Posts made by _Mark_

@dale-proctor said in Keying ~fingering:

I don’t think finger position on the valve buttons or in the pinky ring really matters, as long as it feels natural and doesn’t slow you down.

Relieved to hear it.

Over the decades i've listened to and observed great wind players who cover the holes with straight fingers using the side of the fingers. For example, Abdallah Helmy, the brilliant Egyptian kawala player. I started with the trumpet a couple months ago, and tried to imitate the textbook fingering approach with little finger in the hook, bent fingers, and tips on keytops. But I've gradually gone to straight fingers with sides on keytops. There is less strain involved. Am i at risk of excommunication for unorthodoxy?

@libertydoc thanks a bunch! Just what I wanted to know. And thanks for the book references, too.

Am I correct in understanding that when trumpeters say pedals they are talking about tones below the bass clef f# ? If so, how are they played/fingered? I have several books that fail to mention anything about this? In asking, i'm getting ahead of my abilities as a beginner, but I'm curious.

The vintage Russian horns on eBay look well made, and the prices are not exhorbitant. How are they? Has anyone tried them?

@dr-go said in My low notes sound like a gibbering Dalek:

...Recordings just cannot convey the physicality, the powerful acoustic resonance, of being in the room with the instruments, right up there near them....

I have a Hammond B3 with a Leslie Speaker only a keyboards distance away... gotta agree with you on that when I put the peddle to the metal!

I loved Hendrix's use of the Leslie and the emulators like Rotovibe, Dejavibe. Also loved the B3 and the Moogs. Timbre always mattered as much or more to me than quantity of notes.

@_mark_ Thinking on this physical aspect, I envy all those who lived to be in the room with the greats of early days. Recordings just cannot convey the physicality, the powerful acoustic resonance, of being in the room with the instruments, right up there near them. I can only guess at the actual acoustic power of the musicians and bands in the 20s, 30s, 40s, and even the 50s. It must have been fantastic.

@rowuk said in My low notes sound like a gibbering Dalek:

@_mark_ Then all that is left is to be patient and remember that thousands of low impact repetitions build good habits. Getting in a hurry is pure poison. I have a glass of water near my practice chair. If things get congested (tonguing, breathing, chops, brain), it is amazing how much a sip of water helps.

Thank you! I've had to take breaks as my sinuses react to the pressure and vibration. I've had problematic sinuses all my life. I've started to keep a cup of hot tea on the side stand. I'm not really in a hurry. I understand from guitar how much time and practice is involved. I just get frustrated when, day after day, my lips flub notes at the top of the staff and simply cannot produce any notes above it. I'll hit the 'g' on the top of the staff for an instant, but it will quickly fall apart. I can't hold or sustain it. I'll hang in there, though, because I love the sound, and love how the vibration of the instrument is so closely coupled to one's head. It isn't just sound coming through the air, but physical vibrations in the skull and hands. This physical aspect was the reason I loved loudly amplified guitar--it vibrated the whole body, not just the eardrums.

@rowuk said in Expressionism on trumpet:

@_mark_ Well Hakan Hardenberger is in my view with a couple others, at the top of the heap.

At first glance I see and hear fantastic technical facility. Thankfully, I've discovered a documentary.

@ssmith1226 Wow! That's truly amazing.

@dr-go said in Expressionism on trumpet:

[...] He has a very airy quality to his sound and does so with light textures yet able to keep ultimate control. [...]

As I listen, yes, there's a lot of air coming through. I listened to Chattin With Chet. You Don't Know What Love Is. Wow. How does one get that much air/airiness coming though?

@dr-go Thanks, again! I've always loved to hear, and participate when I was able, in improvisational exchanges like trading 8s. When I was overseas some decades ago, while hanging out in music stores, I was able to join into some impromptu sessions in which no one spoke a word. We just played. A fantastic drummer from Japan; bassist from Taiwan; horn player from Scotland; guitarist from Ireland; vocalist from Germany, anyone who showed up, and me with my telecaster, just jamming. Not only did I get my ass kicked around by superior musicians and thereby learned more than I ever could've otherwise, it was the most fun I ever had. I miss those days!

@j-jericho I grew up listening to Miles, like most of us did. Believe it or not, I even listened to Pangea and Agharta time and time again, in the day. I proselytized On The Corner to all my friends. I may be one of the few who actually loves his work on Doo Bop. It's weird that I didn't drop the guitar for trumpet years ago. The guitar still had a hold on my brain, thanks to Robert Johnson, Son House, then Berry, Hendrix, Clapton, Trower, Beatles, even though I was never satisfied with my own sound or results. I was one of those who practically lived in the music stores that used to exist but are gone. I spent thousands while trying every guitar, effect and amplifier looking for that certain sound. It's really too bad I never picked up a trumpet until after retirement. Although I like to listen to the changes being played well, I also like to hear expressionists like Pharoah Sanders. If anyone here has never listened to the great sarangi players in the North Indian Classical traditon, do yourself a favor and search for them. I just don't have the background listening to trumpet players other than the tips of the mountaintops. Now, with the miracle of youtube, I just need some names to search for, and I appreciate it!

@dr-go Thank you!

Can I trouble everyone for recommendations of players / recordings that use the trumpet in a way that might be called expressionistic? Thanks!

@rowuk Thank you. Things aren't going as badly as all that. I only got the Dalek sound once or twice when my weak lips go out of control. Actually, I've been reading and taking to heart the guidance and warnings. I'm actually playing good notes in the mid-range, tounging better, and my finger independence has improved more than i thought possible at the start. I can't get above the staff, yet, but I guess facial musculature takes a while to develop.

@dr-go I hadn't realized this was a thing until you said it. Makes sense.

@j-jericho Thanks. I don't think it's excessive. I can practice for an hour a couple times a day and not feel any pain. I was warned about that from the start and I try to be careful. Not to mention having seen the scars on the lips of all of my 'heroes', like Satchmo, Miles, Chet Baker ...

First off, I'm a rookie working on building up some muscles in my face and lips and I need to be patient, I know. But when I go down to the bottom end, things get too loose. The mouthpiece oscillates against my lips and my lips do some coarse vibration loosely in the cup and the result sounds like a Dalek, a non compos mentis Dalek. On higher notes at the top of the staff, I press the mouthpiece more tightly against my lips and pull my lips more tightly together and so get a steadier sustained notes. I'd hate to put anyone through listening to me without going through my mute! I'm using an older SB-7.