How to Feel Miserable as an Artist

David Gibson on Stage Fright

My friend David Gibson is a tremendous jazz trombonist and composer, and he's also a very thoughtful and well-spoken guy. He wrote the following in response to a question on the Trombone Forum:
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Stage fright is a bi-product of letting your brain reside in the past or the future.

When your brain is in the past, you're judging your actions that can't be undone...and you're probably judging them harshly.

When your brain is in the future, you're imagining events that haven't yet happened and worrying in anticipation of the worst possible outcome.

The trick is to have your brain in the present. When you let your mind run wild in the past or future, that is usually when you stumble or stammer. Practice having your thoughts focused on the present by focusing on simple and mundane tasks like walking or breathing. Give every breath or step your full attention. You'll begin to notice when the past and future creep into your mind and you can practice your focus. That focus pushes out all of the unneccesary thoughts and replaces them with thoughts related to the present...which is the only moment over which you have ANY control. You can't change the past...and the only way to affect the future is through your actions in the present. So, take care of that present...the future depends on it.

Good luck.

DG
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I often give the advice to fill your mind with musical thoughts in order to combat nerves. This is an even more fundamental approach. Bravo Dave!

There's nothing relaxing about drowning

The title of this post comes from a former student, who said this as we were discussing breathing for playing a large brass instrument. It's so easy to get into the mindset that we have to take the biggest breath in the world as fast as possible all of the time, much like gasping for air after you've been underwater. This is dangerous and can lead to much bigger problems.

Which is why I do breathing exercises every day, in order to cultivate a relaxed flow of air in both directions. Here they are.

Some Tips from the Masters

First of all, “When you blow, think of blowing directly into the hole of your mouthpiece.” – Phil Teele. It's the last point in his long tone routine book. So simple, so effective. So easy to do something other than that.

“Blow through the notes, not at them.” – Joe Alessi, attributed to his father, Joe Alessi Sr. Ditto.

Charlie Vernon talks about focusing on the sensation of air passing across your lips in both directions. Sorry, no catchy aphorism for this one, but just as effective an idea.

Finally, do breathing exercises as part of your daily routine. In fact, do them before you play every single day and you will see a difference very soon.

There is a great book and set of videos by Sam Pilafian and Pat Sheridan called The Breathing Gym. These guys know what they're doing. They have worked with David Vining, who has also written an excellent book called...The Breathing Book. I also like the simple exercises in Charlie Vernon's book.

 

A Daily Breathing Routine

Here is a routine that I often do. These are much better taught in person, but I'll do my best. This routine essentially comes from a student of Sam Pilafian.

Start with some simple stretches, particularly focusing on your upper body and maybe your neck. I won't go into the ones I do here, but any simple set of dynamic or yoga stretches will be good. Then set a metronome at 60 and do the following series of exercises.

1. The Dozen Sips

Take a dozen little sips of air, either to triplets or 16ths, and then let the air fall out of your body over the next four beats. Repeat 3-5 times (or whatever feels good to you). This exercise is to explore your total capacity in a relaxed manner.

2. One Beat In, One Beat Out

Move air across your lips – don't worry about where the air is going inside your body – for the entire duration of the beat, without pausing at either end. Strive for an open “HO” sound in both directions. Do this at least eight times, or until you start to feel dizzy (the dizziness will go away after a few days).

I suggest using some sort of visualization that gets you thinking outside your body, so try sucking in your hand from down by your side and blowing it back out, or looking at a point across the room and imagine sucking in and then filling back up all the air in the room between you and that point. Or come up with your own creative visualization. This exercise is great with a breathing tube.

3. Six In, Six Out

Like the first exercise, only over a longer period of time. Move air across your lips for the entire duration without a pause at the top or bottom – easier said than done. If it doesn't happen the first couple of times, don't worry, just keep doing the exercise.

For this one, I use the following visualization: start with your arms down at your sides. Slowly lift them as you inhale, imagining filling up the circle your arms are describing and measuring the flow so that beat three occurs when your arms are parallel to the floor - at this point you are half full of air. At count six they are over your head and you can start your way down, with half empty at count three again. Repeat three times. Sam also does this exercise with seven and eight counts, three times each, or once each 6+6, 7+7, 8+8, 9+9 and 10+10.

4. Three In, Six Out

This one is different. Inhale for three beats, sucking in your hand from your side. Then, over the next six beats, let the air fall out of your body. Don't measure or control the flow, just let gravity do the work. And when gravity is done and you would have to push to get more air out, stop and rest for the remainder of the six beats. You might stop at beat two or three – that's fine. Leave your hand in front of your mouth for the exhale, and you will feel the air flow. If it's bumpy, your sound will be bumpy – if it's a cool steady stream, so will your sound be. But don't try to control it. This is just feedback.

Keep repeating the exercise, focusing on the sensation of air moving across your lips, and the motion will become more relaxed. To promote a relaxed exhale, it can actually be very effective to introduce a tension-and-release action into this exercise, so I often do a variation where I create resistance at the lips during the inhale (purse them together and suck air through the tiny opening) and then let the air fall out just as before.

This whole exercise is also good with a breathing tube, and the tension-release action can be done by constricting the end of the tube with your hand. Sam extends this to four & eight and five & 10 beats. I don't find those to be any more helpful, but extending the length of all these exercises is worth trying to see how it benefits you.

Incidentally, this kind of unforced, gravity-doing-the-work air makes for a surprisingly big sound. On trombone, it tends to be a big, warm mf that's great for a vocal style of playing. And this exercise increases your awareness of your particular standing air point in your lungs – the point at which your diaphragm goes into action for a normal inhale when you're not aware of your breathing at all.

5. Three Out, One In

This is the most like most of the playing we do. Imagine a 4/4 bar with a rest on the fourth beat. Take a big breath on the rest, and then completely empty your lungs over the next three beats. Repeat several times. Use a dynamic visualization that gets you thinking beyond your body.

That's my routine. I do it, or some variation on it, or the Vernon routine, every single day.

More Arban's

So you've done the 25 minute tool-sharpening routine, and you think to yourself, "That's all? I want more!" Of course, you could put away Arban's and practice something else, but you could also do the following building/stretching/strengthening routine.

As I write this it's September 8th, so I would continue by going on to the next section...I play etude number 8, and then (rather than play #18 - I'll do that on the 18th) turn some pages and play the next number 8, and so on until I get through the book or run out of time (or chops, as you'll see).

At this point, in addition to solidifying my approach to the middle range I want to expand to the high and low ranges as well. I find regular attention to extreme ranges to be a very important way to keep myself ready to play whatever comes my way. And I have to always be sure to balance them, so that my low range and high range are produced such that I am always supple and able to move in and out of them.

What I usually do is continue in tenor clef, playing (from the trombone book) two octaves down, then one octave down, then as written, and then doing the next one in the reverse order. For the longer interval studies and other etudes that cycle through all the keys, I will usually cycle through the octaves for each key change rather than play one or two entire pages at a time. This has me covering a very wide range, and it can start to feel pretty rough. But if I spend 30-45 minutes doing this, the next day feels awesome. If I'm not in great shape such that it seems I will only be straining to play that high and that low, I will instead play in bass clef as written and down an octave, maybe ending with one or two etudes in three octaves of tenor clef.

This routine was inspired by Charlie Vernon. Charlie told me that when he decided to really go after playing tenor trombone after years as a bass trombone player almost exclusively, he played the entire Arban's book from beginning to end. He would play an etude 8vb, as written, and then 8va, and put a check mark on it for a visual representation of that accomplishment! Then he would play the next one 8va, as written, and 8vb, and so on. It took him a few months of a few minutes a day, but he said that by the time he got to the Characteristic Studies he could play things that he'd never been able to before, or at least not easily. I've started doing this a couple of times, but felt that I was a bit better off playing from different sections of the book rather than going from beginning to end.

I don't do this kind of routine right before a concert, or even before I need to put in some serious time practicing music. I tend to put this kind of practicing at the end of my day, and I find that it's like putting money in the bank for the next day and days to come. The simpler middle register routine from the beginning of the book can be a great way to warm up before a performance, but this is really too strenuous for that.

Enjoy! And remember, this is one of the things we practice that are actually much more physically difficult than playing music. We do these things so that our bodies can be free to carry out whatever music our minds can imagine.

Keeping the tools sharp

Every serious trumpet or trombone player owns an Arban's book, and many even practice out of it on a regular basis. Below is a simple routine, using just the first two sections of the book, that you can do in about 25 minutes to keep in touch with the most fundamental priorities of playing.

I owe a great debt for this routine to my good friend and valued colleague Joe Foley, with whom I'm privileged to play in the Rhode Island Philharmonic and elsewhere. Joe is quite possibly the most consistently accurate trumpet player I've ever known, with a complete command of the physical demands of making music on the trumpet. He's a great teacher, and he uses his version of this routine in his own playing and with his students, particularly at times when balance needs to built - for example when an embouchure adjustment has been made or a new instrument or mouthpiece has been purchased - or restored, such as after a period of unusual playing demands. But even when your playing is going along well, this is a very productive way to spend 25 minutes.

Joe's basic concept is the simple starting point: use the digit at the end of today's date, and play every etude in the first two sections of Arban's (about the first 40 pages, depending on the edition) that ends in that same digit. I write this on September 1st, so I would play numbers 1, 11, 21, etc., and then start over in the second section and play the same numbers. Tomorrow I would play 2, 12, 22, etc. This same calendar scheduling can be applied to any set of etudes or exercises; I often do the same with Brad Edwards' Lip Slurs, Kopprasch, even Bordogni/Rochut. I imagine the same principle will apply well to Brad's new book. The beauty of this is that it takes a certain element of choice out of your hands, so that you don't skip things that you don't do well...yet.

As with any practice material, HOW you play is even more important than WHAT you play, and I have some very specific suggestions on HOW to play the short, seemingly simple etudes in the first two sections of Arban's.

As an aside, for this basic routine I read in tenor clef and transpose down an octave. I believe that this is the true middle register of the bass trombone, where we spend most of our time in most ensembles. I often play Bordogni/Rochut this way as well. 

I own both the Carl Fischer edition of Arban's edited by Simone Mantia and the Encore Music Alessi/Bowman version. I highly recommend the Alessi/Bowman version, because their commentary is tremendously valuable. If you simply follow their guidelines diligently and carefully you absolutely can't go wrong. I have some slightly different variations, however, and here they are:

Section 1: First Studies

Etudes 1-8 - Here I play at a very mezzo dynamic and follow Mr. Alessi's advice of TONE CLONING. I am always striving in these to follow the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid! Anything that looks or sounds complicated, with unnecessary motion or turbulence in the sound anywhere, is almost definitely too complicated. The best brass players do the simplest things perfectly, cleanly, and simply, and here is your opportunity to practice the absolute simplest things every day.

Etudes 9 and 10 - I play these about mp, slurred as directed by Mr. Alessi. The KISS principle is extremely important here.

Etudes 11-15 - Now I diverge a bit from Mr. Alessi and Mr. Bowman. I play these rather loudly, about poco f, and I play them with legato air but marcato tongue. It's very important that you do not stop the sound! This requires moving the slide exactly in rhythm with the tongue, quickly and efficiently moving from one position to the next without bouncing or adjusting. It also requires keeping a consistent shape to the sound as you make articulations, helping to cultivate independence of the embouchure formation and articulation motion.

Etudes 16-25 - In both editions of Charlie Vernon's The Singing Trombone, he includes number 16, with the following instruction: "Do this exercise first without the tongue, smearing between each note (except where natural slurs occur)...The slower, the softer, the smoother, the BETTER!" That's how I do these. This is tiring if done right, so I always take a 2 or 3 minute break after this one.

Another aside: although many band directors and teachers make an absolute rule against tapping your foot while playing, many, if not most, of the great brass players I know often tap their feet when practicing. Charlie is a great example; his feet are going all the time, as a coordinating point for all the necessary physical motions to converge on. Things have to change in our bodies to get from one note to another, and everything is better if they change in a perfectly coordinated manner. Tapping your foot can be an extremely helpful way of timing in everything else that has to happen. 

Etudes 26-40 - Here I make a couple of choices, depending on how I'm feeling. If I'm tight I might play one like 16-25, but faster and about mf, in order to counterbalance what I've just done. More often I play one of them like 11-15 (which I might have missed, depending on the day). Sometimes I instead put space between notes, focusing on consistent shape to the end of a note that is released and clear, consistent articulations after the spaces.

Etudes 41-45 I play fast, often double-tongue. Sometimes I play fairly soft and light, sometimes I work on playing fast and loud, but I'm always paying close attention to clear, consistent articulations.

Etude 46 is my favorite thing in the entire Arban's book, and I generally play it legato, at about mp. I am paying very close attention to pitch here, making sure every arpeggio sounds just right in its key, and again, I am striving for the simplest, most consistent transitions between notes. I am also listening intently to the tone quality, striving to keep it consistently rich, full and unforced.

Etudes 47-50 I generally play staccato but not at all pecky, striving for consistent articulations and note shapes.


Studies on Syncopation

Etudes 1-12 - These are excellent, and I use them to practice consistent articulations when combined with contrasting note lengths. Short notes before long notes are very short, and long notes go all the way to the next short note, with a very brief space, if any at all. The challenge is to make every articulation equally pointed and clear, regardless of how much space precedes it.

Studies on Dotted Eighth and Sixteenth Notes

Etudes 13-18 - One of my earliest and most influential teachers was Per Brevig, who insisted on the ability to play dotted rhythms with a perfect internal subdivision. I play these rather slowly, about 88, and don't let my 16th notes (later 32nds) be either triplety or snapped too close to the next note. I also make sure that there is no hint of ta-da to the articulation. These can be valid musical choices, but you have to have the ability to play the same articulation, regardless of the rhythmic figure.

Articulation and Style 

Etudes 19-27 - Now we're getting into some music, and it's time to play musical phrases with great style, incorporating all the consistency of articulation and tone production we've been cultivating. Dr. Bowman and Mr. Alessi give great advice here. One bad habit to guard against often shows up right away in #19, with articulations that sound like Ta Ta-da-Da ta. Again, there are times when this is a good choice of articulation, but for this purpose we want to make sure we can play five identical articulations in the context of a musically shaped phrase. Ta Ta-ta-Ta Ta.

Etudes 28-31 are a good opportunity to give your musical imagination some permission to play, varying articulations as you hear the phrases. I often play #31 mostly legato, but you should make your own choices.


Etude 32 is great for practicing making the melody heard even while you have other, less important, notes to play around it.

Etudes 33-37 - I usually double-tongue the 16th notes, and if I am in good shape I play fairly fast in order to challenge the speed of my tongue.


Etude 38 I play very much like 13-18, but usually faster.

That's it! The first few times you do this it might take longer because you feel compelled to practice the difficulties that come up, but I recommend not dwelling too long on them. Do your best and move on. You don't have to solve every problem today. You will come back to the same issues tomorrow with a slightly different combination of notes, and you will see real and noticeable improvement, probably in less time than you thought you would. Remember, many of the fundamental skills we practice are actually quite a bit more difficult than most of the music we perform - which is why we do them!