tpter1

I'm relieved that I didn't offend you.

If I had a nickel for everytime I got frustrated by something in the practice room, well, I'd have enough to buy a Monette. No, 4 Monettes. Scratch that. The company. My stand has had a few choice profanites flung at it more than once in a while. The root of my frustration: I refuse to accept that I'm as good as I'm going to get; I refuse to take the easy route and give up to play Hot Cross Buns on clarinet or with my bands; I refuse to believe that... well... read my signature.

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-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting

old geezer

my 2 biggest problems are (a) if I get a rhythm wrong it seems like it sticks in my head and I have one heck of a time trying to play it correctly (b) I am my own worst critic and put too much pressure on my self. I took one lesson from a grad. student from I.U. and a long time student of Bill Adam and his responce after the 90 minute lesson was to keep my money and get my head on right "you don't need trumpet lessons, you need more confidence in your self" I don't know if he was blowing me off or if he trulely ment what he said. old geezer Dave

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cornetguy

[(b) I am my own worst critic and put too much pressure on my self. ... "you don't need trumpet lessons, you need more confidence in your self" I don't know if he was blowing me off or if he trulely ment what he said. old geezer Dave[/quote]

I forgot that part. I have little to no confidence in myself either, my friends all think I play really well, should join the union etc. but...
Have been working on this (among other issues) with my counselor.

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Per aspera ad astra

trickg

Weakest areas of my playing? Where do I begin?

First of all, I'm glad I'm not the only one that has problems with my third finger.

Range/endurance - These are the banes of my existance as a trumpet player and if I'm not constantly putting in a solid chunk of my evening on a consistent basis practicing, I can really tell it on the gig. Range has never been especially good, (about a D-Eb above high C on the gig) which compounds the endurance issue.

Technique/consistency - again, this is one area that has never just come to me and I struggle to get things really tight and clean, and even if I do, consistency has always been an issue for me, although I must say that with my updated and hotrodded equipment setup, it seems to be less of an issue.

Sight reading - I've never been particularly good at reading and counting - it waxes and wanes depending on just how much of it I'm doing.

So, basically, the whole horn except for sound, which has always been my strength. I've never really had to work on my sound and I feel very fortunate in that regard.

Good subject, good thread!

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Patrick Gleason
email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com

"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
"At my signal, unleash hell."
- Maximus Decimus Meridius

silverstar

My weaknesses are:

I'm too self concious. I hate to play where others can hear me, because I don't want them to think I suck. (I'm working on it though...I'll be playing for my church as soon as they get some music and a shedule lined up!)

I play too softly, and I really have air support problems. For some reason or another, when I get louder, I don't like the way I sound.

I don't trust my chops...and I tend to tense up for high notes, and then get frustrated and angry when they don't come out.

What I'm doing about it:

I'm trying to get myself to play infront of people more. At church, when I'm practicing at lunch...just so I can get comfortable playing in front of people.

I'm working on air support and upping my dynamics. It's slowly getting there, though I really need to loosen up a bit.

I'm trying to not tense up when I play...

Lara

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email: Lara.Shema@gmail.com
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Rondawg

My greatest difficulty(s) has to multiple toungings and sightreading at times.

I can produce a great Ta and Ka syllable but it seems like when I put them together at times it just dosnet want to happen. It's something I've made great strides in lately and hopefully it should work itself out with plenty of time in the woodshed.

Sightreading has always bothered me until I've started sightreading two or three pieces a day. Since then I have improved in leaps and bounds but its since a area of my playing I still need much improvement on.

Dave Payn

Amongst many weaknesses, a slow single tongue and an insufficiently developed double tongue to cope with the 'crossover'.

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Amateur trumpeter
Cornet, Arran Brass
Brass band tutor for the Workers' Music Association Summer School

'When I'm down in the dumps, I just go and get myself a new hat.'
'I wondered where you got them from.'

mike ansberry

tonal memory. And I don't think there is a damn thing I can do about it. If I can prepare for a job, know what is going to come up, I can blow the doors off of it. But if I have to walk in and wing it (like the last 2 sets last Sat. nite) I can really step on myself. I have friends that can play anything by ear the first time they hear it. Walk into an unknown situation and play like they've been doing the same gig all their life. Jazz tunes they don't know with tough changes, R & B groups with horns playing riffs from some unwritten book they all seem to know, etc.

What I'm doing about it? Working on my jazz playing for one thing. I'm really a neophyte jazzer. I have been a section player all my life, but there sure isn't any work for that anymore. I also plan to listen to a lot of different R & B groups and learn their riffs. What I can't get with talent I can knock down with hard work.

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"Music is a fire in your belly that has to come out of your mouth, so you'd better put a horn in the way before someone gets hurt" (paraphrase of Bleeding Gums Murphy)

RoccoNut16v

Where to start?!?!?!

Lets see, first off I tend to be very bad at getting over mistakes. I rip myself apart, and refuse to let it go. If I even think I let the pitch fluctuate a bit, I either stop playing, or let the mistake haunt me until the preoccupation causes a fundemental one, which is even more embarassing.

My range is my major weakness now. I can hit a G, but feel thats semi low for a senior in Highschool. I tend to tense up for high notes, which is the exact opposite of what I should do, I know.

I don't think I support my sound enough when I'm playing quietly. Perhaps thats just because I'm so used to playing loud all of the time. Playing quiet has simply always been slightly awkward for me, though I don't recall receiving complaints about it.

I rely on my ear a lot for my playing, meaning I have a weak sightreading ability. This is extremely annoying, but alas, it's me.

My biggest problem is getting nervous when good trumpet players are around, as in as good as me or better. I tend to play sharp, unsupported, ect. Just afraid of being shown up, which is stupid because I'm cocky as any other trumpet player

I'm all depressed now...

FreshBrewed

This is easy.................concentration. Losing focus causes me to crack notes, miss intervals, etc. I think most of the problems listed in this subject can be traced to lack of concentration.

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Mike
Eclipse MHY Bell
1949 Olds Ambassador

Listening has nothing to do with moving your mouth!