Posts made by flugelgirl

Whenever I work on a 3 valve picc, I have to wrack my brain for repertoire to play test that doesn’t require that bottom range. The 3piston + rotor will get you a few more notes, but you’ll still miss out on some repertoire, especially any Bb parts you would rather play on picc. A piccolo is always worth spending a little more on to give yourself a better advantage, anyway - it’s a difficult horn to play to begin with, so it’s easiest to learn on one that you don’t have to fight any extra to play.

@administrator Better to get used to the new horn with your current mpc and see how you like the combination. If you don’t, worry about that later. Changing up both at once might be more than you really want to deal with.

This reminds me of some conversations I’ve had with customers recently. One had never touched a trumpet yet, didn’t know how to make a sound, and wanted to know which equipment would make him sound like he played a Monette. The other one immediately launched into how “x” method changed his playing and that I should do it too. Thanks, Bub, but no. He was a 70yro comebacker, and while I’m happy he’s doing so much better, it was nothing I had a need for. If you’re doing more talking or equipment searching than practicing, you’ve already missed the point.
Twice this week I’ve had to tell other people’s students that their valves are slow because they have terrible hand position and are hitting them sideways- something that my former teachers yelled at me about constantly. Mindful practice with good physical habits goes a long, long way!

@dr-go Really?? Monette, Taylor, Schagerl, Inderbinden? First time I saw Da Carbo and Inderbinden was 2012 . She even has a Harrellson Summit -pretty sure you’ve heard of that!

@administrator not a pTrumpet. Main tuning and second slide are the wrong shape.

@kehaulani we do have a few in stock that aren’t on this list, but not many in right now. Every dealer is having trouble getting them right now! I do have a couple of used Yamahas to get to this week, but no artist models, unfortunately!

We currently have a ton of new and open box trumpets in stock! Save with an open box instrument that plays just like brand new, with one year of shop coverage and a generous return policy to find just the right fit. We have some fantastic prices on some great playing horns! See our link below, and use the code TRUMPETBOARDS15 to get an extra 15% off. Please feel free to share with friends and students! I go through all these trumpets personally, so if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask!
https://www.brassandwinds.com/collections/open-box-trumpets

As a tech that works for a retailer and goes through hundreds of horns per year, here’s my thoughts:
Bach 190s aren’t really better than the 180s, they’re just different. The 37s and 43s are still wildly inconsistent and you just have to pick one you like. The only difference is in specific models - the Artisan, LR19043B Mariachi, and Commercial models tend to be much more consistent, and will play much closer to another horn of the same model.
The Yamaha artist series are very consistent when new. When used, there may be a difference, especially between generations 1 or 2, or if they have had any damage. Yamahas always feel different after damage and repair.
Take a look at our inventory - I go through everything and can answer any questions you might have. We also have a very generous return policy.
www.brassandwinds.com

I second a lot of what has been said here, but would also add that iReal pro is much better for backing tracks than the others mentioned. You can download a huge library of tracks, and use them in any key you want, unlike Abersolds, which sometimes do standards in weird keys. You can also play them in any style, so when you learn more and want to get creative the options are open. It’s also easy to create tracks to go along with books of licks or scales.
Another thing I would highly recommend is finding a big band to play in if you can. One of the things that really changes between jazz and classical are articulations and cutoffs. Spend some time in a section following a decent lead player and you will get better at both. Check out Craig Fraederich’s books - the theory book sets things up pretty simply for jazz beginners and has playing exercises to go along with the written activities. He also has some free stuff on his website that is excellent.
Biggest thing, listen constantly!! Also, listen to more than just trumpet players

Here’s our most current Yamaha TOP poster, if that helps. Betting it’s not Mike you’ve been seeing, as he just recently rejoined TOP.

@_mark_ Not offended, just trying to explain why most of us do not give out repair info. One of the first things we tend to learn in this field is how much we don’t know, and how much time and money it takes to get a solid start in this field. It’s not cheaper and easier to DIY due to the learning curve and cost of tooling and supplies. My toolbox for school, which only includes the bare minimum needed to learn, was $3k. I’ve easily added that to tooling in my home shop, which is still very limited. It’s pretty hard to save money on repairs if you can’t afford the tooling needed to do a clean job, as well as the skills to use it. You’ll either end up spending more money in the end because you invested in the tools and supplies, or because you messed something up that will cost more than you would have spent on the original repair bill. Since you state your income is limited, you might save more money just by taking it to your local tech.
As far as other players caring whether you took lessons or not, no one really cares how you learned if you play well. The reason to invest in lessons is to learn something new from someone who does it better than you. Those of us who make money playing and teaching don’t care if you want to play for fun, and don’t judge you for the level you play at. The judgement comes if you’re getting paid to sit beside us and can’t do the job, simple as that. You should never feel bad about playing for the love of it, so enjoy! No judgement here, but no one is obligated to give anyone free lessons. Doesn’t mean it never happens, though, and there is a lot of free info out there that anyone can take advantage of if they can understand how to apply it.

Technicians tend to keep our info to ourselves because we’ve seen what happens when DIYers work on stuff, and it’s almost never good. It can be hard to guide a good apprentice right in front of you, and even harder to guide anonymous folks on the internet. There’s a reason we go to school and/or apprentice with good techs - it’s a hard trade to learn! Not only do we not want to lose any possible sources of income, but we also want to save you from breaking more than you fix and having a higher repair bill in the end. We also don’t want to be blamed for giving you just enough info to be a danger to your equipment, and then be blamed for it. The same goes for pro players/teachers, although it applies more to lost income. There are many players doing some kind of YouTube free lessons, but you don’t end up with the full benefit of the lesson without feedback from the teacher. Sometimes it’s just enough info to be dangerous as well, depending on the student and the lesson.
I’ve been getting paid to play for 35 years, and as a tech for 3.5 years. Neither pays enough that I live any sort of glamorous life, though having the benefit of a pension from my career in Navy bands has made my repair career a possibility. During COVID, both pro musicians and techs have suffered, many to the point of needing to change careers. Many have not only lost income, but also gigs that would advance their careers. I definitely lost two gigs due to Covid that would have helped me quite a bit! Many techs that lost business have also had to deal with the possibility of being exposed to Covid through customer horns - not an easy living, for sure. Since I work on horns before they go up for sale, I try to send as much business to local techs as I can. If you don’t use them, they may not be there to help when you need them!

Part of the deal with felts and corks is knowing the sizes you need. Since we techs keep an assortment and measure what is needed with the proper tools as we go, no one is going to be able to tell you what you’ll need to order ahead of time. Also, if you’re doing this yourself you’ll need to have the tools to measure upstroke as well as downstroke if you don’t want it to play stuffy.

The A4 is a great horn, but it’s also pretty heavy, and not super nimble in the upper register especially for a part time player. The A4LT is a bit easier that way in all regards, but the new A1 would probably be a good bet as well. Yesterday we got in the new version of the Yamaha LA model which has some significant changes with the heavier valve block and heavy bronze caps. Much more stability than the previous model. If you like Bach, you might like the 43B - great commercial sound but can still blend in a section. Things to consider! Another thing to consider is a mouthpiece match for the horn. No reason you can’t have an all-around, a lead, and a super dark flugel cheater for solos!

Try this, from Conn-Selmer: https://www.conn-selmer.com/en-us/resources/serial-numbers/king-instrument-serial-numbers

Our garage space was sacrificed for a home shop for me and teaching space for my husband, so no cool car toys here. I sure do enjoy watching everyone else’s on the road, though! There are lots here in my neighborhood, and then sometimes I get to go out in my dad’s 64 Impala when I visit with him. He keeps saying he’s going to visit and drive a new toy home since the weather is better for old cars to survive in this area, along with no road salt. Hasn’t happened yet, though!

My regular bands have not restarted yet, but a few other gigs are starting to pop up for Dec-Feb right now. I’m book for a show in Feb, “In the Heights”, and so far they are not requiring bell covers or masks. We will see if that changes or not. The brass quintet my boss and I put together has been rehearsing regularly, and we are working on scheduling a Christmas performance or two right now. Fun group capable of playing some pretty advanced music, so we have been enjoying it. I’ve started teaching my little student in person, and she has in person band for the first time since she has started playing. She’s getting better so much faster now!

@jolter said in C. G. Conn Club:

@bigdub That's on the bell tail. It's called a microtuner, or "opera glass" tuner. Turn the screw to tune up or down in small increments.

Yup. On my 8A, it works better to tune from the micro tuner than from the main tuning slide! On my 80As, most of them it doesn’t make that much of a difference. I love the look of them and how they play, though - super fun little horns!

You see this sometimes with band directors who are woodwind players and only know two common brands. Sometimes a student can get by with something else if they show it to the band director first so they see it’s not junk. These days more teachers want to see a kid with a horn with both 1st saddle and 3rd slide, but most who are restrictive about brands are just trying to keep the kids from starting on junk horns.

@neal085 true enough. Entry level Yamaha AD line is made in China. Conn-Selmer Prelude line are also made in China. King seem to fare a bit better, though, and are made in the Eastlake factory. Jupiter are made in Taiwan, but intermediate and pro models are very nicely made and leagues above the entry level.