the new flugelhorn

My previous post on the Allora  aafg 103f flugelhorn if you're interested.

http://thatainttoothpaste.blogspot.com/2014/12/more-on-allora-aafg-103f-flugelhorn.html

 is coming along very nicely and am moving forwards with it better than I expected. After acquiring a new mouthpiece for it, Curry 40FL-M, my range increased from F# 3 to C5 (middle C being C4) to the F#5...5th line on the staff. I just need to get up to the first ledger line A and I'll be satisfied as that seems to be the range for decent tone on the flugel. But with this mouthpiece I feel that I'm getting tired still too quickly. Perhaps another may be in order altho this one has made a remarkable difference. For now, I'll keep using it to see how it works out. Maybe it's just part of the process in building endurance.

I have experienced a few difficulties while practicing which isn't anything new for me. The biggest problem however is drainage. My sinuses seem to go insane and I gag. Even the old lungs seem to be clearing up and ending up in my throat altho, most of the breathing is done with the diaphragm. I don't know whether this is a temporary thing or a new long term health problem. Time will tell.

Yesterday, I was able to play for 32 bars straight, which is a good indication that my endurance is building up. Now 64 bars to go. I even hit G5 for the first time. Trying to practice for several hours at a time right now is not in the picture because of the gagging thing and the chops just aren't ready for all that punishment all at once.

 I've found a happy medium for practicing which still gets me moving ahead without too much discomfort. Practicing 15-20 minutes at a time, then resting for a while and then coming back to it later seems to be the ticket. Since I'm in no hurry nor do I need to be anywhere at my age, I can do this several times a day and get in my practice time.

While resting, I'm busy building my custom bird houses. I just finished another which took me much longer than I anticipated. It was a copy of one of my son's house from memory. I'm building a copy of a vacation house on the lake where we stayed at last summer, again from memory. Between the flugelhorn and the woodworking, I've noticed that my memory is much better than before and can remember things easier. I've always had memory issues.