I recently came across a quote regarding the trumpet that struck me as crass but quite intuitive. The quote was, “the trumpet is not an instrument, it’s a personality disorder.” Now, I’ve heard some disparaging lines about trumpet players before, but wow! OK, well the quote may be a bit strong, but think about that for a moment. To be a good trumpet player, you definitely have to have a strong will. Not only does a good trumpet player have to be a good musician, but they must also be a self-counseling psychologist, a manager, a leader, a breath yogi, internally powered air compressor, and of course a musical gymnast. Each of these traits, of course, contains numerous subsets.
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