TromboneChat

I got a new talent on bass trombone recently. Still very young, 13 years old, but really a big potential. He play a single trigger yahama and recently I borrowed him a Greg Black 1 1/2g. My god what a sound he got. I nearly got some jealous. He really like to play and have a long way to go. But his ears and tone is really promising!!

I asked him to practice a little more, he don't play football or do skiing so he should have time to do it. His answer make me laugh. "that's right, I don't ski or play football but I sleep a lot" hehe....I didn't have an answer ready for him.

Anyway it's fun to have a talent on bass Trombone again. I don't push him much but try to make him enjoy his good sound. The last one I had on bass went bigger and bigger mouthpiece before he totally went to the dark side; a tuba.

Leif

Thanks for sharing the good news 

Maybe we need a study on correlation between good sound an hours slept? 

Quote from: boneagain on Feb 08, 2017, 04:48AMMaybe we need a study on correlation between good sound an hours slept? 
I had a trumpet teacher with a very unique, at the same time tick and brilliant sound. He had many good students, but none of them had quite that sound of his. So, once when whe were a traveling to a trumpet shop, called Spada music, I asked him: "
-"Why none of your students has your sound?;
-"Because of the belly" (he was a short guy, rather roundish)  :

Quote from: savio on Feb 08, 2017, 12:20AMI got a new talent on bass trombone recently. Still very young, 13 years old, but really a big potential. He play a single trigger yahama and recently I borrowed him a Greg Black 1 1/2g. My god what a sound he got. I nearly got some jealous. He really like to play and have a long way to go. But his ears and tone is really promising!!

I asked him to practice a little more, he don't play football or do skiing so he should have time to do it. His answer make me laugh. "that's right, I don't ski or play football but I sleep a lot" hehe....I didn't have an answer ready for him.

Anyway it's fun to have a talent on bass Trombone again. I don't push him much but try to make him enjoy his good sound. The last one I had on bass went bigger and bigger mouthpiece before he totally went to the dark side; a tuba.

Leif

That's good to hear! I hope he keeps up the good work 

Sweet! I had a similar one while I was in Europe. The kid could make GOOD tone and was *very* interested in music and playing all types of instruments - but getting him to focus and improve was no easy feat. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to giving lessons!

Quote from: davdud101 on Feb 08, 2017, 08:57AMThe kid could make GOOD tone and was *very* interested in music and playing all types of instruments - but getting him to focus and improve was no easy feat.


When the time is right explain the opportunities that can be available in the future including the amount of money that can be made regardless of he becoming a teacher, an orchestra player, session player or independent artist.  Let him see the potential $$$$ at a young age.

The lesson is to sleep more..hehe I really had to laugh a lot when he told this. But of course sleep is important.

But serious, I think the clue is to make him understand that he has a good sound and intonation. And that's exactly what is going on in his head right now. He understand he has something good going on. He begin to love his own sound, and that will be the power to make him go on.

Leif

He is still a tad bit young but in a few years he will discover girls and if it's more than one or two he will fall farther away from his trombone work.  Mention money may keep him on the path a little longer. Just an opinion from experience.

Remind him of the 10,000 hour rule (to master something). He's 13, right? Well, if he practies just 45 minutes a day, 6 days a week, when he graduates college he'll be almost 1/3 the way there - and years ahead of his peers.

Quote from: savio on Feb 08, 2017, 11:11AMThe lesson is to sleep more..hehe I really had to laugh a lot when he told this. But of course sleep is important.

But serious, I think the clue is to make him understand that he has a good sound and intonation. And that's exactly what is going on in his head right now. He understand he has something good going on. He begin to love his own sound, and that will be the power to make him go on.

Leif

The ones most talanted needs to be pushed more. Expect more from them and they will give you more. Tell them they are awesome and they will soon find the challenge to be elsewhere.

/Tom

Quote from: watermailonman on Feb 09, 2017, 10:40AMThe ones most talanted needs to be pushed more. Expect more from them and they will give you more. Tell them they are awesome and they will soon find the challenge to be elsewhere.

/Tom

That's how I've experienced it often times. But there are also other personalities - for example, 1) the guy who IS insanely good for his level, but doesn't actually care much for music and 2) the guy who thinks he's FAR better than he actually is, and cares about keeping a good title, but also doesn't put in the work to stay on top

I've seen both... tough shells to break, IMO! I, for one, was in the second of those two groups.

Hopefully you don't have one of these, savio!

Quote from: davdud101 on Feb 09, 2017, 10:58AMThat's how I've experienced it often times. But there are also other personalities - for example, 1) the guy who IS insanely good for his level, but doesn't actually care much for music and 2) the guy who thinks he's FAR better than he actually is, and cares about keeping a good title, but also doesn't put in the work to stay on top

I've seen both... tough shells to break, IMO! I, for one, was in the second of those two groups.

Hopefully you don't have one of these, savio!

No, he is none of these types, thanks God. He has musical sense, and he is a humble guy. He told the problem for not practice more is he was sleeping a lot but I think that was just an excuse he made.... But it was a nice try that made me have a long laugh 

The thing is he is a bit lazy I think. So he need a little gentle kick behind.
I look forward to follow him further, I bet he will do it very good! His sound is really nice to listen, same with attack and intonation. And he like to play.....good rhythm, a talent. This will be fun  Some variation from all the small cornets I usually teach.

Leif

Quote from: watermailonman on Feb 09, 2017, 10:40AMThe ones most talanted needs to be pushed more. Expect more from them and they will give you more. Tell them they are awesome and they will soon find the challenge to be elsewhere.
/Tom

Agreed!   As with kids gifted in other areas, praise the effort, not the results.  Otherwise, they will begin to "rest on their laurels", and may even lose interest.

(But I'm pretty sure you know that already.  You appear to be very "savvy" with kids.  Or perhaps I should say you are "Savi-o" with kids. )

--Andy in OKC

To get back to this - a friend of mine (through my older brother, originally) has played trumpet all through school, but he was never "gung-ho" about it like he was with sports (he graduated 6 or 7 years ago, for what it's worth). His tone is good, but he's not mind-blowingly technically skilled, and both his reading skills and ear-playing skills actually fall pretty low on the scale.
One day we were gumming around and he suddenly punches out a double-G ('equivalent' to an F over high Bb, an octave up). The tone wasn't great on it, but it was consistent, and loud enough to carry in a big room. It was astonishing! And he did it with little effort and with what looked like not-so-much pressure. I talked to him about giving him lessons to improve his reading and technique - he has potential to enjoy music now much more than he ever did before.

It's crazy to see how younger students (like him when he was young) can find things out on their own - unlock secrets about playing the instrument - without any knowledge of how difficult it "actually should be" by the standards on musicians who perhaps have studied with someone, or have more years of experience, or even have tried to accomplish the same task year after year with no result.

Someone posted in another thread (or perhaps on another site) that the teacher should never imply or let the student *know* that something is or should be difficult. That's a good nugget to take away from teaching in general - and it shows how convoluted a more developed musical mind can become. Even though the dude busted out a double G, he wasn't focused on perfection in tone or articulation.. it was simple discovery by gumming around.

Sorry for the novel ^^ ...
Cool stuff!!

To get back to this - a friend of mine (through my older brother, originally) has played trumpet all through school, but he was never "gung-ho" about it like he was with sports (he graduated 6 or 7 years ago, for what it's worth). His tone is good, but he's not mind-blowingly technically skilled, and both his reading skills and ear-playing skills actually fall pretty low on the scale.
One day we were gumming around and he suddenly punches out a double-G ('equivalent' to an F over high Bb, an octave up). The tone wasn't great on it, but it was consistent, and loud enough to carry in a big room. It was astonishing! And he did it with little effort and with what looked like not-so-much pressure. I talked to him about giving him lessons to improve his reading and technique - he has potential to enjoy music now much more than he ever did before.

It's crazy to see how younger students (like him when he was young) can find things out on their own - unlock secrets about playing the instrument - without any knowledge of how difficult it "actually should be" by the standards on musicians who perhaps have studied with someone, or have more years of experience, or even have tried to accomplish the same task year after year with no result.

Someone posted in another thread (or perhaps on another site) that the teacher should never imply or let the student *know* that something is or should be difficult. That's a good nugget to take away from teaching in general - and it shows how convoluted a more developed musical mind can become. Even though the dude busted out a double G, he wasn't focused on perfection in tone or articulation.. it was simple discovery by gumming around.

Sorry for the novel ^^ ...
Cool stuff!!