Really Old Player Concerns

[bronxkid31415]

Help
I am an amateur communityBand section player rapidly approaching 80 and no longer play beyond G5 due to diminishing lung capacity and serious dental issues.
I do play with very little pressure and do long tones daily.
Occasionally i am called on to play in the G#5 to C6 range.
Question:
Other than dropping an octave or dropping out, what would be a good strategy based on music theory
Thanks in advance for any help
_________________
Nelson

[John Mohan]

If you want to be cautious, discuss this with you doctor and perhaps have a stress test done. Make sure the doctor is aware than when playing notes above the staff a trumpet player often creates thoracic air pressure that is above the venous blood pressure level of the body (which is why we tend to turn red when playing a loud high note).

That said, in my opinion, I think you can probably safely develop your range to where playing up to High C won't be overly strenuous and won't cause any harm (unless your dental issues preclude this). The key is to make sure you are playing the higher notes correctly. Here's a routine to help you do this:

I recommend getting a good Lip Flexibilities book (such as Twenty-Seven Groups of Exercises by Earl D. Irons) and each day spend about 10 to 15 minutes doing the first exercises in the book. Think "eee" with your tongue on the higher notes, and "ah" with your tongue on the lower notes (just like when you whistle - whistle from a low note to a high note and notice how your tongue arches up and forward to achieve the higher notes - it's the same when playing a brass instrument).

Now rest one hour.

After at least an hour's rest time, practice the first Study from Clarke's Technical Studies for the Cornet. Don't slur the study - single tongue the study, playing each exercise twice through and resting as long as you played between each exercise (you should ALWAYS rest as long as you play between each exercise when practicing any type of exercise book). Think "tee" with your tongue as you tongue the higher notes and think "taw" (as in "saw") with your tongue as you tongue the lower notes. Also, blow stronger as you go up on each exercise and back off as you go down - make the air do the work. Practice the exercises up to the highest one you can comfortably play. No brute force or undue straining allowed! With time you find yourself progressing to the higher exercises until you reach the highest one (which goes to High C).

The above represents about 30 minutes of playing a day (not including the one hour rest time between the two sets of exercises). Do this for a month and I think you'll see some nice results.

Both the above books can be found on Amazon.com.

I hope this is helpful to you.

Best wishes,

John Mohan
Skype Lessons Available - Click on the e-mail button below if interested
_________________
Trumpet Player, Clinician & Teacher
1st Trpt for Cats, Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Evita, Hunchback of Notre Dame,
Grease, The Producers, Addams Family, In the Heights, etc.
Ex LA Studio Musician
16 Year Claude Gordon Student

[blbaumgarn]

There is a wealth of wisdom in what Mohan says. He's very knowledgeable and
thorough. At 80 you can still build up more endurance and wind capacity with guided studies. Unless, your doctor tells you there are concerns physically for you to not play high notes or play to hard or high, give it your best. I played in a city band for years and younger and older alike filled the seats. Older players would just drop out for a couple measures if too taxed and younger players would do the same if a passage was too difficult for them at that time in their musicianship. Big thing is, keep enjoying for as long as you can. I just picked up the horn again after several years off and one day tried a passage too high for my wind and support at the time. I nearly passed out. At 68 I learned a valuable lesson. Take it one step at a time. Have fun, sir!!
_________________
"There are two sides to a trumpeter's personality,
there is one that lives to lay waste to woodwinds and strings, leaving them lie blue and lifeless along a swath of destruction that is a
trumpeter's fury-then there is the dark side!" Irving Bush

[Comeback]

By way of encouragement, know that there are several trumpeters in their 80s in my community band's trumpet section; one plays a first part and shares solos! Mohan provided much more expert advice than I possibly could, so I won't offer any.

Jim

[spitvalve]

Doc Severinsen turns 91 in a few hours. You can tell he doesn't have what he had in his prime, but what he still has is amazing.
_________________
Bryan Fields
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1991 Bach LR180 ML 37S
1999 Getzen Eterna 700S
1977 Getzen Eterna 895S Flugelhorn
1969 Getzen Capri cornet
1995 UMI Benge 4PSP piccolo trumpet
Warburton and Stomvi Flex mouthpieces

[Lionel]

[chuck in ny]

whatever you do stay with it. you have a great hobby and something to enrich your later years.
i would not be surprised if there was a way you could work through your issues.
you are inspiring me here...

[royjohn]

Hi Nelson,
Glad you are still playing, I'm at it at 71, trying to catch up to you. I have issues with an abdominal hernia, but can still manage to play with an abdominal binder...awaiting more surgery for this after weight loss...

I'm going in a little different direction than some here. I wonder if your high notes were easy when you had them and how high you went. Although you might not have the largest double C in the world, it wouldn't be that unusual if you still played over high C, if your embouchure for that were correct. So I'm suggesting that you might want an embouchure consult. Maybe an embouchure change is called for, esp. with dental issues. I myself am a Reinhardt guy and I got a lot out of a few lessons with a Reinhardt embouchure doc a few years ago...suddenly playing over high C got relatively easy.

I know the fixed income game, but if you can, I would suggest taking at least a Skype lesson or two with someone who knows the Reinhardt system to see if you are playing as efficiently as you can. I don't think the high range is beyond you at this point.

Any way you slice it, do keep on playing!
_________________
royjohn
Trumpets: 1928 Holton Llewellyn Model, 1957 Holton 51LB, 2010 Custom C by Bill Jones, 2011 Custom D/Eb by Bill Jones
Flugels: 1975 Olds Superstar, 1970's Elkhardt, 1970's Getzen 4 valve
Cornet: 1970's Yamaha YCR-233S . . . and others . . .