My playing doesn't feel natural

[trumpetman4Jesus]

Hey guys - when does the trumpet start to FEEL like a part of you? I mean, when I play it seems as if I'm working against myself. It doesn't feel natural.

HELP!

[_swthiel]

Ask a dozen players, get two dozen answers.

What I've discovered in lessons is that a lot of what felt natural wasn't too efficient. I seriously wouldn't worry too much about "feel" -- IMO, "feel" is a benefit you get from playing well but not a reliable indicator that you are playing well. You said, "When I play it seems as if I'm working against myself." That may be true; if so, a good teacher will be able to help you through that.

Focus on how you sound and how hard you're working to get that sound. Keep your range connected (no embouchure changes between lower and upper registers). Take lessons. Work on technical stuff. Play tunes. Find places to play in front of others. Work hard. Have fun. Repeat ... especially the "have fun" part.

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Steve Thiel



[ This Message was edited by: swthiel on 2004-05-06 18:08 ]

[ This Message was edited by: swthiel on 2004-05-06 18:09 ]

[INTJ]

I agree with Steve. What feels natural only works well for the gifted. The rest of us have to learn to play the most efficient way, and that is diffeent for each person.
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[trumpetman4Jesus]

I'm just saying that - when does it become second nature and just flow? Or, does it ever? Like becoming second nature. Do all the notes ever just come out easy like playing a low c or playing on the staff etc. Those are easy. Does it ever happen that all the notes come out that easy?

[_Japle]

Ya' know, this is an excellent question. The problem is, there's no excellent answer.
You have to develop the facility to play without thinking about fingering, key signature and "what's that squiggly thing"? (It's a quarter rest).
You have to find the right combination of horn and mouthpiece that fits your physical setup so that playing feels natural.
You have to develop the chops so that you can play up to high C without straining and the control to hit, let's say, a high Bb and not the C or Ab.
The factor here isn't how many months or years it will take, it's how many practice hours and how good your teacher is.
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[Tom LeCompte]

trumpetman4Jesus-

"I'm just saying that - when does it become second nature and just flow" is a good question. At some level, the answer is "never". You'll always be concentrating - what will be happening is that what you concentrate on will be changing over time. Right now, you're focusing on production of the sound - how to achieve the note. As time goes on, you'll find you are worrying more about time (i.e. when to play the note), then balance, then phrasing, and so on and so on and so on.

If anything, as you progress, the effort you need to apply will be increasing over time. But the effort will be applied to different aspects of playing.

As far as "feeling natural", I'd recommend that you go by sound, not feel. Over time, what will feel right will be what produces the best sound, not what feels most familiar to you today.

Cheers,

Tom

[plp]

Play from memory as part of your practice routine. I save this for the last part, after sight reading. Take anything, although I prefer pop tunes, and close your eyes, and listen. Focus entirely on the sound coming out of the horn, and forget everything else. All the technical exercises, scales, interval studies, sight reading are steps in a process, all culminating in this.

A golf pro I took lessons from years ago told me the driving range and practice green was where you learn technique. Waiting at the tee box is where you plan stratagy for the hole. When you address the ball, your mind should be clear, focussed only on hitting the ball. All other decisions have already been made, good or bad, and let muscle memory and subconscious direction take over. Same approach for making music, the trumpet is just the medium we choose at the time.

[_swthiel]

I understand better what you were asking ... not so much about how your playing feels, more about when do you lose your awareness of "playing" because your awareness on the music.

My experience is, this happens when your skills are so thoroughly ingrained that playing is second-nature. As long as you're thinking about your chops or your tongue or your fingers, your mind isn't as focused on musical expression as it could be.

When I was playing a lot of bass, I wasn't really able to hit a good groove until I didn't have to think about where my fingers were, etc. I'm waiting for that on trumpet ... what I do know is that that harder I work on the fundamentals, the more often I get a teasing glimpse at what's possible.

When does it happen? Hard to say ... the whole process is so individual that all you can really do is stick to your practice discipline with faith that the moment of enlightenment will arrive ...

Out of curiosity, how long have you been playing? How would you characterize your playing?

All the best,

Steve
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Steve Thiel

Matthew 25:31-46

[trumpetman4Jesus]

steve,

I played in junior high and some in h.s., then quit. Didn't pick the horn up for another almost 14-15 years. Then I remembered I loved playing. I started lessons, but was going anywhere with them (I didn't really want to realize that because I really liked the teacher). Go on the internet and found Rich Szabo's site and posed a question to him: "Is it too late". Anyway he told me to hook up with Eddie Lewis. I gave him a call and - Wow! is it going great (lessons). He has actually started me on some elementary stuff, so I will learn the basics and the stuff I have forgotten. I know I live in a microwave society and want it now, but I know it takes time. I just feel behind the eight ball if you know what I mean.

Thanks,

[trumpetman4Jesus]

steve,

I messed up in my last post: I ment to say I wasn't going anywhere.

ooops!