Ten Day Update. So very pleased with my progress. I have added the Wind Stick to build my embouchure muscles and to discover the feeling of what air going thru a very small hole ie the mouthpiece feels like. Mental concepts to this include remembering that there is only about a cup of air in the horn so back off and let the aperture do its thing. The old me trying to cram a ton of air into the little mouthpiece hole just never did work!
I can now play a C scale. I felt hiccups at first line E, second line G, second space A and have yet to really dial in third space C but it is almost there. I am spending a lot of time in just that range [and lower] and it is really paying off. I feel that my aperture and tongue are just a little ‘behind’ in the exactness of each note. So I am in the middle of M2M Book 1. Am using Clark’s technical studies in the range, Maggio [I easily play the low pedal tones] and lots of ‘doodling’.
I have watched some of the newer videos. Aperture changes pitch and the tongue position makes the note sound beautiful. My mental picture right now is that when a line of music goes higher, in this learning mode – I need to decrease volume or keep it the same until I dial in the aperture/tongue combo. Otherwise, my reptilian brain really panics, and I just want to plunge the horn into my face, engage my gut and blow wildly into the horn. No, no, no! I will not!
Mentally I am adjusting to what I am trying to accomplish. So – I am not Practicing Playing my Trumpet. That puts me at Laurie 1.0 – mindless, rudderless and boring.
Now, I am exercising my face and my body as concert hall. I am learning new ‘yoga’ or ‘tai chi’ muscle combinations to establish new neural pathways optimizing my embouchure and musicianship – I will play better! The equipment needed includes a trumpet but that is just the ‘horn’ or ‘earpiece’ needed to hear my progress. I even take off my eyeglasses when doing my exercises because I’ve done them So Many Times but need to see them in a new ‘fuzzy’ way. When I am ready to Play Music, I put them on expecting clarity and achievement.
I am paying attention. I question why a note sounds unclear, fuzzy or perfect. For the first time ever, I can feel the musculature in my chin, under my nose and up along the cheeks to the eyes. I have a method. I have purpose. I am gaining understanding on how this all works and that I can accomplish my goal of better trumpet playing, better musicianship at age 67 and over 50 years on the horn. Zah!