Man, I'm unable to fall asleep. Probably a result of constantly sleeping late during the study break. Oh well, at least there's something useful I can do while I'm awake and that's to write a Concone piano part into Garage Band. I'm now gonna start using my Mac to play the accompaniment parts for my pieces and since the piano parts for Concone are easily accessible, I'll start with them. I'm really excited about it and I look forward to doing this for my concertos as well. Right, time to get to work so that's all for now.

Alright, today was a busy day indeed. Did my practice, had aural test and Slide That rehearsal at night. The first two sections of the test didn't go so well, only scored a pass. The other sections were fine.

When it comes to practicing, one tends to forget what he has taught himself even though it is so useful. I practiced today with particular attention to my posture and it did make a lot of difference to my playing. I'm able to project more and my air support is much better. I really wonder why do I even forget about it. Anyway now I have to focus on the Naulais etude that I'm going to play for brass class. A nice cool piece and different from the standard repertoire.

I've also learned what we'll be playing for the pop concert that the NAFA Orchestra is involved in. Apparently, the event is called Rays of Hope and I believe it's about raising funds for cancer patients. Of all the 22 pieces the orchestra is accompanying, I have to play 21. I guess it's gonna be another concert that's hard on the chops. Oh well, I hope it's interesting and that we'll have fun doing it. Now time to catch up on rest!

Today was really a rest day for me. I guess it'll be the last for a while. I'll be having test and rehearsal tomorrow and I'll spend my weekend practicing. Next week will be the start of term 2 at school. Wind band concert, NAFA Orchestra at the Esplanade Theatre, sounds exciting! Looking forward to the term.

Anyone who reads this and wants to lose weight quite badly, I suggest getting a copy of the Reader's Digest October edition. It has a very interesting article on weight loss and it's related to the Atkins diet. Oh well that's all for now.

People, I am currently selling the trombone equipment that I don't need. Here's the list of what I'm selling:

Bass Trombone Mouthpieces
1. Schilke Symphony D6.0
2. Josef Klier 1AK
3. Yamaha 59L-GP

1. This mouthpiece has almost the same rim as the Schilke 60 (29mm) but it has a deeper cup and more open throat and backbore. This mouthpiece is not for beginners and should only be used by players who have strong embouchures. It provides a lot of space for vibrations of the lips and when used by advanced players, can open up the sound especially in the low register. I bought this 2nd hand and thus the mouthpiece looks like it has seen some years of usage.

2. This mouthpiece has a 28mm rim (somewhere between a Schilke 58 and 59 or a Bach 1.5G and 1.25G) with a 8mm throat. It is a German style mouthpiece that has a thick rim that is very comfortable on the chops. The AK size is the deepest cup and biggest throat and backbore but I don't think they are as big as the Schilke 60. Still this mouthpiece plays with a nice big and warm sound. In my opinion, this mouthpiece is great for advancing bass trombonists. This was bought brand new and is still in superb condition.

3. This was my first mouthpiece as a bass trombone student at NAFA. It has a 27.3mm rim and 7.25mm throat. Size-wise, it feels like a Bach 1.5G but has better weight distribution for that more stable sound. It has gold-plated rim, inner cup and inner shank. For me, a gold-plated mouthpiece stays warmer for a longer time and feels more comfortable on the chops. I find that these mouthpieces are stickier when dry and more slippery when wet compared to silver-plated mouthpieces. In my opinion, this is a great mouthpiece for beginners on the bass trombone.

Bass Trombone Cases (I'm only selling either one of these)
1. Eastman in black
2. Protec

1. This case was what I used before I changed to a gig bag. It is a hard case with a fibreglass shell. The case is secured shut by 5 latches and has a waterproof seal. 2 straps are provided with the case and they can be setup for backpack usage or over the shoulder. Interior is well padded and is lined with velour. A padded and reinforced board separates the slide from the bell. There is also an accessories compartment. This case will fit bells up to 10 inches and axial-flow valves, standard rotary valves, Greenhoe and similar sized valves. Trubore valves are a tight fit in this case. I've not tried the Lindberg valves in this case yet. It has many scratches on the shell but this case will provide sufficient protection.

2.This is the previous generation Protec Contoured case for bass trombone. Shell is wood and it is covered by Cordura. A single shoulder strap is provided with this case. There's an accessories compartment on the outside. Interior is lined with velour and is very roomy. There's an adjustable board to provide a snug fit for any bell length. This case will comfortably take 10.5 inch bells and large valves.

Please contact me for prices and if you have any queries, want pictures or more details. Contact me by email: tanjiewei@gmail.com

Alright, another update coming in. I finally finished my history essay! Joy oh joy. I felt so liberated after hitting the submit button on iLearn. So I was so looking forward to practicing on my horn but when I picked it up, I realize I've lost much of the strength, flexibility and stamina I built up during the last term simply because I haven't practiced for 3 days. Really bad for my chops. So I did some Thompson, tried to do slurs and read some Bordogni etudes. The etudes didn't go so well; my sound wasn't good and even just playing in the written range tired me out very quickly. My chops couldn't even last one etude. So I gave up on that, had dinner and opened my excerpt book when I came back. After reading some excerpts, I packed up and hope for better playing today, starting with a practice plan and much more focus. Alright, that's all for now. Bye!

My body clock has really set itself to the "sleep late" mode for the holidays. I wish it didn't do that. Oh wait, I'm doing that! Haha. Oh well, I've just went through my entire blog history from the very beginning when I was sec 3 till now. I've seen how I've changed through my writing and I'm reminded of many things that happened in my life for the last 3 years. I guess there's a good side to this as I'm reflecting. I've seen my less mature self when I first started the blog and realise how I've changed into the person I am right now.

I've just changed the look of my blog and I hope it's nicer and still easy to read. Alright, that's all for now. Till the next post, ciao!

One weekend just went past like that. Oh well, at least it was time spent with my parents. Got to do a bit of my history essay, some practicing as well. Speaking of practicing, I'm gonna focus more on my fundamentals at least for the next few months. I really believe now that improving my fundamentals will accelerate my learning of repertoire and not having to deal with too much technical issues when I'm learning pieces or even playing etudes and studies. I realise I haven't been taking care of my horn as much over the past week, I guess I should stop that habit. No matter how I don't like certain aspects about my instrument, it has still served me pretty well for the past year. I still love most things about it, just that my playing has changed but the horn can't keep up with my changes. But still it's not a must to change my horn so I'll live with it for a few more years.

I just took a walk around the neighbourhood. I really like such walks; me alone, just walking as far away from rude noises as possible. I watch people, the surroundings and just try to get myself to be in a peaceful state and I usually succeed at it. It also gives me some exercise because I walk for about 2 hours non-stop. I should do it more often and I should also start regular vigourous exercise like running, swimming and doing push-ups, sit-ups, etc. Oh well, I'm beat from all the walking so time to turn in. Bye!

Alright man, orchestra concert went well! I really am glad to have played for this concert because the musicians were just so focused on the task. Minor slips but hey, the music was incredible. I really liked what I heard and it was a nice closing concert for Mr. Hartung as music director. I wish him all the best for his future endeavors.

Right, piano test today was alright for me I guess. Was tested a piece that I just learnt this morning and chord progressions didn't go so well but yeah I guess it's a passable performance. Now to complete history essay and get practicing on articulations!

Woo, Philwinds gig is over! Really tiring day, I'm so tired now. My chops were on the edge of giving up during the gig but they pulled through. Right then, limited playing tomorrow. Just warm up, rehearsal and then concert in the evening. Do come for this NAFA Orchestra concert. It's gonna be the last conducted by Volker Hartung in a while as he's resigned to take another job in Vienna. Alright then, I'm gonna get some good rest, bye!

Today was a much better day than yesterday. The wind band performance was decent, not disastrous. Orchestra rehearsal was great in my opinion. I mean, everyone is actually active and following the conductor and intonation was better as well! But still I wished that the second half of the day be better. Firstly I once again remind myself that school is a cruel place. Politics are everywhere and one might have an impression of another person one day and the next, that impression just flips around. All through word of mouth. It really is bad to the extent that to survive, one must know how to play politics. Well, it's best to put that aside for now. Another thing I wished that didn't happen was the pain I felt in my wrist while practicing the Naulais etude. I guess I've been playing a lot today and that my left wrist couldn't take it anymore. I'll have to watch out for it for the next few days and see if the angle I align my bell against the slide has caused this discomfort. Oh well, here's to a better tomorrow! Cheers!

Today was quite a bad day. Rehearsal was crap, playing at brass class was crap. I just feel so bad, so insecure, so useless in fact. All this venting at myself is all in the hope that I'll get better after writing this. But what I really need to find out soon is to find out what calms me, what makes me happier, what lifts me up in times like these. I realise I've been experiencing these kind of days more often. Have I become less happier? Or have I become more conscious about myself that I criticise myself till I reach demoralisation? I really can't think of any material object that will make me happier, perhaps not even money or even a job in an orchestra and I mean, with my playing like just now, how do I even win a job? That's how bad I really feel about myself. The most probable solution is a person, a friend who I can spend time with and move away from all this negativity. For 17 years I've lived without a sibling, without someone near my age at home that keeps me company and I never complained in those 17 years. Maybe for once like right now, I do.

Alright, two performances went by this week. I guess another 2 more the coming week if NAFA wind band is playing for platform. Seriously under-rehearsed so I really don't know how it's gonna turn out. Slide That! performance went ok, Yellow River Concerto with NAFA Orchestra was quite good actually. Hopefully the orchestra will do well for the upcoming concert as well. Alright I'm lazy to write anymore after a tiring Philwinds rehearsal. Till next time, bye!