Playing in the cold

[windshieldbug]

I always just chalked it up to shrinkage...

[Ace]

In 1960, I played an honor guard parade at Fort Lewis Washington in wind-chilled 13 degrees weather. I handled the intonation problems fairly well but the metal mouthpiece on my trumpet almost froze to my lips. Most unpleasant job I ever played in the Army.

Ace

[Mark]

I played a few football games with the temperature in the teens. Back then, we used brass mouthpieces and kept them in our pockets until we were ready to play. Today, I would use a Lexan mouthpiece.

[Ace]

I played a few football games with the temperature in the teens. Back then, we used brass mouthpieces and kept them in our pockets until we were ready to play. Today, I would use a Lexan mouthpiece.

Mark, was that with the University of Washington football band? I've heard from a few players in that group that the UW stadium in Seattle, right there close to the icy water of Lake Washington, can be brutish if the wind is blowing. Yes, if I had to do it again, I'd use a Lexan mouthpiece.

Ace

[Mark]

Mark, was that with the University of Washington football band? I've heard from a few players in that group that the UW stadium in Seattle, right there close to the icy water of Lake Washington, can be brutish if the wind is blowing. Yes, if I had to do it again, I'd use a Lexan mouthpiece.

No, in Texas.

[Rick F]

See this thread from years ago:
Valve Oil for freezing weather:

[umlaut_kraut]

From my own experience, it's not the instrument.

Today was the German Memorial Day ("Volkstrauertag"), and I had to play in rather chilly conditions.

You're wearing thick clothes and maybe gloves, so you're not moving as freely as you'd like. Then at least yor face is still exposed to the cold, and even if you're not shivering, your body still reacts to that. The blood supply to the face is reduced, maybe you try to keep your arms close to the body. Maybe you have to wait for speeches to be delivered, short, you're just not being comfortable.

I found myself playing a bit too cautiuously at the beginning of one or two tunes.

[bort]

"Because physics."

https://www.hornguys.com/blogs/horn-guy ... emperature" target="_blank" target="_blank

[scottw]

Even worse than intonation problems is not being able to complete a song without spit/condensation gurgling loudly around in the horn. Not a good sound.

[cthompsonjr]

I have. Some years back, I played the sousaphone in the New Year's Day Mummer's Parade in Philadelphia. Starting off, the brass horn was somewhat constricted soundwise. I was constantly asked to play louder in the beginning of the parade. But, as time went by and I kept playing, that brass completely warmed up and by the middle of the parade, everyone was amazed how the horn sounded.

Basically, it just takes the horn longer to open up in colder weather. It's science, not you!

[toobagrowl]

Weather conditions are one of the main reasons I use a lexan Kelly mpc and fiberglass sousaphone for outdoor parades and such. They are also much less prone to damage than brass mpcs and sousas.
But yeah, I've noticed the slower response in colder weather - it sucks until you get your lips, mpc and horn warmed up enough. Sometimes it feels like you are playing a different horn The air column inside our instruments determine all that stuff. Nothing we can do about the weather and how it effects outdoor playing except to mitigate conditions by using the "best" equipment we can for those conditions