Best posts made by Comeback

Hello, folks. Comeback from the old Trumpetmaster site here. I got a little discouraged with TrumpetMaster and sort of disappeared sometime prior to the site disappearing. Then a health issue compelled me to hang up my horn for a year. It is great to be playing my horn again and great, too, to see so many familiar names. Hopefully, I will be able to contribute meaningfully to some of the threads.

This is getting silly. I restored my OP so any interested parties can parse my words and phrases and determine for themselves if I have committed some sort of villainy.

The post was intended to be a humorous but factual observation - a gentle telling of the way it was. That is all. It may be time for me to take a break from TB. My best efforts to conform to 21st century social mores may be insufficient for a Internet forum.

I was a carpenter early in my career and an EHS manager and construction educator later, when OSHA programs and regulations figured prominently into my responsibilities.

Having purchased a CNC router, you may not need the following encouragement, but here it is anyway. Learn your tools. Do not remove guards. Do not push your tools (let the machine do the work). Do not apply your tools to tasks for which they were not designed.

Lots of other stuff could be written, but this is enough for now. Somehow I managed to make it through a long career with all of my fingers, eyes, toes, and most of my hearing. Others I was acquainted with were not so fortunate. Enjoy your hobby, but please be safe.

Jim

Trumpet homecomings are what I have been thinking about. For the last couple of weeks I have been playing one of my other Bb trumpets instead of The One. I got back on the Sev this evening. Man, what a difference! All of the reasons my Sev is The One, came rushing back, just as they always do. I have been practicing while standing up in order to avoid too much time sitting in the recliner. My other horns leave me fatigued and a little uncomfortable after these vertical practice sessions - not the Sev. It’s weight, adjustability, simplicity, and overall fit seals its place as The One for me time and again!

Jim

I was in my garage earlier this evening. I have a pull up bar out there and in between pull up reps I was regarding my one-man canoe. There was a time many years ago when a good friend and I were a marathon canoe racing team. The one-man canoe hanging on the wall is one thing that connects me to that time. Sadly, I have lost contact with my good friend and teammate.

Thoughts about my canoe led me to memories of fishing from it earlier this year. The spring, summer, and fall of 2019 was not much for my fishing. Really, about all I have to show for it is correspondence related to a speeding ticket (my first in 20 years) I got while on the way to a favored lake. But this thought progression triggered memories of my favorite spinning rod and reel.

My favorite spinning rod is a medium-light graphite job that I have had for a decade or two. The reel, though, is an old Mitchell 300. I do not remember a time when I did not have it. Each spring during my first fishing outing, and after a few casts, the rod, reel, and I pretty much become one. I cast with confidence and accuracy, and the simple joys of fishing are rekindled inside me.

I have been practicing in recent days with my beautiful early 1960s restored LeBlanc 707 Sonic, which is a fine trumpet. For some reason, I pulled my Severinsen from the closet and practiced with it this evening. Almost immediately I was reminded of all of the reasons why I consider it to be "the one". I use it with confidence and accuracy, and the joys of trumpet playing are rekindled inside me.

For those few of you that have read this ramble to this point, I must confess a few things. I am not a good fisherman, but I really enjoy time on the water and plying my favorite rod and reel. Likewise, I am not a highly skilled trumpet player, but I really enjoy playing that old Sev.

Happy Holidays, folks.

Jim

I did a brief search of the site and did not find another thread addressing this topic. I thought it might be interesting to collect stories and photos concerning the horns that first helped us become involved in trumpet/cornet playing.

A post by Dale Proctor, in which he enclosed a photo of his first Conn trumpet, got me thinking about this topic. I will be posting a photo of my first cornet, a Holton Galaxy, and my first trumpet, a LeBlanc 707 Sonic in a subsequent post, along with a little more detail about how those horns drew me more deeply into music making.

Jim

@flugelgirl said in The One:

My A1 is the horn that can do anything. It’s also the horn that I don’t think about having a trumpet in my hands, I just do what I do. No fighting for intonation or squirrelly spots, no limitations except my own.

I appreciated your entire post, flugelgirl, but the part above really impressed me. It may summarize what a Bb trumpet we consider to be “the one” does for us. It’s about time for me to grab my old Sev and get back to it!

Jim

It is difficult for me to determine if life is better today than, say, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Much has changed, some for the good and some not so much. The internet is certainly one of the most impactful changes that has occurred in the last 60 years, and some of its effects sadden me.

My first owned cornet and trumpet were purchased at Bandy’s Music, a stand alone family owned business in a semi-rural location north of Fort Wayne,IN. The building was built into a bluff of sorts. Mr. & Mrs. Bandy lived above the store. They directed me to my trumpet teacher, whose impact on my life continues to this day. Not a single physical trace of Bandy’s Music can be found today, and only a few around these parts harbor any memory of the business and family.

We are fortunate here in the Fort Wayne area to still have two stores specializing in band and orchestra instruments, one is locally owned and one is part of a small chain headquartered in Chicago. I believe their repair shops contribute significantly to their continuing viability. I have successful experience with both of them, and particularly in this season, am honestly thankful that they are here. I stopped by one of them yesterday to get the insertion end of a favorite mouthpiece trued up. The pleasant young lady that greeted me took it back to the technician and I browsed around the store. Several minutes later she returned with my mouthpiece trued up and polished. “What do I owe you?”, I asked. “No charge”, she replied. I thanked her and left. I try to do as much of my trumpet-related shopping locally as I can.

Jim

@tmd said in Getzen Club:

I've never owned a Getzen Bb trumpet, although the new Eterna Deluxe horns look tempting.

Mike

These horns caught my eye too, Mike, though some of the available finishes are a bit too much for my taste. I have not tried one nor seen one, but I would like to.

Jim

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dillonmusic.com%2Fgetzen-eterna-deluxe-series.html&psig=AOvVaw1wydwr8OcHThehW42tb7cw&ust=1587842773239000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCIj--7nlgekCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

@tjcombo said in A little humour:

Showed this to my Mrs. She is very thankful that I play trumpet!

I thought about this for a while before starting this thread. A vintage Bach club thread was started in the fall of 2019, but this one is simply for Bach brass instruments.

My single Bach is a Model 180S37, which is as common as they come. It is from no noteworthy period of time, having been manufactured several years prior to the Bach strike in April of 2006. I bought it used earlier this year. it appears to have been carried about more than played, but is still in good shape. Of my three Bb trumpets, it produces the best sound in my ears. I play it with a Curry 3C. mouthpiece. I tried a half dozen or so mouthpieces before settling on the Curry. The 37 is not as friendly for me ergonomically as my other two Bb’s, but I am adapting. It is simply a good old horn and I find myself playing it more and more.

Jim

Forgive me if you must, but I had to share this account. I had been playing my restored 1962 Leblanc 707 Sonic since picking up trumpet again after a layoff driven by a medical concern. The 707 Sonic is a wonderful trumpet with strong personal associations for me, but it is also a work of art, in my opinion, with its beautiful intricate engraving. I worried about damaging it at rehearsals and concerts, which is foolishness I suppose, but that is what I felt. This worry intensified recently after I lightly bumped its bell on the resilient flooring of my community band's rehearsal hall. Fortunately, there was no damage.

I have owned a couple of Getzen Severinsens. I sold my last one shortly after I began my medical layoff, when it seemed doubtful that I could play trumpet anymore. Once I began playing again, it did not take long for me to miss having a Severinsen. So I began a search and ended up finding a Severinsen time capsule from 1974-75. This horn is in remarkably good shape - nearly like new! Even the case, with keys, is in excellent condition!

As I began playing it, I was reminded of all of the reasons why I am so fond of these horns. The sound I obtain and the accuracy I experience are extremely satisfying. And, while it has become annoying for some to read it, those Getzen valves are simply great!

Glad to see you posting here, OldSchoolEuph. I have learned from what you have written on TH and TM. Hopefully this young site will mature into a reliably useful helpful resource.

I have been half-looking for a particular vintage horn in a particular version for some time, thinking if one happened to surface I would jump on it. I have become aware of one. It is complete and in excellent shape. It is a little expensive, but I can afford it. The issue is that my will to do the deal is weak. I do not think that I will pursue it.

Those of you whose main horn is a Bb trumpet, do you have such a horn that is “the one” for you, a horn that causes you to desire no other? I may have reached that point with my Getzen Severinsen. It touches all of the Bb trumpet bases that are important to me at this time. My trumpet appetite appears to be sated. Anyone else have a horn that seems to be “the one”?

Found this after listening to a fine traditional organ performance. I liked it, perhaps you will too.

Jim

Last night’s community band rehearsal offered plenty of entertainment, along with the normal satisfaction that comes from making music. We were well into a challenging piece when a generously proportioned lady woodwind player came into the hall late. Instead of waiting patiently until the MD paused or until we were finished with the piece, this beauty plowed immediately toward her seat in an interior row. In so doing she took out the entire group of third trumpets while we were playing a prominent part! Stands were knocked askew, pencils were flying and music was headed toward the floor, and she scarcely acknowledged the wreckage she had wrought! Ironically, she was thwarted in reaching her objective and had to take an interim seat anyway. Incredulously, we third trumpeters picked up the pieces and tried to resume.

Jim

@Dr-GO said in Getzen Club:

As for the flugelhorn question Jim, I use it for outdoor concerts as it too has a large bore and projects well. I also use it for soft rock and recording more up beat ballads.

Here is a link to a recording I made using the Getzen Eterna on an up beat ballad:

Switching between 3 and 4 valves is easy as your ears almost guide you into knowing when you will need that quarter tone adjustment and using it to bridge into the pedal tones just feels so natural with 4 valves.

Listened to that ballad twice, Dr GO. Thank you for posting it. Your fine soloing showcased the Getzen 4 valve flugel effectively. The piano soloing was pretty cool too!

Jim

My community band’s holiday concert playlist is mute intensive. We had 15 trumpets show up for this week’s rehearsal, six were on 1st parts, six were on 2nd parts, and there were three of us on 3rd. Several of our numbers have prominent 3rd parts. I had selected my mutes based upon intonation and how they sound while practicing, which was a mistake in some respects.

My old Leblanc stemless Harmon worked great, it fits the bell on my old Severinsen just right, sounds good, and I could produce appropriate volume with it. My old Shastock straight mute (with maple resonator!) worked good too, but some of our mute changes are pretty quick and I worry about dinging the inside of my bell with the brass fitting on its insertion end, so I think I’ll go back to my standard red and white H&B.

The cup mute was my major disappointment. I had been using this old slightly misshapen black and white cup mute that came to me with some ratty black fabric glued to the inside of the cup portion. One of our numbers has the entire trumpet section playing cup muted harmonized parts. My sound simply disappeared with this old cup mute in my bell, along with the balance in our section. I’ll be using a standard red and white H&B cup mute going forward, I get much more volume when using it.

If this ramble has a point, it is this: There is much to consider when making mute selections!

Jim

Music generally, and for us, trumpet music in particular, seems to become esoteric quickly. I feel that music accessibility is subjective and specific to a listener. Music that suits my mood and feels good in my ears is good music. The commercial success of that music is not very important to me.

I struggle with fast chromatic and semi-chromatic runs in some of the pieces we play in community band. For some time my practice routine has consisted of long tone major scales to the top of my range, Arban’s first studies, next concert numbers, and then a few favorite songs. But I wasn’t making much progress on those irksome runs.

Last night I was fiddling around on my iPad and found a free source for Clarke’s Technical Studies, which I downloaded. I had not used Clark’s in decades, believing it was just too boring. Well, now, after working through page 1 of First Study, I am thinking Clarke’s may be just the tool I need to master those runs - we’ll see, of course.