Why lessons?

[percivalthehappyboy]

I played trumpet in grade school, and then just picked it up again after many, many years. Not with any specific goal in mind, I just felt like tootling. On a budget.

And I was just reading recommendations to another reader for lessons, lessons, lessons. So now I'm wondering why, why, why? What sorts of things would a skilled teacher teach? How much of it can be gotten from books?

[pepperdean]

To give you a quick answer, a skilled teacher will know which material suits your desire and level of performance and will show you how to apply them to reach your goals. There is huge amount of material available in print and on the internet. The question is what should you use and how should you use it. The teacher can also monitor your progress and make adjustments as needed.

Just like medicine. If you were ill, wouldn't it be nice to have a skilled physician examine you in person and prescribe the proper medication and proper dosage.

Alan

[cheiden]

It's my opinion that the trumpet isn't always an intuitive endevour. With a teacher you reduce the chances that you will start down an unproductive path that could take years (and lots of cussing) to come back from.
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[Ed Kennedy]

To develop good habits now. Bad habits are much harder to change than developing good habits in the first place. It's not unlike golf or tennis in that respect. A few lessons to get you started and you will play better, faster and enjoy it more.

[plp]

Record yourself. If you are satisfied with what you hear on playback, charge on and don't give another thought to lessons.

If you are like most of us, what you hear recorded is not always what you think is coming out of the bell. I think there is a certain projected bias that makes us sound better in our heads than what we are actually producing.

Lessons help bridge the gap between what we want to produce, and what we actually produce.
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Since all other motives—fame, money, power, even honor—are thrown out the window the moment I pick up that instrument..... I play because I love doing it, even when the results are disappointing. In short, I do it to do it.” Wayne Booth

[Craig Swartz]

After reading your second sentence, I figure right now you don't really need lessons. A lot of people have a piano in the house and go to it occasionally and pick out one line melodies for their own enjoyment. They never learned to use 2 hands, let alone chord or harmonize with one, but as long as they're happy and the box isn't taking up too much space, what's the dif? It's a form of entertainment.

If your second sentence ever changes, you might then also begin to see the need for a mentor if you are unable to attain them yourself. Good luck. Don't worry about it. Have fun playing your horn first and if/when you need to expand to keep having fun, you'll know.

[percivalthehappyboy]

Thanks, Craig, and to the rest.

It's true that I don't anticipate performing, or really ever needing to play *at all*. And I'm money-sensitive. (I was hoping library books could take me far enough.) But it's also true that you enjoy something more when you're good at it. And I have friends who sometimes pull out the congas and guitars and just dink around, it would be nice to sound good for something like that. (Which brings up other matters-- it seems like a drummer can pound out a pattern indefinitely until he wants to change it, guitars can play rhythm, but trumpets are more of a melody thing and shouldn't spend too much time just going up and down a chord or two...)

Well, I did a little poking around, found a few places in my area that offer lessons for instruments that aren't trumpets. I'm sure I can find something if I try. I'll keep it in mind.

Just to tide me over for now, what kinds of pitfalls and bad habits should I watch out for?

[johnnyjazz]

Even the best players take lessons. You don't have to do for an extended period of time if finances are a concern. It is important, however, to get off on the right foot (or lip as the case may be). Take a few lessons from a qualified teacher to get you going in the right direction. You will get further ahead a lot faster and you will avoid some bad habits. Good luck.
John
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[Steve A]

[DaveH]

My initial answer would be blunt - to learn to play the instrument. But, it could also depend on your aspirations.

If they are limited and do not involve becoming anything more than a purely recreational player, and you have some innate musical talent, then lessons may be unnecessary.

However, if you aspire to any level of excellence and technical expertise beyond that, then lessons will be necessary to reach that level and succeed.

Many guitar players are self taught - even professionals. I know of few professional - or even amateur but technically excellent - trumpet players who are self taught.

[Steve A]

It occurs to me that if money is a big constraint for lessons, it might be worth your while to have a few lessons to get you rolling, then see if there's some kind of a community band you could join where you could learn from the other players in a more hands-on way.

(Assuming, of course, that's something that interests you.)

[differencetone]

It depends on your goals. For classical music, you need a teacher because it's important to blend in with the other musicians. A lot of this talk about "bad habits" is just a matter of opinion as there is no right or wrong way to play if it's working for you.

Now that I play trumpet, I listen to trumpet players in a different way and I can hear that some players sound unique in their tone and style. I certainly would resent someone telling me I'm doing it the wrong way. Jazz was meant to be fun but now that they institutionalized it, it's less so. The music geeks are holding it back.

[Jeff_Purtle]

Good teaching is a skill that is developed just like anything else. A good teacher is able to take his personal playing and teaching experiences and apply them to each unique student. At the same time he should have a clear understanding of priorities. Some of the wisdom as a teacher is knowing what things to not talk about in order to keep the student on track with the most important things.

If good teaching didn't require wisdom, you could just have a computer programmed to do it. It's an art form like music and takes creativity.

Good teaching can really be worth the money in the long run too. You will get more opportunities to play as your skill goes up. And, if you ever make money at playing or teaching you will see monetary return on your investment too. If that doesn't happen, you will at least get the best thing, which is more enjoyment from your playing.

Jeff
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[trumq]

[murph66]

I'm in my 70's, and the last lessons I took was in the 8th grade. So I decided to take some lessons last year. I didn't take that many, but the ones I took made a lot of difference in the way I practiced. I can tell a lot of progress in both range and endurance since applying the advice I got to practice. Since I had been playing for a long time, the man I took lessons from wasn't sure how much he could help me, but when we were through, I assured him he had helped me a lot. Often it doesn't take much to be put on the right path.

[percivalthehappyboy]

Well, I'm pretty well convinced by now that lessons are important. But now I'm afraid to pick the damned thing up until I get them!

[differencetone]

[jpellett]

[bobd0]

Delete

[connicalman]

Play. Its like introducing yourself to someone. You can follow all the conventions and learn all the social graces, but there's hardly any perfect way to break the ice. A teacher can help you to avoid the most obvious faux pas.

As a side note, this is why I begin with 5 minutes of the most basic first-year fundamentals each day. It is only too easy for yours truly to think myself into a bind, or act myself into a fix.

Yet play. Then when or if you feel you're ready, invest in a teacher.

Play what you hear in your head!
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