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SteelyDan
Regular Member


Joined: 14 Dec 2003
Posts: 37

PostPosted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 8:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Greetings to one and all!
First of all, I'd like to congratulate Jeff on this new forum! I've been away from TH for some months now(work schedule, etc.) and had no idea of what was going on around here. I would also like to publicly thank Jeff for his openness and willingness to share his experience and knowledge with players like myself.
Ever since I took my first steps down the BE road I've been enjoying an eye-opening experience of frustration, enlightenment, and tremendous insight. Please, allow me to explain: Several years ago I was at a point where I played well enough to have a WHOLE lot of fun while still being concious of the fact that I wasn't going to give Wynton or Maynard a run for their money. I LOVED playing my horn, however, I made the fateful decision to study with a highly reccomended teacher at the college I enrolled in right after HS. Interestingly enough, this instructor was a HUGE proponent of a "
Farkas Style" flat-chin set-up. Short version: 2 months later I blew out my lip, my entire face felt like a tender, bloated pincussion, and I had to put down the horn for several years. So much for being a music major. Yes, this individual was and still is very much like the educators described in the BE book and I challenge you to take a wild guess at the suggestion I got after that fateful semester: "Maybe you should play low trombone or tuba. If you had the embouchure for trumpet this wouldn't have happened." I was devestated.
Fast forward a few years. I decided to go back to school and during my second semester back I decided to once again try to take up the trumpet. Mind you, I had been completely unsuccessful ever since I'd stopped playing. Up until my last year in HS I really wasn't conciously aware of "how" I played. I was vaguely aware of getting a "burning sensation" in the center of my chops instead of my corners but I didn't know why. I just assumed that's what everyone felt. Well, my new teacher did wonders getting me back to a point where I was able to play elementary material (believe me, this was harder for me than it sounds.) For the first time I was truly having to think about what my chops were doing instead of just concentrating on the "feel." Within one semester I was up to the level you'd expect from a typical high schooler, but well below where I used to be and it just didn't "feel" right. Every lesson I heard was full of "Keep those corners tight! Smile! Why are you dropping your corners?!" it was very frustrating.
A few months later I stumbled onto Bruce Lee's NB website and eventually purchased a GR piece and Jeff Smiley's BE book. As soon as I started reading, it was like someone had taken everything I'd started to question about conventional methodology and written it in a way even I could understand. I mean WOW!!!
Since then, I've had a lot of ups and downs but am currently in a position where I have no playing commitments so I decided to concentrate solely on BE. Man, let me tell you that my lower register absolutely sucks! Conversely and much to the chagrin of those "flat chinners" I know, high C to double C is clear as a bell! Do i have a lot of work ahead of me? Of course I do! I am just so excited to be at a place where it's starting to click together! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's not a train!!! Best of all, everything is starting to "feel" right again. Jeff, thanks for your patience and kindness during my months of emails. Bruce (Lee), thanks for pointing me in the right direction and for your incomparable professionalism. If anyone has any doubts about whether this stuff works or not, do yourself a favor and talk to either of these two gentlemen. It could possibly be the best decision you've ever made.

Sincerely,
Dan
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trumpetteacher1
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 11 Nov 2001
Posts: 3398
Location: Garland, Texas

PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 3:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dan,

Thanks for the terrific testimony!

If you are going cold turkey BE - and I always caution players about that - then be sure to check out the "Modified embouchure or new embouchure" thread on the 1st page of the BE forum. If the Roll-In exercises work well all the way to low C, and you can tongue while in the rolled in position, then no problem. Otherwise, it may be beneficial to maintain your old embouchure for a while to maintain the general feel for playing. An embouchure is REALLY complex. When you start to isolate it from a common playing (musical) experience by doing nothing but exercises, it can become tougher to maintain a general sense for how it feels to play notes, etc. Remember, for every difference in embouchures, there are also common elements which are often intangible - complex coordinations which we all rely upon but more or less take for granted. It's good to keep those going.

If you have the right mindset, you can go cold turkey. But patience and perserverence better be your strong suits!

Jeff
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Bruce Lee
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 15 Jul 2003
Posts: 759
Location: Rochester, NY

PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, Dan!

I wasn't sure that it was you, when I first saw the "Steely Dan" name... but, something told me different. I'm glad to hear that you're having success with the trumpet, and enjoying playing again. You're great testimony to the fact that perseverance pays off!

I'll BE watching for your posts!

Happy Holidays!
Bruce
_________________
teatro333@gmail.com
Please contact me for BE Lessons
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SteelyDan
Regular Member


Joined: 14 Dec 2003
Posts: 37

PostPosted: Sat Dec 27, 2003 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello Again!
Jeff, thanks for the update on the thread, I will definitely check it out. As always, your insight is amazingly spot on.
Bruce, yes, it's me and I'm not going away this time. I wasn't sure what effect the new screen-name would have but I kind of like the "ring" it has:) Anyway, I don't get to the web too often in during the week, but I'll be keeping tabs on this forum. Happy New Year!!!

Hasta Luego,
Dan

P.S. BE all you can BE!

_________________
My dad always said laughter is the best medicine which is probably the reason why so many of us had tuberculosis when we were kids.

[ This Message was edited by: SteelyDan on 2003-12-27 23:46 ]
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