Playing a gig yesterday reminded me of a few important truisms. We were playing outside in weather that was in the mid-90's, high humidity and very little breeze. To say it was an uncomfortable gig would be an understatement. The worst part was that we had just played a ridiculously hot indoor gig the night before. So here are a few nuggets that I gleaned from the experience, hopefully they will be of some use.
First, any time you play in a hot environment you have 3 things to keep track of. Sweat, hydration, embouchure grip. The more you sweat, the more uncomfortable you get, the more distracted you become, the more likely you are to make a mistake. Sweating also affects hydration. If you don't have enough water in your system you won't be able to do many physical things required to play. Making sure you are hydrated will allow you to stay cool via sweat, and keeps your body from reacting negatively to the heat. Plus hydration is always a helpful thing. Embouchure grip is crucial. Unfortunately it is affected by sweat and dehydration. If you don't have your usual grip on the mouthpiece you have nothing but trouble. The mouthpiece is your point of contact with the instrument. You need a secure grip (even if you play with a wet embouchure or slick mouthpiece) to ensure proper feedback as well as proper technique. When sweat gets in the way it is easy to lose the security of your chops. Make sure you have some means of cleaning yourself up (towel, handkerchief, something), as that could be the difference between being able to play and not making sound.
Second, air is crucial. This may seem obvious, as it is necessary in order to make sound. However, when things go wrong even a little bit the air is often the next thing to go. I'm not sure why this is true, but it definitely is. The longer I played the more tired I became, both physically and mentally, and I continually had to remind myself to focus on breathing. As long as I was taking full breaths and using good air support and posture I was fine. As soon as I started thinking how nice a dip in the pool would feel (which was maybe 30 feet away), I would start to slip just a little. Air vigilance is absolutely fundamental to what we do as wind players.
Third, know your body and what your body needs to function at its best. Doug Yeo (bass trombone for the Boston Symphony) wrote on his website that there are certain foods he cannot eat before a performance. I never put much stock in that beyond remembering not to drink milk any time I have to sing, but I am realizing more and more that it is applicable to me just as it is Mr. Yeo. This partly goes back to staying hydrated. I think that is a foundation to success and bears being mentioned again. Water is your friend! This also applies to beverages of an adult nature. I don't know any wind players who can enjoy an adult beverage and still be at the top of their game. I was reminded of that yesterday when I made the mistake of having a beer while eating a pre-gig lunch. Now I'm not usually one to do that but I thought we had enough time that I would be okay. It turned out that I did not have enough food in my stomach to absorb what I drank, so it affected me more than it normally would have. The difference may have only been 2-3% of what I was doing, but it was very distracting and bothered me that I made mistakes that I would not have otherwise made. I will not be making that mistake again (though hopefully no one other than myself noticed a difference).
So there you have it, the truisms that I have come up with for today. Hopefully they will be of some use to you. Happy playing!
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