10 Truths of Playing the Trumpet

[MrV]

Well as I said at the top of the post I DID NOT WRITE it. Here is the actual quote:

"Hello Group,

I read this on another forum and thought it has good insight so here it is.

--MrV"

And just to make things clear I'm not offended at all by your comments.
I just wanted to hear YOUR comments about the Ten Truths... thanks guys for posting your opinions.

PS: I DO NOT agree with everything he saids on the Ten Truths

His name is

Adam Decker
B.M. Trumpet Performance Student
University of Michigan

[trombapaul2]

The trumpet is sometimes referred as the "coil of torture"???
And all this time, I thought it was the "scourge of death".

Ooops!! My mistake. The TROMBONE is the "scourge of death".

Paul
_________________
"NEVER practice...ALWAYS perform" (Bud)

"NEVER look at the trombones...it only encourages them" (R. Strauss)

"What the hell does sound have to do with music?" (Charles Ives)

[MrV]

LOL

[boycott_food]

I don't agree with the whole list, but I also don't believe that #2 and #8 contradict each other. Holding your hands high above your head certainly isn't difficult, but it'll cause a lot of physical fatigue if you do it for a long time.

[the chief]

I think there's much truth in what the author of this thread states.

[ZeroMan]

After reading the list again (it has been up for a while), I now get the impression that the author choose the wrong words to express his intent on some of the issues.

For example, "trumpet playing is easy"

may have been intended as,

"trumpet playing is simple, but not easy"

I can agree with that statement. Only a dishonest or egotistical teacher more interested in bemusing or confusing his students, or surrounding the process with an aura of elitism or mystery, would make the process of playing the trumpet out to be frighteningly complicated. It's not. However, the simple concepts take a LONG time to master, if ever.

Oh yeah, a lot of people disagree on what those simple processes are. I think that was another source of disagreement with the list. We have people disagreeing over whether to approach playing the trumpet from prioritzing tone, or tongue level, or lip compression or whatever. Evidently the author of the list prioritizes tone over mechanics.

_________________
Peace & Love,

Thos.

[ This Message was edited by: ZeroMan on 2004-02-15 03:10 ]

[Sixaddict]

Man, you guys are harsh. The only thing is, that list is absolutely correct. If you use your air, not your chops, you can play forever. If you use your air, not your chops, you can hit the double C. If you use you air, not your chops, you can triplet toungue and double tongue easliy. That's all trumpet is about. AIR. The reason why you hear people say their chops are tired is because they use their chops, not their air. Sorry guys, that list is right. 100%. If you disagree, look at how you're playing.

[marktrumpet]

How do you play the trumpet without your lips(chops)? If I had a serious accident and suddenly had no lips, it would be impossible to play the trumpet. The lips must have something to do with it.

[oj]

Or, how do you play a cello with no strings (on trumpet = lips), only a bow (on trumpet = air)?

Is it really all about AIR?

Hardenberger said it like this:
We have two raw materials, one is the vibration of the lips, and the other is air. This is what we have to work with - the two building blocks. What happens when something is wrong is that the balance between vibration and air is disturbed.

More here:

http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/hardenberger/

Ole

[trumpetteacher1]

I think that most of you who find fault with this list would be shocked to discover how many people in mainstream music education believe that every single item on that list is the gospel truth.

John said that these views don't cut it in the real world. John, I think that you meant the world of the pro player. In the world of the pro educator, these ARE the majority views.

The question very few ask, is what is the source of this naive information, and why is it perpetually passed on as truth?

Until enough players ask that question, the misinformation will continue, generation after generation.

Jeff Smiley
http://www.trumpetteacher.net

[Sixaddict]

of course chops have something to do with it, but if you play every single note with your chops, you're going to kill them. The air flow controls the notes. The air flow controls the vibrations in the chops. Try playing without using your air. If you are tired after playing for an hour, you already do. If you can go for hours (3 or more) without getting too tired, then you use your air. Of course, breaks are always needed in that 3 hour practice time. But, seriously, it is more about air then it is about chops. Is any body here better then Wynton? I didn't think so. When I met him, I asked him how he did what he did. Here's what he said: "It's all about air." That was it. Good luck arguing with him.

[_bugleboy]

When I met him, I asked him how he did what he did. Here's what he said: "It's all about air." That was it. Good luck arguing with him.

Great logic!

Same logic applies to,

Good Luck arguing with Shaq, Kobe, etc., about how to coach an NBA team.
Good Luck arguing with Keyshawn, Randy, Peyton, etc., about how to coach an NFL team.
Good Luck arguing with Lennox, Ali, Mike, etc., about how to prepare for a title fight.

[EBjazz]

Well Charley then we'll leave it up to you, The Great Debater, to start an argument with Wynton.
And while you're at it I'd love to watch you tangle with Shaq.

Eb
_________________
Eric Bolvin
http://bolvinmusic.com/product/the-modern-jazz-trumpet-method/
www.bolvinmusic.com

[Sixaddict]

Hey Bugelboy, ever notice how most coaches are former players?

[Nonsense Eliminator]

Sixaddict --

It is pretty crazy to claim that what Wynton says about trumpet playing is true, just because he says so. There are equally great trumpet players and teachers who would express differing opinions. Why is Wynton's the only one that matters? Furthermore, many great players have completely screwed up ideas about what they are actually doing when they play the trumpet, because they have only thought about it retroactively -- they were already great players, and then they tried to figure out why. Also, you are not going to get very far with Charly suggesting that trumpet skill equates with teaching skill, considering that his teacher was a saxophone player -- and a pretty sought-after trumpet teacher.

The problem with this whole argument is that people aren't discussing terms in the same way. For instance, you wrote:

"of course chops have something to do with it, but if you play every single note with your chops, you're going to kill them"

Read that sentence literally. If it doesn't seem absolutely ludicrous to you, then you have a serious problem. Of course I play every single note with my chops. What else would I use? My nose? My butt?

Bill Adam says trumpet playing is 90% mental, 9% air and 1% other stuff. (But Wynton says otherwise, so what does he know?) Obviously, he doesn't mean that your grey matter is actually setting up the vibrations! He is talking about where your conscious mental activity is directed -- musical & sound concept, air flow, other stuff. That doesn't mean the chops aren't important -- it means that thinking about the chops isn't important. There is a big difference.

I agree totally that playing the trumpet isn't about brute force from the chops. But it isn't about brute force from the air, either. The teachers people tend to associate with focussing on air are people like Jacobs and Cichowicz. But Jacobs' concept was Song and Wind -- not Wind and More Wind. The idea is that by maintaining a vivid mental image and a free-flowing airstream, the chops will fall into place. You can say that you don't need to think about chops, without saying that you don't need to use your chops.

[_bugleboy]

Hey Bugelboy, ever notice how most coaches are former players?

Ya, and have you ever noticed that very few great players make good coaches. Many have failed miserably and most know better than to even try.

Let's make Joe Namath coach of the Jets. What did Herm Edwards ever do on the field anyway?

[Sixaddict]

so, is it your opinion then that Wyton Marsalis can't teach?

[Sixaddict]

Playing with the chops is totally different then using them. For instance, playing with your chops means that you have to physically move your chops in order to more from a Bb to a B. Playing with your air is when you just do it by switching valves. It's easier to play something on your air stream then it is with you chops and you last longer. Also, all your chops do is vibrate. Raising and lowering the tongue controls the flow of air. The higher the tongue, the faster and cooler the air, the higher you will be playing.

And no, I don't go on what just Wynton says. I also listen to my current teacher, Jim Ackley. And my previous teacher, Claire Newbold. And Maynard can be quoted as saying that. So does Phil Smith. Scott Wendholt, too. Terry Everson. I'm sure Tom Harrel will say the same. In fact, every other trumpet player I have ever met seems to agree on this one, that it is more about air then chops.

True, chops are deffinetly needed, but chops alone can't play the horn. (And don't read into that more then what is meant to be) And is it so horrible that I agree with the "Ten Truths of Brass Playing"? I didn't think so.

[oj]

Sixaddict,

The great majority of people playing trumpet in the world, have not solved the "balance" between lip resistance and air. It does not help them that you say, or their teacher say: AIR, AIR! (Btw, Jacobs talk about Wind).

When you have not found a proper lip position, but play on spread lips using pressure to play higher pitches, etc., the advice, to blow more air, is of very little help. It only get the poor player more off the track (by overblowing, etc)

But when you have solved the basic (building block #1 - lip postion), you can focus more on Song & Wind - and the Song part is the major in Jacobs equation.


O.J.

[NYCTPT]

Not that I want to get into this debate, but Herm Edwards was an All-Star defensive back for the Eagles.