Elliot84

Hello Andrew, let me first say you are a real inspriation to me when i first saw you preform the Artunian Trumpet Conerto 2 years ago with TSO. It really kick started my love for The sound of the trumpet other then any genre of music in particular. Enough said I am amazed at how you stay so consistent in your performances. what would you suggest doing to stay so consistent? and also to build endurance? thanks alot!
Elliot

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Elliot84

to add quickly i also find my playing changes day to day, good days and not as good days. i took a lesson with a cuban trumpet player and he said i should just keep working at it but didnt really give me any insight or direction to work at it.
Thanks again,
Elliot

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amtrpt

Hi Elliot,
First of all thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate it!
Endurance is a tough one. It's always a balance of hard work but also not working too hard. What I mean by that is that when you are practicing things that address endurance you have to be careful not to sacrifice correct playing.
It's difficult to tell you what you should practice to work on endurance. You can use anything that you find tiring. Just be sure to play correctly and don't do anything that could hurt you physically. I'm sorry this isn't a more direct answer, but it's hard to give you a definite answer without hearing you play. I hope that this is a little helpful.
Best,
Andrew

Elliot84

thanks a lot. it was clear i'll tell when i start to get confused. i play in a bigband in toronto, and we are consistently playing one chart to the next. i'm confused on how to practice that if i should practice and rest the same amount i play or practice farely flowing one thing to the next like in the realistic situation i'm in. i've been trying to get a hold of you for some time to get a lesson actually and it's been really difficult i would love to get a few lessons off you if you had the time.
cheers,
Elliot

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trumpetlore

Elliot,
I'm studying with Thompson right now, and we use his buzzing basics book a lot. I do notice myself playing much more efficiently, which has improved both range, and endurance for me. I'd highly suggest checking the book out, and since you're so close, taking a drive down and getting a few lessons with him!
Jeremy

Roy

HI Elliot,

I've been working with the buzzing book and having trouble with getting a sound below low A. Any suggestions?

Roy

mazzrick

Andrew,

Something you wrote above interests me a lot. You mentioned not working too hard. I want to take this in a different way than I think you intended, to the same end though.

Elliot
I've recently cut back on my practicing by half an hour to an hour per day. I'm still in a practice room around 3 hours a day without fail and playing in rehearsals etc, but I've consciously cut back on the amount of time I'm actually "playing." I noticed about a month ago that every day I reached a point where I said, "I have to stop now," and where I was tired. Any practicing I tried to do at that point was useless and detrimental.

I've since been trying to do more work off the horn, even on the mouthpiece, but more singing whatever I'm working on, playing it on the piano, just staring at it, visualizing, etc. as long as I'm only playing fresh. I've found that things are improving much quicker and that I'm playing better in general. I've also found that my endurance has "improved" if you will. There's a quote to the extent of, "If I don't miss notes, I won't miss notes." I'm thinking that "if I don't play tired, I won't get tired" can be deduced from that. That leads back to what Andrew said about playing correctly.

Andrew
What I think might be interesting to know is, what do you do to maintain this correctness of playing when practicing things that stretch your limits?... range, flexibility, speed, volume? (running analogy) How do you ensure that things that really push your "sprinting" ability don't hinder your "endurance?"

Matt

rowuk

Matt,
that is BRILLIANT!
Instead of doing all of the leg work with the trumpet glued to your face, applying cross discipline to cover your bases is a much more intelligent approach. Bravo! How many trumpet players can sing or dance (or both)?

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

bagmangood

Well, I sing (sort of) and I can swing dance, so at least one?

but yeah, definitely trying to play as long as you can play well i think is the source of all that is good trumpeting. Not trying to make your lips bleed. Save that for the rehearsals.

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Bach 180S-37
Bach C180-239 w/ Akwright tuning bell conversion
Monette B2S3&C2S3, Bach 7DW

sass

Great point Matt, I don't know how I would have learned theory nearly as completely if I just played the horn. I find it very important to play other interments and to sing. My singing and horn playing have informed each other quite a lot. Whistling too. I was whistling a tune I was trying to get on the horn and it really helped me feel the breath pattern that I had been stumbling on.
One thing I have notice that helps with endurance and constancy is having a clear sound in my head what I am trying to get, not so much about how to do it. The next thing you know I have just done it, and if it was not effortless at least it was doable.