Cortez?

Bugler request for Cortez, CO. Any takers? The Service is Jan. 27 at 1:00.

Heads Up

Pfc. George R. Geer, 27, of Cortez, Colo., died Jan. 17 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his position. Geer was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Casey, Korea.

Playing in the cold.

Craig Fisher had a question for me that I thought would be good for everyone:

I played a service yesterday. It was 15 degrees and snowy/windy. I thought my lip was ok until I put the mouthpiece (plastic, so it wasnt
too cold) to my lips. I knew something wasnt right and this wasnt going to be easy. I got through it pretty ok-give myself a B+. maybe I was putting too much faith in the Kelly mouthpiece. How much does a really strong lip help?( I know ,it always helps). My cold weather playing has been pretty good up till yesterday. But 15 degrees is cold! Your thoughts?

My response:

yikes. 15 degrees sucks. A strong lip is always a help, since you can "force the issue" no matter the conditions. Generally speaking, though, keeping your lip as loose as possible is the best idea. Get in as good a warm-up as you can, given the situation, and keep buzzing them while you're waiting during the service.

The plastic mouthpiece is good for those kinds of conditions, where just getting Taps out is an issue. When I was a kid and played out in that kind of weather frequently I used to use my regular mouthpiece with the rim coated in clear nail polish. Still as cold as can be, though. Plastic kept in your pocket may be better.

Any other thoughts on the matter?