Best posts made by barliman2001

Welcome in the Club!

As to "off-brand" horns - there are many, many good quality makers in Germany and Austria who are only known locally. Schagerl and Lechner, many have heard of. Dowids of Munich is already on the "not-so-well-known" list. Votruba of Vienna - a blank to many, even though they are at least on a par with Lechner. And in the tiny village of Künzing, in Bavaria, lives a man called Uli Pfreimbtner who really is on the forefront of research in trumpet design. He recently unveiled a trumpet and flugelhorn made entirely out of nickel silver (which makes these instruments virtually corrosion-free) with new rotary valves of his own design. Here's the link:
http://www.musikinstrumente-neusilber.de/Aktuelles.html
At the moment, that site is in German only - Uli is a bit slow in getting his site into English.

@SSmith1226
In Vienna, where public conveniences are rare and far between, a man had an urge... no proper location anywhere. When he tried a street corner and a tree in a park, he was chased away. Finally, in desperation, he entered a doctor's surgery. Claiming urgency, he was ushered in at once and explained that he just couldn't... Seconds later, the doc watched an extraordinary performance... "Why," asked he the guy, "did you say you couldn't?" - "Oh, I can," says the guy, "but only if they give me a chance!"

Seems Anita Kerr did lots of arranging and even composing, but for any recording she did, there are no names of other participants. It's always group names like "The Anita Kerr Singers" or "Anita Kerr Brass". Only thing I found out was that for a short time, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass were "Anita Kerr Brass". Don't think you'll get much further than that.

Yes, I know, Courtois and dating don't go well together...
but I just got a Courtois cornet from Ukrainian dealer Igor Igor (three concentric cardboard boxes and then the original case, well protected with bubble wrap inside). Condition almost as new. Serial # is 72xx, has the name Gustave Murset engraved on bell.
Probably 1950s or 1960s - but can't date. Anyone out there who might be able to help? Info on Gustave Murset also welcome.

Instrument is now sold.

@Niner I played it before I bought it. Typical Courtois which is what I like. Somehow, every Courtois I ever played was an instant hit for me. I've tried several styles on it - Haydn, 2nd movement, Mahler 5 beginning, Stormy Weather, a few Arbans, some Big Band charts. Suitable for everything. Strong sound in the low range, can be mellow and really sing everywhere, and if you give the horn some beans, you can peel paint with it. Interior condition is mint - clean, tight valves, perfect compression. Outside - well, about one third of the plating is gone at the usual places. No dings or dents. I'm very, very happy (and my wife is happy that I did not spend all her hairdresser's allowance! )

@SSmith1226 So you did get that Stomvi corno... does Barbara know?

@Kehaulani Actually, the remark was that "the members of Tijuana Brass, including Herb Alpert, were Anita Kerr brass."

@trumpetb No, I won't roast you. I prefer deep-fried.

@Vulgano-Brother said in Oder Deutsch?:

Trinkt einen Münchener zu Weihnachten ein "Christmaß?"
No. But the waiters in the restaurants are delivering punches.

@Comeback said in The One:

Horn ergonomics doesn’t receive the attention it deserves, in my opinion. Also, what works for one of us is no guarantee it will work for another. Louis Armstrong was just 5’-6” tall, yet he played his Selmer Balanced Model matchlessly. Given my messed up right shoulder and upper arm, I can’t imagine playing that horn comfortably, even though I am 6’ tall. My version of “the one” fits me very well physically and fits my sound concept too. The 6 ounces or so difference in weight between my Severinsen and, say, a regular weight Strad seems to make a positive difference for me as well.

Jim

I did not think the difference between a normal trumpet and a Balanced model would be of any importance as regards ergonomics... then I got my first Balanced, the Courtois I wrote about. And wow, there IS a HUGE difference. With a "normal" trumpet, you are likely, after long playing, to feel a bit crushed. The holding position on the Balanced model is much more comfortable, and playing with mutes is similarly attractive because the weight of the mute (especially if you're dealing with a weight monster like an H&B Harmon) is not dragging down the bell so much. Only drawback is when you are changing quickly between a normal model (or a cornet or flugel) and a Balanced model... when you are taking up the Balanced, you are likely to bash your teeth in.

@SSmith1226 Oh, the sethoflagos method... he can buy any trumpet he wants, as long as he pays the value of the trumpet into his wife's jewellery account...

@administrator Nicely played; but this is NOT the Vienna Philharmonic, but the Symphony Orchestra of Bavarian Public Radio playing... The Vienna Philharmonic sound like this

@administrator That is a standard Courtois 4-valve flugel... yes, they are THAT BIG!!

@Kehaulani said in WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME AN EXPERT?:

@Rapier232 said in WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME AN EXPERT?:

@Bertie

Well, for what it’s worth, I was a National Police Firearms Instructor for 20 years. I taught people with absolutely no experience whatsoever from basic level all the way to very advanced close protection and hostage rescue teams. I found some people, including me, were absolute naturals at all shooting disciplines. Others found the skills difficult and some found them impossible and failed to reach the necessary standards required. So I’d disagree, natural talent/ability does exist, and those with it will out perform those without.

That's funny. I recalled that, as an enlisted man who had never held a firearm in my life, I scored an A.F. Rifle Marksmanship Medal the first time out and, years later, after never having ever shot a handgun, I also earned a Side-Arm Marksmanship Medal. Likewise in your experience, while I was shooting there were others that just sucked at firearms no matter how hard and how often they tried.

I can only second that, as a qualified Shooting Instructor in sports. I've trained many a beginner, starting them off on small-bore pistol. Most of them became decent, if not remarkable, shooters. Safe to bring them on the range after a couple of months or so. A few became top shooters within weeks. I took a team of four of these rookies to our regional championships. First competition for every one of the four. And we took the cup by a wide margin. Second came a team of grizzled veterans who had been doing this sort of thing for decades.
And then there was one exceptional guy who took to shooting within half an hour. Never had any connection to firearms before. He had learned all the safety rules before (as every one has to have before they are first let loose on the range with a "hot" gun) and scored bull's eyes on the first go, with both eyes open. Later, we discovered that he was a natural two-handed shooter as well - able to hit two targets yards apart, with a gun in each hand, at the same time. In civilian life, he was a karate instructor and organist at the local church.

When we discovered about his ability with firearms, he founded a security business and now owns twenty-nine armoured vans for bank cash transfers, has 90+ employees and has been tasked with add-on Personal Protection duties for state visits. Proudest moment of his life was when the Secret Service approached him for assistance during President Obama's visit to Germany...

@phxazkyote Jean Baptiste seems to have been a brand name for some Chinese company. I once had one of their C trumpets - not bad, but untraceable.

@Newell-Post sethoflagos is under immense pressure at the moment. He will return as soon as he's ready. But he's alive and well.

@Kehaulani said in Fast Tempo and old farts:

Original performance by the composer and his band:
Youtube Video

I very much doubt that this is an original Sousa recording, especially as it says "Conductor: John Wallace"...

Composers and performers of all ages have been freely interpreting the work of their predecessors, even if only by playing pieces that were written for the instruments of the day on modern instruments. Obviously the modern piano sounds very different from the harpsichord many of Bach's works were originally intended for, and even farther from the spinet they were composed on; and the modern trumpet is a totally different beast from the original, and the performers are acclaimed - just think of Glenn Gould and his Bach performances. One guy that takes Bach even further into modernity is Jacques Loussier and his PlayBach group...