This morning I spent 2 hours on a combined foundation/skill set routine. I wanted to put the two together because I felt I needed to have some serious face time, so playing feels more natural. I find that when I have time off, I lose the “slots” that the mouthpiece goes in. After a few days, the playing may feel good, but it also feels foreign. I still have a bit of that feeling when I put the horn to my face, and this type of long routine can help make playing feel more natural.

Here is a list of what I covered in this morning’s routine:

Stamp
Caruso 6 notes (short version)
Clarke #3 (odd exercises plus etude)
Bai Lin Lip Flexibilities: 2, 7, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 21
Gekker Articulation Studies: #4 (single tongue) #6(double tongue)
Caruso 2nds (part I)
Selections from intermediate level solos which contain many basic technical and musical skills.
Caruso 2nds (part II)

This evening I did one more session focused exclusively on solo repertoire. During this session I played through some music I know well, and also looked at a few new things. I just received a collection of recent music for the trumpet called “Go Blow Your Own”. This collection contains music that is by living composers, and is written for trumpet and piano, trumpet solo, 2 trumpets, and 3 trumpets. I have just started to look at this collection, but from what I see, there is a good deal of compelling music here. I will write more about this as I have a chance to investigate it more thoroughly. At the end of this practice session I played the Caruso 6 notes to total exhaustion, and gladly slid the horn in its case.

My evening practice session lasted about an hour, which combined with this morning’s session, brings my daily total to 3 hours. When I am actively playing and practicing, I like to keep my practice time to at least 3 hours a day. I can certainly stand to do more, but if I can get in 3 hours, I will see steady improvement. In the grand scheme of things, steady improvement is not a bad achievement.

As promised, my approach to practicing has been decidedly more business-like. Today I spent 2 1/2 to 3 hours practicing. There was nothing too exciting to report, just a continuation of what I had been doing. I started with a foundation routine of Stamp plus Caruso 6 notes in the morning. In the afternoon, I spent about an hour on a skill set routine which consisted of Clarke #3 (odd numbers) plus the etude, 10 or so exercises out of the Bai Lin (including all of section III), and Gekker Articulation Exercises (#4 single tongue, #5 double tongue). At the end of that routine I played the Caruso 2nds exercise. Late in the afternoon, I spent some time looking at solo repertoire that I may include in an upcoming recording project, which I will discuss in more detail later. I didn’t play anything of great difficulty, just some things that cover some of the skills that may be a little rusty.

If there is anything of value to learn from this post, it is this: getting your trumpet skills together can be mundane bordering on downright boring. Playing at a high level is intoxicating, getting there is sobering. Tomorrow my routine will be much the same, and the day after that, and the day after that… Of course there will be some variation, but the best thing I can do for my playing at this point is to create as much consistency as possible. Bottom line though, it feels good to be back on track.

Sometimes things don’t work out the way we think they might. Take this last week for instance. I flew back from California on Monday the 2nd, and made an instant transition from guest to host. I knew that we would be hosting some friends visiting from Chicago (a former colleauge from the CSO and his partner), and I really thought that I would be practicing and writing everyday while they were here. Uh, not exactly. My vision was that I would have plenty of time to practice and write, and while that was true, I found that I didn’t have much desire to sacrifice precious time with wonderful friends, especially given that I don’t have anything that I have to be in shape for right away. Now if I were in the midst of trying to land an orchestra job, or if I had an important performance right around the corner, or if I were simply a student trying to create for myself a career in music, I would not have been able to put my playing on the back burner. Fortunately, that is not the case for me, and I have the luxury of being able to focus on friends and family while I have the opportunity to see them. Now, however, that time is done. My friends are on their way back to Chicago, my trip to California is behind me, and it is time to get back to work in earnest.

I have been able to squeeze in the occasional Stamp/Caruso routine over the last couple of days, but I figure I have definitely taken a couple of steps back since Sunday. Today, my goal will be to once again focus on strength building and centering. Since I have been playing over the past few days, I will go ahead and start my playing day off with my normal foundation routine: Stamp followed by a shortened Caruso 6 notes. After a rest of 1 to 3 hours, I will do my skill set routine. I will decide how long the break is going to be based on how I feel at the end of the foundation routine.

From here on out, I will be much more business-like about my approach to practicing. Vacation is over, and it’s time to get back to work.

First and foremost, Happy New Year! I hope you are already enjoying a good start to the New Year. 2005 is gone with many fond memories, and I look forward to making many new ones in the coming year.

My practice schedule is happily enjoying a return to some sort of normalcy with the dawning of the new year. This morning I did a full Stamp routine for the first time in a week and a half or so, and I just finished a complete skill set routine for the first time in even longer. This morning I did the Stamp, exactly as outlined in my Stamping It Out series, and finished that foundation routine with 3 times through the Caruso 6 notes (single times, not repeated times).

This afternoon’s skill set session was: Clarke Second Study plus etude, Gekker Articulation Studies #1 (single tongued) and #2 (double tongued), and Bai Lin Lip Flexibilities #’s 1, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, and 15. At the end of the skill set I did Caruso 2nds, and am actually writing this during the 15 minute break in that exercise. As you can see from my previous posts, sometimes I play during that break and sometimes I don’t, it simply depends on how I feel.

Speaking of how I feel, I would say I am right on track for a return to my normal playing level. I am certainly not there yet, but I can feel things coming together. Some players I know are morbidly fearful of taking time off, fearing that they will lose their ability. My belief is that time off is necessary, both physically and mentally, and all you need is a sensible, well-thought-out plan to regain your playing form. I certainly feel comfortable with mine, and hope you are finding it useful as well.