Best posts made by GeorgeB

@tmd
Thanks for your wonderful response to my posts. The things you suggest fall right in line with what the doctor in our band told me. She is also a brass player so I had faith in what she told me.
And common sense told me I made a mistake in playing the way I did the morning after that tough practice session when my tone went to hell in a basket. I continued to make a mistake right up to the point a few days later when I kept playing thinking I could work through the problem and ended up blowing dead air. NEVER AGAIN. Once I am playing again, I intend to take off the day following practice or tough gigs.
Again, thank you, sir.

Being a Canadian, I will just say this: you are not alone, my American friends. I have heard Canada's National Anthem mangled more times than I can count.

BTW, that little girl's version of SSB was truly precious.

@Bob-Pixley
Though I have not had to resort to using it yet, I still have my 1953 Bach 10.5C mp just in case I need it to help me survive a performance .

@bigdub
My sight reading skills were not so great at the beginning of my comeback at age 79. Those skills were sharper when I was a younger player. I never had trouble reading those songs I was familiar with, just those that were not.
So I spend a lot of time learning to play new songs. I figure them out by hearing the notes and then singing them if the piece has lyrics.
The band I play with is always adding new material and that has helped me in sharpening my sight reading ability.

I was watching a video on dead air ( stale air, residual air, whatever you want to call it ) and wondered if other players use the method I apply to avoid having dead air issues, and God knows I had plenty of them in the past.

My method is simple, I keep the tank full to ensure I have good air when I need it. So, no matter how well I know a piece of music, I read each song or piece of music like a road map, before I play, looking for those bars that have notes that take sudden jumps above the staff, or where a series of tied whole notes are called for. Then I go back 2 bars and put a breath mark. It's my warning sign and extra air will be needed, so time to top up, buddy.

Other than reasons as noted, I don't use breath marks per se. I know when it is time to top up while playing a piece as a whole, but more important to me is the unexpected twist or steep hill ahead.

I'm not recommending this. I am just stating this is what works best for me.

@Dr-Mark

I can't thank you enough, Dr-Mark, for taking time to offer so much valued advice. The band member physician's help and advice was also wonderful, especially because, like you, she is also a brass player.

I have learned a valuable lesson from this unfortunate event.

Sorry to see you go, Dr. Mark, but I want you to know that you have taught an old dog a few new tricks and he will be eternally grateful to you for that.
Ciao , my friend.

Even though there are no known cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, it is just a matter of time and I have decided to drop out of my community band until further notice. I am 83 and in good health and feel I could deal with an infection, but my 86 year old sister broke her hip and had to have surgery 2 weeks ago. She has a lot of post surgery health problems, including a lung infection. I spend a lot of time with her and help her with things she can't do herself and I would be devastated if I was responsible for infecting her with the COVID-19 virus. I really don't think she could survive an infection right now. So I am sort of semi-isolating myself until this virus thing runs its course. I am going to miss playing with my band mates but I don't feel I have any choice in the matter.

Well at 85 I wouldn't mind having an app that played the dang trumpet for me. I just play for the applause anyway.

@dr-go

I still think he should go with the mouthpiece that allowed him to play a two octave scale. He never did say which mp he used.

Somewhere there is a misunderstanding on my not being able to play beyond 45 minutes. My practice sessions at home daily are 60 minutes in the morning and 60 minutes in the afternoon. But the 60 minutes includes rest time leaving an average of 45 ( possibly 50 ) minutes of actual horn on the face.

The 45 minute to 1 hour concerts we were doing for six weeks were never a problem. It is the 90 minutes we do during our regular weekly practice once a week. With those I sometimes start having to push hard ( probably too hard ) to get through. But I have never suffered an injury until last week's session, which happened to be the first 90 minute one I have had to play in more than 9 weeks. 45 Minutes is not a problem for me. I hope I have clarified things.

@Bob-Pixley said in I won't be bored by band suspension:

I’ve started practicing more. Working on those boring long tones that I’ve been ignoring for so long.

I've been using the same long tone exercise as a warm up for my afternoon tune session ever since I started by comeback around this time in 2016. They only take about 5 minutes. Boring, yes, but I treat them as a necessity in helping me keep my tone the way I like it.

My dropping out of the band started something. The band, after others supporting my decision said they will drop out, has suspended operations for an undetermined period. I feel better not being alone in my decision. But life is going to be boring for awhile. However, I will continue to practice mornings and plays songs in the afternoons as always.

@barliman2001

I get it. Correct action taken.

@dr-go

I agree with everything in your post, Doc. Most of that, especially the left and especially the right hand grip, proper posture and avoidance of buzzing was taught to me in 1953 by a professional player who was also my teacher.
I have never found buzzing the mp of any use to me. What I sometimes do for a quick warm is place the mp on my chops, cover the end of the shank with a finger and blow a scale or two, which is just blowing against resistance. This seems to awaken the muscles in the chops and leaves me ready to go.
George

@ButchA
Sorry to hear about your problems, Butch. With this last injury I thought that I may have to switch to Baritone horn. Thankfully, the trumpet is still my baby. Take care, buddy.

@Trumpetsplus
I couldn't agree more, Ivan. And I tell you, considering what we have to do because of this Covid thing, I think I would go insane if I couldn't play every day.

@SSmith1226

Thank you, that was so inspiring in a time when it is hard to be inspired by anything.

@bigdub

It played OK for me, Wayne.
Woweee !!! some great mixing there. You must have a neat recording set-up.
And it sounds like the Glen Miller arrangement. The trumpet solo was right on.
Loved it, buddy.
George

Re: the 10,000 hour rule
Well I exceeded 10,000 hours in my first 12 years of playing which was 1953 to 1965. So there was a 50+ year gap before I started playing again in 2016 and that initial 10,000 hours probably helped me greatly in my comeback because I picked up the horn on March 8th, 2016 and was playing first chair with the local Horizons band by late September.
Just saying...
George