And I take this as a chance for a rebirth. gmonady is now Dr GO.

Prior to my retirement from my professorial gig at the medical school this past December, I taught muscle physiology in the first year medical student curriculum. We are at the mercy to the laws of physiology of muscle fiber development. So it takes about 2-6 weeks for muscle to adapt to new stress without damaging fibers. At the end of that 2-6 week span, one can add another 20% duration to the work out. So if 45 minutes is all you can do at this point, continue for several weeks at 45 minutes, than in that new week add 45 x 0.20 or about 10 minutes to the next week (55 minutes) and stay with that for another several weeks. Then advance another 20%. Keep doing this at these intervals until you reach your goal.

Let fatigue be your friend. When you loose control or start leaking air, step away from the horn for the day and start back at it tomorrow.

Let me know how this works out.

I was walking by a brown stone in New York and heard jazz streaming from a window. Door was open so I went in to find a band playing in an open loft. Asked if I could listen to which a band member replied sure then asked if I played. Said yes, was a trumpet player. They asked if I had my horn with me and told them in the building down the block. They asked me to get it and sit in as their second trumpet would not be there. I did. Turned out it was the 9 lives jazz ensemble, Mingus's band just after he passed. Wound up being bands sub and this launched my music career in NYC.

AND to the Chemists out there:

HAPPY EASTER from:

The Ether Bunny

A mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the motor of a Harley when a heart surgeon walked into his shop. As the surgeon was waiting for the service manager to look at his bike, the mechanic called to him: "Hey Doc, can I ask you a question?" The surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to the mechanic working on the motorcycle.

The mechanic wiped his hands on a rag and asked, "Doc, look at this engine. Like you, I can open it up, take valves out, fix 'em, put in new parts and when I finish this will work just like a new one. So why do I earn a pittance and you get the really big money, when we are doing basically the same work?"

The surgeon smiled, leaned over, and whispered to the mechanic: “Try doing it while the engine is still running.”

It's not the cold that gets you, but rather the lake effect snow. I lived in that region 6 years. Now in Dayton Ohio with my 3 Schnauzers. Work, not whether took to Southern Ohio. I loved the years I lived in Northern Ohio.

@Trumpetb said in Replacing cork on trumpet:

You can make 4 water key corks out of one wine bottle cork.

5 minutes work zero cost.

Not 0 cost if you purchase a $12 bottle of wine... hum, could use the wine purchase as a business expense under musical instrument parts.

@Trumpetb said in Replacing cork on trumpet:

I made a waterkey cork out of a used wine bottle cork. It worked fine and lasted years.

So red wine bottle cork for brass trumpet... White wine bottle cork for silver trumpet?

A nice book I have used most recently that introduces fresh concepts in phrasing is The Art of Jazz. I have the link to this book below:

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Jazz-Trumpet-John-McNeil/dp/0962846767

You mentioned efficient. Not sure if this is efficient but it damn well works. I studied jazz improvisation with Claudio Roditi for my last 18 months I lived in New York City. He focused the entire lesson experience on me transcribing other jazz artists solos. He had me learn them in all the keys. His theory was in transcribing a variety of soloists, in so doing, you would eventually find your own voice. It was intensive training but rewarding. Here is a recording of one of my solos with the quintet I perform with on a song written by our bassist:

I had Jason Harrelson send 4 valve caps just last week for my out of production flugelhorn that had no parts listed on an internet search. Contacted Jason and he had the parts he made personally. The question is how expensive is too expensive? Jason charged $137 for 4 silver valve caps. I know he makes copper tops as well. So if you strike out finding on line, send a message to Jason on the Harrelson web site.

@Anthony-Lenzo said in Oiling your trumpet.:

@Dr-GO ...but why oil in the first valve slide ?

This came from the Martin manual with no reason for the advice. Must be from the author's F'n experience.

Unless oil comes dripping out of your valve caps, not sure if you can ruin a horn from too much oil. But under oiling would be a problem .

For me it's more a function of the make of the horn. I use the feel of the horn to let me know when more oil is needed.

My Kanstal flugel horn demands the most, essentially every other performance. My others about once a week.

The owners manual on my Martin Committee actually recommends putting oil down the first valve slide. Interestingly the same manual recommends filling the entire horn with water then blowing it through after a cleaning to "charge " the valve pistons.

Welcome to this amazing place. So much input from our members over the years has lead to great improvement in my trumpet performance. Also lead to a well informed expansion in equipment. When I started with this group, initially on TrumpMasters, I only had 3 horns!

More detail. Not sure what is meant by downward. If using a conventional mouthpiece when the shaft is completely inserted, it should be symmetrical.

If using an Asymmetric mouthpiece then position would make a difference.

Some people do feel having their engraving in a specific position makes a difference but I have not found this to be the case.