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

[Jean Trudel]

Hey TPINNERS...
 
It's -21 degrees celsius here in Ottawa today (includes the wind chill factor). I won't be playing outside. Playing in the coldest national capital in the world, we have had plenty of experience freezing our buts off and learning from those experiences. I concur with everything my fellow Canuck Ron has said but I would like to add a few thoughts....
 
1 - If possible, where mitts to play where the finger part pulls back to reveal half-covered fingers (like a glove)... if you're not playing for too long, this can work and you won't get frostbite!
 
2 - Hot Shots! These are small packages that heat up when you "crack them" or "crunch them" (depemnds on the brand)... My wife uses them skiing to keep her hands and feet warm and I've used them when I'm playing... When I'm not playing I take the hot shots I'm using and wedge them around my horn to keep it warm.
 
3 - Hot Water Bottle. My father in law use to use several of these hanging from his tuba as he paraded down the rideau canal... the longest skating rink in the world in minus -20ish weather... bring one along and use it to keep yourself warm and your horn. BTW, he says they would play for 10 minutes before everything would freeze up and they would have to retreat to a garage to warm things up...
 
4 - If you are handy you can sew a cover for your horn that covers the valve section and most of the horn... this can eliminate the need for gloves/mitts...
 
5 - Vodka... I've never used it, but some of the older guys around here swear by it as a valve oil for those really cold gigs...6 - Have fun! (Right!)
 
7 - Keep active. The worst parade I ever did (and I refuse to do them now) was one where they put the band on a flat bed truck, sitting... being a few feet off the ground made the wind even worse and sitting, it was really hard to keep your feet from freezing... so keep moving!
 
8 - Above all else keep your hands, head and feet warm... that's where we loose most of our heat.
 
I think the best suggestion of all is this... only do these types of gigs if you have to!
 
Later,
 
Jean
Ottawa, Canada
Coldest Capital in the World!



> From: soundpretty at hotmail.com> To: neyvatter at hurontel.on.ca; vaxtrpts at aol.com; tpin at tpin.okcu.edu> Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2007 21:57:31 -0500> CC: > Subject: [TPIN] Playing Cold/my HS team was the Eskymos> > > Ron,> > Guys like you been playing in and around the cold for so long, you can advise EVERYBODY!> > I haven't been around as long as Ron, but I live close enough to him now and grew up several hundred miles north of here(right Dave?) so I know well playing outdoors in the cold and INDOORS in the cold. I've played Christmas parades, Christmas eve high mass playing real serious sophistocated music with chamber orch/choir/organ where I had to where a coat. the other tpt player wore his hat with the flaps(zero style points).> > Plain and simple, a horn that is cold plays badly, sounds badly, and feels terribloe on the chops. ANYBODY can trash their chops, and sound bad in these conditions! I have sounded bad and felt like crap many times in these conditions(in other ones too).> > The best chance your horn has of responding ok is to keep it as warm as possible. I wrap my hands around the slides and the bell while blowing through the horn continuously, moving my hands to a cold place as soon as I warm up one spot. I don't care if I have to do this for 2 straight hours and blow condensation out constantly. The horn will play better in tune, respond better, not have a dull,dead sound if it is warm. Do not put it down. blow through it continuously and/or put it up against your body to keep the heat in and the cold away.> > Keep YOUR FACE WARM!!!!!!!(at least the muscles around your lips and corners. blood will not flow through those muscles very well if they are cold. Keep a hand over your mouth. press against your chops with your fingers, hand or mouthpiece to keep the muscles engaged and the blood flowing. > > It is possible to survive and actually play pretty good in cold conditions, but you have to work constantly to keep the horn and your face ready to function as close to working temperature as possible. > > If you don't do this stuff, the gig will completely and totally suck the life, the music, the heat, and the enjoyment out of you> > > glenn, it is blizzarding as I speak, bengry > > x> > > x> > > We didn't realize just how bad the weather would be and none of us had warm enough > >clothes. All I can say is that it was miserable, and I have NO clue what to > >do in weather like that. I think next time I would bring a flask with some > >good brandy in it, or something. Other than that, my solution? DON'T TAKE ANY > >MORE GIGS LIKE THAT! My chops were wasted at the end, and that is certainly > >not like me.........................> >Mike Vax> >________________________> Mike:> Don't take the brandy. It'll make you lose body heat faster. Fill the > flask with coffee or hot chocolate.> Wear several layers of clothing so you can shuck some if needed.> Wear a hat . (Toque here in Canada)> Keep your mouthpiece warm.> Don't blow yourself out. Playing outside is a big temptation. You'll > never get the sound you feel you should 'cause there's nothing coming back.> Wow! Here I am giving advice to "Supermike" Vax> > Ron Neyvatte> Veteran of countless Christmas parades here in Bruce County Ontario > (Bruce county is the finger stretching north into northern Lake Huron) > and feeling sorry for all you outdoor trumpet players in southern California> _______________________________________________> TPIN mailing list> TPIN at tpin.okcu.edu> http://tpin.okcu.edu/mailman/listinfo/tpin
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