A trombone player has just moved into a new home, and has invited a friend for a first viewing. The friend is duly impressed; but late in the evening, he has one question: "I don't seem to see a single clock anywhere... how do you tell the time?" - "That's simple" replies the bonist, grabs his horn and starts practising. Within a few seconds, the neighbour's window flies open: "That's monstrous! Such a noise at midnight!"
Teeth don't usually matter, unless you have a massive under- or overbite. Tension is all-important, and mouthpiece pressure as well (or rather studied lack of same). The more mouthpiece pressure you put on your lips, the more important teeth become; but at the same time, the more damage you can do to your lips, ranging from occasional tingling to numbness to full-blown, even irreversible, lip paralysis. So your focus at your stage of trumpet playing should not be on high notes (and if your teacher focuses on high notes, you should immediately change to another one!), but on consistency and low pressure within the first octave. And you can achieve that by following Rowuk's Circle of Breath (it's a staple topic here, you should be able to find it easily) and a low-pressure approach by practising long low notes.
I'm risking a repeat offence...
Conductor:"We'll start again at measure 3."
Viola player: "Sorry, sir, we haven't got any numbers!"
Update: Our local hospital released me on 15 March, saying that I would only need to finish the course of antibiotics they would give me - but they only gave me one additional day. Since then, the pneumonia slowly came back, until yesterday, when I had to call the ambulance again and they delivered me not to the same hospital (full of Covid), but another one some 20 miles away. They put me into a single room due to my sleep apnea which means that in between IV antibiotics, I can practice to my heart's content...
@ssmith1226
A young electrician dies suddenly and ends up at the Pearly Gates before St. Peter. He is somewhat annoyed and vents his anger: "To die at 35 is no joke, you old Saint!" - "35? By the number of hours you had yourself paid for you're 98!"
@georgeb It's one chapter of Ivan's book.
The up-to-date muscle car for anti-vaxxers...
@dr-go Whom does a female sheep consult for incontinence?
The Ewerologist.
I did not know James Morrison had so many twin brothers...
https://www.facebook.com/trumpetlovers/videos/1021644968634328
The European Folklore Festival in Bitburg, Germany, is an annual event of some considerable size with a remarkable 50+-year tradition. Groups from all over the world meet and show off their skills - great stuff.
Traditionally, some of the music is always provided by Welsh brass band Coronation Brass, a scratch formation meeting once a year in Bitburg and playing up to eight gigs over a four-day period. No rehearsal - just plain sight-reading one minor test piece and lots of marches (no marching!) and old favourites, with a tasty selection from the cheeseboard.
For the last years, Coronation Brass have been welcoming guest players from all over the world... me, for one (I've already managed to worm myself into the inner circle), and there were players from Germany, Italy, Russia and the US...
It's always great fun - great music, great people, free meals and floods of free drinks (main sponsor is Bitburger, one of the largest breweries in Germany!). ssmith1226 attended one festival, and a year later he wrote, "my liver still remembers!"
This year's event will be smaller than usual, more like a local affair, but Coronation Brass have been confirmed as participants and are inviting brass band players to join them for a long weekend of music and mayhem.
The Dates:
Arrival in Bitburg Friday, 8 July, 2022, lunchtime
Concerts - most of them open-air, in the centre of town - from Friday evening until Monday morning
Departure after breakfast Tuesday, 12 July
Bitburg is fairly easily reached by car, and is within reach of both Frankfurt and Frankfurt-Hahn airports. Airport pick-ups can be arranged, and for those travelling from the UK, there will be free seats in cars.
Accommodation traditionally is in a 3-star hotel in the centre of town, just 50 metres from the main concert venue... cost is likely to be at most € 250 for the whole period including large breakfasts (that's the upper figure - Coronation Brass usually get special rates and sponsoring. At the last pre-lockdown festival, cost per nose was € 180.)
Contact me for details, or apply directly to Nick Jones (organizing genius, and trombone wizard) at coronationbrass@hotmail.com
See a few pics from previous festivals...
Yep, that's me as flag-bearer.
The umbrellas in the background belong to the band hotel...
Fellow participants from Slovakia, with a tromboline
Bitburg's Mayor conducting Coronation Brass (he's a Euph player of note and has been known to join the band for a few pieces)
Music and drinks!
Street food
Folk dance group from a Swedish Seniors' Residence - the youngest member is 87, the oldest 101 years old
I once sat next to Wynton Marsalis.
At breakfast.
@pss From what I can gather, Gaudet is the new name for those Courtois workers who did not appreciate the Buffet Crampon takeover and who started a new company under the name of the Courtois ex-CEO... and it seems they took quite a bit of parts and machinery with them (Courtois-branded instruments are now being made by B&S in Markneukirchen on their existing B&S machinery).
Well, I've had the Gaudet for some weeks now and played it for a week (a ten-day hospital stay intervened). It's stunning. Just as I like it.
It's perhaps fifteen to twenty years old, with perhaps 20% lacquer loss, but only one tiny dent. Immaculate valves, buttery smooth but with a very satisfying "plop". intonation is almost 100%, very like a good Bb. It's a worthy partner to my 154R flugelhorn. Only thing that needs to be done is to put a new spring into the water key - it's airtight when closed, but does not return when you open it. But that is a very minor thing.
@tjcombo A blonde clarinet player friend of mine has been badgering me for days to get instructions as to how to properly fold a cardboard box for her imminent relocation... She sent photographs of the unfolded boxes... I sent descriptions, I drew diagrams into her pics, it went back and forth about fifteen times for three days... then, silence. Oh, she's finally grasped it. Yesterday, she sent me a message - "I've now managed to fold and fill the first box. Should I tape it shut?"
When I posted this story on FB, in the "Trumpets, Trumpeters, Trumpeting" group, it was deleted as "not according to the gravity of trumpet playing..."
I left that group because a group that does not understand a joke (especially one that has been happening in the real world) is not for me.
@Dr-GO Here in Vienna, I am always eager to welcome any former TMers or TBers - as Sethoflagos, rowuk and SSmith1226 can witness.
Checking whether trumpet valves are tight is pure, unbridled pop-ulism.
I visit Votruba's shop in Vienna on a regular basis. Mostly to have small things on my horns seen to - waterkey corks and springs, a new bottle of oil, perhaps some new corks to a mute. But I always keep a weather eye open on their "pre-loved" window... and today I got lucky. They had a Courtois Bb, a Balanced model, silver plated, for a mere € 300. True, about one third of the plating has been played away; but there are no dings or holes, no red rot, and the valves go plop! and move as they should. A narrow kranz on the bell, very like a Selmer K-Mod. Serial no. 10xxx. Does anyone here know more?
@adc Giving away instruments to deserving talents is a good idea. I recently donated a Besson Stratford trumpet, a King Tempo cornet and a Conn Director to a school orchestra in Bulgaria, together with a heap of mouthpieces. Since then, I am swamped with videos of the kids practising enthusiastically; and the orchestra is now much in demand by the civic authorities to give athmosphere to official functions...
Heavens, that's three instruments I forgot to list!!
@Dirk020 There is a rule about old Courtois horns. All have red rot, except your own. 