A Lesson for Mina and I

A Lesson For Mina and I

The car pulled into the parking lot and drove to a parking spot next to the P.A.C. Mina and I walked across the pavement. Mina pulled the Performers Entrance door open as we stepped up to it. I heard the trumpet play a note and then the trumpet continued with a song. I listened to the sound of the trumpet as we set our French horns against the wall. I jumped nervously from foot to foot. Finally the trumpet player came out of the room and we grabbed up our horns and music. I ran my hand on the rough wall.  The door opened. Emily was standing there, around the single stand in the center of the room. Two chairs where around the stand and I ran and grabbed a third chair for me. We sat down in the chairs with Emily.

“Let’s warm up with a scale,” Emily said as she situated the stand.

“What scale?” Mina asked.

“Whichever one you want.” she replied.

“How about Bb concert,” I clarified.

“What is that?” She asked smiling.

“Um… F concert?” I said, hoping that was right. I looked at her for confirmation.

“Not concert,” She corrected. Shaking her head. She scooted in her chair.

‘Ok just F,” I complied.

We played the scale and then we played another. Finally we moved on from our warm up and she pulled out the book of chorales. She opened it up a placed it on the stand.

“Now let’s play a choral. Tava you play bottom, Mina middle, and I’ll do top,” She said, pointing at the parts as she said them.

We all played the first not and then she instructed us to continue with the song.

“Tava start on low c and go up chromatically,” she grabbed a fingering chart from the table.

“Okay,” I began to play.

I finished the scale and she thought for a moment.

“Okay play F up to A,” she finally said.

I played what she wanted me to.

“Again,” She really wanted me to play low notes, “Yes, play G to A.”

“Great,” I went along with her.

“Okay, your low embouchure starts on Ab and continues down!” she concluded.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“It when your embouchure changes to play a lower note,” she said.

“That’s so  cool,” I replied.

“Now play the choral again.” Now that that was finished we went back to the choral.

“Wow that sounds better,” I mused after we played.

“Yeah, now keep working on going to that low D to regular Eb,” she continued.

She ran my part with me and then she seemed happy.

“Mina play yours,” she said, moving on.

Mina played and Emily did too.

“That sounds good,” I smiled.

“Now all together,” she said.

We played the choral yet again.

“Tava keep working on the three F’s in a row,” She pointed out.

“Okay,” I replied.

We played more stuff that day but soon our time was up. I packed up my horn and we walked out the door we had come in. Outside Mina’s dad’s black truck parked and the door swung open. We walked, our french horns bumping against our legs, and put our french horns in the back. We hopped up to the seats and started driving. He dropped us off at my house and we stayed there until dinner when we all went out to dinner. I still remember that day every time I play a really low part with my horn. It has affected the way I think of the horn and now I actually like playing low horn.