Bloomin Untidy Musician

I joined an amateur/semi-pro standard orchestra recently after many years of only brass bands. Trumpet/cornet switching complexities aside, i find one of the most difficult things to play in an Orchestra is the exposed sustained PP passages with tidy and sometimes varied articulation (Tchaik Piano Concerto 1st move 2nd trumpet fanfare is a bugger) in tune cold after 120 bars rest! How do you set up your breathing and tongue to strike that first note in tune, with good sound and clarity from cold?

amtrpt

Bloomin,
For me the best thing I can do is try to really stay involved in the music. If I'm really listening then I can come right in with the orchestra.

As far as technincal advice goes, I would say try an keep your breathing nice and relaxed during the rests. Also I try to make sure I keep my mouth piece warm before the entrance. Mostly you just have to be confident and let it go. Don't try an sneak in.
Hope that's helpful.
Best,
Andrew

Bloomin Untidy Musician

Thanks Andrew.

commakozzi

Mr. McCandless is certainly the pro here, and I don't want to try to step on any toes whatsoever, but I understand your problem and I would like to weigh in as well. Not only would I want to get my mouthpiece warm before such a passage, but I'd also like to warm my horn up as well. Maybe this is something that a professional orchestra player would rather not do for other reasons. For example they may not want to see a lot of extra movement or have any extra noise (air blowing, etc.) when the trumpets aren't supposed to be playing. I don't know about that, but when I'm playing (or resting I should say), and I have a pp passage coming up I like to pick the horn up and wrap my hands around it and blow through the horn until I feel the valve casings warm up. Usually I don't have a problem with coming in out of tune, and on top of the warming of the horn I will do everything I can to try to buzz my lips (without buzzing). I know that doesn't sound like it makes sense, but bear with me. What I do is that I act like I'm about to buzz so that I purse the lips a few times like I'm about to buzz, and I'll even stretch them if I feel like I need to, but basically I think about it like I'm doing everything besides actually buzzing. If the ensembles is loud enough I'll actually free buzz a little to get ready, but then you're talking about pp attacks so that would not be a good thing for you to do in that situation. Anyway, that's my 2 cents, and please correct me if I'm wrong Mr. McCandless.

Hey, practice cold attacks at home! I work on pp attacks everyday, but you've given me a good idea. I might set up a drone on low C and practice coming in cold, in tune, and play a passage in C. Hmm... interesting.

amtrpt

Commakozzi,
Thanks for writing that. You certainly didn't step on my toes. In fact I'm a little embarrassed that I wrote it the way I did now that I look at it. You are absolutely right and it was an over sight on my part. You should absolutely warm up both your mouth peice and your instrument before entrances. Thanks for your two cents.
Andrew