One Day Wonder #287

For 1 trumpet.

I’ve learned that whenever there is a crisis of confidence, the best thing to do is go small. I’ve done it in the past and it’s worked out very well for me. Since I’ve written all kinds of stuff for trumpets within an ensemble and as a section alone, I figured that I should give a solo piece a shot. Here it is. I wanted to bring out both the “rapid fire” and lyrical capabilities of the instrument. I’ve always liked the trumpet, but it’s a tough instrument to sound good on. I know, I’ve played in lots of big bands and the trumpet section is almost always the worst. Sure, in reality, the trombones probably suck more, but you usually can’t hear them over all that bleating from the trumpet section. But my point here is that the trumpet is an amazingly flexible instrument that can sound incredible in the right hands. Maybe someday this piece will fall into those right hands.

Well, for the moment, the crisis is over. I’ve got plans for tomorrow’s piece and seem to be back on track, though the prospect of living through another creative blackout fills me with dread. Now with the end of the project so clearly in sight, I’m not very concerned with it.