Feel super

[helingmic]

Dear friends,

I have not come because I feel so very well. I don’t think you can give me any advice on this!

Playing my flute met with some obstacles of learning. But I got over my lack of self-confidence by reading a book on performance anxiety and doing some mirror work. (Rome is not built in one day; remember how we start scribbling letter by letter and take it for granted when we write here or elsewhere without a shred of difficulty)

My wife, Brigid, gave me a soft toy which I cherish (photo attached). With it I go to the mirror, I put James Galway who plays divinely, and I imitate him in front of the mirror. The smile is my own though, so is the pleasure to listen to such extraordinary music.

It boosted me so much that I decided to perform at our church patron saint festival (St John the Baptist). There is a barbeque, lots of people will be milling around on the green, and I shall play the three exam pieces in front of all these prospective fans! the church. I think I shall explain to them why I chose to start learning the flute in January – to improve my breathing and improve my bronchiectasis.

I still read loads of your posts. I feel many a time that I am out of depth to reply, as I am only affected with bronchiectasis and treated for low white blood cell count.

I take my vitamins (D, C and A + zinc for the immune system) and I feel super!

I hope you do too.

Mic

[scorpiolass]

Hi Mic, lovely to hear from you and pleased you are so well. Well done with the flute playing. Love Margaret x

[casper99]

It's great to know your feeling so well mic. You do right to be making the best of your good health and getting out and about. Knock 'em dead at the concert, lol. xx

[rubyred777]

Hi Mic

Great to hear your doing so well.😊

Is the flute helping your breathing?

So your playing in front of the whole church? I would be petrified! !! You go dude😊 we're all right there cheering for you! Maybe you'll even favor us with a video of you playing! Good luck to you!

Rubyxx 😊 😊

[helingmic in reply to rubyred777]

Ruby, This is exactly the occasion to beat my gremlins. I tell myself to be thrilled and excited rather than petrified. I did play the tunes I am going to perform, with my teacher who said! Perfect! Weeeeh!

I am excited for this new experience!

[sassy59]

Hi Mic, good to hear from you and well done on learning to play the flute. You seem to have benefited lots from that. Love the cute dog and good luck on your performance. You take care and be as well as you can. xxx

[Hidden]

Really lovely to see your post and hear how well you are doing. Long may it continue, lots of love TAD xx

[monkey65]

I've got an old flute from my schooldays lying around.... may give it a go!

[helingmic in reply to monkey65]

Yeah! I have "converted" several people to take their instruments out and plolich them a bit! What have we got to lose but the enjoyment of our old skill. If music be the food of love... Mic

[Neo7]

I know the pleasure you will be getting from the flute, as I did the exact same thing with the keyboard, Have always had a active mind and wanted to keep it that way, so I thought I would get my fulfilment from the keyboard, I love music, started with the lower range of Yamaha PSR and have now got myself a new Tyros 4, spend hours just keeping my mind active. Neo.

[helingmic in reply to Neo7]

neo, I am so pleased. Yes, I have a Yamaha keyboard. As I started with the flute, I reckon I am better at the flute now! So great to hear, ENJOY your time. It does good to the heart! Mic

[Neo7 in reply to helingmic]

Hi Mic, thank you for the feed back , being as you like music you may be interested in downloading some music to your computer, and transfairing it onto USB Stick or onto a blank CD disc, that way you can play it at your leasure. I use this method to give me backings when Im playing the keyboard, and it helps you learn that piece of music much better. If you go to AMAZON MUSIC, you will find hundreds of singles or Albums you can down load to your computer. the prices are some of the best I have found. Was looking up JAMES GALWAY and there are quite a few of his Albums in there library to download. If you want to go one further, you can purchase the AMAZON FIRE STICK its about £35 and this converts your tv into a SMART TV. the musical singles or albumes that you have purchased from AMAZON MUSIC are all stored onto a CLOUD and it can be played through your MUSIC SECTION of the FIRE FLY onto your TV now. Hope this makes life more pleasurable for your music side . Neo.

[helingmic in reply to Neo7]

Dear Neo,

Thank you immensely for the tip

I had sticks with a novel on it, photos and my wife’s work on them. While I was in hospital, my neighbour “made some order” took the sticks – not knowing what they were – thought they were rubbish or cigarette lighters or something and threw them all out. I came after the binmen had been! I haven’t trusted memory stick again!

I have a Kindle and enjoy it.

I have bought a James Galway set called J.G. in flute concert for £12. This is so fantastic, because the concert not only span James Galway’s long career, but also spans several period, Classical, Baroque and modern. This is absolutely looovely.

Yes, I’ve seen MP3 too.

What I am after is to be able to video my own performance on the flute to see how I am getting on. I have a Voice recorder which is not good for flute. As the standard is higher for music, it’s also more expensive. I shall wait before I spend this much money.

I had an old microphone, but it didn’t work on my newish computer. There too there are deifferent standard. At church, they have a lot of difficulties with the microphones, even the more expensive ones. So I will need to research tis carefully.

Still thank you for all this, because it does spark the imagination.

Cheers, Mic

[helingmic]

To all my friends,

Thank yo and be boosted yourself too to give in to your passion whichever it may be, because it's good to do good to ourselves!

And to Ruby's question: I started learning this flute because I read scolarly reasearches about the benefit of playing wind instrument. My counsellor from the pulmonary team said that her daughter had asthma; when she started playing the flute, the asthma went completely.

Another reason to play is that it makes you stand up, check your position as you cannot lay slouching because it hrts so much; so you must stand up! It boosted my self confidence> As I strted making mistakes, it went down to zero. Then I read that we learn to write and then take it for granted and may even enjoy it. From this, I know I shall enjoy playing the flute when I will have conquered those tethering learning difficulties; and what more can I say, every time I conquer a difficulty, I know I play better and I smile. I smile in fron tof teh mirror, imitating James Galway. I have already some goal to play teh minet from the Orchestra suite no 2 by Bach. it's becoming not so out of reach. It will please me no end when I learnnn it! Passion, oh passion where will you lead me?! MIc

[hufferpuffer]

Yes! play on, play on, you feel super because you are super! I'm delighted you are having fun, that's what life is about! huff xxx

[helingmic in reply to hufferpuffer]

I agree totally! Have a nice summer Huff, Mic