Hi hanshab9, I really feel for you. I’m 68 and have been playing trumpet, after a fashion, since I was 42. All my life I’ve had an essential tremor which makes it hard for me to perform fine motor tasks. As a little kid I had trouble building card houses – and I certainly have trouble holding my trumpet steady and making a steady note. My father had this condition, and one of my sons does too, so I believe it is hereditary. At times I’ve tried using the beta blocker propanalol, which doctors have been quite willing to prescribe for me when I describe my problem. Generally if I have used this I have taken somewhere between 10 mg and 30 mg. Sometimes this has helped a bit, but I wouldn’t call it a magic bullet in my case. My hope – and I don’t know if it’s a realistic hope or not – is that if I can make playing as easy as possible for myself using Greg’s approach, this will at least minimise my shaking problem somewhat. I’m constantly trying to notice whether anything I do in playing increases or decreases my tremor, and it does seem to me that the tremor is somewhat less when I am doing what is easy (though it is still a problem). I can sympathise strongly when you say this is depressing. I have been wondering quite hard whether I should go out and buy myself a banjo as an alternative musical outlet. Yep, that worried! Sorry I can’t be more helpful, but I certainly feel for your predicament, and hope you are able to find some resolution, perhaps after your healing process is fully complete after surgery (if it isn’t already at some neurological level).