A Trumpeting Holiday

Posted on May 29, 2019

By Bill Spady, PJS alumni 1957

December 28, 2018

My trumpeting career has been going on, in one way or another, since I was 8 years old.

My recent trumpet adventure actually began 13 months ago when I received an email from the Portland Youth Philharmonic announcing its Christmas concert and inviting all PYP alumni (who were willing and able) to join its Alumni Orchestra to perform Brahms’ “Academic Festival Overture” at that event.  Having played the piece as the PYP’s first trumpet in 1956, I knew that it was not a technically demanding piece, and that playing the second trumpet part was possible for me if I got out the horn and started practicing A LOT every day for the next three weeks to get my lip in enough ‘shape’ to handle it.  I did.  I joined the 2017 alums, and had an exhilarating experience at the concert.  As soon as the final majestic chords ended that evening, I decided to play in 2018 too. 

Of course, I had no idea what I was getting into, but I kept up my aspirations (though not my practice regimen) throughout the year . . . until the announcement came in mid-November.  This year’s piece: “Buckaroo Holiday,” an episode in Aaron Copland’s ballet score called “Rodeo.”  I knew it from recordings, and it’s an eight-minute syncopation nightmare pretty much from beginning to end.  This time I had five weeks to get my lip in shape, but the parts didn’t come until we had less than three weeks left to go.  I play a trumpet pitched in C, but the parts were written for B-flat trumpets.  So, for only the second time since I got my horn in 1960, I got out its set of B-flat tuning slides.  Shazaam!!  It became a B-flat trumpet, and I could at least play the notes on the printed page. 

After hours of practice, I realized that I could play the notes (slower than required), but four huge challenges remained:  the complex counting, surprise entrances, deliberately dissonant harmonics, and places where everyone was playing in unison except the trumpets, which were in ‘conflict’ with them.  At our only long rehearsal prior to the concert, PYP’s Music Director, David Hattner, admitted that he had selected a HARD piece for us this year.  With only two days left before the concert, I both practiced a lot and listened to the recording while reading the score . . . again and again. 

This Alumni Orchestra adventure really became “unique” on concert night, December 26.  When I arrived, David told me right away that two additional alumni would be joining the trumpet section for the performance, and one of them had just won an intense competition (70 entrants) to become the Assistant Principal Trumpet for the Indianapolis Symphony.  His name:  Tim McCarthy, and can he play!!!!  SUPERB sound and technique, and he’s only in his early-mid twenties.  So we played “Buckaroo Holiday” with the help of Tim and MANY other alums who are currently pros and knew the piece.  Given that, we alums did very well, and I’d give my own performance a B+.  In a phone call earlier in the day, my colleague Chuck Schwahn had asked me whether I ever got nervous before a performance such as the one I was facing.  I said “NO, I’ll be too busy counting to be nervous.  One lapse of attention, and you’re hopelessly lost in a piece like this.” 

And Now for the Good News

After our short pre-concert second rehearsal I spotted Tim and invited him to join me for some food before the concert itself.  He agreed, and we became friends right away, each telling trumpet ‘war stories’ to the other.  In the process, I looked intently at his lips for the tell-tale signs of his embrouchure, i.e., how the lips connect with the mouthpiece.  Clearly, his was different from mine, and I was rather desperately looking for a better approach.  After the concert we traded phone numbers, and he agreed to come over to listen to my music system, play for me, and give me an official embouchure lesson. 

In the meantime, the day after the concert, I had an astonishing practice session based on my observation and attempt to imitate the embouchure creases in Tim’s lips after the rehearsal.  Even though I was using the biggest, most difficult mouthpiece I owned, a wonderful sound and excellent technique came pouring out with amazing ease.  The new approach was REALLY different, but I was able to sustain it and was elated with the results.  I could hardly believe it was unfolding, but the sonic wonders (for me) continued unabated.

When Tim arrived for the lesson he completely validated what I had observed about his lip position and the way I had practiced the day before.  And he added some wonderful breathing to the lesson, which made difficult passages almost effortless.  Soon we were both playing symphony excerpts on our respective horns, trading horns, trying out different mouthpieces, and everything that trumpeters do when they have multiple trumpets and mouthpieces. 

The capstone of this encounter was when he played my Vincent Bach C trumpet with his mouthpiece and announced that it was a magnificent instrument.  Then he did the same with my little Bach D trumpet and came up with the same verdict.  I was elated beyond measure to get his assessment because they were the same models that my Chicago Symphony teachers were using in the early 1960’s when I got mine.  All in all, I’m enormously motivated to continue practicing and seeing what might develop. I can only hope that other alumni might be able to have similar experiences as these few weeks were a unique series of days, and among the most joyous experiences I’ve ever had!!