I woke up this morning and faced the demons straight away. I didn’t expect anything too pleasant when I played my first notes today, and the first sounds out of my bell confirmed my fears. After those first trepid notes, though, my playing began to come around, and overall things are feeling pretty good. Don’t get me wrong, there are still miles to cover before I am back in top playing form, but so far, I am right on track.

This morning’s routine was identical to yesterday’s morning session, except I added in Stamp #3 on the mouthpiece and on the trumpet in addition to the Clarke. The face still feels a bit foreign, but there is definite progress. My main goal is to play with absolute ease, never forcing anything, keeping pressure at a minimum.

This afternoon will be more Caruso “six notes” and some Bai Lin. These exercises aren’t the most compelling musically, but it gets my playing to where I want it to be. Patience is the key.

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