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Skipped my coffee today, stomach was upset from last night's dinner.

I otherwise felt fine, but I had no desire to practice, even though I didn't really feel tired. I took a couple years' hiatus from brass playing, and when I came back to it about two years ago, I was a new coffee drinker. Now I feel like coffee is a borderline requirement for practicing. It's not needed for practicing after lunch, as long as I had my morning coffee.

Anybody else need coffee with their daily routines? I know the mental benefits include higher concentration and energy, but didn't realize that it would really help my discipline of practicing!

...otherwise, a brisk walk, just prior to practicing, a rehearsal, or a performance.

Wow, didn't think about that! It kinda escapes the mind during the Florida summer...

Yeah, a cup of coffee helps the body systems to rev up, and that aids practicing. However, I have come across an activity that gets me going at any time, even if tired or sick. That activity is playing my Jupiter three piston valve trombone in C, working on the viola transcriptions of Bach's unaccompanied cello suites. Also, the Sonatas and Partitas for unaccompanied violin by Bach. I have been doing this for years and now am able to play a few passages rather well, giving a refreshing sense of achievement.

Ace

I hate eating or drinking anything before playing. I brush my teeth and try to avoid drinking water while playing, too, unless its crazy hot out.

Beer afterwards, or as social norms dictate.

Coffee always. It's never too early, or too late, for coffee.

Wake up, drink water, practice, eat breakfast. Been my routine once every two weeks when I have a lesson.

bort2.0 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 25, 2020 8:41 pm I hate eating or drinking anything before playing. I brush my teeth and try to avoid drinking water while playing, too, unless its crazy hot out.

Beer afterwards, or as social norms dictate.

Coffee always. It's never too early, or too late, for coffee.

I do the same, except for the no water while playing. I drink copious amounts of H2O while playing - any reason why not?

A few reasons:

If my mouth is too wet, then it gets too slippery, and that's no good

I'm usually hungry when I play, and too much water isn't good on a hungry stomach

I don't want to have to stop too often to go to the bathroom

I only practice when I have jobs.
The more jobs, the more I practice, unless I have so many jobs that there isn’t time to practice.
Also, the more important and challenging the jobs, the more I practice.
Since this top-down engineered shut down, I have barely played the tuba at all.
I have quite a bit of work coming up in September - with several of those jobs involving some very exposed playing, so it’s time to start practicing again…like now.

Yeah, I went into the lockdown with the intent to keep a diligent practice schedule: tuba 9-noon, upright 12:30-3, electric 3-5.

It was going pretty well until I hit the burnout around July. Which happens when you practice so much, so I wasn't worried. The problem is, with no work to practice for, I didn't want to come back from the lack of time off...why bother?

But I found out a part time tuba/bass position is opening up in the parks. I've been told I'm the top contender, since I was a sub there years ago, and am the only doubler that's not at retirement age. But they want someone who can sing. That little tidbit, for some reason, gave me a lot of drive to really double my practice efforts.

The only problem is nobody knows when auditions will be held. A new audition protocol has to be implemented, so it might be a while. But I intend to win that audition, so I'm working on it now.

It definitely takes something to look forward to when practicing.

My ideal:

1. Wake up
2. Splash water on my face
3. Do exercises - scales, long tones, lip slurs
4. Coffee and breakfast
5. Practice rep/technical development exercises

My reality:

1. M-F - No tuba practice; Listen to music all day for pleasure and ear/mental development; Read this forum for a reminder of why tuba is The Best Instrument to Play interspersed with work; Practice lute in the evenings after my daughter goes to bed
2. Sat/Sun - OMG I HAVE A FREE HOUR RUN DOWNSTAIRS AND GET EVERYTHING POSSIBLE IN
3. Back to yard work

Funny thing about breakfast is I used to not be hungry in the mornings. I kinda get there around 10am now, but I just skip all the way to lunch so that I don't put that junk through my horns.

tubanh84 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 8:49 am My ideal:

1. Wake up
2. Splash water on my face
3. Do exercises - scales, long tones, lip slurs
4. Coffee and breakfast
5. Practice rep/technical development exercises

My reality:

1. M-F - No tuba practice; Listen to music all day for pleasure and ear/mental development; Read this forum for a reminder of why tuba is The Best Instrument to Play interspersed with work; Practice lute in the evenings after my daughter goes to bed
2. Sat/Sun - OMG I HAVE A FREE HOUR RUN DOWNSTAIRS AND GET EVERYTHING POSSIBLE IN
3. Back to yard work

Yes. My ideal is:

1. Wake up at 6, run five miles, morning ablutions, at work by 7:30 with breakfast plate and coffee beside me.
2. Work diligently until 5PM.
3. Dinner with the Redhead.
4. Play the tuba for a couple of hours.
5. Evening reading, perhaps followed by listening to the radio.

TRVTH (edited for the most important part, the coffee):

1. Wake up at 7:15, enough ablutions to avoid attracting flies, at work at 0730, sneak out at 0815 for breakfast (with COFFEE).
2. On the phone nearly constantly until 5PM. (Coffee at least four times during that period.)
3. Run five miles, complete the ablutions I skipped in the morning.
4. Later dinner with the Redhead. (Coffee following dinner, always.)
5. Prepare the deposit, or some other treasurer/vestry duty for the church.
6. Some board duty for the band.
7. Some catching up on work that I let slide while posting here, or that overflowed the day. (COFFEE!)
8. Pay some bills.
9. Look at tuba, but now will keep the Redhead awake.
10. Sit down to read and perhaps listen to the radio, but fall asleep instead. (So much for COFFEE keeping me awake--never happens)
11. Wake up at 2AM with a sore neck, stumble off to bed.

Rick "headphones after 10PM" Denney

MUST HAVE COFFEE!!!
First thing in the morning, then mid morning. Afterwards, well, I can probably get through the rest of the day.

I'm a coffee guy for sure. All throughout the day at work, switching to water when I get home. Occasionally, I'll have some in the evening (I have a nightcap even less these days), but mostly on the weekends. Coffee is good if I need a pick-me-up for practice or anything else.

We are trying to space out our grocery store trips, just like with everything else these days.

But I always think it's about time to head to the grocery store again, even if we have enough food for 2 more weeks of meals, when the coffee starts getting low...

Coffee, breakfast, take the dogs out, then coffee while I practice. I've been accused of having blood in my coffee stream. Can it stink up the horn? What doesn't? A little scope mouthwash down the leadpipe every once in a while takes care of that.

Stryk wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 7:37 pm Coffee, breakfast, take the dogs out, then coffee while I practice. I've been accused of having blood in my coffee stream. Can it stink up the horn? What doesn't? A little scope mouthwash down the leadpipe every once in a while takes care of that.

This is pretty much my day. I try to finish tuba practice and coffee before lunch, so that I can wash it down with water. Then I can shed bass for a few hours until I've flushed the coffee. I understand coffee is actually counterproductive to my learning to sing, so you're supposed to at least chase the coffee with a lot of water to counteract any negative effects.

And yes, it makes me have to pee about every 20 minutes.

BobEuph wrote:Funny thing about breakfast is I used to not be hungry in the mornings. I kinda get there around 10am now, but I just skip all the way to lunch so that I don't put that junk through my horns.

Very healthy to skip breakfast in general, IMHO. I've done it for years.

Oddly enough, my first (and only) 20 oz cup of coffee in the morning actually occasionally makes me sleepy....could this be possible, or am I imagining it? On days I skip coffee, I don't feel as tired.

I take it black with just a pinch of salt, or occasionally a few drops of electrolyte, like 40,000 Volts - I find it takes some of the bitterness off it.

One pot every day. I'm about to enjoy a cup right now.