When I first started playing the trumpet, I misunderstood a few things. For example, I thought I was supposed to tongue between my lips – which sounds like thoo – so my attacks were fuzzy, and my tone wasn’t very good. I had to unlearn this bad habit, and many others, to become a better player. I was not a “natural” by any means, so I had to overcome many challenges on my way to a doctorate in performance. I’m pretty sure that if I had held on to my original conceptions, I could not have improved and my playing career would have been over before it started.
But I learned from my mistakes. I set goals. I listened to my teachers. I practiced. I played in a variety of ensembles. And most of all, I tried to form new habits when my old ones were not leading me anywhere. One summer, on the advice of my teacher, I changed my embouchure (the way trumpet players form their lips and facial muscles) to overcome the limitations of my old set-up. Through it all, I held on to the way I wanted to sound, based on some of the greatest inspirations a trumpet player could have: Harry James, Doc Severinsen, Rafael Mendez, Al Hirt, Maurice Andre, and Timofei Dokshitzer. There are many others, but these names stand out in my memory.
As we learn anything, our understanding of it must change. Sometimes sticking with what we learned or believed in the past might turn out to be detrimental, or just plain wrong. The trick is to know what’s working and what’s not. Like a general in battle or a coach in a game, our approach must change as our knowledge improves. We must adapt to new information – or we will lose. And no one is invincible, not even a “natural.”
Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time, once said, “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” When we are tempted to criticize others for changing their opinions, waffling on some point, or somehow being “inconsistent,” it’s a good idea to keep in mind that sometimes consistency is less important than improvement.
Sometimes the only way forward is to let go of what we thought we knew. Just as our scientific knowledge has undergone many revolutions, our knowledge in other areas must change as well – including our self-knowledge. To see the world the same way for decades means we have failed to learn and therefore failed to improve. Our objective should be to see things more clearly, not just keep looking at life through the same old lens.
However, there are no guarantees. I still envy the natural players. As hard as I worked, I did not become Doc Severinsen or Maurice Andre. But I did improve. I enjoyed over 40 years as a teacher and professional musician. And I learned a lot – mostly about myself – in the process. Most importantly, I learned to embrace change whenever it made me better as a player – or as a human being.
MurrayWorks 