trjeam

How are you able to sound consistently great all the time?

Some days I sound great and then the next day I'll sound not so great. Or some days I start off sounding terrible and then as I play throughout the day I start to sound better.

I have a routine that I follow every day and it has helped me to be a little bit more consistent but I was wondering if you have any advice as to what you do?

Sandovalic

If you are playing every day and having a routine that's good, consintence is something that will come. At least that's what my teather has told me. I'm now playing for about 14 months and I'm beginning to feel solid ground. But bad playing day's occur to everyone in every stage of playing. I'de like to know how a pro will handle a day like that.

Olaf

ebtromba

There is no magic: consistent playing comes from consistent practice.

Many of us have routines we do, and that is basically a good thing. However, with all the physical challenges that trumpet playing requires, it is functionally impossible to hit every skill needed everyday.

In a nutshell: start varying your routine. Ex: concentrate on flexibility studies and articulation work one day and then legato playing and range (high and low) the next day. Whatever needs most work in your playing, work that everyday. Use common sense, ala the “Mozart at work, Mahler at home, or Mahler at work, Mozart at home” mindset.

I learned a lot of this sort of thing from my teachers Charlie Geyer and Barbara Butler. Charlie practices what he preaches, and often talks about this sort of thing in lessons. The 4 years I was in college Ms. Butler gave a “how to practice” masterclass that was simply invaluable. Every year after hearing it, I would think to myself, “ok, now I know what I’m doing” and then the next year would roll around, she would give another class, and the process of figuring out how to maximize results would start over.

Didn’t mean to take such a long stroll down memory lane. Good luck.

Jimi Michiel

I don't get it? I've been told I'm a little short on common sense, but help me out...

-Jimi

Manny Laureano

Eb is talking about balancing your playing so that there's always a nice mix of loud, soft, high, low, whatever.

I think that a consistent approach goes hand in hand with a set routine if that makes you confortable. I vary what I do but I keep a good mix and am never afraid to "warm up" a long time because it's not really warming up, it's practicing. Nothing changes but you. Metal is maetal, all things being equal. That's why it's critical to make complex processes simple by making the cues for those processes child-like. Child-like is good, it's easy to remember what you need to do and easier to maintain a consistent approach.

ML