Posts made by Comeback

@Kehaulani said in Boorish Band Behavior:

I{f it bothers you, take it up with the conductor or band president.
And FWIW, I feel the sexist description and comments uncalled for and tasteless.

No problem. No offense intended.

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

@GeorgeB said in Fast Tempo and old farts:

Jim,
All my trumpets have fast valves so I can't use slow valves as an excuse. I don't think as fast as I used to, and this is more noticeable with each passing year. It happens with age. I just do my best to work it out by repetition of those passages that are slowing me down. It's seems to be working for me now on Liberty Bell so I am starting to feel pretty good about it.

George,
Similarly, all of my horns have fast valves and are in good order. However, I learned a few things after spending an hour working with the four of them on one number. The piece I used was a march I sort of mangled last night, which was composed by the MD. This afternoon I seemed to be fastest and most accurate with the Getzen, followed by the Holton Galaxy. All of this is a little subjective, of course, but the ergonomics of the Getzen and Galaxy seemed to be advantageous. Each of the four horns requires different aspects of grip and finger angle. This afternoon I believe I got that sorted out.

@Bob-Pixley said in Fast Tempo and old farts:

@Comeback said in Fast Tempo and old farts:

Best wishes for your rehearsal tonight, George. Please let us know how it goes. I have been following your thread with interest since we two old farts struggle with the same challenge when it comes to fast passages with lots of little notes. My rehearsal last night was a mixed bag. Enough bright spots to keep me encouraged but disappointments as well.

There was some humor in last nights rehearsal too. During one piece the MD stopped and quizzed the trumpet section - he was concerned about balance across the section. He asked “How many of you are playing third?” I responded that three of us were. “How many on second?” There were four. Finally, “How many on first? Fifteen? Figures...” There were actually six, but the MD’s questions and comment drew lots of laughs in the moment. Anyway, the upshot was that we thirds were encouraged to play out, which was fun.

Jim

So there were 13 trumpets. With a more or less stable group where the majority show up regularly, you need 3 or 4 on first, 4 on second, and the rest on third, with at least one or two strong players on each part. What usually happens is all the better players gravitate toward the front of the line, but each part is important and needs strong support.

You pretty much nailed it concerning our stable group of trumpets, BP. Anywhere from 12 to 15 for rehearsals, but parts proportions are consistent, it seems. A friend on first keeps asking me about moving up, but I do not express much enthusiasm about doing so. I like balance in our section and am amply challenged on third for now. It will be interesting to see if next week effort will be made in achieving better balance.

George, most of us in my community band are at least semi-serious about producing good music, but we do enjoy socializing with each other too. I look forward to our rehearsals each week. Back to negotiating fast passages, have you fiddled around with your horns to see if one helps you more than the rest with fast passages? I do not hold much hope for such a thing, but since I have time this afternoon, I may mess around with my horns a little. I think an old Blessing Super Artist I had several years ago may have had the fastest valves in my experience. I don't know if this makes sense, but the valve stroke seemed shorter, of course this may simply be me trying to gin up an excuse for one more horn!

Jim

Best wishes for your rehearsal tonight, George. Please let us know how it goes. I have been following your thread with interest since we two old farts struggle with the same challenge when it comes to fast passages with lots of little notes. My rehearsal last night was a mixed bag. Enough bright spots to keep me encouraged but disappointments as well.

There was some humor in last nights rehearsal too. During one piece the MD stopped and quizzed the trumpet section - he was concerned about balance across the section. He asked “How many of you are playing third?” I responded that three of us were. “How many on second?” There were four. Finally, “How many on first? Fifteen? Figures...” There were actually six, but the MD’s questions and comment drew lots of laughs in the moment. Anyway, the upshot was that we thirds were encouraged to play out, which was fun.

Jim

Nice pic, BP!

My practice time last night consisted mostly of working through numbers for the first time that will be featured in my community band’s spring concert. I had to reference online musical symbols charts frequently!

@djeffers78 said in Spin Fishing and Trumpets:

I’ve really been wanting to get into just using a hand line and gorge. I really dig a more primitive fish or hunt. Anyone can catch with modern gear

My gear may not be all that modern, but I can assure you that I can get skunked with it!

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

Merry Christmas to you, BigDub.

My community band’s holiday concert was yesterday evening. I was concerned about attendance since there are many holiday concerts this week. No worries! People were lined up outside the hall’s doors anxious to get inside. All fourteen numbers were received with enthusiastic applause and cheers - very cool!

I have not yet been wholly satisfied with my efforts during our concerts but am getting closer. My confidence is improving. The fourteen trumpeters in our section did not uniformly accurately count rests so timely entrances could be made. There were a couple times when it seemed I was the only one playing, which caused a little self doubt. But by the end of the concert, I simply counted and played and paid little attention to whether anyone else came along.

I used my Getzen Severinsen with a Bach 3C, along with several mutes. The Sev and 3C worked just fine, but interestingly for me, the light weight of my outfit seemed to not necessarily work to my advantage during the performance. I got a little jittery on some exposed parts which I could detect in subtle unintended horn movements. I am practicing now with my heavier LeBlanc 707 Sonic in order to see if the weight makes any difference.

Jim

This post is probably not entirely consistent with the direction Dr. Mark intended for this thread, but here goes anyway.

I was listening to one of my Pandora stations this afternoon while catching up on some reading before trumpet practice. I chose my Bobby Hackett station. Hackett was not a spectacular player, but he made a lot of good music that I enjoy listening to. He died the year my oldest son was born, 43 years ago.

Jim

Thanks, Kehaulani!

No services for me either. Community band will have our holiday concert on 12/10. Fourteen numbers are on the program. Hope our audience is up for it!

@Niner said in This is a hoot and is very well done!:

@neal085 Remington started converting New Model Remingtons used in the Civil war to cartridge guns in 1868. I doubt seriously that using actual percussion guns in a movie would have worked. Probably caused a lot of chain fire without any projectile over the powder.

Trumpet part is great. I got the record of the movie music. Don't have the written music though.

It’s been a while since I have watched any Clint Eastwood westerns, but I seem to remember one where Clint was using a percussion revolver. I believe I remember him having one or more preloaded cylinders that he switched in and out of the frame.

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

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

@GeorgeB said in The One:

@Comeback
I actually have two: a 1952 Selmer and a 1999 Conn Vintage 1. I love playing both of them so I play them on a rotation basis.

Hey, GeorgeB! I thought I would do the rotation thing a while back, but it didn’t seem to work that well for me. I am a generally more accurate player (articulation, dynamics, etc) when I am not switching back and forth with horns...and mouthpieces! Players that are more experienced and skillful can probably pull this off without issues.

Jim

@Tobylou8 said in The One:

I bought a bunch of horns trying to find "the one" since I had been playing my Getzen 900H since Jr. high school. There were many that were close, including a first run Severinsen that is a very fine player and a Holton ST-302 that has a big sound but just isn't quite there for me. I've even played a high dollar horn, it was nice, but that's all. The "one" that supplanted my 900H was another 900H only in large bore. If you can make an offer with a price that is more to your liking, I'd go for it. You can't have too many horns and it is nice to pull them out for others to play and watch them drool!

I don’t know, Tobylou8, I think I had too many horns several years ago. I did consider making an offer on the horn I referenced in my prior post, but I did not and will not. I have two fine trumpets, which seems to be plenty for an old 3rd chair comeback trumpet player. Besides, I do not want to be distracted from “the one” and my efforts in becoming more adept in its applications. But thank you for your encouragement!

Jim

@Tobylou8 said in Mute Musings:

I remember a post on the old TM about a father(?) that had corks repaired for his kid. The bill was around $25 +/-. Most of the cost was for "mute tuning". Insert, play, tune, etc., until it was in tune. I've never done this but can see the validity. I've just always lipped the notes or pulled the slide for longer passages. I have a copper Harmon that is incredibly sharp so I've learned where to place the slide when it's used. I just have to remember to push it back in!!!

Insert, play, tune is exactly what I did with the mutes for my Getzen Classic, which I now use in the Severinsen. Sand paper works for this process, but my four-in-hand tool, which was always present in my tool pouch while doing trim carpentry, really makes this process easy.

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