Brass Talk, Part I

Hello everyone, this is my first post, and to say the least, I'm very excited. Not really sure how the format of this works yet, as I am pretty new. Let's see how it goes.

I'm a Brass player, Trumpet player specifically. I wanted to start on how my practicing is going, and what I'm doing to keep myself motivated and getting better. 

           I used to ask myself often: "Why do you want to play music in the first place?" The answer is as simple then as it is now. Because it makes me feel good. Period. When I play, I focus on my imagination, soaking up the different colors and emotions of the piece I am playing. Most times I imagine different singers singing my lines. Depending on the genre, the voices change. The practice of staying involved in your imagination is so vital to my approach, that I have created ways to tell how well my brain is running on that day(Sorry for the non scientific terms). 

When I wake up in the morning, before I open my eyes, I count from 1 to 100, imagining a typewriter typing the numbers on a sheet of paper. I have to make sure I am really visualizing the numbers with precision, because the more vivid I can imagine numbers, the better I will be able to visualize my trumpet sound. Most days I don't make it past 45. Usually I start thinking about something else and realize that I've stopped counting. It's this number that helps me gauge my imaginative clarity for the day.

As for staying motivated, I have many things that help me. Although they may not work for you, so be prepared to find your own ways. I tell myself "One day you're going to die." and "One day you'll be old, and your life will be history. And the way your story will be told, is entirely molded by you."

If you guys want to hear more, let me know.

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