10 Indications That You Are Too Old To Play Trumpet.
1. People compliment you on your vibrato when you’re playing a straight tone.
2. Your mutes are green and fuzzy.
3. Your blood pressure is higher than your upper range.
4. You now use your gig bag to carry your medications.
5. Your wife is checking for a double indemnity clause for brain hemorrhages.
6. You find your dog burying your horn in the back yard.
7. You find your horn listed on EBay with your next door neighbors number listed.
8. When you play a loud note, the only thing coming out of your bell is dust.
9. Your booking agent’s number has only five digits in it.
10. Your social security number is 1.
As a member of the “older” set, I feel well qualified to speak on this topic and it is my wish that some of my suggestions warrant at least some credibility.
There has been a recent trend in the trumpet world to establish a new regiment of trumpet players referred to as “Come-Back” players. Come-Back players can range in age from the “relatively young” to the “honorably old”. This subdivision of aspiring musicians contains the very best to the very worst members of our Trumpet family. Their reasons for abandoning our beloved instrument vary as much as the mouthpieces they use. Some moved on to more respectable careers while others lost interest for various reasons. But now, they are beginning to return to our ranks in increasing numbers and for that reason I have posted this blog.
Reasons for leaving the trumpet-
Playing trumpet as a full time career is not the most lucrative occupation and the amount of societal respect is very limited. Job security is non-existent and when trying to explain to your friends that you are a trumpet player the next question asked is “so, what do you do for a living?”
Reasons for returning to the instrument-
The usual reason given for the return to trumpet playing is that they missed it and now have more time to practice. Sound plausible but more often than not, the time given now to practicing is just as boring as it was when they decided to quit playing the instrument. The years have passed but the same obligation to practicing has not changed.
A few honest realities for the “Come-Back” player.
Chances are that when you return to the trumpet, you may not play as well as you did as a younger player. The reason is obvious; you are not as young as you were back then and as you have found in your years of maturity, many things are not the same. This is not all bad for not only have we become less flexible and youthful, we have also become more realistic and more intelligent. In our youth, we met every challenge as a new conquest. Now as a more mature individual, we are clearer as to what is really important and those earlier challenges can now be avoided and considered being less important in the scheme of life.
Although you may not be the person you were back in the good old days, with a realistic view of what your current goals might be as well as your anticipated out come in the trumpet world, you have much to look forward to on the comeback trail.
Set your realistic goals and learn from your previous mistakes.
Improving on the trumpet requires regular practice time. Notice I said nothing as to the amount of time dedicated each day. As a very dear trumpet teacher of mine, Don Jacoby often said, “it is better to practice often rather than for long periods”. It has only been recently that I fully understood what he was saying. During my years in college, I felt it best to practice by the hours, thinking that that was how you became a better player. As I look back on that routine, I realize that “Jake” was correct. It isn’t the hours of constant playing that makes a better player. It is more beneficial to the player to practice several times a day for shorter periods. This is even more important to the Come-Back player than to a younger player. You will use your time more wisely by playing a couple times a day for fifteen to twenty minutes than a onetime session for an hour.
You will not succeed as a Come-Back player by yourself.
Practicing alone in your room should not be your ultimate sign of success for as I stated in a previous post “No One Is An Island” you cannot succeed by yourself. After you have gained some respectable ability on the horn, it then becomes the point in your life to start interacting with your environment. You need to have a reason to continue your practicing. Whether you enjoy playing duets with prerecorded parts……… or playing with another trumpet player at your home, you will need some interaction with another musician in order to fulfill your needs as a player.
If you are lucky enough to have a community band or orchestra in your area, give them a call and explain that you are a Come-Back player looking for other musicians to play with. In most cases they will be very helpful to you. If on the other hand, they brush you off, don’t worry for people like that are not worthy of your talents and you wouldn’t want to have to put up with those kind of people anyway.
In our next post, I will cover the materials and other related issues which could be helpful to your return to the fold.
My dad was a great trumpet player, but due to a long illness can no longer play. It’s there some kind of trumpet that requires less breath?
What a wonderful person you are to be so concerned for your father.
I have found that the cornet is a much more forgiving instrument when considering air flow and capacity.
The cornet is also more forgiving to the player. Have him try out a cornet and see if he comes to the same conclusion.
You are a very caring person and thanks for your question for others may have the same situation.
Thanks for this post. I landed here searching for realistic expectations for a older total beginner (though I play piano). I’m 52 and started playing a couple of years back. Man, has it been a struggle. I tried to give it up multiple times. But, the instrument is addicting. Some days the playing comes out well, which give me a ray of hope. And therein lies my biggest problem. That ray of hope hooks me to keep trying.
Sometimes I think, man, if I was on the sax, I’d be wailing by now. Though I can play some tunes, I have not reached where I want to be on the trumpet. I just want to play songs in the normal range of the instrument (up to high C). Although I can play G/A just above the staff (with considerable effort of course), in the context of a song that would use notes up there, I just don’t have the stamina to play the full damn song! Often, I have to rest in between.
For example, I’d play Star Wars for first 4 measures (which hits the G for the high note in the version I’m trying), then I have to rest for 4 measures before going on … you get the picture. This is really frustrating. I wish by now I could play the full song without resting.
Having tried to quit and failed before, I probably will keep trying and wait for those “good days”. Also, I’ve had only one lesson way back … time for more. Thanks for posting your suggestions. I definitely will try them more religiously.
I completly undersatand what you are going through and I seldom push my trumpet lessons on line but in your case, I think this would help your situation for within the course, I cover many of your problems such as endurance, range, practice routines, etc. Check it out at the following….
trumpetlessonsonline.com
It also talks about the frustrations of being a trumpet player. I think this might help you and it costs less than a good meal!
Thanks for your blog
I found it Googling for mouthpiece info
Appreciate your article about them
After 40+ years of absence since high school, some classmates encourage and inspired me to pick it up again.
Challenging to return and striving to improve
We might even venture out into the public with our new comeback goals
We laughed at the suggestion of perhaps performing at retirement homes unless we end up frightening them lol
Will be a frequent reader from now on
Incidentally, we refer to our little text group on the cell phones as the Three Trumpeteers
Warmest
Bruce
I thought you may need some material for your ensemble so I have included a couple arrangements from trumpetensemblemusic.com that you might be able to use.
Thanks again for your kind words and have a very joyous Christmas
BC