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It's all in your head, or, a lesson well learned.

Author: Morrigan
Date: 2015-05-23 20:43

Hi everyone I just wanted to share a recent experience which I thought was really valuable.

I had a Gregory Smith mouthpiece which I used for many years and I loved but I felt that perhaps it's dimensions had changed as it wasn't playing like it used to. Gregory kindly offered to have a look at it, so I sent it back to him. He advised me that it still had its original measurements, and that it was in fact a great mouthpiece. I was genuinely surprised.
Upon receiving the mouthpiece back, I gave it another try and it played great, just how I remembered it! The lesson here is that it's problems really were all in my mind.

Further to this, I've spent so much time and money on mouthpieces over the last few years and have been frustrated time after time. It turns out that the mouthpiece I was already using was the best choice for me. I've learned that it's so easy to blame your equipment and seek something better, but takes great wisdom to know when you're onto a good thing and realise you must look within for the answer that is always there.

Every day is a school day!

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Re: It's all in your head, or, a lesson well learned.

Author: kdk
Date: 2015-05-23 23:29

Some of us just get a perverse pleasure out of trying new things - we'll never know what's out there if we don't experiment. But it isn't a way to solve most playing problems, assuming that what we have is of good quality to begin with. For me the novelty involved in trying mouthpieces, reeds, and occasionally barrels is a way to stay aware and, figuratively, awake.

But you're absolutely right - looking for an equipment-based solution to basic playing problems is only rarely productive.

Karl

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Re: It's all in your head, or, a lesson well learned.

Author: derf5585
Date: 2015-05-24 00:18

"He advised me that it still had its original measurements, and that it was in fact a great mouthpiece"

Like I heard before
It was perfect and we fixed it

fsbsde@yahoo.com

Post Edited (2015-05-24 00:19)

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