I have moments when I wonder what pro or full time players think when they see my website. One is that they think, “Here is a guy trying to play musician.” They perhaps view my attempt at learning to play trumpet (and having the gall to have a web site about it) as taking what they do for a living – lightly. I can imagine some of them listening to my sound files and thinking of how bad a player I am and why the hell would I make something like this public? I'll answer that in another journal entry.
More than anything – in trying to learn to play trumpet and improvise, I have a new appreciation for professional musicians. I used to be a reed player and I can honestly say, playing the trumpet is much harder in comparison. It can sometimes be a brutally frustrating instrument to play and requires constant practice and dedication. Anyone who can do it well has my ultimate respect and admiration. Compounded upon that is the music theory that must be mastered in order to perform and communicate with your peers. Scales, transposition ? the amount is overwhelming if you come in on the ground floor. Since embarking on this endeavor I realize how under appreciated musicians really are. It has also raised my distain for some pop stars who make millions of dollars when there are so many players current and past who have more talent in a single hair than these millionaires possess in their entire bodies.
The reason why I am trying to play trumpet and improvise is because of the wonderful impression that professional players and their work have made on my life. I am the fan who is moved beyond buying recordings and seeing live shows – I am the fan who hopes that by picking up my own instrument and trying to perform – am paying homage and respect to all of you. So please – if you happen to fall into this category – know that all this is more out of respect than taking what you do lightly.
In a way – you are Dr. Frankenstein and I am your monster. If you weren't so good and didn't move me so – this would have never happened.
Seriously – I salute you all.
On another note – I haven't done any recording for some time. Part of the reason is I am becoming increasing critical of what I post to the website. I'm actually tempted to snatch some of the recordings from the site because I don't like them. At the same time, I remind myself that the recordings are as much about things I don't do well as the things that I can actually handle. So – I won't do that. One thing I have noticed is I can play something perfectly before recording but once I hit that record button I freeze up. It's funny actually.
The MAIN reason is because I have new recording software and I'm having some problems figuring it out. I don't want to waste my practice time trying to get things working so I'm waiting till I have time to address it. Stay tuned… I will post something soon enough.