oboeinsight

You know what’s really crummy?

It’s really crummy to have an English horn reed that is breaking in wonderfully well bash against one’s teeth.

That’s really crummy.

Now you know.
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I like the French horn because it’s related to elephants.

-young girl hanging over the orchestra pit wall prior to a The King and I performance
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First of all, about “My Sick Mind”: I immediately get The Roches song in my head when I type that. And as I’m reading This Is Your Brain on Music this is all so darn funny and relevant and all that jazz. Just so you know …. 😉

But anyway … today a dear friend and colleague came up to me during intermission and said something like, “I want to ask you a question but I know this can mess with some people,” (no those were definitely not his exact words—I’m just giving you the gist of what he said, but that’s more pattyish than what he said), “but while you always sound so good on English horn, today was just especially great. Were you using a different reed?”

First, of course, I’m flattered! I love playing English horn. I think I’m fairly good at it. But I never think I’m good enough. Because it can always be better. Always.

I answered, “No, same reed. Maybe it’s the weather.”

We often blame the weather for reed woes, so perhaps it gets credit for the good times too?

But in any case, then I did, of course, puzzle over what he said.

I felt as if I played the same as always. Nothing worse, nothing better. I’m enjoying playing right now, and I’m particularly content with my English horn playing. But I sure didn’t do a thing differently! So did it really sound better today? Or was he hearing better … or differently … or something? I wonder.

Or maybe with the weather changes (higher humidity today) the sound carries to him differently?

Just thinkin’. Barely.

While I did feel as if everything was fine today, I was freezing! I’m not sure why, but “they” (whoever “they” are!) decided we needed air conditioning on. Windy air conditioning. Noisy air conditioning, too. (A pitch could be heard throughout the first half of the show.) I bring a scarf to the pit with me and, believe me, I needed it. Big time. I’m hoping tonight will be better; surely they won’t have the air on now, what with it getting so cool at night …?

So now I have 32 more minutes until I leave for show #2. Let the rest and relaxation begin!

Of course my brain is yelling, “C’mon. Hurry up! RELAX!” Um … can one relax with that yelling in one’s brain?
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