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Bio: Nathaniel Mayfield is an international baroque trumpet soloist located in Austin, TX. He recently finished his MBA at UT - Austin and splits his professional duties between baroque trumpet performance, managing his own oil company and managing several Dairy Queen restaurants in the Austin area.

Worst performance moment: Didn't play well at the Maurice Andre competition early in his career. Ended well in spite of it, and received a nice compliment from one of the judges.

The "I've Got This" moment: That experience taught Nate he just needs to be himself and not worry about being "the best".

How Nate stays "in the zone": Experience. Every time he picks up his trumpet, he's in another world, reverting to habits accrued over years of playing.

The Hot Seat

JN: It’s 5 minutes before you go on stage for an important performance… What are you doing?NM: The first thing that came to my mind was making inappropriate jokes :) But basically being humorous, making jokes, anything to deflect from stress or doubt creeping in. I’m looking at my instrument, making sure everything is prepared, seeing if I need water on stage, making sure I have eveyrtyhing laid out. The other thing is I become this person I’ve invented called natemayfield.com. How would he react? He’d be overly confident. He’s going to go out there and it’s going to be incredible. You visualize and you believe it.JN: What’s the best performance-related advice you've ever received?

NM: When I was at Interlochen, I heard an orchestral player who got the call to audition for his job and he hadn’t played in 2 weeks. He ended up winning the audition. The advice he was giving was to play long tones, and he visualized the audition. Visualize with no mistakes. He said it sounds easy but if you can really visualize perofrming with no mistakes, you can’t tell the difference in your mind. So you gain a level of experience of playing something perfect in your mind. So when you do perform, you’re not surprised when it starts to sound perfect. So that made a huge difference for me.

Another thing I heard was from Sam Pilafian. He had performed at a huge auditorium and it seems like there’s about 70,000 people there. I asked him how he could perform in such a setting. He said, “You just don’t think about it.” It sounds simple, but the older I get, the more it makes sense.

JN: What advice can you give someone who deals with dry mouth?

NM: I always have water on stage. It’s kind of an anchor, or a security blanket for me. I know it’s there, and sometimes I don’t need it. If you get nervous, it starts to creep in. A trick I’ve learned is to bite your tongue, which forces you to salivate. A quote from Ray Mase comes to mind. He said, “If you want to get better at baseball, you practice baseball.” The thought comes to mind if you want to get better at playing with dry mouth, then create situations where you play with dry mouth. You can learn to cope with it, so you have an experiential history you can draw on when it happens in a performance situation. It’s no different from an athlete doing certain things to train.

JN: Imagine you’re on stage. It’s the end of the performance and the audience is on its feet, applauding. They don’t want any more and they don’t want any less. Everything is perfect. What have you just done? Give details: Venue, repertoire, band mates, etc. Get Creative!!!

NM: One of the most rewarding concerts I’ve given is with two baroque trumpets in Germany. My friend and I play together every summer. The audiences in Germany are very receptive to the music. The two baroque trumpet music is amazing because you have these wonderful overtones. To me, that’s the perfect representation. You’re in a beautiful church in Europe,

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Tamir Akta is a trumpet soloist and teacher in Ranaana Israel. He’s the head of the brass department of the Ranaana Conservatory, the largest music conservatory in Israel.

Worst performance moment: Was the organizer of a brass festival and played a solo at the end. Did not play well due to all his activity prior to playing.

The "I've Got This" moment: Performed a piece he had written with an orchestra in Israel. Everything felt perfect.

How Tamir stays "in the zone": You must create a program to guide your activities. Practice, travel planning, etc. A daily routine. Write what you’ve improved and what you want to improve more. If you go on stage and feel you’ve done the best of your ability, you feel nothing can go wrong. Prepare for the moment.

The Hot Seat

JN: It’s 5 minutes before you go on stage for an important performance… What are you doing?TA: A friend of mine who is a trumpet player and psychologist taught me an exercise. You focus on both sides of the brain by tapping on my right and left legs, very softly. First tap your left, then tap your right. It improves the focus of both sides of the brain. Also, I focus on the piece I’m playing, visualizing. I try to keep myself in a happy mood. I’m telling jokes with people around me. I’m not dreading about what might go wrong. I want to have fun.JN: What’s the best performance-related advice you've ever received?

TA: Play like you sing. The moment you’re on stage, just enjoy the moment. It sounds simple, but it’s the best advice I’ve received.

JN: Can you share one tip for our listeners to help deal with stage fright? (Physical, mental, etc.)

TA: What you need is to keep yourself smiling. Make someone smile a little before going on stage. Be it a friend, spouse, etc. Making your environment one of positive vibes, it can make all the fear and false thoughts go away.

JN: What’s a non-musical activity that contributes to your success as a musician?

Wind surfing. It clears my mind.

JN: Imagine you’re on stage. It’s the end of the performance and the audience is on its feet, applauding. They don’t want any more and they don’t want any less. Everything is perfect. What have you just done? Give details: Venue, repertoire, band mates, etc. Get Creative!!!

TA: The pianist and I are having a great flow. We feel very much in place. When it happens, it feels like a rehearsal. I don’t feel like there’s an audience. It’s a wonderful moment and you can be more musical than you think is possible. There’s no judgment.

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Adam Rapa is one of the world's foremost jazz trumpet players. He tours extensively around the world thrilling audiences with his impeccable technique and showmanship.

WORST PERFORMANCE MOMENT:

In a way, I always feel like a failure. There are various lenses by which we can look at an experience. From some points of view, I’m always failing. And in others, I’m always succeeding. It’s really how we choose to look at it, whether we’re a success or a failure.

HOW ADAM DEFINES FAILURE:

It has more to do with my mindset than missing notes or "falling apart" on stage. If I don't bring my A-game, I'm a failure, even if the audience loves it.

HOW ADAM STAYS "IN THE ZONE":

It’s easy to do that when I consider it’s not just about the music, not just about the dotting I’s and crossing T’s. It’s also a social experience. If we’re there to have a good time and to provide a good time for the audience, then who am I to call that a failure?

THE HOT SEAT

JN: It’s 5 minutes before you go on stage for an important performance… What are you doing?AR: It varies. In most cases, I’m probably back stage laughing with the other people I’m performing with. It’s an ice way to prepare. Other times, if I feel like what I’m about to do is compete in the Trumpet Olympics, so to speak, then I like to be alone. I’m not taking selfies backstage with other musicians. I’d rather be in a meditative state, bringing myself down into a deeper state of consciousness so I can walk onto the stage already “in the zone.” It really depends on who I’m with and the nature of what I’m about to perform.JN: What’s the best performance-related advice you've ever received?AR: Two answers. One is, “Get out there and give ‘em everything you’ve got.” Don’t be emotionally stingy, don’t hold back. Don’t let your fear get in the way of delivering your truth.Two, “It’s not about you.” A lot of people need to hear this more often as it relates to performing. It involves so much work with the ego. Some of us do a better job than others of keeping the ego in check to make sure it exists, it’s healthy and being fed but also kept on a leash. Being made aware of how little it’s actually needed in circumstances in which you’re performing. To know it’s not about you, it’s about the audience, is of the utmost importance. Otherwise, it can turn into a big strange masturbation thing when really it’s about making love. In order for it to be an act of making love with an audience, you have to know it’s not about you.JN: Can you share one tip for our listeners to help deal with stage fright? (Physical, mental, etc.)

AR: I’m not a good person to talk with about stage fright because I don’t get stage fright. What I do experience are bursts of adrenaline when I walk on stage. If you have a healthy mental approach, then it doesn’t become stage firght. But if you have an unhealthy mental approach, and you combine that with the adrenaline rush of walking on stage, ready to exhibit yourself, then it can become something quite scary and debilitating. But I’m not the best person to ask how to alleviate the emotional triggers we know as “stage fright.” You try your best, prepare the best you can, you go on stage and do your best with an open heart and with the intention of making people feel good and whatever comes out is what comes out. If people like it, great. If not, your license as a performer won’t be revoked. You’ll get another chance. There’s not much you can do other than try your best.

One tip I could offer is regardless of whether you’re experiencing something like stage fright, or what your ego is shouting you in the moment, it’s really important to make sure it doesn’t affect your brething, or the way you use your body. Many times when people are nonchalant, in a practice room, etc. They’re performing with ease.

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PACK YOUR A-GAME: HOW TO MAINTAIN PEAK PERFORMANCE AS A TRAVELING MUSICIAN

-by Paul Baron

I have been asked many times in clinics, masterclasses, lessons, and by colleagues as well, how to maintain peak performance on the road. Traveling for gigs poses a number of different challenges with many variables involved that we wouldn't necessarily encounter while working at home.

First of all, there is the obvious... travel. This often requires many hours on planes and busses and in itself can be very fatiguing. Very often I play a show late into the evening and because of the distance to the next city and venue, will be up for travel four hours later. Many times this is unavoidable so I make sure to stay hydrated at all times. The other thing I do is carry headphones and ear plugs to try and get cat naps on the plane or bus. Even getting a little dozing off time can be refreshing so being able to cut out some of the exterior noises, young kids crying or screaming, or loud cast members who never stop "performing", helps to refresh on long travel days. This also helps me recover more quickly once I've arrived at the destination.

We can learn a lot about maintaining physical performance from athletes. It's obvious that after a strenuous athletic endeavor, being it a training session or event, an athlete needs rest to recover. This is no less the case for musicians, especially a high energy trumpet gig. Lactic acid, as well as extra blood, builds up in our lips as a way of protecting the tissue, so rest is a big factor in bringing down the swelling and washing away the lactic acid and excess blood. Hydrating helps with this as well.

I always do a warm-up starting with a clean slate everyday. What I mean by this is that I make sure to start off gentle and listen to my body as it gives me signals with how to progress. Sometimes I pick up the horn and things feel pretty fresh right off the start. I am able to progress easily through my warm-up and feel ready to perform after only five minutes. Other days, especially if the travel schedule is tiring and I've had a heavy playing schedule the day before, my warm-up can take on a different role.

For those times I find it even more important to listen to the signs my body is sending to start even more gentle. If travel and schedule allows, I prefer to do a gentle warm-up in the later morning so as to start the healing process early in the day. Since I don't have any time constraints to hurry through the warm-up to get ready for the gig, I allow myself whatever time I feel is necessary to get my chops back to square one. Often this involves lip flapping alternating with very soft "whisper tones".

What I'm trying to do is get the lips vibrating as gently and easily as possible with the smallest trickle of air. Sometimes the lips just aren't ready to vibrate. Rather than force them by blowing more air, I stop and flutter my lips some more, and then attempt the same very soft volume again. We may have all experienced stiff chops and probably also experienced having to blow harder to force the lips to vibrate.

With enough air we can force almost the stiffest of chops to vibrate but this isn't an efficient use of air and the effort to sound ratio is not very good. Playing in this way, fatigue will set in much faster, volume, range, sound and intonation, will all suffer, and we may even do irreparable damage. I consider this warm-up time as physical therapy (PT) and am more concentrated on the feeling than the sound at this point. If I am able to do PT and damage control to get my lips feeling and vibrating easily without much effort, I know the gig will go much better as well.

Once things are back to working well, or at least as good as they're going to get for the day, I can move on into a practice session,

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Dr. John Bryant is NEWLY appointed Artist Affiliate and Professor of Trumpet at Reinhardt University. He is 2nd trumpet of both the Savannah Philharmonic and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra as well as Principal Solo Cornet of the Georgia Brass Band. He teaches a private studio in his home in Atlanta where he lives with his wife, Mary Beth.

Worst performance moment: Was featured soloist at a music camp. Was ill, and taught all day. The performance didn't go well, and didn't play for 4 weeks.

The "I've Got This" moment: A few weeks later, played principal trumpet for Tchaikovsky 6th Symphony and killed it.

How John stays "in the zone": Stretches, lacrosse balls, Don Greene's work.

The Hot Seat

JN: It’s 5 minutes before you go on stage for an important performance… What are you doing?JB: If it’s an orchestra show, I have a routine. Once the suit goes on, I drink water, make sure I have everything I need, mutes, valve oil, etc. I stand back stage, play a few flow studies, then walk on stage, get my music in order. I don’t play anything. I just sit there and breathe.For a solo performance, I do a bit more. I love Tony Robbins’ idea of setting a mantra and pumping yourself up. Say it a thousand times. Find those three key words you want to define your performance. I think “beautiful sound,” “unstoppable” “divine.” I repeat that over and over. It repeats in my head and it’s pretty effective in getting myself in the right frame of mind.

JN: What’s the best performance-related advice you've ever received?

JB: We’ve all seen Aladdin. There’s a scene where Aladdin is about to go on a date with Jasmine and the genie turns into a bee and says, “Beeee Yourself!” I think that’s the best performance advice I’ve ever received. I can idolize certain players, but it’s not me. I have to do my own thing. I’m not going to put the pressure of being someone I’m not on myself. Just be yourself.

JN: Can you share one tip for our listeners to help deal with stage fright? (Physical, mental, etc.)

Just do it. When I was a younger kid, I didn’t get stage fright. I never had a bad performance. Then I had my first bad performance and it took me awhile to overcome it. You get into a rut because you think, “What if that happens again?” I think going through the motions and putting yourself out there. Start small. Play for anyone and everyone. Go outside and play on a street corner and play tunes. Get out some method books. Play some tunes that other people know. They’re not looking for you to make mistakes. The obstacles are what you see when you take your mind off the goal. So stop looking at the obstacles. Make beautiful music. When I’m getting ready for auditions, my wife will put me on the spot and have me play the excerpts when we have house guests. This is part of the Don Greene idea. Be prepared. It could happen any time. Just play for people. The more you do it, the less it’s scary.

JN: Imagine you’re on stage. It’s the end of the performance and the audience is on its feet, applauding. They don’t want any more and they don’t want any less. Everything is perfect. What have you just done? Give details: Venue, repertoire, band mates, etc. Get Creative!!!

JB: The best I can say is I left it all out there. I swung for the fences and hit it out. One particular performance I remember is I played Windows for trumpet and organ by Peter Ebbens. It gets to the very end and there’s a high C at the very end. So I went for it and I pasted it to the back of that church. Everyone went nuts! I didn’t let the fact I had been playing for the last hour and a half prevent me from going for it. I just made beautiful music. I took chances and they all worked out. I didn’t think, “What if I mess up?

Hey all, I apologize for any confusion with the Secrets of the Musical Mind podcast which is now called MusicPreneur.Com.

To summarize, I'm in the process of integrating the Secrets of the Musical Mind concept and making it a regular feature of the musicpreneur.com podcast.

I meant to make an announcement on the Secrets of the Musical Mind podcast feed to explain what is going on, but the guys at Podcast Websites work so fast, they integrated the podcast feeds before I could get to it!

Here's what you really need to know:

Secrets of the Musical Mind is now a weekly feature on the musicpreneur.com podcast.

A new episode of Secrets of the Musical Mind will be published EVERY TUESDAY.

Everything about it will remain exactly the same: interview format, the "hot seat" questions, corny jokes, etc.

All of the previously published episodes from the Secrets of the Musical Mind podcast will be available at http://secretsofthemusicalmind.com. (I'll let you know when they're ready.)

The best way to stay up to date with what's going on with Secrets of the Musical Mind is to join the email list. You can sign up on the home page of http://musicalmindmastery.com or simply send me an email.

This change was necessary as I simply don't have the resources to produce two podcasts at the quality I want. I would rather have one that I can do extremely well than two that are "acceptable."

Of course, send me an email if you have any comments or need clarification :)