Ok, so due to the recent threads I would like to ask people to post common and not so common "problems" people experience while playing trumpet. I mainly want to stay focused on the physical aspects, such things like grunting, double buzz, over/under shooting, etc.

Could be an interesting problem solving device for myself and others along our journey. Also, does anyone know if something like this already exists? Thanks.

Tim

Ok, I'll bite, as I have a lot...

Double buzz
Air in tone (particularly on low notes)
Lips drying out causing airballs
Choking the airflow at the throat
Over and undershooting notes - usually when nervous
Poor flexibility
Poor tonguing speed (both this and the above despite lots of work on Clarke's and Colins')

I'll add more when I inevitably think of them!

Lol, hmm

At the moment, bad endurance and phrasing habits
not keepin the sound the same from register to register
pushing too hard to play loud and not using enough breath support

haha, i'm not that great, as these problems prolly show

I have Endurance Issues, I think I'm bottoming out in my MP (Switching from a 3C to a 5C), Range issues/ Too much tension/ Not knowing how to relax properly. So I have some issues that I need to work on.

Cheers,
Jason

AT my age, the primary problem is my CPU processor speed...
I can't think of everything at once. If I focus on the notes, the phrasing goes out the window. If I focus on the phrasing, the timing/rhythm goes haywire. If I focus on the timing, I can't remember the key signature. If I worry about that, I can't remember where the repeat goes back to. So, I have to play mostly low, slow, key-of-C, no-repeat, strictly quarter-note stuff. Pretty boring!!

The biggest issue IMHO is overblowing during a gig.Whether it is a small group or big band. Pacing and trusting your projection (not playing too loud) is important. This is difficult to grasp even when you are continuously trying to do it.

The concept of playing at 80% of your physical volume is something to keep in mind. Roger Ingram talks about this in his book. Wayne Bergeron talked about this at his clinic at the ITG in 2007. This improves accuracy, endurance, and overall sound quality. Trying to fight a band that plays tooo loud is a loosing battle. Trumpet players are notorious for trying to overpower the band. What ends up happening is that they overpower themselves. This is why you hear of players that have major endurance issues, although they are relatively strong players. Bob Findley calls it playing in balance in his book. The concept works, obviously, and the best players out there use it.

Wonderful stuff, now, it doesn't have to be just your problems... I'm just trying to compile a list of problems trumpet players (or any brass) most commonly face, maybe even a few rare ones that you've heard of as well.

The only thing that's bothering me now is endurance, in supposed to play 4-6 hours at practice and I die at a half a hour! Not good

Shakes - whether through nerves, excitement, or just every day tremors. Makes it had to play when the mpc is dancing all over your face! Means too much pressure to keep it there (reducing range) and a horrible nannygoat vibrato in the tone.

Originally Posted by Rctrumpet1993@aol.com

The only thing that's bothering me now is endurance, in supposed to play 4-6 hours at practice and I die at a half a hour! Not good

I used to be that way, too, but ever since discovering the Stamp warm-up, which I use in combination with the Thompson Buzzing Book, both playing along with the accompaniment CDs so as not to rush through anything, I find that I spend about 1 hour to 1.5 hours warming up and then I can play all day long if I want or need to.

Before, I'd pick my horn up, do a few warm-ups learned in my college days, play the circle of fifths in major scales and then start playing away and would be worn out in almost no time.

One very important reminder I picked up at ITG in Harrisburg -- rest a lot during a practice session. Some people say "rest as much as you play" but that seems impractical to me if you have a 3-hour gig coming up you need to be able to play for 3 hours. But in your practice, remember that your charts you play on a gig have rests in them, and then there's the in-between song breaks as well as the actual breaks where you leave the bandstand. So work those sorts of breaks into your practicing and don't think that a 4-hour practice session means 240 minutes with your mouthpiece on your lips.