How to cheer youreslf up from bad flutepractising

[Fenella]

Well sometimes, it just doesnt comes out well, you cant get any further. The tunes sound even worse than normal. All goes bad.
So how do you guys keep up the good spirit in times of failure?

[I.D.10-t]

Are you sure you were not just ejecting bad notes from your flute for future playing?

[Innocent Bystander]

Beer.

[Innocent Bystander]

Whiskey, when it's REALLY bad.

Anyway, when flautists and whistlers play the wrong note, it's called "improvising"!

[Denny]

ack.....don't be mentionin' jazz here the mods'll be after ya

[crookedtune]

Well sometimes, it just comes out well, you cant get any further. The tunes sound even worse than normal. All goes bad.
So how do you guys keep up the good spirit in times of failure?

That's when I'm thankful that it's a hobby, and not a profession.

When things aren't working, trying harder only makes it worse. Sometimes you just have to be willing to laugh at yourself and give it a rest.

[dwest]

I always blame the instrument. "Darn things broken, I need a new one!" Sometimes out of the blue they start working again.

[chas]

Beer.

I couldn't have said it better myself, although it's not really specific to bad flute days.

For me, what to do on a bad flute day depends on what the problem is. If it's a bad embouchure day, switching to whistle is a viable alternative. If it's a bad mechanics day, working on embouchure is a good way to go. If it's just a motivational thing, you can learn a lot by listening.

[Cubitt]

Be proactive - have the beer first. You just never know, so be prepared, sez I.

Besides, it is a well-known fact that the more you drink, the better you'll sound.

My work here is done.

[Jayhawk]

I usually yawn repeadetly, or take sudafed...seriously - most of my "bad" flute days relate to allergy caused clogged ears.

For example, I was playing with friends at a benefit for an hospital/orphanage in Malawi (just to clarify, the hospital is in Malawi - I was playing in the KC Metro)...sounded fine at first, and then felt like my playing was simply terrible - sounded bad with no flow. Yawned a few times, the ears opened up, and discovered I still sounded fine.

For those days when the fingers aren't just working right, or the embouchure is off, I agree with the beer advice above.

Eric

[Walden]

A good cry helps. Well, it doesn't help, but it comes anyhow!

[Nanohedron]

I have no tears left anymore.

[Jim Troy]

If you have to cry , don't do it lying down because your tears will fill up your ears and then you won't hear anything.

also don't do it standing ,the tears will find their way into the flute, the salt will rot the pads, crack the wood and you won't hear anything.

also don't don't do it leaning over , as the tears will drip onto the fiddle players strings, rusting them and she will box your ears and then you won't hear anything .

if you still need cheering up , come and play flute tunes with me , my playing will make your's sound good.
i make a lot of people happy this way , it's no fun for me , but it's a living.

[mutepointe]

I pick up a different instrument. Bad flute playing sometimes leads to great harmonica, whistles, ocarina, or guitar playing. Even picking up a different flute might be the ticket.

[Berti66]

agree with mutepointe!
and if nothing works, throw the darn thing out of the window!
whew, instant relief........emmm no don't follow this advice...

but putting your flute away and do something else, different instrument or whatever you fancy and next time things will be ok most of the time, it's true.....