dmh737

The best advise I received was in high school. I was trying to do my "Maynard" thing on a solo. It was actually rediculous. My instructor told me this. "It doesn't matter how high you can play. It doesn't matter how fast you can play. What matters is your sound. If you only have one note in a solo, make it the biggest, richest, sound ever. Concentrate on your sound." 15 years later that statement still keeps me grounded.

Mark Bradley

From the excellent Stan Kessler: "When you're playing a solo don't worry about trying to sound like Freddie Hubbard. Just try not to suck."

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TheLawTalkingGuy

Hopefuly this isn't too repetitive, but one of my early private teachers told me always to think/play musically, and never to just pick up the horn and blow. Kind of a variation on "Play music, not notes" or "Never practice, always perform" (Bud Herseth?)

The other advice (same teacher) was to listen to other great trumpet players I admired, and try to hear that sound in my head whenever playing. Worked for me. I'll never be a pro, and I lack much technically, but I am always conscious of my sound quality whenever I play.

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John Underhill

Grav

To Trumpetdiva,
Thanks for checking out my post. Those 2 words have stayed with me through the years and will continue to hang with me until the end I suppose. When you humble yourself to the music and the cats around you who are playing it, you can't help but grow as a musician and more importantly , in my humble opinion (no pun intended), as a person. And isn't that what it's all about? In striving for this we do indeed live our lives to the fullest.
I lived in NYC (Brooklyn in fact) for 16 years and was extremely fortunate to do some good things musically. I'm sure you've had this experience as well--- suddenly you find yourself playing with cats you've respected and admired for a long time, and when you introduce yourself to her or him, it's like you've known each other for years. These great players are also in fact humble and make you feel so at ease and welcome in their scene. That, for me at least, is as deep as it gets.

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Andy Gravish -- Eclipse Artist

Eclipse XLR Scratch Gold
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some Bachs
some Committees
some Constellations
a Callicchio and a Silver Flair somewhere

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"I started writing a book about my life but had to put it down when I realized that nobody would believe it." --- Chet Baker

Walter

Hi Jason

I have just revisited this thread and saw your post.....some really good advise!!..thank you for sharing it....

Walter

Makke

One of my instructors always says before I'm soloing: "Relax and have fun... you ass". Always works for me :)

LarryP

For auditions: I found this advice to be very calming on the mind. It is still a work in progress trying to internalize this message, but I do my best....

The audition committee WANTS to hear great playing. They want YOU to be one of those special players who makes listening a pleasure and whom they can imagine as an asset to their group. They do not want to sit there and hear you make the same mistakes everyone else is making. No matter how mean and dour the committee looks or sounds, they are rooting for you until you give them reason to think otherwise.

As corrollary of this idea...if you play with great tone and musical integrity, a missed note or articulation is not fatal to your audition. Establish yourself as a true musician and they are more likely to grant leniency for 'technical' mistakes.

Tom Mac

I'm not sure if 2 pieces of advice can ever be a "best" but since I can't decide which, you get both.

Neither were given by trumpet players but both given by excellent musicians.

In college I was playing the principle chair for the opera Hansel and Grettel (It's hard enough spelling Grettle I'm not going to try Humperwhatsit). The oveture has that little exposed call that begins on a Concert E. I was playing a Bach Bb that had a rather small f# and was worried sick about blowing the call. I had problems in rehearsal and the conductor was getting impatient. I was starting to loose sleep. One evening after rehearsal I was having a few drops with the principle celloist, a Ph.D. Candidate. I confessed the problem I was having and he said, "No problem." His advice was to practice the first note. Play it over and over. Always play it in tempo w/ a metrenome. Play it with and without tongue. Play it until I could hear, feel and taste it. Then, he said on opening night, "concentrate on hitting just that first note." I followed his advice and the rest of the call literally fell out of the trumpet. Now I think "first note first." It also helps calm the jitters.

The second also came in college. I spent 4 years trying to pass piano competency and graduation was nearing. My piano teacher finally looked at me, as I failed for the 5th time, and said, "don't be overwhelmed by the immensity of the task!!" I passed the 6th time.

T Mac

Richard Oliver

Tom, that one is a keeper. I'm will put it to good effect!

And as far as spelling goes: Hänsel und Gretel is an opera by Engelbert Humperdinck (Humperdinck himself described it as a fairy opera.) The libretto was written by Adelheid Wette (Humperdinck's sister), based on the Grimms' Hansel and Gretel. It was first performed in Weimar on December 23, 1893.

I couldn't resist.

eklobas

The quote i still remember after 30+ years, "Anyone can play the notes, but it takes a musician to play the rests".