I'm an old trombone player

[tbdana]

Dang. Wish I was in my 20s again.

[ghmerrill]

You forgot to include anticipation of various medical conditions that you won't see coming. Mounting numbers of comorbidities -- which are like a pack of wolves stalking you and attacking from behind when you turn momentarily to confront one and deal with it. And comorbidities whose treatments will conflict with the preferred treatmenst of other comorbidities. Build in all the time that's required to deal with discovering those and dealing with them -- it may affect your practice and performance schedules.

Evolving medical science will help a lot, but it will cost you in time and money. The time costs are the worst.

I'm just trying to be helpful and complete the model of old age you're building.

Do what you can while you can.

[Posaunus]

Do what you can while you can.

[atopper333]

I guess it comes down to expectations…where do you go is completely defined but what you find fulfillment in doing. I just started playing again threeish years ago after a 15 year break…and was quite happy. Now, as ghmerrill mentioned…I get to deal with comorbidities and not even in my 40s. 3 bouts of Covid and a nasty flu/pneumonia has reduced my lung function substantially and I am looking at some yet to be determined form of RLD.

It sucks when you start to build something and it goes away and you keep starting from scratch over and over again.

I can’t speak from your perspective as I have never achieved what you have musically. But getting back to it…what are your expectations? What are your goals? Is it to progress? Is it to make a beautiful sound that you can enjoy and share with others?

As written communication can be vague at times, I’ll try to ask this next question in the best way possible…

Have you thought about what makes others feel intimidated by your playing? Is it them or is it you? Are they feeling intimidated by you skills or the inability to access them due to their own limitations? Is there an open attitude in the section that allows for mentorship? I would feel frustrated if I had a great player sitting next to me who didn’t offer anything up and just told me to do better (not saying you’re doing that, it’s just a personal experience I’ve had). I wouldn’t be asking to be taught, but insight is valuable and learning from the experience of others is irreplaceable.

For me, playing with others who are better then me is not something that I find intimidating, but very little intimidates me. In a section setting it could be that the person who has the skills is not willing to pass anything they have obtained on to the next generation of players. Mentorship removes a great deal of intimidation.

Judging from pervious posts, unless I misunderstand them, it doesn’t seem that you are interested in teaching, but mentoring is different. In other posts you seem to have an expectation that other players behave in a specific way or have a specific amount of dedication in their playing. I don’t feel this is overtly wrong, but expectations should be tempered individually. Do the other players have demanding jobs or lack the skills required or are they just lazy. The first is something to work with the second can be quite incurable…

It may be, in effect or application, that putting yourself in a leadership position could provide further fulfillment and lower the amount of ‘intimidation’ felt by others…dont know if that is the case as I don’t know the group dynamics you are dealing with.

I guess it comes down to finding what you want and just going for it. All we can do is do the best we can with what he have in the time we have. Each day I pick up the horn is a blessing as it is still in my life. I think if you could see that you have a beautiful sound and can make beautiful music, that’s all that matters. Even if you are no longer at the pinnacle of your skills, your contributions can still be excessively meaningful and valuable as even on a bad day, you will still have your sound. Once you give up that horn and put it down, that unique voice is lost forever, and that isn’t something worth losing.

[tbdana]

I just want to play good music with good musicians for good audiences. Of course I'd love to make a boatload of money doing it, but I'd do it for free (shhh, don't tell them).

Have you thought about what makes others feel intimidated by your playing? Is it them or is it you? Are they feeling intimidated by you skills or the inability to access them due to their own limitations? Is there an open attitude in the section that allows for mentorship? I would feel frustrated if I had a great player sitting next to me who didn’t offer anything up and just told me to do better (not saying you’re doing that, it’s just a personal experience I’ve had). I wouldn’t be asking to be taught, but insight is valuable and learning from the experience of others is irreplaceable.

Honestly, I don't think it's anything I'm doing. I was devastated to hear this from players. It really rocked me. I had no idea, and boy does it sound silly to my ears.

All I ever do is offer support and "attaboys." If I have anything instructive to say it's, "we're going to play those quarter notes detached" or something technical like that. Not once have I ever criticized anyone. I did ask if it was me, and was told:

Don't let the comment about intimidating others make you self conscious. You play beautifully, and I have never seen you show any ego. You inspire and instruct just by modeling professional behavior and playing so musically. Keep it up!

I don't offer to mentor people, but if someone asks I will gladly do it. No one asks. Well, one guy asked for pointers on specific things I can do that he can't, and I gave them to him, and started having him sub for me in groups I thought would be a step up for him, so he could experience a more professional situation. Didn't work out well. I was asked not to send him again.

[atopper333]

I just want to play good music with good musicians for good audiences. Of course I'd love to make a boatload of money doing it, but I'd do it for free (shhh, don't tell them).

Then there it is! (Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone)

Good music with good musicians for good audiences is an excellent expectation that can be reasonably achieved I would think.

I would only further offer…again not saying you don’t already…don’t forget to enjoy it. Actually just enjoy playing. Pushing and practicing, challenging yourself, all that can be enjoyable to certain personality types and is important yes, but don’t forget the pure enjoyment of making the music. You have that when you first picked it up again. Enjoyment of playing and forgetting about the nonsense as often as possible/feasible is really important too. Always remember to have a just have a good time.

[tbdana]

I just want to play good music with good musicians for good audiences. Of course I'd love to make a boatload of money doing it, but I'd do it for free (shhh, don't tell them).

Then there it is! (Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone)

Good music with good musicians for good audiences is an excellent expectation that can be reasonably achieved I would think.

I would only further offer…again not saying you don’t already…don’t forget to enjoy it. Actually just enjoy playing. Pushing and practicing, challenging yourself, all that can be enjoyable to certain personality types and is important yes, but don’t forget the pure enjoyment of making the music. You have that when you first picked it up again. Enjoyment of playing and forgetting about the nonsense as often as possible/feasible is really important too. Always remember to have a just have a good time.

Good stuff. Thank you.

[blast]

Your original (deleted) post was very heartfelt. When you get to our age, your view of the world kinda changes. Friends are suddenly dying. Friends are retiring, and you yourself feel pretty much as you did ten years ago and are thinking, "I don't want to stop.... do I have to stop ?". You don't. Will I start to play worse ? Yes, eventually. ....but that could be years in the future. Stay in the moment. Practice. Ask people who you really trust to tell you if things start to slip, then just get on with enjoying making music. It might last a week, it might last 20 years. Who knows. Just get on with it .

[Jimprindle]

After 60 years, making a pretty good living as a freelance bass trb player I have no complaints about being old. I still play every day for my own enjoyment and play in some ensembles as well and I have had over 600 private students but don’t miss teaching a bit. I do miss the people, I loved being around them and following their lives.

I liked all of the things that I did but I like having time to myself right now. especially appreciate not driving hundreds of miles a week to go from place to place to teach or play gigs. Really am glad not to commute downtown, find parking for the hundreds of shows or concerts I played.

I really enjoy meeting people younger than me who are starting out in the profession and are doing incredible things. One of the things about our profession is that we don’t own it, we kind of rent it. And then we pass it onto the next generation. I love that.

[VJOFan]

Norman Bolter wrote a piece for developing trombonists, but the sentiment behind it is what should sustain us all no matter what the music is or who the musicians around us are. We need to take “Joy in Being Able” for as long as that lasts.

When I moved to my present location… 24 years ago, I got into a band of guys who had cut their teeth playing in the echos of the big band era in the 50’s 60’s and 70’s (there was a roadhouse with live big band music for a good while back then) . None of them had those chops anymore, but they all had that joy and desire. And they made music. They also had little ego. Eventually they moved me up the section to third, second and then lead, and the fellow who had been lead took over bass. The point is to be happy in playing, I’ve just had to be happy to play as I can when I can. I won’t be paid to play the Bolero solo again any time soon anyway, but I will play a local jazz fest this summer as a sub…

Here’s the Norman Bolter piece.
https://www.trombone.org/articles/view.php?id=342

[LetItSlide]

Having restarted trombone playing several times over 54 years of playing, I find the chops come back quickly. It’s musicianship that takes time, especially since most of my time and energy go toward a somewhat demanding non-music-related job. Things accelerate greatly when I am able play with groups. The challenge is to scrape together the energy to go to evening rehearsals.

Michael Lake might still play with the local trombone choir. I’ll find out in August when rehearsals start up. He has wonderful resources for improving the type of musicianship I’m interested in. I really like his alto trombone playing.