After playing a bunch of scales, I usually begin a practice session with exercises that are difficult for me and work on them. That isn’t much fun, but it’s a good way to improve your playing skills over time. Then I work on a tough solo piece or two that I can’t play…lol, and then play a few melodic pieces for a more enjoyable finish to the practice.
@J-Jericho said in WWII plastic bugle:
How does it play? Do you think that a good car wax or perhaps ceramic coating would seal the smell?
It’s a little dull sounding, but plays ok. I probably won’t play it again due to the unstable material it’s made of. I’ve read that the chemicals in them break down over the years and they can deform and/or disintegrate. This one seems to be in fine condition, so I probably won’t do anything but dust it. It’s on a shelf in the spare bedroom, and you don’t catch the smell unless you get really close to it.
“In order to prevent decay and prolong the life of Tenite materials, the US National Park Service recommends these items be stored with a "stable temperature below 68°F; stable RH between 30%-40%. Well ventilate, segregate; use gas adsorbents if stored in closed container.”
We keep the house a little warmer than that, around 73 or 74 during the day, but that will have to do…lol
This is a fairly rare Army bugle (field trumpet) that was manufactured by the Frank Aman Corporation from a plastic material called tenite, produced by the Eastman Corporation of Tennessee. Tenite was used as a brass saving measure in the later part of the war. It’s missing the plastic mouthpiece, but I have an old metal bugle mouthpiece that fits it. Old tenite has an unpleasant odor, so I won’t be playing this one much…lol
@J-Jericho said in Taps Across America:
@Dale-Proctor I'm glad the cancer was removed and hope that the procedure took care of the problem. I wish you a speedy and complete recovery!
Thanks! They found it early and got clean margins, so that should be all. They had to take a skin graft from my leg, though, and my leg is killing me. This too shall pass…
I couldn’t do it this year - I had a cancerous place removed from my head last Tuesday and am not allowed to do anything strenuous (including blowing a bugle) for at least a few weeks. My Kanstul field trumpet gets a rest this Memorial Day.
Nice article! The one exception to the boot camp requirement is the “President’s Own” USMC band in Washington.
@Matt-Tech said in Conn 5 trumpet mp:
I am searching for a vintage Conn 5 trumpet mouthpiece in good condition. I'm not having much luck on eBay, Reverb, or Craigslist, etc... Any assistance will be MUCH appreciated. Thanks! -Matt Tech
They don’t show up for sale very often. As far as I know, the Conn 5 came with the Conn 6B Victor (and maybe the 10B Victor) from the factory, but otherwise, someone would have had to buy one separately. Other than the Connstellations, most all 1960s Conns came with a Conn 4.
@BigDub said in How about a "Random Meaningless Image...let's see them string"?:
@Dale-Proctor said in How about a "Random Meaningless Image...let's see them string"?:
Five piece cornet de-composition, deBell Bb..
It was actually a 1920s Conn 22B trumpet that a guy bought on eBay. When he received it, he discovered it had been badly rebuilt and the valves were worn out. In a fit of rage, he beat it to pieces and posted a photo of it. I needed a 1920s 22B tuning slide and contacted him. He mailed the slide to me at no charge…lol
@SSmith1226 said in How about a "Random Meaningless Image...let's see them string"?:
@Dale-Proctor
That looks so realistic, it could be a Big Dub painting! Where is that, Scotland or England?
It’s actually the Biltmore in North Carolina.
A nice photo I took last summer.
Sounds great! I’m sure it was fun to play a gig like that, and I’m happy to hear you’re recovering well.
The Mercedes plays well with others! I played it in a 1 hour church orchestra rehearsal tonight, and was pretty pleased with it. The sound doesn’t have quite as much body as my Stradivarius does, but it played very well in tune and had a slightly easier upper register than my Strad. Reading some older reviews of the later Elkhart Mercedes had me worried about the possibility of a horn that wouldn’t play in tune, but this one is a good one.
The perfectly shaped taco chip.
The Bach Mercedes arrived today. I measured the bore, and it’s the .456” size, which Bach called an MP (medium plus) bore. It’s in pretty decent shape, valves are great, slides are all free, and it and seems to play well. It feels noticeably lighter than my Stradivarius. I’ll take it to a rehearsal next week to see if it plays well with others… 
I just won a 1976 or 1977 (if the serial numbers are in the same sequence as the Strads) Bach Mercedes trumpet on eBay. First horn I’ve bought in years, but I couldn’t pass it up. It was listed as a Mercedes II, but it isn’t, and my winning bid was pretty low. Looks to be mostly Stradivarius parts, but has a 2-piece bell (which most sources say is a 38 taper), no nickel trim, no tuning slide brace, and no 3rd valve stop and dump slide. The 3rd valve slide has a water key and an adjustable finger ring. It looks to have some red rot on the leadpipe, but if I keep it and it needs repair in the future, that’s not too serious to have repaired.
I haven’t received it yet, so I don’t know how it will play, but I’m hoping it’s good enough to use as a substitute for my Stradivarius in “high traffic” situations.
I would not appreciate anyone recording me when I practice. I usually work on exercises and pieces I can’t play (or can’t play very well). That’s a big part of the path to improvement, and is not meant for public consumption. As for the warts recorded in a public performance, one of the guys in our band would say “That’s the beauty of live music.” Many audiences just appreciate the music, and a glitch here or there just shows we are all human. There are also the folks who revel in picking out mistakes, and even if the performance was 99.9% perfect, they focus on that one wrong or out of tune note, sloppy articulation, etc. Unfortunately, I used to be my own worst critic, but now I’m happy if most of what I play is good, and I have a short memory for the occasional wart. My response to critics is, if you can do better, come on up on stage and show me…
My junior high band director told me I’d never be any good as a trumpet player, and after fighting the instrument for about 58 years, I’m beginning to think he was right…
