eisprl

I believe it's a mental thing (as it is with most of trumpet playing)

I was describing the very same topic on mp's once with Jens. (How it can sound great in the store but when you get it home it doesn't have the same characteristics as it did in the store). He said that it's a mental thing. If you are playing the same mouthpiece for an extended period of time it's obvious that you know what it can do or what it can't (for you anyway). If you try a mouthpiece in the store (especially one you haven't played before) you throw all expectations out the window and you are left wondering what this mouthpiece can do. You try it for a minute and realize that you might be better at high F's or what have you. You bring it home along with the expectations of your old mouthpiece. So if you had a thin high F, then your brain goes back to thinking about your old mouthpiece and that's what's going to come out.

If we can somehow get ourselves back into that 5-10 minutes in the store (with no expectations) then the mp should do what it did in the store. (I mean, you did it already, right?)

In my opinion if you are playing high Fs in the store without warming up then I wouldn't blame it on not warming up.

Also, in my opinion, while you are in the store you are in performance mode (you have an audience, whether you are in a practice room or not). When you are at home there is no one to impress. This also brings to mind what Bud Herseth is famously known for saying "Always perform, never practice".

Just my thoughts, sorry Jens if I described that conversation a little shabby.

Eric

__________________
Eric Sproul
Practice is like filling a leaky bucket

Bb: Yamaha Xeno 8335
C: Bach Stadivarious 239L and 25A leadpipe (Owned by Eric Sholtz)
Flugel: Yamaha Bobby Shew 6310Z
Mouthpieces: GR tech
www.stadband.ca