I seem to sound crappy :( What can I do?

[berntd]

Hello,

When I practice, play etc, I hear myself as in tune and sounding pretty good.
But, when I listen to recordings of me playing in the band, I seem to often sound like someone who just started.
Hard to describe what I mean but it is sometimes wavering, parping or slightly out of tune (flat?) .


I only started at 50 and I have been playing for 5 years.

Is there anything I can do to
1) hear how I really sound all the time so as not to be deluded.
2) Fix this.

Best regards
berntd

[Wilco]

What kind recording device do you use, and is it the same device? Chances are that with more diverse input (band) the quality of that recording will be less than when there is just one sound to record.

Recently I got a phone video recording of a part of a concert and the quality was very low. The cornet (brassband) sounded like a very bright trumpet and not in a good way. I know for a fact that our principal cornet has a very nice, sweet round sound. This was an extreme example of a recording with a lot of destortion.

Get someone you trust to have good ears to listen to you. That would be the thing I would do

[Richard3rd]

Recording quality can be a big part of that. Smart phones are commonly the source as the recording may be missing high overtones and the result can make the instrument sound flat. If you have the capability, you can listen to yourself using a mic, headphones and a processing board. I found one for cheap in Ebay.

[ghmerrill]

I've gone through this just for my own benefit in practicing at home. The environment (room, acoustics) can make a big difference, and you may not be able to do much about that. But in trying to figure things out, the primary question you face is "Does this recording actually sound like what I'm doing? Is it accurate? Or is it a faulty representation in various ways (timbre, pitch, etc)?" And that leads immediately to "How can I tell if this is an accurate representation of my playing?" And without that, you're lost.

I use a TASCAM DR-O5 with (cheap) stereo condenser mic plugged into it and about 20 ft away from the horn. I replay it through a pair of cheap (but pretty decent) small speakers -- just to get a basic idea of how I'm sounding and things I'm messing up (like articulation). I had to tweak a couple of settings on the recorder to get it to produce what sounded like a reasonably realistic recording of my playing.

How? Simple and crude, but at least reasonably effective as a good approximation. I just kept checking how my wife's piano sounded (it's in my practice room) in the room vs. how it sounded on the recordings. When I got these to match pretty well, I was done. So just find some source you can record and then play back (piano, some recording you have, etc.) as a "standard" to compare against and get your recorder settings correct.

[baBposaune]

Hello,

When I practice, play etc, I hear myself as in tune and sounding pretty good.
But, when I listen to recordings of me playing in the band, I seem to often sound like someone who just started.
Hard to describe what I mean but it is sometimes wavering, parping or slightly out of tune (flat?) .

Best regards
berntd

1) Do you record yourself when you practice?
2) Do you use a tuner when you practice?
3) How is your sound/intonation on playback?

When performing in a band that is being recorded (or in rehearsals) with a mic that is not very good, it can make the differences between what you hear while playing and the recording seem miles apart.

4) Do the other trombone players sound the way you recall them sounding live versus on playback?

Some aspects can be exaggerated like wavering tone or honking like a klaxhorn if the microphone is really cheap, and or far away, and or the room acoustics amplify certain aspects of sound that are not accurate. What I will say is that if the rest of the trombone section (or band) sounds alright to your ears on playback then you might need to record yourself at home to first find out if you are really doing the things you describe before trying a solution.

[Doug Elliott]

Questioning the recording device is maybe worthwhile, but it's sort of blaming the messenger.
Record yourself at every opportunity and spend a LOT of time listening and critiquing every aspect of your playing. Over time you will gradually fix the issues. And take some lessons with somebody who knows what they're doing and can help you with those things.

[baBposaune]

Right...but...I've been recorded during rehearsals with a cheap mic and sound like I'm playing with tons of edge or a very small sound and then in live performance with good mics properly placed I sound fine. My point was to compare so as to "rule out" whether or not the recording device is the culprit. Trying to give the benefit of the doubt. I've been recording myself at home with a Zoom H6 for going on 16 years or more and it doesn't lie. Valuable tool when used for a reality check.

[ghmerrill]

I've been recording myself at home with a Zoom H6 for going on 16 years or more and it doesn't lie. Valuable tool when used for a reality check.

I think that's roughly equivalent to doing it with my (somewhat lower grade) TASCAM. I wonder what settings you may have tweaked. All you have to do on these recorders, for example, is to get the input level or output level a bit too high and it sounds like total crap. If you have no experience using these things and just figure the default settings should render a reliable result, you may be shocked. I'm not talking about the options like "Make it sound like I'm in Carnegie Hall" or "Make it sound like I'm in a broom closet". In my case, the user manual certainly wasn't any kind of intelligible guide.

[berntd]

Hello all,
Thanks for responding.
The recordings are all with a mobile phone, that seems to record other performances rather well.
I will do more home recording now for practice and see where that takes me.

I am currently convinced it is me sounding crappy as my partner has confirmed this that she can hear that too -- sometimes.

In analyzing, some of it is slight intonation inconsistency at times. It is not always instantly spot on and any instant subconcious correction once the note is sounding seems audible.

But the other issue is that sometimes some notes are not clear and bright but sound a bit like some kid who just started out.

Hard to explain but yea, it is there alright.


Best regards
Bernt

[baBposaune]

Getting a better sound consistently should be your number one aim. Like a trumpet player friend likes to say, "If you don't have good tone you can never play in tune."

Since you've been at this for 5 years I would highly recommend lessons.

Once you've are on the right track to producing a good tone then check your intonation and home with a tuner, then listen like mad during rehearsals and concerts and MATCH.

[ghmerrill]

listen like mad during rehearsals and concerts and MATCH.

This can't be overemphasized. One of my most pleasant musical experiences was when I was playing tuba in a quite good community band for several years. There was just one other tuba, and we would listen to each other and absolutely lock in tune. It was great.

[tbdana]

Sounds like you're just not completely precise and consistent in your playing. So...practice being precise. Practice being consistent. You've obviously got it. If it's there sometimes, it can be there all the time.

But we are what we practice, so make your practices precise, and slow down to do it if you need to.

Also, cell phones suck for hearing yourself back. Get yourself a cheap Zoom mic. Worlds better for hearing what you really sound like.