confuoco

Please read the book Mastery by George Leonard.

pipedope

Each person has their own reasons fot what they do and each responds to different motivation.

I find that for me a mix of serious practice work on fundamental skills is key to improving my ability to get the sound I want through the horn.
A steady diet of fundamentals is not very sustaining. "Man does not live by bread lone."
Daily playing of fun music from any and every source adds balance and is just plain FUN.

It can be a real kick when you play something that everyone in the house knows, names the tune and says, "cool."

As for the jazz, fun stuff and lots to learn and do. It is a journey that can last a lifetime and be interesting, new and exciting each and every day.

Start with the free handbook from Jamey Aebersold;

Jazz Handbook: Jazzbooks.com

Tons of great info and direction in a small package.
They seem to add the printed handbook to any order and it is handy to carry it around and refer to any time and every chance. I learn something each time I open it up and read.

Now for a really great item. On another forum a gentleman wrote a long series on learning jazz improv and it is fantastic. It is designed to get you started and keep you progressing as long as you do the study and playing.
Forum: trumpetherald.com

I saved the whole thing to my computer and made a printed copy. It is very large but the info is priceless.

WARNING!!!!
These things are mountains of information and can be intimidating.
Think of the ant eating the elephant, ONE BITE AT A TIME!

Lots of the material may be over your head now but it is never too early to start. The sooner and better you learn the scales and chords the better and it is easy to do over a few months.


Remember to listen to music every day. ALL kinds of music!
It is good to know and understand all kinds of music and it is KEY to find what music grabs you and won't let go.
The music that may fill you life with joy and purpose may be something you have not even heard yet.

PLEASE ... KEEP YOUR EARS OPEN

Have fun and take plenty of breaks.
Ride a bike, play a game, whatever, anytime you feel you are hitting a wall trying to understand or play something.
A short break will give you time to recharge yourself and you brain time to process what you have been stuffing in.
Often, after 20 minutes or overnight break something that seemed impossible becomes easy.

You can always say, "I am rounding out my education with something different now" instead of, "I quit."

__________________
No substitute for music through the horn.

Richard Oliver

A ton of usable truth here JK. Good luck!

ccNochops

JK,
I played for 12 years and put the horn down for 28 years, I also regret that decision. Now, I'm struggling to regain what I once had, with not enough years left in my life to do it. Don't quit, play the horn for you, it will come soon enough, 2 years isn't long enough to judge yourself against others. Leave that to me, I'm judging myself against myself, a battle, I'll never win.....hang tough trumpeter, you're one of us........chuck

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"I don't take my music lightly, I want it crushed by the horn section."

gglassmeyer

Don't give up!
I remember joining my community concert band back in the early '90s after 10 years without playing in a group. I remember the band played Leroy Anderson's Buglers Holiday and the three soloists blazed away out front. I thought "I'd never be able to do that". Well, each year I got better at sight reading, my endurance increased, due to some folks leaving band I gradually took on more difficult parts, started playing some small solos..... In a few years I was up there as one of the soloist wishing the band wasn't dragging down the tempo..

I routinely hear music on the local classical station that are exact arrangements that our band has played and take great satisfaction in knowing that I can do that. Our band will never sound as good as a professional group, but we're not bad for a group of amatuers.

Mount Community Concert Band, Cincinnati, OH (The College of Mount St. Joseph)

Good luck and keep playing.

Much like my experience with hearing Buglers Holiday, I look to that experience when I hear how awesome Wynton, Aurturo, <insert any great pro player's name here> play the trumpet. I know that if I spent the time practicing that I could achieve great things. Too bad I have to be a computer programmer to feed the kids.

__________________
Greg Glassmeyer

veery715

To JK and ccNochops:

It's not whether you win, but how you play the game. This applies in the pursuit of music as well as in sports. The chase IS what counts. Yes, you need goals - they glue together the focus and effort of developing. But if you can find pleasure in the process, then you will be happy no matter how long it takes.
To imagine there isn't enough time remaining, or that you aren't up to the challenge the process affords, is to say to your creator: "In me you made a faulty being." Really, it takes a whole lot of nerve to criticize your maker. We are miraculous creatures, each and every one of us. So don't be the person who sells you short, who puts you down, who finds in you so much fault. Be, instead, your biggest fan, your kindest supporter, your best friend. Love yourself and nothing will stop you; no achievement will be beyond reach.

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Music = Love