official website

Gerry Lopez

Trumpeter

• Energy and volume are not the same. Control your volume and you'll have energy to spare
  
• Bad habits can be acquired in days, weeks, months but it may take years to correct them.
  
• ​Remember to hydrate prior to , during and after playing
  
• easy on the salt
  
• be nice
  
• prepare yourself to hurry up and wait 
  
• no one cares what brand you play
  
• ​wear the right clothes for the job (look the look)
  
• If you claim to be a "lead" player then play all the lead not just the high notes
  
• Don't contribute to the noise at a rehearsal. Get in get out. Hang out on your own time.
  
• ​what ever your playing style requires practice the opposite to balance things out.
  
• practice more of what you can not play
  
• you don't have to be excellent at everything , use your colleagues , adjust parts as necessary
  
• listen to music that inspires you , moves you , challenges you
  
• ​don't be one of those guys that only listens to what they've recorded 
  
• Don't shave on performance day(s) 
  
• Don't clean you horn or mouthpiece on performance day(s)
  
• Don't try a new warm up of performance day(s)
  
• ​Don't freak out and reach for a new mouthpiece before down beat just because your warmup was off
  
• ​Stop thinking that your equipment is the problem
  
• Embrace your sound
  
• ​Develop your sound
  
• learn the basics on how to improvise ( Abersold recoding , iReal Pro etc.)
  
• Buy a small keyboard , play chords, do ear training
  
• ​it's 2021 have the ability to self record yourself. there are plenty of free DAWS for you to start and youTube videos to guide you, no excuses
  
• ​Make practice time a positive event
  
• practice in small segments to keep chops fresh if that helps you
  
• rest as much as you play is the golden rule
  
• Just breathe , the world isn't going to crumble if you miss a note.
  
• Performance jitters ? or get nervous when heavy hitters in your field are listening or nearby? get over it. More than likely they're not there to see you.
  
• Find a mentor ( as no one wants to say they have a teacher. its not cool when your out of school.)
  
• listen to mentor , they've been there done that. Stop trying to out do mentor. you will always lose.
• this is a business , treat it as such
  
• discuss your rates in advance
  
• find qualified subs and prep them
  
• it's better to say NO , than accept a crap gig. Believe me the low money won't be worth the trouble
  
• ​practice more of what you can't play
  
• most singers do not know how to properly and musically ask for what they need in their mix , be patient
  
• ​the sound man will spend 30 minutes on the bass drum and 30 seconds on each horn player
  
• you're going to play bad charts , do your best to make them musical
  
• understand the form of tunes
  
• memorize as much as possible ( I suck at this)
• have a passport
  
• buy proper shoes
  
• don't wear a tux with a yankee baseball cap ( you'll look like an ass)
  
• ​don't be a gossiper 
  
• don't point out your bandmates when they make an error on stage
  
• ask for more money if you feel the gig warrants it​