I had the good fortune of celebrating my birthday this past Sunday with family. We went to a local restaurant for brunch and imagine the look on my face when legendary bassist Keter Betts joined us! My wife surprised me by inviting him and boy was I surprised! It was great to hear his stories of growing up, meeting different people and traveling across the globe. One story that really cracked me up was a tale about his bass case being mistaken for a coffin! We trumpet players have it good when it comes to carrying instruments aboard planes. I felt very fortunate that he took time out from his busy schedule to break bread with me to celebrate. Thanks very much Keter! I will see you on the golf course once the weather warms up! Also a special thank you to my lovely wife who always manages to put a smile on my face.
March marks my 5th year playing trumpet. I usually take this time to review where I am as a player and set goals for the year. While I certainly have things that I would like to accomplish, I don’t think I will be reviewing my progress thus far. I think it is enough to say that I am very happy with what I have done since I started. The successes that I have had are enough to keep me fired up and hungry for even more. The time has really flown by! Eventually I will no longer be able to use the excuse of being a beginner! There is a quote from some famous trumpet player stating that the first 10 years of trumpet playing are the hardest. The good news and the bad news is I have 5 more years to go…
On Saturday I had my first rehearsal with the instrumental group at my church. While I think I played ok I really felt like I could do better with regards to my sound. I immediately started thinking about equipment, mouthpiece, etc. As soon as I got home I pulled out my instrument and started playing. All the things that I didn’t like were gone and I was right back where I thought I should be. Good sound. Good control. Every note was musical. This tells me that it is all MENTAL. Nothing wrong with the equipment at all… I just need to become comfortable playing in public. The best way to remedy that? Do more of it.
I really, REALLY miss the master classes. I feel like I’m getting a lot of things tightened up with regards to technique and theory but there is nothing like playing with other musicians on a regular basis. I hope I do not stunt my growth by not doing it twice a month.
I got a great tip this week from this site regarding the use motifs in your solos. If you are looking for an easy way to develop as a soloist – be sure to check it out.