And I take this as a chance for a rebirth. gmonady is now Dr GO.

Prior to my retirement from my professorial gig at the medical school this past December, I taught muscle physiology in the first year medical student curriculum. We are at the mercy to the laws of physiology of muscle fiber development. So it takes about 2-6 weeks for muscle to adapt to new stress without damaging fibers. At the end of that 2-6 week span, one can add another 20% duration to the work out. So if 45 minutes is all you can do at this point, continue for several weeks at 45 minutes, than in that new week add 45 x 0.20 or about 10 minutes to the next week (55 minutes) and stay with that for another several weeks. Then advance another 20%. Keep doing this at these intervals until you reach your goal.

Let fatigue be your friend. When you loose control or start leaking air, step away from the horn for the day and start back at it tomorrow.

Let me know how this works out.

I was walking by a brown stone in New York and heard jazz streaming from a window. Door was open so I went in to find a band playing in an open loft. Asked if I could listen to which a band member replied sure then asked if I played. Said yes, was a trumpet player. They asked if I had my horn with me and told them in the building down the block. They asked me to get it and sit in as their second trumpet would not be there. I did. Turned out it was the 9 lives jazz ensemble, Mingus's band just after he passed. Wound up being bands sub and this launched my music career in NYC.

AND to the Chemists out there:

HAPPY EASTER from:

The Ether Bunny

A mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the motor of a Harley when a heart surgeon walked into his shop. As the surgeon was waiting for the service manager to look at his bike, the mechanic called to him: "Hey Doc, can I ask you a question?" The surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to the mechanic working on the motorcycle.

The mechanic wiped his hands on a rag and asked, "Doc, look at this engine. Like you, I can open it up, take valves out, fix 'em, put in new parts and when I finish this will work just like a new one. So why do I earn a pittance and you get the really big money, when we are doing basically the same work?"

The surgeon smiled, leaned over, and whispered to the mechanic: “Try doing it while the engine is still running.”

How you use the valve oil depends on 1) the oil you choose 2) tightness of the valves in the casing:

SPEED: The most important quality in a valve oil is its ability to promote speed by reducing friction, but the oil also causes some resistance of its own. This measured resistance is called viscosity. Musicians seeking a "thin" oil are simply looking for a low viscosity oil. Viscosities of different oils are presented in the table below:

VALVE OIL VISCOSITY CHART COMPARISONS:
Products - Viscosity (cSt)
WATER - 1.00
MINERAL SPIRITS - 1.34
CLARK TERRY - 1.83
BENGE - 1.99
BLUE JUICE - 1.99
PLAYERS - 2.15
JUPITER - 2.20
ROCHE-THOMAS - 2.31
HOLTON - 2.38
HYBRID 141-A7 - 3.02
PRO-OIL RED - 3.61
SPACE FILLER II - 3.72
AL CASS - 3.73
PRO-OIL BLUE - 3.80
SPACE FILLER I - 5.10
SLIDE (for trombones) - 5.12
ALISYN - 7.59

ENDURANCE: Represents the oil's ability to maintain a fast and smooth valve action over many hours despite playing conditions. This characteristic is very difficult to develop in an oil without compromising speed because endurance is the end result of a complex series of interrelated properties and conditions: evaporation rate, film strength, surface tension, water solubility, and valve cleanliness.

Evaporation rate:
In most student and mid-line horns, a valve oil that evaporates to < 40% of the original oil remains on the valves will begin to hesitate unpredictably.

For higher end horns (clean and very tight valves), the slowdown is much sooner and sudden seizing of a valve is more common.

Evaporation rate table below, lists the percent of oil remaining on a surface as a function of time at room temperature. This does NOT reflect that a given valve oil will last the number of days shown, but rather the percentage of oil remaining after a given period of time. Unfortunately, as evaporation occurs, the lighter oil content diminishes until only the slow heavy oil remains on the valves. Experiments back in 1976 proved this.

EVAPORATION RATE TABLE
(PERCENT REMAINING VERSUS TIME) Products Vis.(cSt) 19 hrs 48 hrs 72 hrs 96 hrs 120 hrs
WATER 1.00 - 0%
MINERAL SPIRITS 1.34 - 0%
CLARK TERRY 1.83 - 16% - 7% - 6% - 0%
BENGE 1.99 - 35% - 13% - 8% - 5% - 4%
BLUE JUICE 1.99 - 44% - 23% - 17% - 12% - 8%
PLAYERS 2.15 - 44% - 20% - 13% - 8% - 4%
JUPITER 2.20 - 33% - 17% - 15% - 13% - 10%
ROCHE-THOMAS 2.31 - 16% - 13% - 13% - 12% - 11%
HOLTON 2.38 - 25% - 7% - 4% - 0%
HYBRID 141-A7 3.02 - 92% - 75% - 64% - 55% - 46%
PRO-OIL RED 3.61 - 74% - 44% - 33% - 21% - 11%
AL CASS 3.73 - 75% - 48% - 37% - 26% - 16%
PRO-OIL BLUE 3.80 - 77% - 50% - 37% - 25% - 13%
SPACE FILLER I 5.10 - 100% - 100% - 100% - 100% - 100%
SLIDE (t-bones) 5.12 - 100% - 100% - 100% - 100% - 100%
ALISYN 7.59 - 100% - 100% - 100% - 100% - 100%

Endurance also has a factor in the piston as it slides down the valve casing it to rub against the oil film. This movement ruptures the film and allow direct metal/metal contact. In hyper-tight valve assemblies (i.e., Monette and Schilke) oil film rupture is potentially more frequent and disastrous. This is a purely mechanical phenomenon which can only be prevented with an oil having a high film strength. Achieving a high film strength oil within the optimum viscosity range (2.5- 4.0 cSt) is recommended. High film strength gives a smooth, slippery feel when the oil is rubbed rapidly between the fingers. When shaken, an oil with a high film strength will yield bubbles that collapse within 1- 3 seconds. Whereas an oil with poor film strength will tend to entrap air for a much longer time.

Here is what AI says:

When oiling trumpet valves, the key is to use a specialized "valve oil" with a proper viscosity, applying only a few drops on each side of the valve piston, ensuring it coats the moving parts without being excessive, as too much oil can slow down the valve action and attract dirt; it's generally recommended to oil your valves a few times a week or when they feel sluggish, and to always clean the valves regularly to prevent buildup.

So if using artificial oil, it MUST be true.

@J-Jericho said in Oiling trumpet:

I've said this before: I always oil valves before and after playing. Same for Amado water keys. Also, I floss and brush my teeth before playing.

OMG! I have been doing it so wrong all these years! I have been flossing my trumpet and oiling my teeth. No wonder I keep biting my tongue!

For those wanting to join in on the first session in January, the First Sunday Jazz Jam is featuring Cincinnati's premier trumpet player, Mike Wade. I will be there (but has been moved to the 12th due to the snow storm coming through today) as well so bring your axe if you are nearby and get the chance to play with Mike:

Maybe not New Years Eve, but close. If you are in Dayton and looking for a relaxing evening to recover from the New Years Eve Partying, come on by tomorrow evening in Dayton's Historic Arcade!

@barliman2001 said in Calicchio trumpets:

Several reasons come to mind...

1. Many professionals have been contracted as Signature Artists - they get paid (sometimes huge sums) to play on a certain manufacturer's horns, and endorse them. Their personal horns are then crafted to whatever specification they prefer. So it may well be that some professionals are playing Committee clones - we just don't know.

True enough. I had the tremendous honor to play a concert with Allen Vizzutti and during rehearsal in which I played my Committee, Allen came over to me to say he really admired that horn and until coming over to being a Yamaha sponsored musician, was playing the Committee.

Till Bronner and I also had the chance to play together and he too shared his admiration for the Committee. He is also a Yamaha sponsored musician.

@flugler said in Calicchio trumpets:

I have played both Martin Committees and Calicchio trumpets. I don't like the Martins. They got their reputation because I think some famous players played them (like Miles). But I find them dead sounding. I play in big bands, and need to project. They don't..

I somewhat cautiously agree with this but rather then call them dead sounding, perhaps the better term is it can produce a rather subdued quality. For this reason, I play my Committee with my performances with small group ensembles that play more from the Miles song book as well as serving more as back up for a rhythm section or for female vocalists (therefore a more subdued sound). I do and rather choose play all my big band performances with my Harrelson that has quite different projection characteristics than the Committee.

However there was this performer some may have heard of, Dizzy Gillespie, that was known as a big band, high range trumpet player that was more associated with the iconic bent-bell trumpet Committee to enhance its projection; however, he did experiment with Martin Committee trumpets for more than a decade in his career before switching to the King silver flair. Mick Gillette of Tower of Power fame was also known for his lead chop performed with that band on the Committee. So I caution be careful when generalizing. The use of this horn is more related to the ability of the owner. It is an amazingly versatile horn.

@Richard-III said in Martin Committee:

I suppose the good news when spending large amounts of cash for a vintage trumpet is that when you have to have the valves rebuilt, the cost seems less?

Committee valves are amazing. My 1946 had no valve work when I received it in the early 2000s. All pistons without any wear pattern. The action is faster than any of my horns, even my newest, a 2017 Harrelson.

I have played several other Committee. Tom Green (a well known trumpet refurbisher) sends me Committee horns to play and review after he refurbishes them prior to releasing them out on the market. There is not a single vintage Committee he has sent me that 1) required valve work; 2) has had any problems what so ever with valve function. I just reviewed a 1947 Committee for him not too long ago. Another consistently great Martin Committee!

A vintage Martin Committee is a great horn. I know. I own one. It is my favorite of all my horns. Why? Because I play it well and it plays me well... better than any horn I have ever played or owned. Is it worth $7.000? You will only know that answer once you play one.

I lucked out on my horn. I bid for it on e-bay. I offered the first bid at a ridiculous underbid ($2,000). After that bid, it was taken down by the seller. I contacted the seller and they said my starting bid scared them. So I told them I would buy it from the seller straight out, no more bidding for $3,000. The seller said yes. So I became a proud owner of a 1946 Martin Committee, with a serial number 7 away of one the Committees Miles played in the '40s.

So yes, I have a mythical horn but I play it well and it plays me well. Was it worth $3,000? Did I mention it is my favorite horn? Oh yeah, I have a Harrelson Summit, brushed silver bell and 24k gold tuning slides, selling for $12,000 the year it was mailed to me in 2017. My Martin Committee still gives me more pleasure than the Harrelson, so yeah, I bought it for $3,000, but it means more to me than a horn that would cost me $12,000 to replace.

Not sure if that answers your question. But if that 1957 plays the same as my 1946 horn, I would pay $7,000 for that horn.

My choice was to play a big band Christmas church performance with 19 others, playing Stan Kenton Christmas charts...

or

Playing a more traditional Lutheran Church service with just me playing descant Hymnal trumpet parts and an Organist.

Not such a tough choice... do I divide the collection plate with 19 individuals, or just 2?.. Hum!