Topics created by _Mark_

@rowuk My experience with good techs is very much like yours. I have not built a trumpet from scratch, however. I knew a particularly skilled and generous instrument repairman/fabricator who allowed me to not only observe, but also on occasion participate in repairing and servicing various instruments, and he at times guided me in working on my own instruments, for which I am forever humbly grateful.

The genetic wiring in my brain has always enabled me to excel at all things mechanical, and I have always been willing to share my knowledge with others without concern that someone would steal business from me or outdo me in other ways, because I knew it would be very difficult at best for them to do so. If someone is better than I am at something, that means that there is room for my improvement, and it also means that they deserve the patronage of those looking for expertise.

I have observed that those who jealously guard their "secrets" may have shortcomings that they do not want others to discover and are uncomfortable having others looking over their shoulder.

On balance, I also feel that there are those who have no innate ability in certain things and should not be encouraged to pursue them, as disaster surely awaits them.

@flugelgirl yes, thanks. This is coming clear as i go along. I've DIYd my way through life, have many & various tools, and generally read, calculate & measure twice or more times before actually making a move. My several inexpensively acquired used and abused trumpets have various issues that I'm working out 'blind'. Learning via apprenticeship isn't even a real world option. So it goes! Thanks for the tips.

@dale-proctor I tried it with a thin hard awl but got nowhere. I'll search up my punches. By the way, although significantly deformed, they play.

@_mark_ Although a shiny horn is nice, shiny valves are not a goal one should seek. Most stains are inconsequential, other than the situation that Ivan described. Some players think polishing valves is a good thing. They are wrong; polishing valves to remove stains and scratches removes material, i.e. accelerates wear. Not a good thing. If the valves are sticking, the true cause must be determined before action is taken to correct the problem.

You mentioned sticky valve slides. Did you mean valves?

@j-jericho said in Are diads playable?:

@_mark_ What mouthpiece are you using?

Yes, Mark, I wonder the same thing.

I am and have been a Wedge user for about two years but have moved away from it because the placement of the mp on the lips ( it has a dot at the top and the bottom of it's oval rim ) is too critical for my old chops. But you get a 90 day return period and that would be enough to see if it would work for you. I was using a 65MD (.650 inches ) size.

Not to be confused with the Juke Joint:
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I've test played a few of the TARV cornets from Leningrad, being involved in the Vienna Russian Wind Orchestra - the only orchestra outside the former Soviet Union to concentrate on Russian military band music in original settings and arrangements (

). These instrument were better than they looked; but not better than the usually low prices asked for them. Acceptable as tutti instruments, but usually not capable of solo playing. For that, the Eastern Bloc used either the Amati and Cerveny brands from the CSSR or the GDR-made Weltklang stuff. Most musicians from these countries, however, tried to get hold of Western instruments.
There was a joke in those days: What's the difference between a Capitalist and a Communist violin player? The Capitalist has an old violin and a new car, with the Communist it's the other way round.

@Kehaulani

Loving both of those thanks for the share

@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.

@flugelgirl said in Differences between grades of instruments:
“...My first horn was a VERY used King Cleveland cornet - my mom paid way too much for it, and I still have no idea how I played it successfully for as long as I did! It plays so badly that I kept it to make sure no other kid ever got stuck with it. I’m pretty sure it was a terrible player even when new! It will become a lamp this summer.”

My first instrument was one of those, a brand new one around 1963. I didn’t know any better back then, but after playing it again a few years ago (my youngest brother now has it), I’m really surprised I stuck with playing cornet at all. That thing is terrible!...lol

Dr GO's Ambassador is one of a fairly small herd of unicorns; they do exist, though. A larger number plays anywhere from mediocre to pretty good. They were all well-made and sturdy. I particularly like the water key arrangement, and Olds put some thought into producing visually appealing instruments.

@georgeb 👍🏻

@_mark_

So, what mouthpiece is giving you the pain?

@_mark_ the less you move the embrouchure, the better. What we do is change the shape of the space inside the mouth to increase and decrease the pitch of the note. Hopefully you have a good teacher to help you do everything properly, because it’s difficult to describe the process accurately in a forum. Good luck!

Once you get a little farther along, try joining a recreational community band. Ask to sit "last chair." There might be other retirees in the band who could give you informal advice / occasional lessons / some coaching. Also, try to follow a structured approach like the old "Mitchell On Trumpet" books. Start at the beginning and don't move on to the next lesson until you have mastered the previous lesson.

@kehaulani Thanks. I haven't got far with it, yet, but I fell into doing just this naturally. Much obliged. The instrument amazes me. It seems nearly impossible to control, at this stage. I played guitar for years, with its frets and nearly fixed & accurate pitches. The horn is a whole new world! But a long love of the trumpet sound is driving me to delve in.