johnelwood:
Thanks for your thoughts. I have found my range and endurance have dropped to low levels now, I just finished the C harmonic slurs in Andante stage, I can do 32nd notes @ 60 bpm for 30s minimum.
Hey Steve, this suggests to me that you are trying to do all of your regular playing in the new way; this isn’t the best way to go. You need to work on WindWorks daily and slowly expand and the forget it and play your regular way. Your range, flexibility, tone etc will all be DIFFERENT and take time to become the new normal, don’t try and rush it, simply be AWARE of the new sensations.
I am wondering how much work should be done per day, how much to do, as we know overdoing it can be a critical factor in improvement, I think I have always ‘overdone’ my practicing and thus progress was slow. How do you know how much to do?
This is really subjective so just do as much as you feel comfortable with. Be sure to practise new stuff then your regular routine; you are still capable of doing what oyu have been doing so don’t entirely throw out what got you to here.
FYI This is my routine now:
1. slow low register warm up with pedals (~15 min). I would need to see what you are doing
2. lip buzzing (<5 min). WAY TOO MUCH!!!
3. leadpipe mp insertion (<5 min). Are you getting Sympathetic Oscillation?”
4. leadpipe octave arpeggio slurs (<10 min). I think too much?!
5. largo ascending whole note slurs (<5 min). Sounds good!
5. Double Tonguing – Adagio Descending Single Harmonic (~20 min). NOPE, I don’t think you are ready for this and even if you were, that is too much.
6. harmonic slurs from previous stages (<15 min).Sounds okay
current material:
7. singing C exercises 3x each (~15 min). Seems a long time…
8. practice exercises 3x through the set (~10 min). 3 times??? Why so many?
9. harmonic slurs (~25 min).WAY TOO MUCH 🙂 We need to talk…
Total comes to 125 min or 2 hours, but more like 6 hours with long (hour) breaks. You are trying to build ROME, FLORENCE, NEW YORK AND AMSTERDAM all in a da my friend. I love your enthusiasm but it takes time; it can’t be forced.
I am losing strength before “9. current harmonic slurs” and need to rest an hour or two to be able to put in a good set. I think its from all of the f and ff playing? On harmonic slurs I typically go until the burn sets in and I am no longer able to do the slur for a few measures even after a minute rest. Interested in anyone’s take on what I’m doing, any advice is welcome.
-Steve
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For personal background info, I have played since 5th grade pretty much continuously for 30 years (non-professionally), some lessons here and there but nothing substantial until 10 years ago I enrolled in a community college performance program and got lessons for a few years. I was able to play the Haydn 1st movement in the end, performed with orchestra on Eb trumpet, but I didn’t own the high Eb 🙁 B4 that I had played in a popular local rock/ska band in Los Angeles area and also played in and helped found the Los Angeles Metro Brass Band (British Brass Band). I currently live in the Detroit metro area and I have a lot of time at the moment to work on trumpet technique but not a lot of $. I was playing out of several std method books (Clarke, Schlossberg, Arbans, Caruso, Stamp, Irons…) and watching a LOT of YT trumpet vids. Currently playing on a Tromba Bb plastic trumpet with a metal Bach 3D mp. I am impressed with this rig! I have other std. instruments (ie. Bach Strad 37M w/2C mp) but they are not currently available to me.
P.S. It might be useful for people to add signatures to their posts or have a profile page to share background info. Thanks!
