Many years ago I shared my view of old trumpet players with a friend after watching an elderly man struggle to play his part during one of our rehearsals. The thought of struggling to play a once easy passage deterred by advancing years concerned me.
Now I relish every opportunity to pucker and blow for not only are the hard notes easier but all aspects of playing are easier than they were twenty years ago.
What, you might ask, made the difference and I will explain in full detail……
As I got older, I got smarter!
As aspiring young musicians, we all begin taking lessons from more qualified musicians. Some teachers were helpful and some were a waste of time. Some were able to explain short cuts which changed a small problem into a “no problem”. An example was Don Jacoby’s explanation on how to do a shake. Some were psychological concepts to change ones thought process. A good example of this was my lesson with Arnold Jacobs when he told me to visualize myself playing the standard “Stardust” in a large dance hall. Some were easy to learn such as a lesson I had with Prof. John Beer at the University of Iowa where he showed me how to do an upper octave slur more easily. And some, because of the absurdity of the lessons, I learned that not every teacher is worth the spit coming out of my horn!
Now at my advancing age, I am able to spend more time and energy practicing and doing self-evaluations which are very telling. During my time attending North Texas State (University of North Texas to many of you younger musicians) I was diligently spending four to five hours every day practicing. The thought that “More is Better” rang through my ears at the time. If I had known then what I know now I could have spent my time more wisely. This is true for all of us but until we have been through it and are able to look back upon it, we are sometimes blinded to reality.
At this period in my life I am aware of many truths which I will share with you. Please notice that I said “at this time in my life” for the older I get, the more I realize that I am just scratching the surface of what constitutes the best way to play trumpet.
Listed below are a few areas a trumpet player should strive to improve-
Tone
Finger technique
Lip flexibility
Tonguing
Endurance
Range
Sight-reading
Intonation
Music styles
In our following posts we will address each of these topic and make recommendations as to how you can more efficiently practice and improve each area.
I agree is like in my country say ” más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo” i was wondering if you use our email address to send your articles, cause im very interested or notice us that theres a new one to check in your blog… Sorry my English sucks
Regards
Jhon
Bolivian trumpet player
The devil knows more for being old than for the devil “
Hmm. What’s left for the list of things not to concern yourself with?
Well stated. I share the same experience.
How do you do a shake? I should really like to know!
http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/shakes/