Dear John and Wildflower,
I had a MOST helpful Skype session with Greg yesterday, from which I came away with a very much renewed sense of hope based on a much clearer understanding (on my part) of just how far I need to go back to basics and reprogram all the parts of my ‘lizard brain’ that associate playing the trumpet with strain and effort and (in my case, anyway) a whole lot of physical shaking that is present only at a MUCH lower level when I, for example, gently buzz a leadpipe. Will be interesting to see, I guess, whether I can maintain the rational understanding and persistence it’s going to take me to get my ‘new house of trumpet playing’ ready for occupation, as I’m going to have to form some pretty different neural pathways, and that’s not going to happen overnight.
Just want to reiterate my deep gratitude to both of you for reaching out to me so generously – and to Greg, especially, for addressing my concerns in such a personal and caring way.