P.E.T.E. and the 80G

In my youth I was all about the Giardinelli mouthpieces. Now, it's all about the Laskey for me. When making my Mellophone-to-French-Horn conversion, I used the Laskey 85G, which had an 18.5 MM diameter. In French Horn terms, that's pretty freaking big.

I knew my lot was to ween myself down to a normal size. Besides, the bigger the mouthpiece, the more unfocused the tone tends to get. So next was the Laskey 825G, which is 18.25 MM diameter. See the connection there?

I won a 75F on eBay (yes, 17.5 mm) and it's a bit tight for me. So I broke down and got the 80G. Of course, I'd have only one practice session to shake it down before Band on Tuesday.

Right away I could feel the difference between the 80G and the 825G, but it was still playable. I took the gamble and brought it to rehearsal. Surprisingly, I got through without a scratch! So, until I decide to stumble back on to the Mouthpiece Wheel of Doom, I'll stick with the Laskey 80G for a while.

I also got in a P.E.T.E. from Warburton Musical Products. P.E.T.E. stands for Personal Embouchure Training Exerciser. I figure -- hey why not. I tried it out a couple of times and see it as something I can definitely do when I'm at work to try to strengthen my chops. And hey, one's chops can't be too strong!

So Band. I didn't play my best, but we were reading 2 new pieces and they were both quite tricky. So I let myself off the hook. Also, Jaap is playing 1st on the biggie (Barnes 3rd Symphony), even though Jeff kind of wanted me to. I'm good with letting Jaap play it. First of all, he is an excellent horn player. Second, it seems this is his last concert with us as he's going back to the Netherlands.

What's more upsetting is that my buddy Brian bailed! When I started with the GSCB, Brian was the only horn player. He's a bit older than me, which is troubling as I'm old enough to be most of the band's father. I could tell in his heyday Brian was an awesome hornist. I think the years are catching up to him, but he's still rock solid. On top of that, he was a good friend. I really enjoyed playing at this side, and I hope he felt the same. I'll miss you, buddy!

Of course that means I'm now the de facto Section Leader. Oy vey.