ugh

[Callet_rulz]

Band camp has started this week. So we start out by learning drill ect. When we get to the playing part my band director gives me first part, thinking that I have recovered from my embouchure change (or failed embouchure change). I try to play the parts and everything falls apart. I mean NOTHING feels right. I can get a good sound but my lips fall apart after a measure or two (usually because the shaking is unbarable). For about 6 weeks now, I have not been able to play ANY note on the trumpet without shaking. Not only does my mouth shake but sometimes my arm shakes. This has been pretty constant and I can't seem to overcome it. Mr. Phelps said that my brain is causing this entirely. In other words he doesn't think it is a muscular disease (hopefully he is right). Has anyone been through a extended period of shaking and gotten through it? If so what did you do? PH what do you think I should do? Your advice helps keep it under control, but it always falls apart at least 5 times a day. Also, my lips shake even if I just place the horn up to my lips.

[Da`Lip]

First off, and this I think may be the biggest issue plaguing you at the moment: RELAX!! The single biggest detractor from any trumpeter's technique is any kind of tension, be it muscular or mental (stress, anxiety, etc.). I've had limited experience with shaking interfering with my performance, but from what little I have had I can tell you it was nerves and thinking too much about the problem. I'm not a doctor and I'm not too knowledgable about the various muscular and nerve disorders, but I really do not think this is the case here.

To overcome this you need to, again, relax. There are MANY techniques that will help you with that. Breathing exercises aren't just for building air support, ya know ;0) Also, do a complete stretching routine before playing! Even if you are the ONLY person doing it and you look like you've lost your mind, stretch your entire body. It goes a long way to relax muscle tension and it actually is rather soothing. Also be sure sure to stretch your cheeks and lips out by puffing them out with air and swishing it slowly from one cheek, across the lip area, and then into the other cheek. I try to keep the cheeks full while I'm doing this even though I'm squeezing with one side or the other so I get a good stretch. Fluttering the lips after this will also do wonders for blood flow in the face! Remember to breathe in time with your stretching and NEVER hold your breath... Relax the muscles into each stretch.

Next you need to clear your mind. You need to play as if what you are trying to do WILL happen rather than believing that it COULD happen. It's a leap of faith kind of thing. Truthfully, when people simply act as if something is there rather than hoping it is there and thinking off all the other undesirable outcomes, they tend to achieve whatever it is they are trying to do. Don't dwell on the past and don't live in the future.

Lastly, I'd recommend you take up some other physical activity such as weight lifting or a martial art to help build focus as well as burn off excess energy that could be affecting your playing. Something else you may want to look into is eliminating caffeine from your diet altogether since it causes muscle shaking and anxiety.

Above all, remember to relax :0)

[PH]

I am in the UK and I don't have time for the longer answer this problem deserves. I would agree with everything that Da'Lip said.

Get the book called "The Inner Game of Tennis". Do the visualization exercises I gave you-more frequently would be better.

Be patient.

It is no disgrace to go to your band director and ask to be moved to second trumpet. This is not a disgrace. Tell him that you are improving but you aren't out of the woods yet. Removing the pressure you feel to perform is crucial. Tell him that you would like to play for him again at the end of marching and be reassigned then to a part that fits your progress.

The situation you find yourself in is the result I typically see from players who try to undergo an embouchure change-whether they do it on their own or with a teacher. 99% of the time it ends in trauma. I almost always advise against it. Good embouchures evolve. Revolutions are almost always a scene of violence in history!

Since you have been through trauma you have to think that it takes time to heal. If you had broken your leg you wouldn't be upset that you couldn't march while still using crutches. This is really no different.

Hang in there. More to come.