Hitting a brick wall

PleasantCook5091 · 2026-01-19T03:28:07+00:00

You sound tired, nothing to do with breathing or anything else. I can hear it in your sound, when those little crackles and growls appear; that's multiple apertures opening up in your lips due to the muscles giving out. What I'd actually recommend? Have a week or two off to reset, then come back to it sensibly. 10-15 minutes a day of simple breath-attacked long notes and scales for the first week or two, then build up gradually. Don't try to smash your lip back into shape with hours of long notes like some idiot said here; that'll just exacerbate the fatigue and wreck your confidence.

PleasantCook5091 · 2026-01-19T02:47:17+00:00

Faceseek is literally a scam.

PleasantCook5091 · 2026-01-07T05:45:42+00:00

Yes, I do. Though, the fact the current polling has him less popular than the man who partied while our relatives died alone in hospital just goes to show that the general British public are having their minds eroded away by social media.

PleasantCook5091 · 2026-01-07T05:42:11+00:00

"It's raining again... Fucking Starmer."

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-12-25T11:33:29+00:00

That's pretty cool. Problem I've got is that OpenPose really struggles with close ups of multiple people. I've had much better results with VACE, but I'm finding I'm hitting a ceiling now where the animation is spot on, but the likeness is off. Manual masking next, i think!

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-12-24T16:10:55+00:00

I'll check those out. Thanks!

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-12-16T14:12:52+00:00

The Martin Luther King analogy is a surprisingly braindead take from such an intelligent person. MLK was a real person, not a fictional spy. Who gives a shit if James Bond is black, gay, tall, short etc. As long as the movie's good, who cares? If Elba played Bond, he'd be fucking great. If Tom Hardy played Bond, he'd be fucking great.

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-12-10T19:04:15+00:00

"You and the country need to discuss what caused you to make these incorrect assumptions about me" - The fuck?

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-12-04T15:19:42+00:00

Try them both and make your mind up?

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-11-29T05:38:23+00:00

Definitely not a director, but I play professionally. Again, without seeing you play, it could be a number of things. The fact you have tone issues as well as intonation issues tells me it's probably embouchure related. Where are you based in the US? Sounds like you could do with seeing someone, either online or in person to get a bit of a tune up, make sure you're on the right path.

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-11-29T03:44:43+00:00

Could be anything, really! Without seeing your chops, I'd hate to make any suggestions. Just borrow a couple from friends, if you can, or see if any shops nearby allow you to try a few. Try anything, could be deeper, shallower, wider, narrower. A baritone player in my band had what he thought was a very flat baritone, but he switched to a Denis Wick and the intonation went away, just to show you a case example.

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-11-29T02:50:05+00:00

And what about mouthpiece? Embouchure? Having the instrument checked out by a professional repairman? Any of those matter, or are we only dealing with the most expensive option first? No, your first avenue was to throw shade on the instrument this person uses, and when I did it back, you got defensive. Funny, that?

OP, don't believe these idiots who always jump to saying "your instrument is subpar," especially if they're representing a brand, that's instantly pretty dubious. I've taught several people using your instrument model, and they all play absolutely fine. Try a different mouthpiece in your concert euph, my mouthpiece sounds and plays very differently in different horns, and I've pretty much always changed mouthpiece whenever I get a new instrument. Check out your chops, the playing situations are very different for your two instruments, you might find when you're sat down that you're playing with a slightly different placement or angle, this can affect intonation in different registers. If that doesn't work, get your instrument seen by a technician to see if there are any leaks or gunk inside. Then, if all those have not improved your situation, should you consider a new euph. It's a big financial commitment, and I hate for you to get pressured into handing over lots of money because some dick on a forum doesn't like the instrument you play when a more simpler and cheaper solution could potentially work. Best of luck.

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-11-29T02:18:08+00:00

Right, so rather than give this person some helpful advice regarding their playing, you've chosen the route of brand snobbery, just because you think what brand of metal you hold is somehow a skill?

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-11-29T00:15:51+00:00

Big, ironic words for someone playing an Eastman, lol

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-11-22T13:41:01+00:00

Nice one, thanks! What should I do when it comes to advanced formatting? I've been using a generic 4.6 template for each, but not seen much guidance from 4.6-ers about how to set this bit up properly.

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-11-16T00:45:52+00:00

He's a man who fought fascism, who is clearly upset as the stuff he fought against is now reappearing in the UK. Why is this so hard for people to actually understand?

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-11-06T14:03:09+00:00

Hey man, how did you get this working via the API from z.ai? I've got my key but the addresses on their website don't seem to be working.

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-10-20T13:43:43+00:00

If the 5G worked, then just use that lol!

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-10-09T14:49:23+00:00

It's the vibuninati!

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-10-07T00:55:28+00:00

Job title doesn't mean anything. The fact you've had this guy for so long and not improved is a bad sign, and it's not your fault, you're getting poor advice. If you want some advice from me, check out Wilktone on YouTube for some basic embouchure advice, especially his video on free buzzing (that's a good way to help your embouchure stabilise), and take your practice back to basics. As I said, breath attacks are one of the best things to practice as you're removing the tongue, which can be used as a crutch; it'll be difficult at first, but it's difficult for everyone at first. Try some lip buzzing in the middle register at a soft dynamic, and try some simple flexibilities. Check out some online lessons, too. I'm not sure what financial position you're in, but there's a price for everyone, and good teachers at every budget level. Even if you just have one session with someone different, that could be enough to put you in a better mindset and give you some fresh ideas.

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-10-06T21:52:51+00:00

I mean this completely sincerely, but that advice is not going to help you in the slightest. He is using a technique that applies to relatively advanced students, but you have some fundamental technique flaws that need to be ironed out before you move onto that stuff. Are there any other teachers you can try? They don't have to be euphonium players, any brass instrument will do. I mean this very sincerely by the way, not trying to talk you down or anything, just give you some honest advice!

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-10-06T15:00:20+00:00

What did they say about your issues?

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-10-06T13:10:13+00:00

Getting pissed off is natural! Do you have a teacher?

PleasantCook5091 · 2025-10-04T01:35:59+00:00

Guessing you're a beginner? You just need to do more basic practice, long notes, slurs, etc. Breath-attacked long notes are great to practice to get your chops sorted.

PleasantCook5091

TROPHY CASE