In This Lesson You Will Learn A Six-Step Process to:
- Stop over-thinking trumpet playing.
- Build focus and practice more effectively.
- Squash performance anxiety.
- Enjoy greater self-confidence as a musician.
- Actually have some FUN playing the trumpet again!
Isn’t that just incredible?!?
I know!
Let’s get started…
The Primary Practice Space
Since trumpet playing can be a bit overwhelming at times, we’re going to approach practicing in a way that frees your mind from the mechanics of playing.
Getting in the habit of playing from the “Primary Practice Space” will help you develop more of a natural feel for trumpet playing so you won’t have to think too much about what it takes to get the notes out.
We will use the Primary Practice Space for every exercise throughout the remainder of this course.
So pay attention!
😀
Grab your Horn and Roam for a Bit!
Practice Entering the Primary Practice Space a few times using anything that you already know how to play. A bit of a song you know or an old favorite exercise is great. If you don’t have anything to play, just play a nice G in the staff like we did in the video.
The point is to feel what it’s like to play from this space. Remember, it doesn’t make any difference what happens in the Primary Practice Space. The point is to start practicing getting in the zone.
Take as much time as you like with this step before moving on. Have some FUN with it and take note of any observations!
You are beginning to internalize one of the guiding principles of this course. Take a moment to explore and when you are ready move on with the lesson.
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#1) Stare at A Point in Front of You
When you stare at a point out in front of you, you’re essentially putting a shorter leash on your wandering mind. And at first, you may find what you can play while staring intently at a point of focus is quite limited.
You are not alone.
Occasionally, we find ourselves trying to “think,” “finagle,” or even “muscle” our way through tricky passages. And while these little tricks can be helpful in the moment, as a regular practice they unfortunately lead to inconsistent, unreliable playing.
As the mind and body are quite efficient at learning, all that extra finagling can just get in the way, and when we try to force results, we can put a roadblock in front of our natural learning process.
Starting each repetition in the practice room by staring at a point in front of you will put and end to that and help you get comfortable with what you can play without thinking too hard.
#2) Breathe in the Sound
Sticking with the theme of not overthinking and obsessing about the tiny details of what it takes to play, let’s talk about breathing.
While it is beneficial to take a look at some general breathing habits (Lesson 3), during performing, maintaining anything more than a general awareness about the way your breathing feels can really screw you up.
For our purposes, all you need to do to get your breathing habits on track is to sing, or imagine yourself singing the starting note of the phrase before and while you breathe.
In the beginning, this may seem nearly impossible, but that’s nothing to worry about. Making inaccurate guesses, then “correcting” your errors is the essence of ear training, and the more you practice, the more accurate your internal sense of pitch will become.
#3) Attack!
Once you’ve taken a breath (while hearing the sound for your mind), turn the air right back around and attack the note either by releasing the tongue if it’s set against the top of your mouth, or articulating the syllable “da” or “ta” as a starting place.
For now, just go for it, and don’t worry too much about how you start the note exactly. The way each of us learns to attack and articulate the notes is a bit different. For now, the goal is to develop a fearless attack.
#4) Listen to Learn
All you need to do to make continued progress with your playing is keep repeating whatever you are working on and listen to the results.
If that sounds boring, it’s because it is.
But boring is where it’s at! And the more you listen with a simple curiosity to what’s going on, the more you will learn from each repetition. So start preparing yourself mentally for a future of repetition.
Play it, listen, play it again.
#5) Set Your Horn Down
Setting your trumpet down after every phrase and exercise you play is hands-down the simplest and easiest habit to develop for making trumpet playing easier and improving your inner game.
Basically, being in a rush to improve is the enemy, and setting your horn down a lot serves to slow you down. These mini-breaks give you an opportunity to relax the body and regroup your mind after each repetition. Not to mention it also manufactures a bit more embouchure rest into your routine.
Aside from the physical benefits, you may even find that setting your horn down a lot also creates something of a “psychic space” between you, the trumpet, and your attitude about your results.
Start now and within 2-4 weeks you’ll notice a more calm, relaxed attitude toward trumpet playing as well as playing beginning to feel easier.
What is the Sixth Step??!!??!!
While the five steps outlined above will get you back into the swing of playing rather quickly, there’s still one more step to add that’s vitally important to the Comeback Player.
Because here’s the deal:
Everyone lays down the horn for different reasons. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that no one quits playing the trumpet because it’s a totally manageable, joyful, and welcome addition to an already insanely busy adult life.
Now I’m not trying to imply that playing the trumpet totally sucked for you, because that’s surely not the case. However, since negative associations with practicing, missing high notes, and playing like crap can drag you down, suck the life out of you and beat you to a pathetic, miserable pulp, we’re going to address your “inner game of trumpet” just as if it were a basic playing technique.
Think about it; who’s going to get their chops together – the player who’s cool, calm and puts in the work each day or the player who’s chronically anxious, neurotic and uptight about the way their chops feel?
Who’s going to stick with the program?
A Tale of Rebirth
Just like breathing habits, mouthpiece pressure habits and left-hand death-grip habits, the way you react emotionally to the horn can get ironed in to the point of automaticity.
Think about that for a moment.
It means that continuing to practice in an unsettled, nervous way can eventually train your mind to automatically relate to playing in a negative way. This means each time you pick up the trumpet, you’re going to have some sort of existential crisis…or at least a panic attack.
But we don’t have to settle for that! We’re going to hit that negativity head-on and show it who’s boss! Because you’re here to make the Ultimate Comeback!!!
Can you dig it?!?
Through a simple, daily practice you will train yourself to enter a calm, Zen-like mental state as soon as you touch the horrible beast that is the trumpet!
Prepare to become the Beast-Master!
#6) The Ultimate Brainwash
Now some of you may think this is a joke.
I can assure you…it is not.
When you catch yourself freaking out and getting down on your playing…
DO THIS!
Sure, you’re neighbors and family members will think you’ve lost what bit of sense you may have left, but it’ll snap you out of the mental wasteland that is the dark side of trumpet playing real quick.
Please, please, pleeeease take this far-out. WAAAAY OUT! Have some fun with it! When doing this exercise pretty much anything goes. You should be so unbelievably, joyously, ecstatically thrilled about those notes you just fracked the shit out of that your friends think you’ve lost your marbles.
That’s how you know you’re on the right track!
The Primary (Practice) Space and Brainwashing are BRILLIANT!!! Definitely something that I needed.
Perhaps my favorite part was your focus on the positive approach to playing. I’ve even found myself saying “some of my best trumpet playing yet”. It really helps in letting mistakes go so we can move forward in an uninhibited productive way.
A large bit of being a ‘comeback’ trumpet player is addressing and overcoming the issues that made me (us) give up playing the trumpet in the first place. It served as a healthy reminder that I want to play the trumpet again because it’s fun!
Bringing it All Together
Obviously, if you exclusively practice the brainwash, you’re going to have a great life.
You might not get too much better at trumpet playing though.
That’s why were going to take just the brainwash portion at the end of the exercise and add it to the Primary Practice Space like so:
Before moving on, add a bit of brainwashing to the exercise you performed with the first video. Perform three to five repetitions in the prescribed manner of the Primary Practice Space and once you set your horn down, proclaim YOUR positive affirmation.
Shout it from the rooftops!
“THAT WAS SOME OF MY BEST TRUMPET PLAYING YET!!!”
Feels good, right?
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Recap of The Full-Blown Primary Practice Space:
- Stare at a Point in Front of You
- Breathe in the Sound
- Attack!
- Listen to Learn
- Set the Horn Down
- Enthusiastically Proclaim, “That WAS Some of my Best Trumpet Playing Yet!”
And if you think about it, it was!
You’re becoming a better player and cultivating a fantastic attitude along the way.
Great job! 😀
Seriously, that was some of your best learning yet!
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to the brainwashing. Pretty much anything that reminds you to stay light-hearted, dispassionate about day to day results, and putting one foot in front of the other is great.
Do this each time you set your horn down and you might even find yourself enjoying practicing!
Unbelievable!!!
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Now that you’re all set with the Primary Practice Space and Brainwashing Technique it’s time to get you started with a daily practice.
Here at BTB we are super clever. Since we’re so clever, we’re going to call that daily practice your “Daily.”
Once you’re feeling jazzed about that, continue along your Ultimate Comeback path by clicking the link below.
I Couldn’t Be More Excited to Start My Daily! ->
And Be Sure to Share Some of Your Favorite Brainwashing Phrases in the Comments Below!