My observations

[plp]

Today marks my one year anniversery of opening a trumpet case after 23 years off, and also marks my 501st post on TH. While I doubt I have done anything to improve this site or the world of trumpet playing in general, I know it has improved the quality of my life considerably, and would like to make a few observations for the other comeback players to hopefully ease their transition back.

Good Things (or the things I screw up less than others)

1. The Internet. Without the web, i would've never discovered TH, or TPIN, or Jeff Smiley's BE approach, or Caruso. I would've missed out on the fact that Strads are not for everyone (the reason I quit playing originally, hell, if you can't play the greatest trumpet made, according to both my private teachers at the time, ya just ain't got what it takes), that gear is secondary to approach and practice time, and that simply putting in x minutes of making noise is not practicing. The web, correctly used as an information resource, is a great help.

2. Approaches. I was trained originally on the CG approach, which was presented as the only method out there by 4 separate instructors. I never knew there were different approaches, or that some of the 'bad habits' my teachers tried to break me of at 17 (the beginning of my decline) are actually positive traits for other methods. If an instructor had recognized I was using a pivot embouchere and developed it rather than trying to change my whole setup, I may have progressed rather than declined. All you fellow comebackers, read, read, read!!! There are so many successful approaches out there, there is something that compliments your natural tendencies and will ease your comeback.

Hardware. I played a Conn Victor cornet in high school, and never knew it was as great a cornet as it is. Two private teachers told me the cornet was a 'dead' instrument with no place anywhere than British Brass Band, and if I had any future as a performer, I needed to switch to a Strad trumpet asap. Even after I had demoed several trumpets, and found a Holton 48 that was the best playing trumpet for me, I let them talk me into a Strad 37 (after all, these are TEACHERS, what does a high school kid know?) which I fought with for the next year. Find what works for you. Period.A beat up Ambassador in good mechanical condition may be a better horn for you than anything out there. My trumpet of choice is a student line Holton, and works better for me than any of the 3k super trumpets I've tried.

Practice. I have limited time to practice, and sometimes my job requirements cause me to miss days. The rest as much as you play concept has done more to allow me to progress than anything else I have learned in the past year. During the rest, I mentally play the piece I am going to play when I pick the horn back up, and come back to it with a clear objective. Every time I practice, I play increasingly difficult pieces until I get to a point where I am out of my skill level. Then I back up and play the last thing I did well, so I end on a positive note, and fell better for the time spent.

The Things I Still Screw Up

Ebay I spend WAY too much time on ebay, looking for that perfect deal. If I had spent half as much time practicing as I do shopping, I would be a lot further along than I am.

Blow off Practicing. Days when I just don't feel like woodshedding, and I play nothing but stuff I already know. This is the slippery slope to stagnation, and I end up getting sloppy. While it strokes the ego, it does nothing to improve ability.

Private Lessons. This should have been the first thing I did, and still haven't done. I know there are things I don't do efficiently, that could've been corrected at the fundamental level with a competent instructor. Given my past track record with teachers, I haven't pursued this as I should, and my playing has suffered.


Range. I have none. After a year, leger line A is the extent of my usable range. I have messed around with some of the various high range techniques, and then get scared when it begins to affect my traditional setup. With the exception of the 20 minute G, I have steered away from anything that affects tone (and yes, I know my aperature is too open, but the tone sounds so good to me I would rather have a musical usable 2 octave range than 4 octaves of squeals). See my comments above about a competant teacher. That is the solution to my range problems.


Thanks to everyone here for all the positive contributions you have made to my comeback.

[INTJ]

Good post.

I again recommend Pops as a teacher. You must have seen my posts about my comeback--20+ yr layoff, no range above the staff before, how I now play to G/Ab above High C every practice session, ocassionally hit Double C, practice about 5 hours a week, etc. I am by no means there, but my progress is incredible. I was a year into my comeback before I started with Pops, and all i did was delay my progress by a year.

As to the open embochure sounding good. This is the problem with the "worry only about the sound approach". It doesn't work for everyone. This was probably the biggest reason I had no range 25 years ago. With an open embochure you have to squeeze the lips together somehow to create enough resistance for them to buzz at the higher frequencies. This is often done with pressure. With a closed embochure all this is much easier.

It is a misconception that a closed embochure doesn't produce as big or nice a tone as a closed embochure. When I played the first time, I too was a "tone player". I had a very nice sound, but no range above the staff, and I played with an open embochure. Today I play with an open embochure, actually have an upper range, and my tone is better than it was before.

In fact, my parents got to hear me play this last Christmas. I got to play lead on one piece for our Church Christmas Musical, and it went to a high C#. They both commented on my tone, and they heard me play trumpet before my layoff. My wife aslo commented that after my first lesson with Pops, I didn't sound like I was the same player. So much for the open embochure. I gladly say goodbye to it forever. I also play on a largeish mouthpiece, a Curry 70M, which is similar in size to a Bach 1.5 C................

You can take a 1/2 day lesson 93 hours) from Pops for $200. An all day lesson (6 hrs and a lunch break) is $400. This is a three hour lesson and well worth it. Even if you have to spend $400-$500 on an airline ticket and rental car, it is well worth the expense given the progress you will likely make. It is money much better spent than on a new horn!

I recommend you visit his website and e-mail him first. That part is free...............

Blaine

[plp]

Thanks, Pops' site is one of the most useful ones I lurk around in from time to time. I would love to take a private lesson from him, if your experience is any indication of what he can do. May have to consider it as a 'spring break' treat if time and scheduling allows.

The irony of all this is, I spent a year and a half in Atlanta on the Atlantic Station project, and would've had the time for private lessons and a variety of instructors to choose from. I didn't decide to pick up the horn again until I was back in NW Florida, and have been putting in 70 hr. weeks ever since. Go figure....

[INTJ]

That is just life.......................

BTW, there are other good teachers out there.