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Bud Herseth Practice



 
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gg21wvtrumpet
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2022 4:15 pm    Post subject: Bud Herseth Practice Reply with quote

Hi all,

I read that Bud Herseth practiced in three 45 minute chunks. If this is true, how could he have possibly structured his practice to obtain such mastery in just over 2 hours a day?

For reference, I'm practicing 1 hour and 50 minutes a day, but I feel like I would need to put in 3-4 hours a day to do what he could do(Not play as well as him, just play the same notes.)
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trpthrld
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2022 6:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's not the amount of time you put in but the quality of the effort.

Plus, breaking your practice time into segments is an excellent idea and proven practice tactic.

It lets both your chops and your brain get a break.
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HaveTrumpetWillTravel
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2022 11:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That he practiced that amount of time is a bit deceptive in that his whole life was trumpet. Practice time didn't include performances, recordings, teaching, lectures and camps, etc., etc. He was probably doing trumpet 40-80 hours/week year after year. There's a reason the professionals are so good. Many of them also began earlier and/or came from families/traditions with strong musical gifts. This depth of talent and experience is part of why it is so fun to listen to them.
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JayKosta
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PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2022 4:01 am    Post subject: Re: Bud Herseth Practice Reply with quote

gg21wvtrumpet wrote:
... how could he have possibly structured his practice to obtain such mastery in just over 2 hours a day? ...

-------
He probably 'obtained mastery' with much more time early in his life.

'Study time' is needed to discover, learn, and 'habitualize'.

It takes a long time to make a good knife, but much less to keep it sharp.
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Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.
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jhatpro
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PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2022 5:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good genes and strong Norwegian work ethic. Early start on cornet and trumpet in musical family. Father was a band director. Excellent teachers. Huge variety of playing experiences. Early success in variety of musical settings. Picked good role models. Ultimately, the key to his success was his willingness to work smart at something he loved.
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kehaulani
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PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2022 6:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think Philip Farkas in The Art of French Horn Playing suggests four hours a day for developing brass players.
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Vin DiBona
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PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2022 7:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My 85 year old friend and mentor spent hours in the CSO section as a substitute and extra. He studied with Bud and is on at least 6 to 8 recordings with them and was often on tour with the orchesta. To say the least he knew Herseth well and Bud liked him.
What he as told me is Herseth was always prepared. If he had a heavy week, the practice was not so strenuous. A lighter week of work would lead to a much more intense practice.
At first, Herseth took playing jobs away from the orchestra but soon realized his job was a principal trumpet and stopped the extra jobs. He also did not teach many students and the ones he did teach got his best efforts. He was completely dedicated to his craft.
Yes, he had natural talent but he worked very hard with his great teachers, Mager and LaFosse.
His mental toughness was extraordinary. He played with many difficult physical issues such as sciatica, gall bladder issues and subsequent surgery, and a detached retina.
Vince Cichowitz often said when he would call Bud's home, his wife would say he's practicing and I'll get him for you.
D. Bacon put the Herseth lesson notes in the Chicago section. Go read them.
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abontrumpet
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PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2022 1:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Bud Herseth Practice Reply with quote

JayKosta wrote:
He probably 'obtained mastery' with much more time early in his life.

'Study time' is needed to discover, learn, and 'habitualize'.

It takes a long time to make a good knife, but much less to keep it sharp.


Huh. Well said.

To expand on this, there are a few facets of trumpet playing and music on which to achieve mastery.

1. The one that JayKosta and most people refer to when talking about mastery is our Sound and our Approach (song and wind). If we can consistently imagine and achieve the sound that we desire and approach the horn in a consistent way, it will breed consistency and mastery of the trumpet itself. These things include starting a note, playing relatively slow and legato, all middle of the road things that make up 80-90% of our playing.

2. Another facet are the skill based challenges of the trumpet. Extremes, speed, fingers, tonguing, leaps, etc.

3. Yet another facet is mastery of...sight-singing (so to speak). Our recognition of printed (or imagined in the case of improvisation) pitch and rhythm and how quickly and vividly they manifest in the imagination and subsequently come out of the trumpet.

2 and 3 over lap quite a bit and both 2 and 3 will eventually exist under the umbrella of 1. The best part of 3, and parts of 2, is that they don't require facetime. And 1 can require less facetime if we are doing enough listening to greats, listening to oneself (via recording), and evaluating critically what we are hearing.

Can you achieve mastery with 2 hours of trumpet-on-face-time? Certainly. But it requires an additional 2-3 hours of not-trumpet-on-face-time at least on the front end. Once you've made it through undergrad you can read a book and go outside again.

Enjoy
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