From:
sswain@moodmeeps.com (Stuart Swain)
Hi all,
First up, let me say this: If you're thinking of seeing Roddy for a
lesson, or thinking of buying his book, DO IT - it's well worth it.
But read this email too! And, for reference:
http://www.r-o-d-d-y-t-r-u-m-p-e-t.cc/
I just got back from a holiday to the UK. Before going, I thought to
myself that it would be a a great opportunity to get a lesson from
Roddy while over there, given all that I'd heard about him (all good!)
This was despite the fact that at that stage, I hadn't played for
about 6 weeks! I told Roddy about the break and he said that was fine,
if anything probably BETTER because I'd be fresh and more pliable.
I met up with Roddy at his home in Wales just over 3 weeks ago now.
(Roddy, can ya believe it?!?) I decided to go for the 5 hour lesson
option - for value for money, and for 'touristy' reasons, because that
includes dinner and a stayover with Roddy, and then going along to
band practice with him on Sunday morning.
1. THE BOOK
I paid for Roddy's book before I left, and he had it delivered to
the place I was staying in London so I could read through it and
get familiar with the concepts before the lesson. It was a HUGE
help, even without the lesson. It completely changed the way I think
about playing the trumpet!
I highly recommend this book to everyone because it WILL help you.
If you've been thinking of buying it (or if you haven't!) then go
PayPal Roddy now - it's definitely worth the 20 quid / 35 bucks.
2. THE LESSON
The first thing Roddy did for me was demonstrate he CAN do what he's
talking about - also, I'd asked him to 'play high' for me, because
the highest note I'd ever hear anyone play was high E.
Let me begin by saying Roddy REALLY CAN deliver the goods - and he
doesn't 'hit' the high notes, he PLAYS them. Consistently! He
machine-gunned off TWENTY high E's for me then produced a paint peeling
double high E. He played Low G / middle G / G on top / high G in
succession as 16ths[semiquavers] to show he doesn't have a low and a high embouchure, but one continuous chop-set for all ranges. He played up to double high C, and probably beyond (by
that stage I think I was so overwhelmed that I wasn't paying
attention anymore!). [He also played Carnival of Venice for me]
Five hours might seem like a long time, but it went pretty quickly,
because most of it was discussing concepts. I didn't put the horn
to my lips for about the first hour or so, and then it was just to
show Roddy my range, so he could see how -I- play and what MY
problems were.
For your reference, I tried to play a scale from 3rd space C, and I
think I got stuck around top of staff G - cracked the note and had trouble going higher with a decent tone. Plus it was done with a huge amount of mouthpiece pressure.
As someone who'd had a few weeks off, I thought that was pretty much
normal. I told Roddy that if he gave me a few more goes I would get
the high C [top c], but it'd be thin and weak, with too much mpc pressure.
I thought that after a few weeks off, there'd be no way I'd actually
end up PLAYING (not hitting) better than before.
But 3 hours later I was playing a high B (under high C that is)
with NO MORE DIFFICULTY OR MPC PRESSURE than for the mid-staff B.
I COULD'NT BELIEVE IT!!! One of my bad habits is going to a spread embouchure, which I used to definitely need to go above say, top line G. When playing that high B, my embouchure was no different to the mid-staff B.
(Note: the only reason we stopped without trying for the high C
is that we had to press on, and also my chops were starting to tire
a little - but nothing like after one of my normal sessions with
that red puffy ring).
Now, for the first time, I can feel that I'm gonna progress in
range, but more importantly, in TONE. What Roddy helped with first
was my sound, tonal focus, and breathing. This is something that
hadn't clicked for me before reading his book and having the lesson -
if you can't make ONE note sound right, what hope have you got for
all the others? There's no point going for a high G, if your 2nd
line G ain't right!!!
I mentioned Roddy wanting to see how I played, what MY problems were.
I want to stress this point - Roddy isn't just a chop doc (in fact
we didn't really touch on my embouchure at all), and he's not a
'one-magic-solution-for-all' type teacher either. He teaches what YOU
need to do to make the most of YOUR setup and to get YOUR tone right
(etc). In fact, he told me afterwards that some of the things he
covered with me he hasn't done with anyone else before! It was MY
lesson, for ME.
3. THE BAND
Roddy told me ahead of time that the music they'd be playing was too
hard for me. That made me feel a bit better when I put it on the stand.
Now for someone who hasn't played in a band since high school, 13 years
ago, and who can't sight read, playing in Roddy's band was a
challenge to say the least! I said afterwards that I'd have to come
back next year and try for two notes!!
But, despite feeling quite humble in a room full of professional
musicians who were sight reading all the music (HARD pieces too),
it was a great experience, and I had a really fun time.
(Even got a compliment from the guy next to me, who asked
Roddy if I played principal, cos I had a nice sound! *grin* Oh
how little he knew...
4. 'EVERYTHING ELSE'
I have to say this: Roddy is about the nicest, friendliest, most
generous, welcoming and helpful guy you could meet. My wife and I were
treated like royalty by Roddy and his wife, who welcomed us into their
home with hospitality rivalling that of a 5 star hotel (better!).
Roddy went out of his way to help us in any way he could - even making
this offer 3 weeks before we met, in the form of a note attached to his
book.
Eg: We were looking for cheap flights to Greece - Roddy helped out,
We were trying to decide what to do on the way back to London - Roddy wrote out options and road directions. He even asked us to stay another night when we said we were thinking of staying a bit longer in Wales! His wife took my wife out sightseeing while Roddy and I were talking trumpet (the lesson), and Roddy even joined us for some sightseeing on our way back to London.
Now with respect to the lesson, I admitted to Roddy that I was a bit
worried. I said "Look, this is great now, I understand it, I've got
it... but I'm gonna be off the horn for at least two weeks before I
get home, and I know that when I pick it up again I'm gonna be
forgetting stuff and getting lost."
Roddy answered that with a page of notes on the lesson, highlighting
the most important points we'd covered, in a way that I can understand.
(Ie, the notes still make sense now, I'm not wondering what any of it
means!)
Also, the lesson deal includes some email lessons afterwards, so even
if I get lost, Roddy will help out now. I know I can send him an mp3 soundclip and he'll give me feedback (hopefully it won't be "Stu! You sound
terrible! Get back to Wales!!" *grin*)
5. IN CONCLUSION...
...Roddy has been a tremendous help, and not only that, but now I
consider him a good friend. I know I'm not there yet, and I know I've
got a lot ahead of me, but he's put me on the right path.
If I stray, or when I get to the next crossroads, I hope I can get
back to Wales to see him again. (Hell, I'd go just to have a beer
with him!)
Cheers,
Stu
PS: Sorry this email is so long, but hey, I warned you!
Also, if you wanna know more, please contact me off list.
sswain@moodmeeps.com (Stuart Swain)
