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50YrComeback
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 3:25 pm    Post subject: Rest-Strategies Reply with quote

"rest as much as you play" -

I would like to opinions on what this means to folks - Particularly for those of us trying to get back in playing shape and re-learning. Even my teacher has said this to me and a little vague on how to do this (go get the mail, watch TV). Does this mean you play 10 min, rest 10 min? Or play 30 min, rest 30?
Do you play til your lip feels a bit tired, rest for some interval? I am guessing its kind of an individual thing but curious as to what folks are doing or were taught.

I play for 10-15 min with small breaks after which the lips start to tire a little bit, then take a few minutes minutes doing something else like putting golf balls on my practice putting green. I think my putting is improving faster than my playing. Comments?
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JayKosta
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 3:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

For me, it means to rest a bit between each individual piece of a practice session. I'll work on an exercise, or etude for several minutes, and just rest and make 'horse noises' (the international brass player recognition greeting), or some easy pedal note lip flapping for a few minutes.
Basically enough rest so my sound and articulation is good for the next piece.

When I can't get the desired sound to start the next part of the session, then I'll some a take a longer rest before beginning again.

I think that a major part of improving is to demand good sound, and clean note-to-note transitions during practice. Basically, the 'right note' with the 'right sound' at the 'right time'.

Jay
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JoseLindE4
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 4:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Several shorter sessions a day is better than one long session. Herseth taught three times a day no more than 45 minutes each.

Within a session, if you take time to sing phrases (in tune) and record yourself and listen back critically (to your playing, not your singing unless you're a better singer than me), your rest time should be pretty much built in.
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gwood66
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 10:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rest for however long as you physically play a line or exercise, i.e. if the exercise is 4 measures then you rest for 4 measures. This can be accomplished by singing the next line (as previously mentioned) or setting your metronome or tapping your foot and counting it out. The natural tendency is to shorten the rest. Resist the urge.

Another important aspect of the rest period is to ensure you remove the horn from your lips. This allows blood to flow back in to the lips and will help keep you fresh.

Also head the advice of Herbert Clarke and stop playing before your lips start to get tired. Practicing while your lips are tired can lead to development of bad habits.
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dstdenis
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

When practicing, I play and rest in short bursts: play a few lines, rest, repeat. While doing this, I often go back and play a segment again maybe 2 or 3 times to improve it. When I'm finished with an exercise or piece, I rest again for a minute or two.

This pattern kinda/sorta matches the playing patterns I experience with bands in rehearsals and performances. Most pieces are arranged so the trumpet part plays a little, rests a little, etc., then we have a brief break between pieces.

If I'm starting to feel tired, I stop right away and rest. If I'm still tired after resting, then I end my practice session. I've found this is the best way for me to develop accuracy and maintain strength without grinding down my chops.
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Harry Hilgers
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dstdenis wrote:
When practicing, I play and rest in short bursts: play a few lines, rest, repeat. While doing this, I often go back and play a segment again maybe 2 or 3 times to improve it. When I'm finished with an exercise or piece, I rest again for a minute or two.

This pattern kinda/sorta matches the playing patterns I experience with bands in rehearsals and performances. Most pieces are arranged so the trumpet part plays a little, rests a little, etc., then we have a brief break between pieces.

If I'm starting to feel tired, I stop right away and rest. If I'm still tired after resting, then I end my practice session. I've found this is the best way for me to develop accuracy and maintain strength without grinding down my chops.

+1
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50YrComeback
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:11 am    Post subject: Rest-Strategies Reply with quote

Thanks for the thoughts on the subject - Good ideas.

GaryF
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mrhappy
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 6:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Way to go Gary!! I thought my 40 yr layoff was long... I feel like a 'spring chicken' now!! Haha!

I'm having my own issues regarding this resting thing... I've been having WAY more fun this time around and finding it difficult to put the horn down until I'm completely spent! Never was very smart!
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50YrComeback
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 10:54 am    Post subject: Rest-Strategies Reply with quote

good luck on your comeback. RE: rest - Despite knowing you should do it, its hard to put it down. As a younger player, I don't recall anybody ever saying "rest as much as you play" but I was always ready to stop and do something besides practice anyway.
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kehaulani
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 1:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I play an exercise then rest for the same length as that exercise.

When I get tired overall, I take a longer rest. Simple.
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taoduh
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 04, 2019 7:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I haven't tried this - resting and playing again in the same day. Busy life I guess I'm happy when I get a few minutes in at all. But I like this. I'll try playing some, cooking dinner, playing some more, doing house stuff, and playing some more. See how it goes.
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PH
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 7:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It means you should take the horn off of your face within your playing sessions for an amount of time equal to the time you just played. If you hold a long tone 20 seconds, wait 20 seconds before playing again. If it takes you 2 minutes to play an etude, wait 2 minutes before playing anything else.


I find that the best thing is to sing everything before you play it. Sing each long tone before you play it. Sing through the etude before you play it. Scat a chorus with the play-along track, then play one. This way you keep your concentration focused and engage your ears at an increasingly higher level.
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kozzicomma
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 8:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Literally rest as much as you play, e.g. play a whole note, rest for a whole rest, rinse repeat (simplified for example, of course).

I've struggled forever with playing TOO much. Seems counter-intuitive to me to not just work really hard and get better, but it just doesn't work that way. Not for me anyway. Trust everyone that bad habits creep in when you play on tired chops. Not sure if it's a fool-proof rule, but for me, I can't play until i feel tired. I have to play until I sound tired or my range is limited, then I know I'm pretty much done for the day or for awhile at least. Resting as much as I play allows me to prolong that point.
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john4860
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 9:11 am    Post subject: Rest-Strategies Reply with quote

Scott Belck the Lip Flexibility Guy says if people worked out at the gym (weightlifting) the way they play the trumpet there would be a lot more injuries!
He suggests playing a phrase and then don't play anything until you feel completely refreshed. The suggestion that you don't play anything until you can play the next phrase correctly also works.
You don't want to ever get to the point where you are completely exhausted! Easier said than done I know!
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kozzicomma
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 10:00 am    Post subject: Re: Rest-Strategies Reply with quote

john4860 wrote:
You don't want to ever get to the point where you are completely exhausted! Easier said than done I know!


SOOOOOO much easier said than done.
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MrOlds
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Practice for only as long as you can completely concentrate on what you are trying to accomplish. My mind gets tired before my lip does.

Some people use timers. Play 10, rest 10. Etc. I’ve read that a well known classical oriented soloist would set his timer for 7.5 minutes because individual movements in trumpet concertos rarely lasted longer than that.
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falado
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kehaulani wrote:
I play an exercise then rest for the same length as that exercise.

When I get tired overall, I take a longer rest. Simple.


1+, this. Before going into the military I would practice 3+to 5 hours a day. I had been on the road and did many 4-5 hour gigs. I was literally beating and bruising my chops thinking I was helping my endurance. When disco destroyed some of the horn band work I was doing in the mid 70s I went in the military. At the Armed Forces School of Music I had a trumpet instructor who studied with Claude Gordon. He turned me onto rest as much as you play.

When I play an exercise I rest by singing it back or singing the next one, then continue. If I have even a 1 beat rest the mouthpiece comes off the chops. For longer exercises/etudes I taught myself to play guitar and bass during my rest period. The added benefit was the ability to hear chord changes and eventually ID them and progressions by ear.

Don't beat up your chops, play, rest, play, rest, etc.

Dave
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falado
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 2:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi again, the idea of resting between each exercise is to let blood carrying O2 back through the muscles. When you play you are tearing down muscle and building up lactic acid. When you rest in between you are building muscle. To keep playing and playing in a practice session is an exercise in tearing down muscle.
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mrhappy
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 5:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

falado wrote:

Don't beat up your chops, play, rest, play, rest, etc.


Yes but easier said than done for us 'comebackers'! It's been taking me awhile trying to figure out how far i can push it and recognizing when I should stick the horn in the case before I hurt myself!!
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HERMOKIWI
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 8:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is a highly personal thing. You can try to set a hard and fast rule but it may not apply perfectly to you.

The primary objective here is to not damage yourself. The threshold of damage depends on the variables of the player. So I think the best philosophy is to define this in terms of how much you can play without damaging yourself.

I've never known a player who actually puts a stopwatch on measuring exactly "playing time" and "resting time" and balancing it exactly (although I suppose there are players who do this).

I think the key here is to know your limitations and not be foolish. If in doubt be conservative. If you damage your chops the road to recovery can be very long and frustrating. Patience is a virtue.
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