rowuk

I practice this stuff at home with a breath attack. If my air can support it without the tongue helping, it almost never goes sour in concert - the tongue just adds a little security when other people are listening.
Make sure the pitch is in your head first - pop the mouthpiece when pushing down 23 for a G# if you are in doubt.

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Mzony

So I'm curious...We all work with conductors who might have better careers as interior decorators...
I recently had an experience playing Brahms' first and when it came to the sounding E's in the second movement...the conductor played hide the beat on us. It was really annoying because those E's are really exposed and soft...and we all know this feeling.
I'm all for the timed breath...and Jim's advice is new to me...I must try it. However, how do you guys prepare for the floating beat, the arhythmical conductor, or to a fun game of hide the beat? How can we better prepare for that?

Mike

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Zony

ecarroll

Mike,

Have you tried timing your breath (breathe in time -- play in time), practicing your breath attacks (always good), closing your eyes and thinking of England? (effective at times unless you're driving).

I used to do this all the time in Rotterdam. It didn't always work but I did get a job in London afterwards.

Aloha,
EC

wiseone2

In Philly, the concertmaster sometimes was the guy to watch. Ormandy was a great knuckleball pitcher. The sneak attack was perfected in Philadelphia
Sometimes you had to catch the beat on the rebound.....the second button of his vest.
Wilmer

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Be sure Brain is engaged before putting Mouthpiece in gear.
S.Suark 1951

Rgale

Thank you for a good laugh! Just wanted to say thanks - what fun to see these fine players discussing this .
I've also suffered for this reason, the beat that stops and starts again-'playus interruptus'. Sometimes you play and pray at the same time.

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Listen to your inner voice before it says ,"I told you so".

MrClean

Trust the force, Luke....

trumpjosh

You need a new horn and a new mouthpiece, of course. Sheesh!

Heh. In all seriousness, one thing you might try is getting a piece of foam to put on your stand, get your bell pointed a bit into it, and play the note a bit stronger. This trick has saved my butt numerous times in the past. There are lots of ways to approach this sort of thing, but I thought I'd share another.

Good luck.

rowuk

I learned in the army band that the first trumpet was always responsible for (re)establishing the beat - especially after rests.

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Mzony

Yeah,
Always...The problem is, what if what you are looking at, hearing doesn't resemble anything metronomic...In other words: When the conductor is trying to make a phrase, and rubato becomes gellato...someone, somehow, is supposed to play a perfectly soft attack and make everything make sense somewhere. When the conductor is stretching that beat to its unlogical conclusion, how do you work on entering in that scenario?
BTW: My temporary answer for that particular Brahms concert was to breath attack the E's. It was the only way I knew I could make it work right...Not my favorite of solutions. But it has made me think about how I might prepare for such fine moments in my daily reigiment.
OK...back to my practice hole.
Z

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Zony

ecarroll

Mike,

You're in Hawaii. It's not Hoboken.

Get out of your "practice hole", smell the ocean breezes, and eat a roast pig.

(can go on and on, but we have)

Happy Thanksgiving to the host and everyone on this forum,
EC