Juggling multiple instruments?

[mcstock]

Tom Malone talks about his approach to doubling in this article.
https://trombone.org/articles/view.php?id=47

Matt
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[delano]

As a former trombone player (I played that weird horn for over 25 years) there are two things here that I consider doubtful.
First, there seems to be some consensus about the problems with the intonation on a slide trombone. My experience is that intonation on a slide trombone is much easier than on a trumpet. The position of the slide is of course relevant but not as strict as one may presume. The valves and the slotting by use of valves is in fact more tricky than the position of the slide on a trombone. And the correction of the intonation on a bone is faster, easier and more intuitive than on a trumpet.
Second, Tom Malone says that the trombone needs twice as much air. I don't know, maybe that's only a feeling. The bigger mp and the bigger bell and bore make a trombone very free blowing compared with the trumpet. But I don't think that I use more air on a trombone. I can play long notes on the trombone as long as on the trumpet. Maybe he meant something different.

[ackmondual]

[delano]

Mr. ackmondual, every musician I know, playing, sax, or trumpet, or drums, or bass, also plays piano. BTW I own a Kawai grand piano and play it almost every day so I have some knowledge about piano music and piano playing.

And, your post is missing something essential:

quote: you won't have the huge flurry of notes from sheet music that piano pieces entail.
So:
Why does piano music contain that 'huge flurry of notes'?

But to make things more clear: play a scale of C on the piano, do the same on trumpet and look what the difference in the structure of fingering is. Repeat this over three octaves and you will be surprised. After that go one step up and repeat this. Why this example of a scale? To make all other things equal.
As far as I see it, you and some others seem to have a problem with making a distinction between one aspect of an instrument (the interface) and the question which instrument is easier to play. That's in fact a complete different topic. The piano is in fact such an easy instrument that the music written for it is sometimes extremely difficult, even symphonic. Same with saxophone, the easiest wind instrument, but to play it like Bird or Coltrane it can cost you your life.

[BGinNJ]

My biggest problem with playing 2 instruments (trumpet and guitar) has been mental. By that I mean, having clarity about where you put your time and energy, having realistic expectations about how well you'll play them, and how you identify as a musician.

Trumpet is not an instrument that permits dabbling with. You can't just pick it up on weekends or whenever you're bored with other instruments and expect you'll ever play it well enough to be enjoyable for both yourself and those around you.

Much as I love trumpet, there have been times I stopped playing for weeks or months, either out of discouragement or lack of time to do it justice. I can play guitar in the evening without bothering my family, or take a day or two off without issue. And, there's more playing opportunities. People like my guitar playing better! There have been times where I wished I only played guitar.

Trumpet, though, gets inside you if you stick with it. I realized it was binary thinking that I had to quit one instrument or the other. I just play both whenever I can, and on any given day, if I only get to one, it's all music.

[JensenW]

[Brassnose]

I agree with BGin. I work in a pretty busy job and live in a pretty dense area, so I cannot just go ahead and practice any time I like. Brass is much more of an issue than checking chords on our electronic piano, considering the neighbors. I guess that matches up with BGins trumpet/guitar situation.

Practice mutes do wonders but from time to time I want to play open.

As for the trombone aspect, as I said earlier, I have picked up the bass trumpet 3-4 years ago and somehow it’s sound and playability just feel more natural to me than the trumpet. You know, how sometimes you crack notes on the trumpet when entering in an orchestral soft part with a high note. This happens to me on trumpet but much less so on bass trumpet. While I sometimes still struggle to hear the trumpet note in my head just before playing it, it’s all there with the bass trumpet. I hear it, I play it, and it’s there alright.
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[PMonteiro]

I play both trumpet and alto sax. When I first started out, my right hand sometimes got confused and I tried using trumpet fingerings on the lower keys of the sax. Practice fixed that pretty quickly. Sometimes my trumpet upper register suffers a bit if playing sax immediately before, but otherwise I find that I can switch effortlessly between them. Holding each instrument triggers separate muscle memories. Trumpet has also made me more conscious about my air use on sax.

When I played marching baritone in college, my trumpet mouthpiece felt tiny immediately after playing baritone (common complaint among high/low brass doublers). Otherwise, having prior trumpet experience was a big help in playing baritone.

I've also always been able to easily switch back and forth between Bb and C trumpet. I never experienced the "feel" and severe intonation problems that a lot of new C players have. I must be an outlier I guess.
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[Bill_Bumps]

I started playing clarinet when I was eight years old. But then about two years ago I got my Selmer K-Modified out, had it reconditioned, and seriously set in to practicing.

I can't honestly say that playing one instrument either detracts from or enhances the other. They're just too different.

In my opinion, the trumpet is by far the more difficult of the two, because of the overwhelming degree to which embouchure control is a requirement for any kind of pleasing sound. To be sure, reed instruments rely on proper embouchure too, but not to the demanding degree of the trumpet.

So which instrument do I prefer? The trumpet. I love its full, clear sound and ability to carry a melody unaided. In fact, I'd go so far as to compare playing the trumpet to singing, with its complexities of intonation, breath control, vibrato and phrasing. Artie Shaw could get all that out of a clarinet, but I can only get it from a trumpet.

On good days, that is. Those are the days when I feel as though I'm channelling the spirit of Charlie Spivak. Other days...not so much. But I keep on practicing, chasing that golden sound.

[kehaulani]

You know what woodwind doublers call the clarinet, don't you? "The Black Stick of Death". LOL.
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[THE BD]

[OldHorn]

[nieuwguyski]

[delano]

I was not refering to the interview. I was reacting on dershem who said something I heard more often here, maybe sometimes serious, maybe sometimes as a joke, I don't know. I think it's quite a common prejudice with people who don't play the slide trombone.

[mark5009]

I play a bunch of things--trumpets, electric bass, piano, sing, Baroque lute, some percussion--in a bunch of different styles and genres, and, as an amateur, the hardest part is time management. There is simply not enough time to get as good as I'd like at anything and still do all the "real world" things that need/must get done. Eventually I came to the conclusion there were two choices: focus more and give up one or more instruments, or don't worry about it and have fun.

I've taken the second path. Your mileage may vary
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[dcinboston]

As an intermediate amateur, I play the trumpet, flugelhorn and cornet. Would you consider these different instruments?
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[Didymus]

I believe most trumpet players consider the flugelhorn a natural double. That is, a trumpet player is often expected to be able to play the flugelhorn. As for the cornet being a different instrument, I believe the jury will permanently be out in the court of public opinion, depending on where you live.

After a few years I received the impression that a good trumpet player should be familiar with all of the high brasswind instruments, able to quickly adapt any technique differences. I'm just unsure if that includes soprano trombone.
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[BGinNJ]

I wanted to add, most of the (handful of) brass players I know double on other instruments, usually keyboards. And they seem to have more gigs or playing opportunities on them than trumpet.

[delano]

[Bwat]