Best posts made by Dale Proctor

@SSmith1226

Sounds great! I’m sure it was fun to play a gig like that, and I’m happy to hear you’re recovering well.

Quite an undertaking! I probably don’t have the patience to try something like that, but good job on it. As an aside, when I played in a brass quintet, we decided to add a percussionist after a few years. What a difference! He was a percussionist for the local symphony and could make up the percussion parts to fit anything from medieval music to Dixieland. It really added to our performances and set us apart from the other quintets in the city.

@tmd said in First Horns:

My first horn was a 1970-ish Olds Ambassador Trumpet. It was a standard school rental, which I got during a summer music program, the summer before starting the 4th grade. In high school, I purchased a lightweight 43 Bach Strad, which is the still my main horn today.

I no longer have my first horn. For sentimental reasons, I purchased a 1957 Olds Ambassador Trumpet, which Kanstul restored back in 2012. And although I wasn't looking for one, I ran across a 1957 Olds Ambassador Cornet in close-to-like-new condition, which I purchased a few years back.

Mike

My first trumpet (I posted my first horn, a cornet, earlier) was a 1960 Conn 6B Victor, which I played through my last couple years of high school and sporadically through college. I quit playing for 6 or 7 years after that, but when I picked up playing again, I bought a used Bach Strad (which I still have). Being stupid, and a little financially challenged, I sold the Conn. Years later, I regretted selling it and looked for another one. I eventually found a REALLY nice one on eBay and bought it. Same year, same tweed-covered trapezoidal case with the light blue interior. Just like my old one, but in better condition. I still play the Bach most of the time, but when I need more projection and a bit more ease playing up high, I pull out the 6B and let it sing.

The prescription for covid safety and a good performance go hand in hand where I’m concerned. The farther away I am, the better I sound...lol

Is anyone here a Curry mouthpiece fan? I currently have 4 that I use, and sold 3 in the past that I didn’t care for. Left to right - 3B., 3C., 3M., and 3BBC.

Nice! I played that with a couple other trumpet players at an outdoor community concert band concert about 40 years ago. The other guys weren’t really good double-tonguers, so I played the solo version while they played the 2nd and 3rd trio parts.

@georgeb said in Here's something I recorded:

@dale-proctor
I've done some playing with a brass quintet. Unfortunately it broke up due to Covid. If we start up again I will suggest adding a percussionist. Sounds interesting.

The only drawback is the gig money becomes a 6-way split…lol

@Kehaulani
I can't say. Although I've played a Connstellation some in the past (my brother has one), i havent had an opportunity to play the two side by side.

Finally, justification for my avoidance of playing too many 1st parts and not practicing every day!

@thirkieldh said in Curry Mouthpieces:

I cannot figure out their specs. I am used to the Bach nomenclature such as 3C, 5C, 7C, etc. When I tried to contact them, I got no response.

The ones I have are from his Standard Series, which use the Bach sizing numbers. Read over this...

@Kehaulani

I find they add a bit of richness and clarity to the tone, as well as making the slotting slightly more secure on my Bachs.

Nice article! The one exception to the boot camp requirement is the “President’s Own” USMC band in Washington.

@veery
I had an old 5A refurbished a number of years ago, and since I had given up on ever finding a 9A, I had the bell copper plated inside and out as part of the overhaul. After I found the 9A, I sold my custom 5A. Here’s a pic of it - it’s the cornet In the center.

This is a very good one, and I think they can still be found.

@richard-iii said in Henry Lehnert Mouthpiece:

I missed it if you said, what do you think the diameter is?

I have an unmarked cornet mouthpiece. Construction looks like late 1800's. Perfectly fits my 1903 Conn Wonder. Sounds great. Small diameter makes it more of a challenge. Working to get acclimated. Have you had any issues with yours and playability?

I took out the calipers this morning and measured it as best I could. All dimensions are in millimeters, most rounded off insignificantly, and the 13mm dimension is the cup depth. Comparatively, the cup width is somewhere in the Bach 7 to 9 range, throat is about a 22.

To answer your second question, my initial playing impression was that it suits the cornet very well and seems to be very playable for me, even though I normally play slightly wider cups (Curry 3C. on trumpet). I’m currently preparing for some slightly difficult Easter playing, so I’m not messing with the new cornet mouthpiece until after Easter.

What about that spray made to disinfect mouthpieces? Label says 70% propanol, plus water and flavoring. Is it harmful? Effective?

@J-Jericho said in Doubling on tenor sax:

@Dale-Proctor The mouthpieces in your Bach Mercedes case look fairly deep... or is that an illusion?

They are what I’d call a medium C-cup depth. The gold one (top one) is a Connstellation 9C-W, and the silver one is a Curry 3C.

@Mike-Ansberry

I would for the right price. It also has a D slide, and actually plays better in D than in Eb.

I suppose I should own up to previously being known as Bob Pixley on this site...

Sonny Dalton metal sculpture, given to me for Christmas many years ago by my sister-in-law. The smokestack is a Bach Strad 43L bell...

I had another rehearsal last night for a July 4 patriotic concert. About a 2 hour rehearsal, and I was a little spent by the end, having barely touched a horn for the last 14 months. I used my new Curry 3C on the old Bach 184 cornet again, and am really happy with its playability and my endurance on it. If I’d thought about it, I would have had Mark make me one years ago.