Tag Archives: approach

Trumpet Tips, Uncategorized

Your Brand

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What comes to mind when you hear the brand names of Coca Cola or Pepsi?  I won’t dive into personal tastes, but if you happen to like either of these sodas or pops or soda pops (had to acknowledge multiple regions here), then the words good-tasting, consistent quality, good value (depending where you are and how broke you are), and entertaining advertisements are some that can be associated with these brands.  Now think about the branding of names like Exxon (especially after the oil spill), Enron, and Monsanto…

Q:  What does this have to do with music or playing an instrument?

A:  Everything.

Really?…why?  Think of your musician self as a product for a minute here; what are some attributes both musical and non-musical that apply to your brand name?  Be honest with yourself.  If you can say words/phrases such as:  consistent sound/intonation/accuracy, always has a presentable and appropriate appearance, always on time, always prepared for the gig, can play any style, can read well, acknowledges/interacts with the audience, and improvise in multiple styles appropriate for the situation, then you have built yourself a highly-reputable brand.  If thoughts of being habitually late, wearing jeans and a tux-printed t-shirt at formal events, trying to play every known Coltrane lick at a dixieland gig, and/or consistent ear-covering-evil-eye glares from the saxophone section enter into your mind, then chances are that your brand may need some work.

The topic for this blog post comes to you because I was recently reminded about my brand name/image that I portray.  Fortunately, this time it was good.  I go out on cruise ship gigs once in a while over the school breaks when there aren’t many gigs on the books and am currently on one in Alaska at the time of writing this.  Princess Cruise Lines now has an electronic appraisal/review that each manager gives to every musician at the end of their contracts.  These appraisals are saved in the company database and are accessible by any music manager and the head office.  They cover everything from your performance to appearance to interaction with the guests to adherence to company and safety policies.  I had forgotten about this until my manager came up to me upon joining the ship and said, “I see you worked with blah blah blah; well, our band just got better with you here”…and I hadn’t even played a note yet!

I’m not saying this to brag or anything; I am just thankful that my professional approach to every gig I take is being noticed.  It also created a little more pressure to keep everything at a higher level and to strive for improvement.  This cruise ship situation is nice because you know immediately or right before it’s over if you’re doing the right thing or not.  In other gigs (on land), you won’t know if you’re doing something wrong until you haven’t gotten a call for a gig in 4-5 months.  A long time ago, I played poorly (not going to say why) on one $10 reading/fun gig that I thought people didn’t take seriously.  When it came time for a friend of mine to move on from a steady decent-paying cover gig, he recommended me as his replacement.  One of the other members of that band was on that $10 gig and remembered that one time I played like crap.  Despite my friend going to bat for me, the guy said to not hire me.  That guy (not my friend…obviously) had the reputation for being a bit of a wanker as the Brits say, but that’s not the point here.  I learned my costly lesson.

You make or break your reputation every time you pick up your instrument.  If people hear you playing something bad or you sound like you’re needlessly showing off when you’re warming up in front of others, they instantly base their opinions on that.  If you’re at ITG and pick up a horn or multiple horns at each single table in the vendor area and play as loud and high as you can on each instrument, people instantly base their opinions on that.  If people hear you messing around and not playing what’s on the page when you’re supposed to be doing so, they instantly base their opinions on that. Would those opinions be good or bad?

My hope is that you do not become a timid player because of this stuff going through your head.  The idea is to become self-aware, not self-conscious.  The great news is that if you have less than desirable adjectives associated with you or your playing, you can resurrect your image through diligence and constant awareness (and practice).  Brand awareness is the reason why you see lesser-experienced players (using this terminology to be polite) playing great gigs while some top players get fewer calls.

As cattle ranchers used to say, happy branding!  (disclaimer:  I do not know if they actually ever said that.)

Trumpet Tips, Uncategorized

Musicality vs. Mechanics

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I started out writing this blog entry with the intention to talk about the importance of tongue position and how it saved my butt recently, but as the few functionally remaining brain cells started firing, I started asking myself a bigger-picture question:

What’s the best way to approach playing the trumpet?

I’ve heard some teachers say that if you’re approaching playing muscially, then you’re doing the right things mechanically.  I’ve also heard other teachers say that if your mechanics are working properly, then you can do anything you want musically with a piece.  What side is right?

Both…and neither…

I can see both, but why neither?  That is because I’ve heard amazing musically-oriented players who are limited with certain technical aspects such as range and endurance, and players who have technique out the wazoo but are as musical as a $10 toy electric piano demo button.

In thinking about it further, there is no right answer because we are not all the same; nor do we think exactly the same way for each piece, style of music, or playing situation.  While I can only speak for myself based on what I know works for me currently and in the past, you can try the same approach and it could yield completely different results.  Those teachers who try to tell you that their way is the only way are only correct about themselves.

For me, warming up correctly both mentally and physically for the situation is key.  For most classical situations and jazz improvisation work, my warmup focuses mainly on relaxation, sound, and musicality.  If do my “lead warmup” before one of these situations, I find my sound isn’t as dark as what I would want to hear.  If I don’t have a desireable sound happening, then it distracts me from remembering/creating free-flowing improvised lines and ideas or from shaping the phrasing of a classical line.

For commercial, big band lead, and piccolo trumpet situations, my warmup is definitely mechanically-oriented.  This warmup focuses on making things happen with minimal pressure and relying on the tongue to do most of the work.  If I do my “classical warmup” or if “the machine” isn’t working correctly by the time my warmup is complete, then I’ll be fighting the horn the entire time through a piccolo trumpet concerto or a lead trumpet gig, no matter how much I’m trying to play musically.

When it comes down to any performing situation, my approach is always from a musiciality standpoint with an awareness of how it sounds and feels.  If something doesn’t sound or feel quite 100%, then I try to relax and make small, quick adjustments to play myself back in to the zone.  Air seems to be the biggest culprit (too much or too little), so that’s usually where I start.

Ultimately, if you want to become a solid player on the trumpet, you have to acknowledge the importance of and work on both musicality and mechanics every day.