Best posts made by Dale Proctor

@GeorgeB

Thanks, George. Yep, I’m a pretty good sight reader, and you nailed it - if it’s printed out, I can make a good stab at playing it, but music with nothing but chord changes written are beyond my ability. When a solo like that crops up, all I can do is some basic ornamentation of the main theme of the song. Playing by ear is a definite no-go, too. I suppose it has to do with all my past “legit” musical experience and never really being involved much with any kind of improv (and I don’t think my brain is wired correctly to do it, anyway). I’m just happy to do what I can and hopefully contribute to music making wherever I’m playing. It’s been an interesting ride so far...

@kehaulani said in Trumpet playing Christmas marathon is over!:

Is that a 38-B?

It’s a 1960 6B Victor. Same architecture as the Connstellation with the wide wrap and large bell flare, but less the slide stops, trigger, and some of the nickel plating.

If the horn isn’t stopped up and it’s very difficult to play, your water key(s) may be leaking badly. Of course, if you haven’t touched a horn in 60 years, it’s probably you. Taking a break from playing for that long is like starting over.

Those old Conn trumpets have a sleeve over the leadpipe, so you’ll never see red rot on the outside of one. The only way to see it is by pulling the tuning slide out and looking inside the leadpipe for hard, crusty spots that are slightly elevated.

Have any of you noticed that when you pick up a horn you haven’t played in months, it doesn’t seem to play as well as it should? Sort of unresponsive, maybe the tone is a little lacking, etc.? After you play it a bit, it seems to improve, and then if you keep playing another day or two, it seems back to “normal”? Does moisture have anything to do with it, or do you think it’s just a lack of recent familiarity with the horn (even though you’ve played it a lot in the past) that makes it seem sub par?

I just finished playing a 3-hour dress rehearsal, five 2-hour concerts, two 1-hour concerts, and a church service over the past 5 days. 1st part on everything except for 2nd part on Rutter’s Gloria. That, and 10 to 15 other pieces (many of them pretty demanding) every concert. Man , what a blow…I began to worry if I’d make it through the whole thing since I basically took 2020 off, didn’t play much in 2021, and have been trying to get back into shape this year. Rutter Gloria 10 times in 5 days…lol

So, what have all of you been playing/rehearsing for the holidays?

YESSSSSS (8 letter minimum post length)

@Richard-III said in Old vintage maintenance.Conn:

In 60 years of playing, I've never seen red rot. Some of my horns are well over a hundred years old. I don't swab or put oil down the lead pipe. I rarely give my horns a bath. If they get gunky, I'll then do the bath thing.

So that brings up a question, how common really is it for those of you that have had the problem?

I’ve never owned an instrument that developed red rot, and I’ve played a couple of them for 40 years now, and a third one for 20 years. And, I am pretty lax about cleaning them as often as I should. Maybe the brass used was resistant to it, but I suspect a large part of the red rot problem is just a high level of acidity in the owner’s saliva, with a lack of horn cleanliness just being a contributing factor. We’ve all seen people whose hands quickly eat through the exterior finish on a trumpet and then attack the brass underneath, while other people don’t have that problem. I’d guess it’s the same thing with saliva - some peoples’ saliva corrodes brass, and others’ saliva doesn’t.

I own a couple instruments that do have red rot, but they already had it when I bought them. The rot is an aesthetic blemish right now, but I’ll probably be 6 feet under before there are actually any holes in the leadpipes.

@stumac said in Dry instrument vs Wet instrument:

This morning I played my1931 King Silver Tone trumpet for the first time in over 12months, the valves were free and smooth, I did not oil them (shame) and found as Dale the tone was dull and lifeless, after about 10 minutes of playing the tone was much improved and sounded more like me. I will try it again tomorrow after playing my usual horns.

I have not noticed this on any of my other horns that get played on a regular basis.

Regards,Stuart.

Thanks for the confirmation, Stuart.

@ROWUK said in Dry instrument vs Wet instrument:

Moisture! The speed of sound in moist air is different than in dry and in the microcosmos of the trumpet, that is a big deal. Intonation and targets change.
Granted, if one has minimal chops, other issues may mask the effect.
A „moist“ instrument is different than just running water through it first (although that does help some).

This is such a fundamental thing for me that I will not risk playing a gig on a dry trumpet (even although it is only dry for the first 10 minutes or so). When testing trumpets, the first 10 minutes do not count.

Thank you for the info and confirmation, sir!

@flugelgirl

I came down with something the 2nd day after my marathon gig was over, and am still not well. I suppose I caught it being around all those people for 5 days in a row. Luckily, I don’t have anything to play for till after New Year’s Day. Hope you have a fast recovery!

I think most people have good and bad days. As you become more proficient, the bad days tend to be fewer and less severe, and you can compensate so the listener doesn’t really notice a drop-off.

As for diet, rest, and exercise, they’re all important to help you play better, but the effects (good or bad) are more cumulative than immediate. Being relaxed while playing goes a long way, too.

I have a couple…a 1969 L-12 flugelhorn with a GR/Melk leadpipe and a 1977 A-11E Eb/D trumpet.

I kept the Olds flugelhorn and Eb/D trumpet, the 3 Bachs (Bb, C, and cornet), the Conn 6B trumpet, and the 150 year old Henry Lehnert cornet. In addition to those, I now have an 1890 English Besson A/Bb/C cornet and a 1962 Conn 9A Victor cornet. I suppose that makes 9 cornets & trumpets total, plus the 3 bugles. Two of the bugles are just bookcase ornaments in the den, though - the Kanstul is the only one I ever play, and that’s just for the occasional sounding of Taps.

The Danish National Symphony
Youtube Video

I took a few glamour shots of my 1890 F. Besson London Nouveau Etoile model A/Bb/C cornet today. It’s a neat old instrument, and plays surprisingly well to be 130 years old. It’s listed on the Galpin Society of 19th century Besson instruments known to exist. The surviving company books list this one as shipped to Carl Fischer, New York, in December 1890.

1962 Conn 9A Victor cornet, Coprion bell and leadpipe, .485 bore.

@neal085 said in Horn Collection:

For our edification, can you identify each of them?

Ok, to the best of my recollection:

Top to bottom first column - Kanstul Bb field trumpet, circa 2000, U.S. Regulation field trumpet, Indian copy of a British duty bugle, circa late 1970s, Olds L-12 flugelhorn, early 1970s.

Second column - 1976 Bach Strad Bb ML 43 trumpet, 1982 Bach Strad C ML 239 trumpet, 1960 Conn 6B Victor Bb trumpet, 1925 Conn 22B Bb/A trumpet, early 1970s Olds Ambassador Eb/D trumpet.

Third column - 1993 Bach Strad L 184G Bb cornet, 1969 Conn 76A Connquest Bb cornet, 1965 Conn 5A Victor Bb cornet, circa 1870 Henry Lehnert SARV Bb cornet.

@tmd

No, I still have it. I’ve flirted a few times with selling it, but no takers…

@richard-iii said in Arban’s Cornet:

@dale-proctor More photos are up now.

Yes, I saw them a little while ago. That water key on it bothers me, though.

1993 Bach Stradivarius 184 cornet, large bore, gold brass bell, “Stradivarius Deluxe” engraving.