Posts made by Comeback

Are congratulations in order? If so, congratulations Gary!

Jim

Nice looking horn, Kehaulani. Congratulations!

That ADDENDUM makes sense to me, J. Jericho!

@Dr-Mark said in How about a "Random Meaningless Image...let's see them string"?:

Hi Comeback,
Be careful when you race.
Here's a site that you may want to read.
https://www.dragzine.com/features/editorials-opinions/top-10-tips-for-your-first-time-at-the-dragstrip/
P.S. If you die drag racing, we're gonna sell your horn to a sax player!
Have fun and be safe.

Thank you, Dr-Mark! Very helpful site! And concerning selling my horn, a sax player? Please, not that!

Absolutely meaningless, maybe even incomprehensible, for most. But, at age 67, I am planning on drag racing for the first time with my 2006 Mustang GT this weekend.
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Thank you for posting that video, GeorgeB.

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.

There is potential in this, Dr. Mark. I retired as a post-secondary educator. Three principles guided my efforts during my stint in post-secondary education:

• Rigor - make sure educational experiences are appropriately challenging;

• Relevance - make sure efforts to educate are clearly relevant to students' interests and ambitions;

• Relationship - create and maintain appropriate student-teacher relationships, for nothing is more effective in creating that sense of accountability that helps students persist until they complete their course of study.

If the tutorials you describe incorporate these principles, they ought to be quite effective. Also, this could be a great way to build enthusiasm for music among youngsters and increase TB membership. Your OP provided me with some direction for my efforts with two of my grandsons. Thanks!

Listening to Herb Alpert's California Blues from his Fandango album while I grade assignments. My expert analysis: Good stuff, nothing spectacular but I like the way it makes me feel!

My experience as a comeback player is consistent with what Dr. Mark described in his OP. After picking up trumpet again in August after not playing for a year, I regained what was lost in my general trumpet playing skill set surprisingly quickly.

I can generally affirm Dr, GO’s remarks about fitness too. My fitness regimen focuses on aerobic training and exercises for chest and abs maintenance and development. Treadmill time, pushups, pull-ups, and crunches seems to be an effective formula for me.

@Gendreauj said in Good Instruments For Those Starting To Play:

Have owed several Getzen trumpets and cornets. Didn't like the 300 trumpet at all. No 1st slide thumb saddle. The Getzen 490 trumpet played well, would be great for a beginner. Although for at little more money, the Getzen 590 Capri would be even better.When I upgraded to the Getzen Capri 590 trumpet and cornet. I could hear a noticeable difference in a improvement in sound between the 490 and the 590. Quality of workmanship is excellent in all the Getzen instruments I have owed.

I am very happy with my Getzen Eterna 700 trumpet and the Getzen Eterna 800 cornet.

Owed many vintage student and lntermediate instruments, ranging from Conn Director, Yamaha, Holton 602, King 603 and several others.

Liking the newer. 30 years or less instruments.

Thank you for your account of experiences with Getzens, Gendreaug. This is helpful!

@GeorgeB

Grandson's rental Bach TR300H2 played pretty good for me, right up to our C above the staff, and that was with his Bach 7C mouthpiece. Intonation and slotting seemed pretty solid too. The only issue I found with the horn was that the 3rd valve slide did not operate smoothly and easily. This is not an issue for him yet. He is just learning how to produce a good sound. And his hands aren't large enough to do much with the 3rd valve slide anyway, I did show him what to do to free up the slide though. I should see him tomorrow and am planning on providing him with some trumpet learning resources.

I like Getzen horns and have looked at their student horns a couple times. I always thought the Capri was a good horn, and the 390 and 490 seem like they should be OK too. Does any one have experience with these horns and observations they could make for the sake of beginners?

Just went through some of this with a 10 year old grandson. He ended up with a nearly new Bach TR300H2 and Bach 7C mouthpiece through his school’s rental program. I played his horn and it works just fine. More importantly, he is really excited about learning to play it!

Busking on a corner. There can be beauty and sincerity in it. This just seemed pure somehow.
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This guy has way more nerve and confidence than I have.

Mrs. and I are with our youngest grandchildren this weekend, which makes meaningful trumpet time a challenge. Our 4 year old granddaughter wanted to play with soap bubbles, but I had to make them by blowing through the little plastic doodad that comes with the soap solution. I am counting this as breathing exercise.

On an related note, the town we are visiting has an active arts scene. Busking is common. I have a question: If I play on a street corner and am paid to stop and go away, am I a pro trumpeter?

@Vulgano-Brother said in Fun with Scales:

Youtube Video

Exhausting! I need a nap.

Jim

It is great to hear about your recovery progress, GeorgeB. Best wishes for continuing improvement!

I appreciate your posts and observations folks. Thank you. It has been a little tough for me to put down this Sev since it was delivered to my home. I didn’t have to do much acclimation to the horn. Quite frankly, it just felt natural in my hands - probably a muscle memory thing.

Just for fun, I thoroughly cleaned the old Getzen 5C mouthpiece that came with the horn. It is in good shape except for the insertion end being just slightly out of round. It worked and felt great and I have been using it ever since. I had been using a Bach 3C previously.

I finished my second practice session this evening with some favorite tunes: Summertime, Tijuana Taxi, Embraceable You. It was pleasing and gratifying to experience the expressiveness that was mine with this horn/mouthpiece combination. This outfit really sings!

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!

Like many of us, I have had the chance to play a number of different trumpets, cornets, and flugelhorns. The valves I remember as being exceptional were in most of the Getzens, but the best may have been in a 1952 Blessing Super Artist I once owned - I still kick myself for having parted with that horn.