Pack Your A-Game : How to Maintain Peak Performance as a Travelling Musician Part 3
BRASS
Paul Baron is one of today ’ s most highly respected lead and commercial trumpet players . His sound is distinctly bright and powerful and carries with it decades of experience in a wide range of musical styles from jazz to rock , big band to musical theatre , and TV jingles to movie soundtracks .
As well as being a performing artist for Jupiter Instruments and Pickett Brass with his signature line of mouthpieces , Paul is also an author , educator , and clinician . www . paulbaron . net
By Paul Baron
Pack Your A-Game : How to Maintain Peak Performance as a Travelling Musician Part 3
In parts one and two , we talked about maintaining peak physical performance , but what about mental performance ?
Many of the tours I do last for a year or more . Soon , I will be embarking on Disney ’ s latest tour of Aladdin , which will likely be out for many years . I get asked all the time about how I maintain my mental focus and bring my best game every day .
Staying Focused & In the Moment Let ’ s face it . Some shows are more interesting and fun to play than others , but the secret is finding how to stay focused at all times and then maintain that constant focus throughout the run of the tour .
I have played some shows more than a thousand times , so I ’ ve had to devise some mental tricks to stay focused . If you ’ re doing the same thing hundreds of times , it ’ s easy to let your mind wander to who knows where . What do I feel like eating between shows today ? Did I pay that cell phone bill ? That singer sure is out of tune today …
There are any number of things that can take our focus in another direction , so the key is to find ways to stay “ in the moment .” I have studied martial arts and eastern philosophies over the years and have been able to use many of those teachings in musical performance . It really helps me to think about the old adage of “ not seeing the forest for the trees .”
When I ’ m first out with a tour , I am , metaphorically speaking , looking at mostly one tree , my own part . I ’ m looking at it from the standpoint of an overall part of the show . When I get farther into the run of the show , I need to start focusing more intently so as to stay in the game . I start looking at the tree in finer detail . I try to pick a branch or section of the tree . Then later I ’ ll focus more on the bark of a section of the tree , then a small part of the bark . Then narrowing the focus further , I ’ ll focus on the tiny bug on that tiny part of bark on the tree . I ’ ll then focus on the wings of that tiny bug on the tiny part of bark , etc .
Obviously I ’ m speaking metaphorically , but you can see that once the focus of the bigger picture starts to get boring or hard to focus on , you need to start narrowing your focus to more minute details .
To give an example of how I do this with my own playing , I ’ ll sometimes use my trumpet bell as the centre of my focus . I ’ ll try to imagine how much vibration I am getting from my bell and if I can feel the vibrations as they travel through to the end of the bell . Then I ’ ll focus on just the bell bead to see if I can feel the vibration of the bead . Then other times I ’ ll focus on my mouthpiece and the air I ’ m blowing through it . I ’ ll try to imagine spinning the air clockwise through the mouthpiece and then try to reverse it to counter-clockwise on the next page .
I know this sounds crazy , and I don ’ t truly believe I can control which direction the air spins through the mouthpiece , but what it does is hyperfocus my attention to keep me “ in the moment ” and from allowing my mind to wander .
If these games or tricks get a little complacent , I ’ ll try to concentrate on a different instrument in the orchestra . I try to focus on , let ’ s say , the flute parts . Then I ’ ll tighten the focus to the vibrato and concentrate on its depth or speed . Then I ’ ll listen to see if the vibrato changes from fast to slower depending on the passages in the music .
There are an infinite number of things to focus on while playing – not to mention our own playing , of course – so you can find your own ways of staying focused and “ in the moment .”
Doing these types of mental exercises is a way to keep things fresher in your mind and keep more engaged with the music . Your performance will stay fresh and , ultimately , you will maintain a more professional attitude and stay employable for a long and hopefully prosperous career .
This is based on a lesson from Paul ’ s new book , Trumpet Voluntarily – A Holistic Guide to Maximizing Practice Through Efficiency , containing more expanded information on this subject as well as 19 chapters with music examples and exercises . The book serves as a guide to teach the player how , what , and when to practice . It is available now through BuglesMedia . com .
30 • CANADIAN MUSICIAN