Trumpet method safari

[janet842]

I've been fielding many questions about why I'm selling off various trumpet methodology
books. Several people have emailed me, worried that they might not be heading the right
direction with their own progression as new players or as comeback players. As far as I'm
concerned, none of you are on the wrong track!

The questions sent me have come about because I've put the BE book and Gordon books
up for sale in the Marketplace. One book didn't make it, if you noticed. The one book that is
missing from the Gordon books on sale is: "Brass Playing is no Harder Than Deep
Breathing." I like what Gordon has to say about breathing, in fact, I think it's a truly great
approach to breath control. As far as why I am not keeping the other Gordon and BE books,
I took what I needed from these methods and moved back to the Stamp method that I consider
foundational to my own playing and my own personal preferences. I studied with Jimmie
Stamp for about 4 years and I really prefer that embouchure and method because it is
effective, fluid, and doesn't trash my chops. I've not been pushing for range on my comeback,
but I can hit the high C whenever I need to. With the Stamp method, I don't turn beet red and
am in no pain in any register. If I use too much pressure when trying to play high notes, they
are cut off. It's pretty much opposite to the normal tendency to tighten up, apply pressure, and
make other drastic changes to tongue level and breath control all for the sake of hitting high
notes. Playing is easier and more natural for me with this method - that's why I like Stamp.

Another question I've gotten is asking what etudes books people should use. Use what works
for you at the stage you are at that answers the needs that you have! The etude book that I
spend 95 percent of my time in is the Charlier 36 etudes. It covers such a wide variety of
technique that I don't spend much time in other stuff. I do have Arbans, which I used a lot at
the very beginning of my comeback to refine technique, and I still go back to it on occasion.
There's a lot of great stuff in that book. I also have the Clark Technical Studies, though I've
not used it much. Charlier keeps me happy.

When I started my comeback, I didn't start off with Stamp. I just figured "been there, done
that" and I decided to try a bunch of different stuff -- most of which I learned about via the
internet! The internet has incredibly broadened knowledge about trumpet playing. I wish it
had been around when I quit the trumpet years ago! Delving into several different methods
as I did wasn't a bad path to take, as I did learn something from all of them and the various
internet sites that I visited. I learned several things from Clint "Pops" McLaughlin's books
(which I will also put on Marketplace) and "Pops" web site. I learned from BE about my
particular lip shape and how roll-in helps with that. At one point towards the end of the first
month of my comeback, I learned that I was begining to use a double embouchure - one
setting for high range, one for low and I had to start all over so I lost a whole month! Talk
about frustrating! But that wasn't the only time I had to go back and start all over. I probably
made at least one embouchure change a month for the first 6-7 frustrating months of my
comeback. I learned that setting my embouchure for the G above the staff doesn't work for me.
The BE method reminded my that an embouchure is not meant to be static, but dynamic -
never held in one position where you have to rely on tongue arch and pressure alone to change
pitch! I learned from the Farkas book that I don't want to go there. Ever. (Anybody need a
mint condition Farkas book?)

I think there is a lot to be said for trying out all kinds of different methods. Each method is
different in how it approachs the art of trumpet playing. With so many methods, and so many
different people playing the trumpet, every person out there can find something that works for
them - so I see experimenting as pretty much a neccessity! Each method I tried filled in a little
bit of the picture and switching methods and embouchures as often as I did very likely sped up
my comeback. It was a very evolutionary process, and I wound up back with the Jimmie Stamp
method when I picked up one of those awful double buzz things. That, too, I see as just
another part of the comeback process because, in just a few months, I covered ground that took
me years from starting trumpet at 11 years old. And I have to say that I sounded just about as
horrible a year ago as I did as a rank beginner who had the unfortunate luck to begin trumpet
under a band instructor who was a flute player!

To address range questions: a year ago I was lucky to hit the first G above the staff. It took
me at least a month to produce a decent buzz and full, rich tone - and my embouchure was
completely exhausted after only 15-20 minutes! A shock when I once practiced four hours a
day! For those who are struggling with developing range: please don't be impatient about
developing range, everything comes with time! Some people get their range back quickly
(according to what they write on TH, anyway). I have to wonder if that is by neglecting tone,
air, and technique. It's one thing to screech out some very high notes, another thing altogether
to play trumpet beautifully at all times. I opt for beautifully, even for something so simple as a
scale! Range always naturally increases with a good technical foundation.

Lastly, I don't know what to think about all those people who say I'm such a great player -
I don't think that I am. I've got a long way to go to get back to where I was - if that is at all
possible and I don't see that it really is. Age is the enemy. I recently took a piccolo trumpet
down to a repair guy in Colorado Springs that plays the pic amazingly well and found myself
very intimidated by _his_ ability! I guess intimidation is all relative! I don't know how far along
I will actually get in my comeback and I really don't care who plays how well and what my
friends and I sound like as we muck through some ensemble music. I'm just back in it for love
of the trumpet, for having fun playing, and I really appreciate the trumpet playing friends that
I have gained since picking up the trumpet again. You can never have too many friends!

Janet

[shastastan]

Many thanks for those very wise words, Janet. You are way ahead of where I may ever be but I'm having lots of fun playing in 3 groups.

I have been going through the method books as well. My mistake, if you can call it that, is listening to so many different people and buying all those different method books. Like horns and mps, I guess there's no other way to find out what works best for you other than to try them (method books). It was interesting to me to read your comments about your method book safari as I thought of my own search.

I found that I really like Schlossberg and Hickman's Clarke consolidation book. I too have BE and Gordon's Systematic Approach and Daily Routines-both of which I've stopped using and Irons which I've never used. I know absolutely nothing about Stamp. My teacher has given me a practice plan (not BE) which I'm just going to follow for now. At age 66 and back on the horn after being off for 50 years, I have no great ambitions other than to have fun playing. I play a lot at church services and functions and am thankful to God for the opportunity to play and enjoy.

Best wishes to you Janet in your Comeback.

Stan

[camelbrass]

Great post Janet,

Use what YOU need and discard the rest. I think, though, that you have to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water and come up with a Frankenstein. There may be a tendency to pick bits from this method and bits from that, without really knowing what we're doing (at my modest level of experience anyway). Balance is paramount..if we try and customize we may end up doing more harm to our playing than good. All of us have a different approach to playing and are spoilt for choice, sometimes too spoilt.

I've settled into Caruso, it suits me, and it's now just part of what I do when I practice...like putting the mouthpiece into the horn before playing. Range with good sound comes as bi-product of strong fundamentals, I'm happy with that as a concept.

Regards,


Trevor

[Rich G]

Great post Janet. It's refreshing to hear someone who uses her own judgement, and has the confidence to trust it. My comeback after 25 years off has been disrupted by the confusion (and conflicts) of methodologies discussed on TH and other trumpet forums.

I have discovered that no one method has all the answers. The time I spent on some methodolo0gies was almost a total waste for me. Pedal tones don't do anything for me, and never will. I've discovered I'm not alone in that regard. Long warmups (beyond 5 minutes) are also a total waste for me, I'd rather spend more time at the end of practice on warmdowns - where the benefits have been more apparent to me the next day.

I learned to borrow what works for me with particular methods and to avoid what didn't.

Everyone should learn to use their own judgement and avoid the dogmatists who insist you must adopt a particular master's approach from A - Z.

After awhile, I was saying to myself, when do I get to just put the horn up to my chops and play?

The answer was, when I freed myself from approaches that didn't work for me.

[lh]

This is great! Thank you for starting this thread. I laid off for 17 years before returning 2 1/2 years ago.

1. What methodology works best for each of us is often different at different times in our physical and musical development.

2. What mouthpiece and horn combination works best for each individual is often different at different times in our physical and musical development.

During my comeback I have found myself responsive to deliberate changes in mouthpiece characteristics as different aspects of my playing gradually improved. Likewise, at different points in my development, I have been especially responsive to elements of specific methods, and I continue to be in different ways as I progress.

Although I'm a dyed in the wool CG guy, I returned to the trumpet without either time or stamina to resume a full CG routine. If that was my only choice at that point, I would not have been able to come back at all. I have been very happy with my improvements from focusing on several bits of indirect methods during the past couple years, including elements of methods by Caruso, Thompson, and most recently, Smiley.

Different aspects of my playing have been returning at different rates, even different than I expected. I have been acting primarily as my own fundamentals teacher, seeking out the likes of Pat Harbison, Steve Waterman, and Rex Richardson for jazz-based instruction whenever possible. As I have made progress with fundamentals, I have become more able to do more of my familiar CG routines, so I have regularly included more of these, as I enjoy the consistency in all aspects of playing that they give me.

Yet, the main reason that I stopped playing was a significant chops injury, so now I have been striving to develop aperture control and efficiency as much as I can from the additional exercises. I don't really need to know which exercises do what exactly, but the progress is evident anyway. In fact, maybe it's better that I don't know what is causing what. I spend too much time doing that in the rest of my life, and I find I can stay relaxed and centered (and not get hung up on which routine does what) while becoming a vehicle for music making instead of an analyzer of instrument acoustics and a critic of methodologies.

When doing the Gordon routines, I don't concern myself with what the tongue does when I play. I simply watch the tongue, and I do the exercises. You don't need to think the same things as everyone else while you practice, you just need to practice. Don't get hung up on science, dogma, or methodology. Decide what works well for you, do it, and when it doesn't help as much as it did before, maybe you are ready for a bit of something else. My SA, Irons and Clarke will always remain more dog-eared than any of the other methods, but sensible application of specific tools from other established, effective methods can restore balance quickly to a one's own unique skill package.

FWIW
_________________
Eclipse Enigma Bb trumpet 2011
Olds Super Bb trumpet 1958
Eclipse Red Flugelhorn 2011
Selmer Paris model 59 Piccolo 1977
Conn New Invention Cornet 1913

[shastastan]

I forgot to mention that a friend recommended that I get the Chuck Findley book. It's not really a method but explains alot about slotting, etc. are really great. It's easy reading and I've been reading it once a week hopefully to get the stuff to soak in. Also, I'm just starting the Phil Smith concert studies, which I'm sure I'll be working on for a very long time.

Stan

[Cheng]

It was not until I started private lessons 2 1/2 years ago did I start making any progress. I now have a wide variety of method books and I use parts of all of them in my daily practice.

Schlossberg, Clark, Arban, Concone, and Getchell are the main ones. I also use the Colin Flexibilities and the Chincowicz flow studies.

Having a directed routine is what has done the most for me. I struggled for 8 years in my comeback but I was getting nowhere.

I also find that mixing up the exercises keeps me from getting stale in my practice routine.

Each practice session I work on flexibility, sound/relaxation, finger/articulation, musical application-lyrical, musical application-tonguing, dtransposition, facility/endurance, flexibility/speed, fingers/speed, intervals, scales, chords, double tonguing, triple tonguing.

The model for this is 1.5 hours a day. I have the time to do this between the time I get home from work until my wife gets home. If I can, I will add more time.

My comeback has also been aided by playing in the Wind Ensemble and other groups. These groups give me added incentive to practice. I don't want to disgrace myself in a performance.

When I started lessons I could barely make it through a 30 minute practice. Now I can do 2 1/2 hours. Not playing all the time but with rest periods in which I like to listen to the music I will perform and follow on the part. I also listen to different players and orchestras to get a different concepts of sound.

Above all, I have fun. If I didn't, I would stop and do something else.
_________________
Harry Marks
Yamaha 6345HSII;Yamaha 6445HGSII, Schilke E3L, Flugel Kanstul ZKF-1525;
Cornet Conn Connstellation (1967);
Piccolo Kanstul ZKT 1520
Mouthpieces Various Monette Prana 2's
Santa Rosa Wind Symphony
SRJC Orchestra