Re: Re: MP observations


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Posted by Kenneth Sloan on January 21, 2003 at 12:02:25:

In Reply to: Re: MP observations posted by GC on January 21, 2003 at 11:10:56:

"Sometimes, your lip just needs a break, and the demands of adjust to another..."

Exactly! This not only explains the "flavor of the month" problem, but also explains why it's a good thing to put some variety in your playing.

In my opinion, every player, and every mouthpiece, and every instrument, has a highly variable response. You have strong points and weak points - and so does your equipment.

As you adapt to the equipment, you tend to work harder on the areas where either you, or your equipment, or the combination, is weakest. (The squeaky note gets the practice). This means that, over time, you adjust your playing so that you get acceptably uniform results.

Now, if you change equipment, you may discover that the things you were working so hard on on the old axe are suddenly your *strong* points, and something else pops up as a weak point. If you pay attention to one aspect of your playing, you may exclaim "this chose *me*!" If you pay attention to some other aspect, you may way "this horn sucks"

I've only recently started playing several different horns (not usually on the same day, but on successive days). At first, I found the new instrument a great challenge. Then it seemed to improve. And then...and then...I noticed that I was playing *much* better on the original instrument. Why? Because the new horn forced me to face weaknesses that the original horn had masked.

Playing on several instruments will tend to even out *your* strengths and weaknesses. This will make you more secure on all of them.

Playing on only *one* instrument will produce a kind of addiction - you will sound and feel terrible on anything other than the one, true, favorite horn. A sort of co-dependency, if you will.


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