pops

This bad days thread has several related parts including embouchure, pressure, working on range, and normal off days.

If your lips feel sore or tired the next day then you bruised them and there is some swelling present. That kind of soreness can only come from excessive mouthpiece pressure. What is normal and acceptable mouthpiece pressure for compressed lips (cushioned) is too much for flattened chops. You would be amazed at how many players set their chops and then unset (thin the lips and spread the embouchure) as they take a breath.


I would say that if you bruise your lips on a daily basis then the setting is spread. You can only play when mouthpiece pressure flattens them enough so that they are touching. Also I've seen many players start a session right and distort the lips as they breathe.


Others have bad days because they learned to rely on the swelling to FORM the embouchure. This is different in that they tend to learn a setup. If I play this long then tomorrow will be good. There is a window of work because a certain amount of swelling is needed to play. They usually have a lip flap or mouthpiece ring that they need to keep pumped in order to play. A really hard day hurts their playing for a couple of days. However a couple of days off and they are at a loss to play also.


Let me assure you that a properly trained and formed embouchure requires NO set routine. It is nice to have a warmup but you should be able to play with no ill effects without one. Also taking a day or two off should only affect your sound for a couple of minutes at your next playing session. And playing a really hard day should be taken care of by a warm down that day. The next day should not suffer at all.



Working past a bad day. A bad day is mental part of the time and the other times it is due to strain a day or two before. They are both cured the same way. Play a second line g over and over until it sounds good. Then play a simple melody. Mary had a little lamb would do. Play this over until the tone phrasing and tonguing are right. Play a c scale tongue each note 4 times. Do the scale until it is right.

Why so simple a workout over and over. Because IT IS MENTAL. Use your head to think about playing without worrying about notes. As 'Jake' used to say 'Where's your head?'

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"30 Minutes A Day to Better Playing", "Book of Embouchure Pictures". Plus my other 8 books at http://www.BbTrumpet.com & http://www.TrumpetCollege.com
Pops

It is the Smart application of hard work that gets you there.

B15M

When I was a full time trumpet player I don't remember having bad days.

When I got a different job and couldn't practice as much the bad day thing started.

Now when I have a bad day I just play what I can. I try not to push. The next day I'm fine.

trmptr

I seem to remember in a lesson with Tony Plog that he said he rarely has GOOD days. (This was in response to me complaining about my chops.) He told me you have to learn to play with consistency, so that you don't have bad days - or even particularly good days. You should get to the point where your "bad" days are still good enough to sound great, and your "good" days aren't noticeably better than your "bad" days. Consistency is the key.

Del Lyren

dbacon

Excellent point, and thanks for sharing that idea. I remember asking Tony after one of those killer Summit Brass gigs how his chops were holding up, and he said "I was just making it through that last piece." He was playing first and I thought he sounded incredible!! A great player sounds great no matter how they might feel, and no one on the outside really knows if they are right on the edge or not.

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Dave Bacon

djm6701

For me, I'm going to agree with Dave Bacon's first post in the thread, regarding focus. If I am having a bad day, it is invariably because I cannot concentrate very well at that moment and cannot clearly focus on the sound of what I am trying to produce. I don't seem to have bad days caused by anything else. YMMV.

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Dave M.
Richmond Hill (Toronto), Ontario, CANADA

Kanstul WB1600
1952 L.A. Olds Recording, 1975 L.A. Benge 3x, Yamaha 631 Flugel, Olds Flugel

GR 65.6 Mouthpieces

timcates

the older I get, the more I've come to appreciate Bernie Glow's statement that he felt fortunate if he had three days in a month when his chops felt good - TC

trmptr

And I think that holds true for anybody. Good chop days are few and far between. Work to make the bad chop days sound good - even though it doesn't feel good.

dbacon

I remember Mr. Jacobs saying his chops hadn't felt good in months.

He sounded like the worlds greatest brass player.

He practiced like one as well. I got to the studio early once, he was down at that Greek restaurant so I went up. His tape deck was on, so of course I re-wound his practice session. Schlossberg 97 and 98 in several keys, just fast, clear, flawless.....one cuss word or two at one point...octave leaps perfectly in tune, light as could be...one breath....time to practice!!

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Dave Bacon

trmptr

And didn't Jacobs only have one lung?

djm6701

If I recall correctly, Mr. Jacobs had full use of one lung and partial use of the other. I think the one lung story is a myth. The end result was still that he had reduced capacity, therefore needing to breath more frequently ('a shorter bow').

Back on topic, I think Ghitalla once said if he only played when his chops felt good, he would have only played once every two weeks.

__________________
Dave M.
Richmond Hill (Toronto), Ontario, CANADA

Kanstul WB1600
1952 L.A. Olds Recording, 1975 L.A. Benge 3x, Yamaha 631 Flugel, Olds Flugel

GR 65.6 Mouthpieces