even cocktail jazz combo! It causes early chop fatigue/death, sloppiness in high register, and a decrease in usable range.

I have a note taped to my music stand at all times with a few reminders on it for performances. One of them is "80% volume." Basically, if I perform about 80% of the volume for what feels right on the gig, I'll actually be playing right in the 100% volume pocket in which I practice, if that makes any sense. When I play with the 80% concept, I find that my tone improves, my chops last all night, and I can actually hit those high notes.

As TKSop notes above, there's an "adenaline assault" in performance situations that can easily cause you to play too loud and overblow. Backing off on volume to your 80% level might help you maintain your endurance and sound in the upper register on those high-energy gigs.

I hope this might be helpful. Good luck!
_________________
Yamaha 8310Z trumpet
Yamaha 8310Z flugel
Curry 3.

[khedger]

[Lionel]

Yes the louder playing of performance no doubt plays a role in greater endurance decay. Or "energy decay" as I like to call it. Two thoughts here,

1. A mouthpiece never gets tired. Similarly the necessary bigness in tone can always be achieved through throat/back-bore modification with appropriate praparedness/development time. In other words get yourself used to blowing increasingly shallower mouthpieces but with increasing openness in the air channel. Most stock shallower lead pieces unfortunately come in tight back-bores. Like a #28. Now the 28 is fine for normal size mouthpieces but (at least for me!) as soon as I put a really shallow cup on a tight #28 throat? The results are almost comical.

Oddly enough the other cats in the band kinda liked my tone. Was back 3 years ago when I hadnt yet opened up a new design of mine. Was perhaps 20% shallower than Schilke 6a4a and on a tight #28 throat. Pure edge was the results. I hated it. Esp on recordings but the saxes loved it. I still use the same piece today but on a #23 throat. With such an open throat? It sounds bigger than a Bach 3C yet with only a fraction of the effort.

2. Regimen and practice diet. Terry Warburton told me a valuable truth, "trumpet players usually won't push themselves enough in practice. They need rehearsals and gigs to remain in good shape".

He was so correct. So when I want to wail? I make sure that I'm at at least two rehearsals per week. Not inc gigs. Maybe you'll need more. I can get away with less practice hours because I'
ve trained my chops to use the shallowest mouthpiece possible. Again with the described back-bore modifications. My general rule is to choose a lead mouthpiece which allows me to blow 1 to 2 sets of a challenging lead book even when I'm out of shape. Granted I don't get out of shape often but my described condition is useful.

Because the great nemesis of lead playing is over-trained chops. Thus the less effort I need to blow lead? Less likely I am to tread on to that dangerous threshold of over-trained chops. And even if I do abuse my lips? Just a couple days off restores them to close to battle hardened condition.

The poor average cat who uses larger mouthpieces can not do this. As his excessively deep and usually sharp edged mouthpiece does more damage to his chops than a more comfortable lead piece. Then? It requires more down time to refresh his chops. Plus? Now he's even more out of shape! On a mouthpiece requiring substantially more endurance in the first place.

There is a lot of common sense to the above words. Then again as Mark Twain said,

"Common sense is not so common..."
_________________
"Check me if I'm wrong Sandy but if I kill all the golfers they're gonna lock me up & throw away the key"!

Carl Spackler (aka Bill Murray, 1980).

[CJceltics33]

I believe that it’s mental but these exercises may be if some use.

Practice the section with the high F sharp from many angles:

-Slower
-Faster
-Louder
-softer
-All slurred
-All staccato
-A half step higher, a half step lower, a whole step higher
-k-tongued
-and combinations of the above

This may help you gain efficiency and ease in the measures and phrase of the F sharp. Good luck!

[gstump]

[Brad361]

[jkarnes0661]

Great advice above. I would add, if you're not doing it already, practice with a recording of the piece and use your imagination to bring your mind to the same place it's at during the gig. I've used this a few times after getting something perfect in the practice room to show myself it's not ready for the gig yet.

I think it helps me train mentally to deal with the adrenaline and stress of the gig and it's made me realize that this is something that needs practice just as much as face, finger, and body muscle memory needs practice. Repeatedly nailing the passage while simulating the environment of the gig mentally also reduces the adrenaline and stress I feel during gigs because it feels like I've already been there.

I've used this extensively when subbing for musical theater shows with good success. Best compliment you can get is having the MD say, "hardly knew someone else was here tonight".
_________________
Jonathan Karnes
Grand Rapids, MI
jonathankarnes.com

[Turkle]

jkarnes0661, I really like that advice. I remember reading about Major League Baseball players that work on their hitting, pitching, and catching in their hotel rooms by visualizing themselves in a game scenario and practicing their movements and timing. Visualization and practicing the trumpet by mentally placing yourself in a performance situation can be a powerful tool!

Cheers!
_________________
Yamaha 8310Z trumpet
Yamaha 8310Z flugel
Curry 3.

[JoseLindE4]

1. As said above, play softer.
2. Again as said above, find ways to simulate the gig in practice.
3. Is there a time issue? Can't hear the rhythm section clearly or something like that? If the time is bad or unclear, my range goes in the tank. It's really hard to coordinate everything if there's no pulse to coordinate it with.