Great Players Are Not Born That Way

[John Mohan]

Great Players Are Not Born That Way

This is the view of Doc Severinsen, Rafael Mendez, Herbert L. Clarke, Louis Maggio, Claude Gordon and me (nice to be in such company!).

On an audio interview (available at http://www.annonline.com/interviews/961128/biography.html ), Doc talks about his life as a child and his trumpet playing. He says he was lazy and would leave the horn under the bed until just before he had to play a concert and then get it out and woodshed it and just barely get by. He says it wasn’t until he was in the army and wasn’t allowed to play that he realized how important the trumpet was to him. Doc practiced and practiced to get as good as he is. He’s the first to say so.

Mendez had great difficulties with his tonguing. His widow said that sometimes he would get up in the morning in his bathrobe and begin doing the tonguing studies in the Arban book. When she’d come home at the end of the day, there he’d be, still in his bathrobe, practicing the tonguing exercises in the Arban book. I’ve also heard stories that sometimes he’d get to the theater at night and have difficulty getting through the evening’s performance – because he was worn out from practicing all day at home.

Herbert Clarke’s autobiography makes it clear that he attributed practice and perseverance to his success – not any inborn “natural talent”.

Louis Maggio had any “natural talent” literally ripped out of him – along with some of his front teeth and a good bit of his lip tissue – when he slipped on ice and fell against a streetcar safety switch. His “system” of practice that resulted from his comeback from this horror became what is known as the “Maggio System” of brass playing and development.

Claude Gordon began playing at an early age and was pretty accomplished by the age of 12 – but then he had problems and played worse at age 18 then he did at twelve. He attributes his success to learning “HOW TO PRACTICE, WHAT TO PRACTICE AND WHEN TO PRACTICE” from Herbert L. Clarke. And then sticking with it until it developed.

Here is what Claude had to say about “talent” in his book “Brass Playing Is No Harder Than Deep Breathing” (from page 9):

“When the great soloists in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s would play, the
audience was amazed. The first reaction was always the question, “How does he
do it?” Many others would try and fail, always bewildered. They would listen to
the amazing endurance and exclaim, “What a lip!” That was the only explanation
that they would offer and thus the theory of the lip was passed on. Always the lip,
the lip!! It, to our very day gets the blame for all the poor playing or the credit for
all of the good playing.
Then too, as with the great singers, the brass soloists had developed great
breathing techniques. When watching a performance, the audience would say,
“He looks as though he takes in all the air in the auditorium and then plays
endlessly,” etc. etc. Then the many theories grew and today these theories are
followed without the player even stopping to think if they are logical with a basis
in fact or not.
Finally, with the greatest number of players failing to obtain their goal, the
theory developed that in order to be a great player, one had to be a specially
gifted person, a so-called natural. As many may say, one with the gifted talent.
Let me say here and now: It is only about one-tenth talent and nine-tenths hard
work. Then one may ask: “How do I know if I have the talent?” If you have the
desire to work as hard as you must and the perseverance to stick with it until you
accomplish your goal, then YOU HAVE THE TALENT.”

And lastly, my personal experience:

I started playing when I was 7 ½ years old, though I wasn’t very serious (or any better than any other beginning trumpet student). We soon moved to an area where kids didn’t start playing until 5th grade, so for a while I had a pretty big advantage in that I had been playing several years longer than the other kids. But within a few years, that advantage had run dry. I moved around in the section a lot, based mainly I think on how interested I was in practicing and not “goofing-off” too much in band practices. I hovered anywhere from 1st to 16th (yes, 16th) chair in the band. I struggled a lot with my playing and worked very hard to achieve any progress – and the more teachers I had, the more my head got filled with different “theories” about the lips, the embouchure, the diaphragm, etc. About the age of 15 or 16 was when I decided I wanted to play trumpet professionally. And eventually, I was blessed with the opportunity to study with Claude Gordon. I practiced what he told me to – sometimes up to 5 or 6 hours a day, and I got better and better. It took years. As a result of learning and applying the knowledge of “WHAT TO PRACTICE, HOW TO PRACTICE, AND WHEN TO PRACTICE”, I am a successful professional 1st trumpet player today.

If I could do it, any fairly normal person can do it.

Sincerely,

John Mohan
_________________
Trumpet Player, Clinician & Teacher
1st Trpt for Cats, Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Evita, Hunchback of Notre Dame,
Grease, The Producers, Addams Family, In the Heights, etc.
Ex LA Studio Musician
16 Year Claude Gordon Student

[redface]

Fantastic post - not only is it well founded it is also inspirational! I am just about to start my first session of the day from the Claude Gordon SA, and to read a post like this gives me lots of enthusiasm about doing a solid, structured days practice.

Thanks John!

[trickg]

John,

This is a great post, although I'm sure that for every Doc, Rafael or Claude that worked hard to achieve success, there are others that may work just as hard, yet not see the same results because for whatever reason, the natural ability, be it muscular, physical or the ability to comprehend and apply theory into practice, just isn't there. They were talented and had a great work ethic and the combination of the two is what really spelled success for them. Just my humble opinion of course.

In some ways it is frustrating for me as a player now because when I had the time to practice and really work on the horn, I didn't because I just wasn't as goal oriented at the time. Now I am older, maybe a bit wiser about what it takes to succeed with the horn, I am saddled down with an IT career, a wife, two kids that adore their father and want to spend time with him (still haven't figured that one out. ) a house etc, without a lot of sacrifice, I only have time for maintenance practice so that I don't lose the abilities I currently have.

If I had a do-over for my HS years, I would really change a lot of things about how I approached the horn back then. With a lot of hard work and the little bit of natural ability I possess, I would have gone a lot farther with it.
_________________
Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
- Brasspire Unicorn C
- ACB Doubler

"95% of the average 'weekend warrior's' problems will be solved by an additional 30 minutes of insightful practice." - PLP

[comebackkid]

Trickg,

I think there is some truth to what you say. What Is unfortunate, though, is for every Doc, there are probably many players that COULD have been as good if they DID practice as much. I wonder how many of us fall into THAT category! Lets not let someone elses "gift" excuse us from working hard. If we made the same level of committment, and worked as long and hard as Wynton, Doc, Arturo etc., certainly some of us would have the great fortune of being called "gifted."

That being said, I think I'll go shed!

Ed

[kzem]

I really enjoyed your post, John. I also found it inspirational. I would like to add however, the importance of a teacher (at least for the majority of us).

When I was in high school, I always wanted to be the best player I could be, and I thought that meant just putting in as much time as possible on the horn. At the contest festivals, I'd always meet other players that were much more mature in ability that I knew didn't practice as much as I did. But I wasn't considering the "How, What and When" aspects. I would just drill the material for the district and state auditions over and over. I did fairly well, but I know that I could have made HUGE improvements if I was studying with a Claude Gordon, or other very knowledgeable and helpful guide.

Kurt Z

[mustbflat]

TrickG.

You just spelled out my whole situation. I thought I was reading my own bio!

If I could turn back the clocks, knowing what I know now (has that ever been said before) I'd have worked much harder on the trumpet. Now, some 20+ years later, I'm trying to get caught up to where I should have been.

Oh well! My philosophy is that it's NEVER too late!

[trickg]

mustbflat,

I know what you mean about how it is never too late. That is the reason that I am here on the forum discussing, reading and learning things regarding the 'how' of trumpet playing. It is certainly much more than putting the horn to your face and blowing.

I'm still growing as a musician but not nearly as quickly as I did in those 4 years of HS and I really wasn't even practicing the right stuff. But I have to keep going. For me there really is no other choice.
_________________
Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
- Brasspire Unicorn C
- ACB Doubler

"95% of the average 'weekend warrior's' problems will be solved by an additional 30 minutes of insightful practice." - PLP

[Still Trying]

I've really enjoyed these posts, maybe because I can relate to the years of either wasted practice time, or inefficient practice time. In my case it was inefficient practice time. I was one of those guys who practiced by the hour and everyday. I couldn't go to sleep at night if I had missed practicing that day. My sisters had to learn to go to sleep anyway, even if I was playing trumpet at midnight, because I couldn't go to bed, if I didn't. But for the most part it was just spinning my wheels, because I hadn't been taught "what, when, and how".

That having been said, I still think some people have more inherent ability than others. Does that really matter? I don't think it is important in the long run. The tortoise and the hare were capable of finishing the race. It's just that one could get there a little (lot) faster. So, if you're the tortoise, if your goal is to beat the rabbit, you may have a problem. But if your goal is to finish the race, see, it puts a whole different perspective on things.

I think that sometimes those of us who don't play well enough to compete with Doc loose our perspective. I play because I love to play. I don't play to keep my kids in school and a roof over my head. I can't play as well as John, and I know that without ever having heard him play. But I DON'T NEED to play as well as John. All I need to be able to do is not embarrass myself at the community band I play in, or in the occasional church solo, etc. In short all I have to be able to do is play well enough to cover my playing situations. And my playing situations don't require me to play like Doc. In the meantime I can and do enjoy playing as much as John. I just can't play as long, as high, or as fast. But like I said-I don't have to.

I have very limited practice time. I'm a lot older than when I had unlimited practice time. I'm not an idiot. I know I'll never try out for first chair in the Chicago Symphony. But I still play my horn everyday-even if all I can do is 30 minutes. I still set goals. And I intend to keep playing and trying to improve as long as God gives me the ability to hold a horn. Thank God, trumpet playing is not just restricted to the exceptionally gifted. And also, if we all played like Doc, we'd still have day jobs, because there's not enough trumpet gigs to support everybody who toots on a horn.

_________________
S. T.

What do we have that we did not receive, and if we received it, why do we glory, as if we received it not?

[ This Message was edited by: Still Trying on 2002-08-28 16:24 ]

[Greatest Trumpeter]

It's conforting to know that even the greats had their share of problems. I remember when my dad was trying to teach me the play "music" on the trumpet (like 4 yrs old), all I wanted was to make some noise. And when I started playing in school I would practice mabey 15 to 30 mins a day. My, how things have changed! And I'd have to agree that you're not born great, even though you can be "above average", it takes work and dedication.

_________________
SCHILKE
"O Music, sphere-descended maid
Friend of pleasure, wisdom's aid" -William Collins

"So live that you can look any man in the eye and tell him to go to hell." -Anon

[ This Message was edited by: Greatest Trumpeter on 2002-08-29 00:20 ]

[PC]

Hello,

Great posts everybody. I just wanted to write that for us mortals it is very important to have the greats such as Doc and company.

I know that hearing a great do something incredible on trumpet motivates me to push harder in practice, however limited time I can devote to my horn. Hearing a great trumpeter miss a note or not being that great sometimes is as encouraging (even though this sounds a bit mean)! This ties in with the subject of this thread, that these guys are still human, no matter what their personal talent has to do in the final equation, they still have to woodshed like the rest of us (and more) to be able to be consistently at star level. And sometimes, human frailty kicks in and they miss a note!

Have a nice day all,
Pierre

[kzem]

I remember a story of a well respected violin player who was concertmaster of a major symphony. His former teacher came to a performance where Hefeitz (sp?) was guest soloist. The concertmaster said to his teacher, "You know I've worked extremely hard my entire life to achieve my success, but I am no where near the artist that Hefeitz is. His teacher said, "Maybe in your next life"

Kurt Z

[trjeam]

Great info john.
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Jorge Ayala Jr: Trumpeter/Producer
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[psalt]

To me, this debate seems to be about natural talent v's little or no natural talent. Range, sound, technique etc, aside, surely the significant difference is that talented players have something to say with the trumpet and non talented people have nothing to say.