Noticing the recent Wolfpack thread I thought
I would throw in my two cents regarding physical tension. I own both
the Wolfpack 2.5 and Quad case and have found them to be very reliable
(I check the Quad underneath without hesitation on each flight with only
minimal problems due to occasionally aggressive baggage handlers).
More important than the case though
is the fact that it comes with optional integrated wheels and entension
handle. My colleague in the Canadian Brass, Ronald Romm, was the
first one to point out that pulling horns rather than carrying them makes
a huge difference in terms of feeling physically relaxed in the shoulder
area. It may not seem like much, but double or triple gig bags can
weigh from 12-16 pounds (far more if you play 'Rajas'), a weight that we
trumpet players have universally decided to accept as "part of the gig".
The math equation that I enjoy using
is T=ENEMY...'T' standing for tension. After my first
few days of pulling instead of carrying horns I noticed a SIGNIFICANT physical
change in my shoulders before I had even played one note. Of the hundreds
of young (and 'well-seasoned') trumpet players that we get to coach
in masterclasses around the world, physical tension (especially in the
upper body) is the thing that we tend to see most often.
Although shallow breathing is what needs to be dealt with in most cases,
achieving physical equilibrium is what we really all need to be striving
for. In other words, the trumpet needs to feel like a natural extension
of the body. That is more difficult to achieve if there are overused
muscles on one side or the other.
Although the distance we all carry
our horns is usually short and considered inconsequential, I would be curious
to see if any of you would experiment with rollers. Perhaps you too
will notice a positive change in relaxing shoulders that may be imperceptibly
tense.
If you are not in the market for
a new Wolfpack roller, try putting your horns in single gig bags and place
them in a soft luggage case. Ronnie uses a commercial "rolling duffle
bag" made by Travelpro which can take three horns, music, a stand and all
of his mutes. Arturo Sandoval also showed me his rolling case at
an ITG conference a few years ago.
In the daily quest that we all
have to play the trumpet with more efficiency, sometimes answers
are found not only in one's head but also just just below it!
Jens Lindemann/Canadian Brass