BFlinch83

Hi Ed,

New question for you:

In my own playing I feel that each area of technique is pretty solid. I try to maintain what I've got and feel good about it most of the time. But it also feels like each piece of my trumpet playing puzzle is formed but not quite together; like being on the verge of having everythign work together.

Hearing great players quite often, that is the quality that they have that I want. When I hear Bilger play, it's beautiful sound from the VERY beginning of the note. The attack is beautifullly proportioned to the body of the note. His sound is golden obviously. Technique is amazing. Music making is first class.

So....is this level of artistry something that just happens as the ultimate level of performance? Do we have to do anything special to make everything click together all the time?

Hope this makes sense and thanks!
Brent

__________________
"I could compare my music to white light which contains all colours. Only a prism can divide the colours and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener." ~AP

ecarroll

Brent,

A quick answer, off the cuff. . .

My oldest, who's a junior in high school, is on the varsity golf team (New Hampshire state champs the past two years). His game is beautiful -- he's incredibly long and has great touch around the green. He has all of the shots. . . I've seen him make everything in every condition.

That said, he shoots 75 one day and 86 the next. Why? Because he hasn't mastered the whole game yet. This comes with time and by living on/around golf courses over very long periods of time.

Dave is a good example for us all. He has a flawless technique (great that you've noticed how beautiful he sounds from the point immediately following his attack 'till the end of each note) and is a superb musician. Dave won the Concert Artists Guild competition, was invited to join the Canadian Brass, and is a fabulous 20s jazz cornetist as well. I believe what seperates Dave, as well as many other great players (insert icon here) from the pack is deep listening and a keen sense of where he is at any given moment.

Dave knows more style and projects himself into more musics than those who simply play across the horn with a "good tone", and practices a wide range of repertoire accordingly.

You sound as if you're in a really good place. Good on you, mate. Now stop worrying/measuring and listen as much as you can. . . to great singers, great virtuosi, great improvisers, great composers, and great compositions. Try your best to hang out with musicians and critical thinkers who are better than you (Mark Gould was my man when I started out in New York City, as were Ray, Louie, and Wilmer). I went to school with Manny, Phil, and Stevie Burns, and I paid attention, believe me. The list of non-trumpeters is far too long to list.

Don't hear Dave playing in the Philadelphia Orchestra -- hear yourself playing in the Philadelphia Orchestra. Knowing ears, coupled with many hours of experimentation/practice, will lead you home my friend.

Best and watching here,
EC

BFlinch83

Wow! Great answer, Ed. I want to add that where you put "insert icon here" I could very easily have put you in there. You are one of the few guys I listen to for piccolo playing and to have an opportunity to ask a question and get an answer from you so fast is awesome!

The listening part is huge. I read an article that interviewed Chris Martin about being in the CSO, and he mentioned listening to Bud all the time and mimicking what he heard. It really makes a difference. When I was in high school, I would write Bud at the top of a solo or excerpt to remind me to play it like Bud, and I would pretend I was him. My performance ALWAYS improved, just from perceiving myself differently.

When I was playing with New World last year on something (can't remember which show), MTT said that we should all be better actors. An actor can turn on or off emotion to fit the character beign played. Why do we find it so hard to play in the character of a piece? or to emote?

I'm going to think about using more imagination in my playing.

__________________
"I could compare my music to white light which contains all colours. Only a prism can divide the colours and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener." ~AP

ecarroll

Brent,

Exactly. MTT knows his stuff (I'll tell a story or two in time). The secret, naturally, is to recognize the character of each composer and each composition and bring that character forward.

A bit of advice though. . . marking "Bud" over a passage served you well when you were a student (I used to imagine that Gerry Schwarz was sitting in the audience), but you've grown beyond that. Now hear the passage with you, not Bud, playing it along with the CSO. Imitation is vital at a certain age but death at another. Nobody can be Bud Herseth except Bud Herseth, and those trying to at best can only muster a pale imitation. Hold your head high and be Brent Flinchbaugh. . . today the New World, tomorrow the rest of the world!

Thanks for your kind words.

Best,
EC