As the final post in our continuing saga of the importance of Mr. Nick Drozdoff’s Method for Trumpet players, I will share with you how his thought-provoking conclusions have changed my trumpet playing life.
After reading his method book and through regular practicing, I have-
Increased my upper register by a fourth (E above high C to the A above).
Improved my wide skip slurs.
Improved my sound
Increased my endurance
Lessened my mouthpiece pressure
Reduced my practice time and at the same time improved my playing ability.
Improved my soft passages as well as gaining more volume.
Lessened the physical tension in my body while playing.
Increased my confidence in my playing ability.
Increased earnings by 50% this year…….
Disclaimer- “the last one was added in order to see if you were actually reading this”.
All of these improvements were triggered first by a video Mr. Drozdoff posted and eventually reading and understanding his approach to teaching and playing the horn.
The video which brought light to my playing problems was this one…….
Once I understood how little effort was required to play well, everything else fell in place. To put it in the simplest terms, “I was working too hard to get what I wanted to accomplish”.
1. I was taught that air was the fuel required to play the horn. After following Nick Drozdoff’s suggestions and practicing his exercises, I began to minimize my air intake and forced exhalation.
2. I have always followed my teacher’s advice to “pivot” when changing registers. Through the Nick Drozdoff Method I learned that we should pivot but the amount needs only be enough to accomplish the expected results. Through this approach I have lessened my pivot substantially and gained more flexibility and accuracy.
3. I now realize that through all of my playing history I had formed too much pinch in my embouchure. By opening the space between my lips, I have improved my sound as well as my upper register and flexibility.
4. Previously, I played with too much tension in my arms and body. Now with a more relaxed outlook, I enjoy various improvements through more relaxation.
If these improvements seem to be too good to be true, I would have agreed with you before I began this experiment.
If you still have not purchased your Mr. Drozdoff’s Manual “How To Practice The Drozdoff Method”, there is nothing more I can say to change your mind. At the age of eighty-one and suddenly finding substantial improvement in my playing is remarkable.
Will I guarantee that you will become the next Allen Vizzutti? No. But what I will guarantee is that this could open your eyes to possibilities that up to now have not been explored.
My thanks to Mr. Drozdoff for sharing his insight into the improvement of trumpet playing and to think that all of these findings and suggestions can be attributed to a High School Physics teacher.
Get the book.
Read the book.
Follow the instructions.
Open your mind to a different approach to your art form.
“Minimize change to maximize success”.
