Hi Everyone,
Just found this website and thought I'd join in and meet fellow trumpeters - so, Hi! and best wishes to you all!
Hopefully, someone may have some tips to help me... but a little history to put it into perspective before I ask...
I started playing trumpet when I was 7 (I'm now 37), on a then very old Melody Maker Bb trumpet given to me by my Grandfather. Not a great trumpet but it was my pride and joy and I loved it! The years passed and at 18 I went to the Royal Northern College of Music to study trumpet - 4 years fantastic experience - gigged around for a while and then kids came along and the playing took a back seat for a bit (noodling for fun not the wage earner). However, I really started playing again about 3 years ago but, it was all cut rather short by cancer... after operations and chemotherapy for the last 18 months I am left with only 25% of gut and about half of my stomach muscles and diaphram.
Anyhow, they removed the chemo tube from my heart/chest at the beginning of this year and I started feeling better again in the last couple of months so picked up my trumpet - a Schilke X3 - boy that's a little harder to play than I remember... but I'm not getting rid of it - oh no! I'm going to play it!! ...Along with my rotary Bb, Benge Eb/D and F.Besson piccolo which is probably my favourite!
So, onto my question... how, with the limited physical resources I have left, do I build my stamina and range back up...? I still have a high G (above top C) on my Bb, but the double high C just above it has gone
Not that I'm likely to do this in public, although it being there again would be nice. Stamina is also effected (not as bad as I thought though) - I am steadily building this up with quiet (pianissimo) warm ups and exercises at the start of practice - do you think this is the best way to go or does anyone have any other tips?
I do hope someone has some encouraging advice - I'd like to get on the right track before they start the next round of operations and chemo in the next couple of months... the cancer's in the liver now... aaaaaargh...! Do you think they'd let me take a trumpet and a Yamaha silent mute into the hospital ward....? Hummmm... maybe not....! Ah! that's what pocket trumpets are for - so you can hide them!!!
I have loads of time to practice and all I want to do now is play - I don't think about the other things when practicing/playing - so for me, whatever time is left I'll go out playing on a high.... or most likely a split note!!!
Many thanks for reading this waffle but I am so glad I've found this website - so many interesting subjects!
Best wishes to you all,
SeanP