Today is a new day and it's going surprising well. First, I got 11 hours of sleep last night. I don't normally do this--normally I try to get at least 8. But yesterday i just didn't feel good all day. Trying to practice seemed like a chore and I just couldn't seem to concentrate of anything for an extended period of time. It was raining and gross and I was tired. So, I slept. What a concept.
In other news, my Miguel Arista head joint (once my prized possession), is officially in Belgium. For those of you who aren't in on this conversation, let me explain. When I was in 10th grade, my flute teacher suggested a new head joint to extend the amount of time I had before having to buy a new flute. He convinced my parents and I, and we purchased a Miguel Arista head joint straight from Miguel, made especially for me. I was ecstatic. I loved that head joint.
Fast forward a few years. Before college audition season, we had finally saved enough money for my Altus flute. I purchased this flute, and continued to use the Miguel Arista headjoint. I used it through my college auditions and into the first few weeks of college. But I wasn't getting the sound I wanted anymore. It started to lack a full upper octave. My embouchure was changing and it was noticeable. Since I still owned the Altus headjoint, I decided to try it out for a week. The change in sound was astounding. The upper register was full, the lower register was big, and everything in between was great. I started to use the Altus headjoint full time.
Fast forward a few months. While I love the sound I'm getting on the Altus headjoint, I know that there are more colors and timbres available to me through another headjoint. I decide I'd like to hear myself on gold. Since I live about an hour away from Flute World I decide to drag my best friend along (another flutist) and head up there to try out some headjoints. The process was surprisingly painless. I gave Karen my flute, told her my price range and that I wanted to hear myself on gold, and she brought in a half-a-dozen headjoints. They were all different makers, different cuts, different materials. I thought "What did I get myself into?" and started trying them out. The first one I tried I hated. Absolutely hated. Maybe this would be easier then I thought.
I tried the rest of them, and instantly fell in love with one. This headjoint, a Powell Aurumite 9K Venti cut, was perfect. It had the fullest low octave I've ever heard, the quickest response I've even felt, and was right in my price range. I decided I had driven an hour up there, and I shouldn't stop yet. I tried another half-a-dozen, and still wasn't wowed by any of them like I had been with the Powell. None came anywhere close.
While waiting for another round of headjoints, Flute World's owner, Shaul Ben-Meir came into my trial room. We chatted for a few minutes, discussing the headjoints I was trying. I told him I had fallen in love with the Powell. He handed me a used Drelinger and asked me to try it. I did, and knew I didn't like it. Then I played the Powell. Shaul agreed that the Powell really stood out from the bunch. My mind was basically set. I would sell my Arista and purchase the Powell.
The lucky thing about Miguel Arista headjoints is that they are hard to find. They are literally made by one man, in his garage/shop, and he only is able to produce a few dozen a year. It took me over a year to get some headjoints in to try. The waiting list in Europe is even longer. When I decided to sell my headjoint, I immediately posted an ad on a group "Flutes for Sale" on FaceBook. Within hours I had a buyer interested. He lived in Belgium, and wanted the headjoint. The fact that a man thousands of miles away was willing to pay hundreds of dollars for a headjoint he had never played really speaks to the reputation of Miguel Arista. After a few days of negotiation (and a few days getting price quotes for shipping) my headjoint was sold. After his money cleared in my bank, I shipped the headjoint out to Belgium.
The ability to ship items amazes me. I dropped my headjoint off around noon last Friday (September 16th). Today, the headjoint is being delivered. I feel so relieved that the headjoint is being delivered today. That means I can stop worrying about it's safety--I was nervous it would get lost! It also means I can start thinking about buying my Powell (which is on reserve for me at Flute World).
That was a longer story then I planned! If you've actually gotten this far, congrats. It was quite a read. And to reward you, here's a list of the trip my headjoint has taken...
Began:
- Athens, Ohio
- Columbus, Ohio
- Memphis, Tennesee
- Paris, France
- Machelen, Belgium
- Wilrijk, Belgium
- and finally, Berchem, Belgium
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