'Feel Good' Treats

I reward myself everyday to maintain my determination. I sneak in little 'treats' every day to keep my musical mind stimulated and to shake off frustration. The most effective reward has been working out and allowing myself to join my college's tennis team. Not only does the exercise make me feel physically better, but that time spent away from my instrument has only made my study with the horn more productive. Specifically in tennis, I'm reserved on the court, sort of like Roger Federer but without all the finesse and talent. I like to analyze my playing and technique during play. This however becomes very distracting while versing an opponent. Unfortunately this bad habit has been brought on by my musical upbringing and study. A bad habit which is most times beneficial in musical study. Nowadays being so focused on an embouchure change has me extremely picky! Picky in most aspects of my life, (its a pain in the ass). My biggest challenge now in the practice room is to not preoccupy my mind. I need to learn how to just put all my good fundamental "re-discoveries" to work, but do so by just picking up the horn and PLAYING! JUST BREATHE AND PLAY TRUMPET. I need to practice with a freer mind and I think my rewards help me do so. Another treat of mine is score-reading. This has been my most cherished stress-reliever. Taking time to just sit down with a score, cup of coffee, (maybe one of those chocolate croissants from Starbucks), and listening to a great recording by a great orchestra/ensembles/etc. It seems that a lot of students over-look score-reading. There's no pressure with it; just listen to good music, read the score, pick up nuances that catch your eye, dictate certain melodies/themes that speak to you, and just maybe listen to it again. I like to take my transcribed melodies or themes into the practice room and play them as beautifully or aggressive or dramatic as possible when I get bored with 'Clarke' or 'Arban'. Unfortunately then I'll over-do an etude, but that's another story.

Treats today:

-5 mile run
-Tchaikovsky Symphony 6 (Bernstein and NYP)
-Netflix (a controlled dosage)

How to make a sound. (more introduction)

         Through my years as a student of trumpet, I've shown potential and determination. I did most of the festivals and what-not. Music certainly has been a great passion from an early age. When I began playing trumpet with my new embouchure, I couldn't make a sound. This was devastating. How do I make a sound that resembles good trumpet playing? My mind went into a state of overdrive. I over-analyzed everything about playing trumpet:

Air,
Breathing,
Breath support,
Buzzing,
Mouthpiece placement,
lip tension,
lip relaxation,
tight corners,
balancing top and bottom lips,
focused and supported buzz,
buzz response,
consistent air stream,
tongue position,
...

         I can go on and on. Realistically, good brass players know these issues all too well. The really good ones, (the ones with jobs), have developed a natural control and balance with these issues. My embouchure change has forced me to go back to the beginning. I've been sent on a musical mission to find the most efficient way to play trumpet but all the while looking for my own sound, my own tone, my own musical voice. It's been a part of music that has always kept me interested and intrigued. I feel that every musician has their own sound. It's exactly like their human voice yet communicated through sound and their instrument and their music, which sometimes for me at least, can be more meaningful. I don't want to try and explain this sensation of sound in words because its impossible.
         I eventually did make a sound. It happened within the first week, it was probably a concert 'f'. I got a buzz going on mouthpiece, translated it to the horn, and everyday now is just about making it better, easier, and more natural; to make getting around the range of the instrument with more ease, to be able to play musical phrases with my own musical intent without the struggle of the new embouchure getting in the way. It's like a baby learning how to walk, and how to talk, and how to interact, and how to go to the bathroom, ...          
         So here I've been, looking for the best embouchure, the best technique, the best trumpet sound. The path has already proven to be long. It's been almost five months now, which is scary yet encouraging to realize. I know this path will make me a stronger musician and a better person for having the balls to travel it.

Note: Maybe I'll soon begin to organize posts depending on what they pertain to (which will be either Trumpet Technique/Pedagogy/Study or Musical Strives). No promises.

A trumpeter going through some changes...

Here's the lowdown:

- studying trumpet performance at SUNY Purchase
- began an embouchure change November 2013
- music and trumpet are really important to me
- I'm good at being sexy, sometimes
- long walks on the beach and stuff
- redheads...
- coffee and more coffee
- making an effort everyday to not go insane

That's all you'll get.

This blog will pertain to:

trumpet, trumpet playing, trumpet players, trumpet music, trumpet gear, trumpets, trumpet mouthpieces, trumpet mutes, trumpet pedagogy, trumpet history, ..., classical music, brass playing, embouchures, embouchure changes, the study of music, etc.

If any of the above interests you, well then, this blog may seem to be worth your time. But, to be blunt, it isn't. So please don't waste your time.
This blog is for ME. Not YOU.

why this blog exists and my apologies

Personally, I've always been unsure about blogs. I've been unsure about the "blogger" and the "blog-reader". Blogs seems like such a selfish thing. 'My public diary', 'My food review', 'My opinion on what's wrong with this country' blah, blah, blah. Me, Me, Me, I, I, I,... I've had this negative connotation for blogs for some time now. But if any of you truly know me, I'm a "flip-flopper", one of the biggest hypocrites I know. So to live up to this title, (donned by some high school buddies), I'm writing a blog. But honestly, its for my own sanity. 

This blog is for me, not you. And yes, I'm embarrassed about it... My apologies...