Fall Makeover

If heaven exists, it will smell like freshly sharpened pencils.

As the summer draws to a close and I start back at my job tomorrow, I've been feeling that wonderfully invigorating autumnal reflection time coming in.  The Jews have it right, this really should be when the New Year begins.  Everything feels in balance at this time of year, climatically speaking, and it's all I can do to resist getting a dog to accompany my evening walks.
Since I no longer get to experience the singular joy and renewal that is school supply shopping, I have to get my kicks some other way these days.  And so I've decided I'm sorely in need of a practice makeover.

My practice has gotten saggy and tragically un-hip.  My weak areas have gotten weaker, my strong areas are kind of the same, and my recently purchased iPhone (hellloo 2006) has been making far too many cameos in my practice sessions.  Basically, I've been coasting for a while now on doing the exact same thing, not really investigating the outcomes.  So...(sing it Diana) I'm coming out, I'm coming, I'm coming out....

 ...with a new warm up.

I've been doing virtually the same warm up for about 5 years now.  Errry day, my little squiggly arpeggios that were called the "Laura mating call" back in college.  Errry day, my same scale patterns, trill exercises, as fast as possible single tonguing things.  Shockingly, this became OMG mindless like 3 years ago, but more importantly, I've created this psychological need to have the 25 minute warm up time or else I'M SCREWED.  Not actually, of course, but in my mind, I have to warm up before everything I do.
But let's be real.  I ain't got that much time nowadays.  And I don't have the same kind of chops I did when I was in undergrad.  Overall, my chops are better, more efficient, but I also can't afford to be nearly as inconsistent as I was in school.
In school, you're allowed to absolutely destroy your face in brass quintet, horn choir, lessons, and marathon practice sessions....then take the next 2 days off to eat nothing but popsicles.  But when you're freelancing, you have to sound fresh, sound like yourself, day in and day out.
So I'm taking a gamble that by constantly switching up my warm up I will actually gain more consistency in my overall playing.  (OK, that's not really a gamble, pretty much every one of my teachers has recommended this.  But sometimes following instructions is annoyingly slippery to actually do.)

(Not actually Mozart's journal)

I've also started keeping a practice journal.  No, seriously.  And it is helpful in keeping my head on straight.  Not to mention it's a goldmine if and when I ever have a studio full of little horn minions' minds to meld.  Mwahaha.

Mostly it feels good to just make a change, and feel the wonder that is sucking at something new.
So happy end of summer! May everyone find new things to suck at.