[TPIN] Playing Cold/my HS team was the Eskymos

[Rod Brawn]

Hi All,
    I used to work as a busker in Sarnia, and London, Ontario, Canada.  I 
have played outside, usually up to one hour or maybe even 90 minutes at a 
time, outside.  I have newspaper clipping pictures from the London Free 
Press and The Sarnia Observer to prove it. Then I would go inside to our 
indoor market, or a coffee shop or cafeteria and warm up.   It has been 
almost 18 or 19 years since I did much of that, but one thing that helps is 
to keep the lead-pipe warm.  One way is to take a piece of  plastic sponge, 
you can buy it at a dollar store, cut it into a strip say 2 inches by inches 
by say eight or ten inches,  5 cm by 5 cm by 20 cm, and cut a slit along one 
side about one inch  2 cm deep.  Slide this little insulator over the 
leapipe, and even cover part of the mouthpiece, and fasten it on with a 
rubber band or a piece of masking tape, or a pipe cleaner.  This will enable 
you to warm up the leadpipe and mouthpiece much more quickly with your 
breath.  In fact, the mouthpiece will feel almost normal to your lips.  I 
think I learned this playing with the UWO Marching Mustang Band.  I have 
certainly known since I played Santa Claus parades with The Concert Band of 
Cobourg, Ontario in the winter of 1981-1982.  For your body, I have found 
silk long underwear, purchased at Novacks here in London, Ontario, Canada, 
or at Mountain Equipment, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to be surprisingly 
warm.  It comes in very flamboyant colours.  What about Rick Ragno, and Jan 
Trudel?  I'm sure the RCAF band has stood on some very cold runways waiting 
for some dignitaries from who knows where?
    Have I not seen Salvation Army Cornetists with some sort of cover for 
their cornets?  Certainly I have seen covers on some of their larger 
brasses.

Jingle Bells to all of you,

Rod Brawn
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