Posts made by barliman2001

@bigdub Probaöy the Austrian's Norwegian cousin!

@bigdub I don't remember whether I already posted this story.. so if I have, please be lenient with a forgetful old geezer of a trumpet player...

An Austrian workman is working on a construction site far away from his home, so that he has to stay there for the week. One Wednesday, they tell him "the building licence has expired, so we will have to stop until it is renewed. Go home and wait for the call." Accordingly, he goes home. To his surprise, he finds his wife butt-naked in the corridor. ""Why are you naked?" he asks. "You know that I always tell you I don't have anything to wear!" his wife replies. Being a man of few words, he strides to the bedroom wardrobe and opens it: "Nothing to wear, my a$$! A red dress, a blue dress, a white dress, hi George, and another blue dress..."

@curlydoc said in Military bands:

What is required to qualify for one of the US military bands? My grandson has bachelor and master’s performance degrees in percussion from Rice University.

I suspect that the general fitness tests of the Army will apply.

Title says everything. Details here. One place already taken - by me.
www.meisterklassen-gutenstein.com/trumpet-2023

I hate breaking-in instruments. That's why I have said goodbye to even thinking about new instruments, and have concentrated on vintage hooters - which, to me at least, have more character anyway. They seem to have accumulated the wisdom and musical spirit of all the players before me.
For me, it's simply a joy to think about how long a pedigree a vintage instrument must have.
And - what's more - I've found that I much prefer the Balanced style of trumpet. Somehow, I feel more at home with them, and they seem to like me... so I now have only one "normal" trumpet left (amongst the Bbs, that is), my 1920s Buescher Aristocrat (oh, and one Conn-Amati thing that is remarkable only for the blue lacquer and the drunk vulture enamelled on the bell). Apart from that, there is two Courtois Balanced models (originally the same model; but one came to me in decrepit old age, and the geriatric department at Votruba's were afraid to restore it as it might dissolve into dust at anything beyond a gentle rub-over with a soft cloth. They recommended I should not even polish the silver plating, as the plating more or less kept the horn together... still a wonderful player, so when a friend mentioned he had a spare one - actually, his wife set him a limit in the number of horns he is allowed to have, so when he wants another one, one has to go, and he desperately wanted an Inderbinen - I secured that before it went elsewhere), and my Olds Recording.

@barliman2001 Or this...

@j-jericho Nothing can beat this.

Vienna is well-known for being a beautiful but somewhat morbid city. There is even a book titled "Death must be from Vienna". So it is quite understandable that Vienna Civic Undertakers have a tradition of morbid slogans... only this year, they brought out a black plastic ice-scraper with the slogan "Mit uns kratzen Sie besser ab". That might be transported into English as selling a black bucket, with the slogan, "Kick it better with us"...
Vienna Central Cemetery are having an Open Day every year where you can test a coffin, and even have a simulated funeral while inside... experiencing being carried to the graveside, lowered down and then hearing the earth thundering on the coffin lid...

@ssmith1226 I would recommend reading Isaac Asimov's Robot novels, and especially his formulating the "Three Laws of Robotics" and their practical application.

@bigdub It was John XXIII. A source of a great many anecdotes, some of which he himself set into the world. Such as, "What is the difference between Martin Luther and Pope John XXIII? - Luther said, "Here I am, I can't do anything different, so help me God." And Pope John XXIII said, "Here I am, I can do even much more, and may God help you."

When asked whether the good Lord was unaware of something, John XXIII replied: "The Lord does not know three things. 1 - how much money the Franciscans have, 2 - what a Jesuit is really thinking, 3 - how many nun's orders there are."

I can produce a very good mashup, but the musical qualities of potatoes with crispy fried onions, gravy and a sprinkle of nutmeg escape me...

Just found this on the "Bored Bandsmen" FB page...

The orchestra was having a great rehearsal. The oboe player was keeping the double reed nice and moist between the lips when possible, but all of a sudden sucked a bit too hard and swallowed the reed which became stuck in the windpipe. The conductor spotted this straight away and dialled 999. Explaining that the oboe player had a double reed stuck in the windpipe the conductor asked what could be the best thing to do. The call handler without delay said "try a muted trumpet"....

Chad, after telling his wife he's bought another trumpet...

I've been on many mouthpiece safaris in my life, and in consequence, I've assembled a heap of mouthpieces... many of them now obsolete for me. This thread brought me to think over my collection; and I've found that there are only a few things that I have learnt that are really of help to anyone:

1. If you are a beginner or a re-starter, don't start off with the expensive mouthpieces. Try out sizes and shapes with Arnold & Sons (aka Stoelzel). They are exact and durable Bach clones, at less than a quarter of the cost.
2. Have at least one plastic (or rather non-metal) mouthpiece of your size - invaluable for those mid-winter outdoor gigs that pay well because conditions are so poor.
3. If you are trying out different cups while staying with the same kind of rim, think of the Stomvi Combination System: One rim, two stems, eight cups... somewhat like the Warburton or Breslmaier screw-rim systems, but less expensive.

And if there are mouthpieces around your home that you will definitely never use again, donate them to deserving causes. I sent a box of 20 assorted mouthpieces (and a few instruments) to a friend of mine who was starting a school band in Bulgaria to keep kids off the streets. The band is going strong, juvenile crime in the area has halved, and the band are now regularly invited to play at civic events.

By the way, this is my wife's principal pianist as member of comic opera group THE CAST... enjoy!

@georgeb You are very welcome. Currently, there is not much on youtube; but amazon has several of her recordings.

Twenty years later, in a preview for a new Vienna musical...

and in between...

Currently to be heard and seen in Kurt Weill's A Touch of Venus in Opera Graz

@rowuk I can only second that opinion.

At the moment, I'm listening to a continuous stream of a number of arias and lieder, every day, live... my wife is having a solo recital on 9 February...

A Scottish husband and wife had an aerobatics pilot friend who never took any passengers with him because he absolutely hated talk during flight.
One day, it was the wife's birthday, and the husband persuaded the pilot to take them on a flight as a birthday present. Grudgingly, the pilot consented, and said, "You can have the flight for free if neither of you make a sound. But if you start talking, I'll charge you 500 pounds for the flight." - "Och aye, we'll be silent."
They take off, and the pilot did his best to impress his passengers. Loopings, barrel rolls - he performed his whole programme. In total silence. After landing, the pilot casually remarked, "That was grand, wasn't it? And you kept your silence. Were you never tempted to say something?" - "Och aye, only once." - "When?" - "When Maggie fell out!"