This article makes a number of assumptions from the outset. First, I make the assumption that your skill level, commitment, and passion are fully developed. (Or at least there's no doubt in your mind that you're giving this music thing ALL you've got to give.)
Given those assumptions, perhaps you've hit a wall. It happens. Some prefer to call it a plateau. Progress seems to be hurdling headlong, then a sudden lull, or calm. This can be disheartening. The normal response is to try harder. Push. Work. Get SERIOUS about what you're doing. I propose a different, in my mind healthier, tack.
Let us assume that the wall you've run into is not from a lack of practice. Rather, you are presently in the midst of the most fervent practicing era of your life. And you have perhaps run into a period of frustration, confusion, and even anger. It can arise from a number of sources. The pressure of winning a gig, finishing that degree, paying the bills, getting into that Grad School, feeding the kids, holding the gig. Boredom. Stagnation. Lack of motivation.
It's a feeling you're bound to encounter if you're doing your very best. It needn't concern you, in fact, since it's truly a matter of course for those trying to achieve lofty goals. Your brethren in the workaday world feel the same way. Often, in fact. Primarily those who care about and are quite good at what they do.
Despite that tidy logic, though, these feelings of frustration, stagnation, and doubt DO concern you. In fact, you're of the belief that they surely OUGHT to concern you. To feel otherwise would make you a slacker and surely would not bode well for your next audition. It is a dog eat dog world, after all, and we are competing with a very talented pool of musicians.
By shear force of will and supplication, one can indeed achieve great things. You can work so very hard that any impediments to success are literally bowled over. A hard enough head banging against even a very hard wall will indeed make some progress. But you needn't bang your head so hard. For however great the accomplishments of those striving to achieve, greater still are the things that transpire for those willing to receive.
It may sound a bit like a New-Age diatribe at first glance, but I assure you this sensibility is anything but new. It smacks of a Zen philosophy, wherein we don't fight the current, but let the river sweep us along life's journey. It sounds like "Let Go and Let God", that phrase we often hear from our born again Christian friends. Maybe this is true. I suppose it depends on your perspective.
The present lull in your progress is most likely due to your perspective, too. The power of the mind is awesome indeed. Having the proper frame of mind can have an inestimable effect on the quality of our lives. Since our lives are committed to making music, it follows that the proper frame of mind can profoundly effect the quality of our music. I'll present one example, a poignant one. This is but one of countless examples of a human being attaining great heights despite himself; a deeply committed person who made a life-altering realization. It's an inspiring story for me, and I believe there's a lesson here for all of us.
Martin Luther was a man who took everything over the top. If he put his mind to something, NOTHING got between him and his stated goal. He was an exceptional example of a man with conviction, desire, and lofty goals. I suppose today's society would label him a Type-A workaholic. His goal was not to bring down the very mighty Holy Roman Church, (at the time a power such as the world had never known). His goal was never so earthly.
His goal was to save his soul. A MUCH more daunting task, as he saw it.
In his quest for pure holiness, Luther spent years in the most unimaginable state of self-denial. Physical self-denial, that is. Deprivation. He, more than any in his midst, worked on technique. The technique was that of being an ascetic, an embodiment of spirit; a poster boy for the monastic lifestyle. His fellow monks apparently were frightened by his fervor. The level to which he had committed himself seemed un-human to most., and inhumane to nearly all.
To Luther, it was not ever bound to suffice. The end would not be attained, he eventually concluded, because it was indeed not attainable as he perceived it. That most certainly caused a very deep awareness of frustration. This state lasted many, many years for Luther. While he feverishly practiced a routine of self-denial, he was awash in a state of self-awareness. He believed that every aspect of his destiny was in his control. He hammered away at technique. Every day he grew more aware of himself and all of his shortcomings. This might sound a bit familiar.
Apparently, he took on a job as a teacher of Biblical texts. For the first time, HIS state was not his only concern. He now had others' to look after. Being a man of great conscience and integrity, he took his role of Spiritual Shepherd quite to heart. In so doing, a revelation occurred to him. An ear-splitting, Earth-shattering, ground-quaking revelation as he experienced it:

Salvation, as he was so desperately trying to achieve it, was NOT to be achieved......it was to be received .

For Luther, an unworldly sense of relief must have swept him off his feet. It obviously struck him hard in the very core of his being. The rest of his life resoundingly attests to the greatness achieved from this revelation. As he no longer tried to attain the salvation of his soul, he came closer to actually doing it. As he became less aware and less critical of himself in the process of achieving salvation, he was well down the road to really doing it! Achievement was a fortunate by-product of the ability to receive. It was a gift. It was to be received like any other gift.
His energies were then better spent on being the most receptive person he could be. He did not neglect the techniques he had come to master, but saw them in a wholly different context now. While it was prudent that he always be prepared for the onset of revelation (and thus achievement), he now understood that it was far beyond him to control such onsets. He was willing to admit that a power greater than he would see fit to provide his soul the nourishment it craved. He would just make sure he was ready. That is all one can do.
Is your musical career destined to lead you through such a labyrinth of self-discovery and spiritual awakening? Frankly, I don't know if a human being ever has or ever will have a journey such as Luther's. On our less lofty, but not less significant, plane of existence, though, I believe we can empathize with Luther on a number of levels.
First, we too are involved in a pursuit that demands perfection. Our ultimate aim is to make the best music possible, not necessarily save our souls. Nevertheless, if we are to reach our stated goals, it will require every ounce of our beings. In so doing, it is all too easy to become completely self aware. It is an easy trap to fall into when one starts to truly believe that our musical destiny is solely our responsibility and solely within our control. Since it's only us playing the horn, surely it's only us that controls what comes out the bell, right? Not exactly.
Secondly, we are apt, like Luther, to develop a dogmatic reverence for technique; so much so that we can see no other aspects in our development as musicians. It is our technique that will set us apart from the competition come audition time. It is our technique that will earn the respect of our mentors and peers. It is our technique that makes us artists. Only technique will assure success, right? That depends on how you define success.
Luther believed this for a time. Then he changed his perspective and entered into the most fruitful days of his life. Less awareness of self, a receptive attitude, a reverence for powers larger than himself, but a ceaseless desire for truth led him to become an energized, fully alive, truly productive human being. What's more, he no longer had such a clearly defined aim as his original goal of salvation. He changed his perspective. His goal was now: truth, goodness, sincerity in his work.
The very wonderful Bobby Shew uttered the following words and every day since, I have contemplated their profound meaning:

Never do anything SERIOUSY, but do everything SINCERELY.

I paraphrase, Mr. Shew, and apologize if I got it wrong. But that was the gist of his message to a group of SERIOUSLY committed young musicians. We were all working so HARD. Completely aware of ourselves and our shortcomings. Incessantly beating ourselves up. Striving. Demanding. Never at peace. Convinced that our stated goals were worth achieving and the fact that we hadn't yet achieved them was entirely our doing. The fact that we one day would achieve them was also entirely our doing.
Within that tiny utterance from Mr. Shew, though, was an Earth-shattering revelation for me. As I dwelled more upon those words, I saw and felt the connotations of SERIOUS versus SINCERE. It occurred to me that SERIOUS was a word of self awareness. The onus was upon the individual. It connotes work, responsibility, inflexibility, impossibly high standards, an unattainable goal like Luther's. The gentle, forgiving, receptive nature of SINCERITY, though, seemingly lifts a weight from the individual. Its connotation is more humane. It allows one to be a conduit and gives one the courage to assign responsibility to a power greater than oneself. It creates a sense of peace. A tenderness. An allowance that doing the best one can do, free from BS, free from selfish motives, is the only way to make the journey. In a musical context, this made a lot of sense to me. I respected the art form and was willing to admit it was far greater than I.
This holds true for anyone pursuing their passion. It's not exclusive to musical endeavors. I began to realize this as I met more and more brilliant and compassionate teachers, doctors, lawyers, accountants, Mr. Moms, stay-at-home Moms, students. It lies in the passion. The peacefulness that arises when one knows oneself quite well and desires to make the world a little bit better each day. A deep level of SINCERITY in your daily deeds makes a better global impact than a somehow more selfish SERIOUSNESS about you. Every walk of life could see the reasoning there.
But if it's music that has captured your imagination and it's music that equals beauty in your mind, then you're apt to have moments of profound self-awareness and self-criticism. We keep it from becoming self-indulgence and lend it a peaceful air of sincerity by dwelling upon the beauty within all good music. A beauty that is greater than us and is offered us as a gift.
Always craving more, ever hearing more. That's how you want to live. ALL styles of music. Every means of audible expression man has ever known. Seeking, absorbing, and devouring an ever-growing palette of musical colors, gestures, innuendos, textures. Because we KNOW there is beauty within. Some brilliant thinkers have argued, and I would agree, that TRUTH lies within. An ideal state of the "world" lies within. An awareness of much more than ones physical situation lies within; a glimpse of something MUCH larger than ourselves; and a power well beyond our means to harness it. This is a power that can make you a better person and give you a better quality of life. More compassionate, more patient, more deeply feeling, more aware (not of self.....just aware).
But this is a power that draws you nearer and feeds you such pure, honest, real sustenance that it simply requires that you return more and more often. Does this sound familiar? Are these thoughts and feelings you've had? On a very grand scale, this is what Luther sensed. His source wasn't music, but none (few?) would doubt its power. His imagination was gripped firmly. He was obsessed. He sought to receive the gift. He sincerely perfected his ability to receive. You should, too.
His revelation, then, served to free him of less productive modes of being and allowed him to venture closer to the source of this power. His mind left technique behind as it focused more on the receiving of inspiration and further revelation.
I suggest that your sense of frustration might arise from similar roots and might be squelched similarly. Let me explain:
There must come a point in your musical career when you begin to trust your technique and abide by it. You must forego the relentless assaults on it, criticisms of it, constant awareness of it, ceaseless dwelling upon it. Not for your own sake, but for the sake of the music. The music, after all, is your source of good food. You readily admit that it's a power greater than yourself. You have already accounted for the beauties it holds. You must now admit that it's a whole lot more than technique.
True enough: attaining the highest level of music-making will not allow for technical deficiencies of any nature. But is a technically flawless rendition in itself the highest level of music making? Think about that very carefully.
In your honest and sincere assessment, has technical perfection come to occupy your imagination as you listen to yourself? Others?
I hear you now saying:

"It's a cop-out. I hear players of average ability saying this all the time: It's the MUSIC that matters, it's the MUSICAL affect, not right notes! Seems to me that's often because it's difficult for them to play the right notes. They haven't spent the time and/or displayed the level of commitment I have."

I think you are right. I think that is indeed often the case, sadly, so your skepticism is appreciated. But I've also had the experience of hearing MASTERS of the art form uttering similar sentiments:

"It's the MUSIC that matters, it's the MUSICAL affect, not right notes!"

It just so happens that they utter this in the context of playing all the right notes.
So let's assume right notes, OK? That means, of course, that we assume impeccable technique, too. Perfect technique is right notes at the right time. Anything other than that has left the realm of technique. That's my whole point: get beyond your fixation on technique. There's so much more to dwell upon, ponder, and marvel at.
Allow your technique to achieve perfection as a by-product of your voracious appetite for musical colors, gestures, innuendos, textures. This will require a child-like curiosity (remember that?). This will require faith. It requires a belief in the good work you've done for so many years. It requires a belief in your coaches and teachers. All that you know to be true about making good sounds on this expandable tube must hold true for sure. You can have no doubt in your mind of that. You KNOW that the sounds you make fit well in a musical context. You believe that with the earnest fervor of Luther.
Now, you seek to know more thoroughly the musical context itself, not simply how your sound might fit into it. For the rest of your life, your technique will evolve to the degree to which your musical imagination demands. In other words, given the proper impetus, you will be as good as you need to be to express your musical thoughts. This holds true as long as your sincerity guides you. It follows, then, that your musical thoughts should be the object of your study. The validity of your musical thoughts might very well need more honing than your technique. If you are an accomplished player of even modest ability, I would venture that this is the case.
Can your musical soul bear the scrutiny of honest assessment? Are the motives behind your sound of the purest nature? Do they purport to express beauty? Are they quite sincerely rendered? Are your sounds evolving from a foundation of knowledge, a respect for the past, awe with the present, excitement at the future, denial of ego, and a commitment to truth? Do you play in declarative or interrogative terms? Who are you playing for and why? Are you showing respect for those you are playing with? What do you so desperately wish to achieve with your music and why the desperation?
A practice regiment designed to feed the imagination and a rich flavor of sincerity in your daily music making will assure that technique obeys your commands. It will be there when you need it. Your quest for musical truth will insist upon it. It's almost magical in that sense. The power of the mind/imagination is not to be overstated. Believe that.
Your desire to know as much as possible about your craft and your need to render music as sincerely as possible will find you working technique like never before. The difference will be you no longer do it from a sense of desperation, guilt, payin' your dues , or maintenance; you don't even do it with an awareness of technique . You will no longer feel like you HAVE to do it. You will arrive at a state whereby you MUST do it.......for your musical soul.
You work the subtleties and intricacies of your highly evolved craft with such utter servitude because the music demands it. It's not technique . That would trivialize it. It is your means to a terrific end: an end to which you've committed your entire being. It is your means to make yourself receptive to the gift. Like the sharpened tool of a devoted carver and the well-rehearsed swing of a PGA golfer..... merely a means to an end.
It is just happenstance that you will now realize more clearly why technique matters a LOT, even as you let it matter less. It matters now because it is the essence of sincerity in what you do. It is a conduit. It speaks to the truth. It's also a terrific happenstance that achievement happens despite yourself when it springs from a sincere source.

Now go get sincere about what you're doing.we can't wait to hear you!

Dr. Tom
tom@trombonelessons.com