Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Another warm day

I woke up at 2:30. I'd gotten 10 things together to list, but didn't have the energy so I'll list those + at least 10 more on Wednesday. I did get a decent practice in, and I'm discovering a technique that's fundamental and I've not seen in any books.

As I told the nice Vietnamese guy who wants to hire me, I want to attain a degree of mastery in trumpet playing, then write books about it, as well as come up with a line of brass instrument cleaning tools that are not junk.

Rinban Sakamoto, of the temple here, studies shakuhachi with a noted shakuhachi master up in Oakland, and they just work on fundamentals but there is so much new to learn, even just working on fundamentals. This is how it was with That Sport I Did(tm) it was just fundamentals over and over.

OK he's really Gerald Sakamoto, and I think grew up around Kaimuki or Mo'ili'ili, and I can always crack him up with some inside joke or another. He's just about the nicest guy in the world.

Anyway back to trumpet ... my goal is to attain mastery then pass on what I've learned, and maybe in a few years when this thing is all over the temple could use a little trumpet. I was at one service where a guy played sax, and it was really nice. There's generally an organ, and some singing. Geez, I can't believe I miss going to service there now. I always had trouble getting up in time. But the joss/incense is a smell from my childhood, and reading the English translations of the sutras which are the most positive things ever, while keeping up with the Japanese chanting, good breath exercise that, and doing oshoko, and meeting odd gaikokujin who are checking the scene out, and having fried fish from Nijiya afterward...

Maybe I could play with the Chidori Band someday if they'll tolerate a lazy old ear-player.

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