@kehaulani said in Diversions:
I think I'm just getting frustrated with people who are chasing their tails as a diversion from spending their time getting in solid practicing. Micro-analyzing this and that; not only missing the forest for the trees, but nit-picking what kind of tree it is
Yeah I see a lot of that in postings at the other site and it drives me crazy. If all that time analyzing was spent on some good solid practice of fundamentals they would all be much better off.
George
@BigDub
Great work, Wayne. Makes me want to get out my flyrod and head for a quiet little stream.
If the valves are worn it can affect the compression, making the horn harder to play. Open the 1st and 3rd valve slides a bit, then close them and depress the first and third keys, If you hear a solid popping sound, the compression is good and you can use either a light or medium grade ( Hetman or Berp ) #1 or #2 oil. But if the pop is weak a thick #3 grade oil should fill the gap between the valve and the piston wall and the playing should be easier and you should hear more of a pop.
The thicker oil lasts longer between oiling.
George
@tmd
I agree, Mike, but Anka seemed to be like a dog with a bone. No one was even disagreeing with him. In fact they all looked scared as hell. Anka just seemed relentless in browbeating his musicians, to the point that maybe he was enjoying their fear.
@_mark_
I wouldn't try it myself. But if you have the equipment and know what you are doing then that is different. But soften it too much and the next G you play may slide up to a C.
I'm sure there are experts who can do this for you at a price, but it may be just cheaper to find a new one that will be kinder to your chops.
I play one of Trent Austin's mouthpieces, an ACB3CS that's changed my life. It replaces first a Bach 5C that was too sharp and cost me a few injuries after playing tough and long concerts. After that a Wedge helped but in the end it was the ACB3CS that was the answer, Some times I barely
feel it on my chops. No more injuries and no more having to skip a day of playing while trying to recover from a long and tough concert.
@BigDub
I toyed ( yeah toyed ) with water colors for almost 2 years in the late 50s. I did not put in the necessary work needed to improve. I had too many other things on the go at the time: playing trumpet with a busy little 5 piece band, writing fiction for some pulp mystery magazines, some amateur acting, fiddling around with photography, and forming a career in the publishing industry. The latter is the only thing I can truly say I was successful at.
Oh, yeah one other thing I was successful at, picking the right girl to share my life with.
My first horn was something from a pawnshop and just had Varsity etched on the bell. I bought in 1953 for $40, a fortune to me who was working part time after school delivering prescriptions on my bike for a local drug store making $12 a week.
I was taking lessons at The Maritime Conservatory Of Music. My teacher, Professor Ifan Williams, who also happened to be the music director at the conservatory, was not pleased with the Varsity and urged me to buy something better as soon as possible.
Well I used the Varsity but dropped the Conservatory for lessons with a top notch professional trumpet player because I didn't seem to be getting anywhere. The pro player's name was Eddie Richards and he was one of those guys who did it all, from dixieland to Haydn and played for all the top local orchestras, as well as the Halifax Symphony Orchestra, I started to advance quickly under his tutelage after he arranged for me to buy a nearly new gold plated Conn Constellation 28B on time for $5 a week. The Conn made all the difference in the world. To me, at the time, it was like magic.
I stupidly sold the Conn when I quit playing in 1965, but I kept the Varsity for sentimental reasons. I still have it and play it once in awhile as a reminder of how hard it was to play as a student. I have no idea of the age of the Varsity.
@rjkossman
Sorry to hear that, rj. I can't help you with your inquiry, though I'm sure someone here will.
I own a Recorder along with several other great horns and I also leave them on their stands. BUT ! The one thing I always do and highly recommend to you, to do it too, is to swab the lead pipe and tuning slides, as well as the the other slides, after every use. Do that and you won't have red rot problems.
Good luck in finding a supplier,
George
Very interesting post. The old Varsity I purchased at a pawn shop in 1953 is still in remarkably good shape even today, 68 years later. I don't know who made it or how old it really is, but I am sure it is a student horn when I compare playing it to the professional horns I own and play today. And the Varsity is definitely built like a tank.
@ButchA
I guarantee they'd never make it here, Butch. Canadians love their rum...especially those custom duty officers. 
BTW, I had a boring sober Christmas day with my 86 year old sister who doesn't drink. But she loves to hear me play the trumpet so I played a few songs she likes and that helped liven things up a bit...especially Jingle Bell Rock... ha ha !
@Tobylou8
There is a youtube of the arrangement we use done by The Coldstream Guards.
The video of suggested exercises you posted is actually slower in tempo than our arrangement of Bogey. I have been playing those in the Bogey march over and over but it sounds spitty and not really sharp. Thanks for you suggestion, though.
Well even though Bach claimed on the bell the TR3002H I purchased in 2016 is made in the U.S.A. .Some here feel that Bach is not telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so I will say this: if the TR300 I owned was made in China, then it was well made indeed.
That horn served me well that first year back after a 50 year break. I was especially amazed at the nice tone and how great the valves were. I sold it to a student 2 years ago and that student still uses it and loves it.
The only complaint I had was that it was not that great above the staff.
@J-Jericho said in SEASON'S GREETINGS:
@ButchA Methinks you're not a stranger to electric guitar. World class licks there, my friend!
He's pretty damn good on the violin, too.
@Tobylou8 said in Exercises for super fast tonguing:
@GeorgeB said in Exercises for super fast tonguing:
@Tobylou8
There is a youtube of the arrangement we use done by The Coldstream Guards.
The video of suggested exercises you posted is actually slower in tempo than our arrangement of Bogey. I have been playing those in the Bogey march over and over but it sounds spitty and not really sharp. Thanks for you suggestion, though.Maybe double tonguing will get it done. If this is the part you're talking about at 2:00 then ta-ka ta-ka double tongue is what I'd do. And now I remember playing this arrangement too! It can be a tongue twister for sure!
Yep, that's it, and your suggestion of double tonguing is worth a try. Anyway, it sure is hard on my 83 year old tongue..LOL
@BigDub
I remember this one. It made me wonder what was up around the bend.
Considering how much I loved and admired Satchmo, just holding that trumpet in my hands would leave me so awe-struck that I'd probably screw up any note I could manage to blow.
@ButchA said in SEASON'S GREETINGS:
Jingle Bell Rock is always fun to play. We (the Shriners Band) play that all the time during Christmas concerts and during a chilly Christmas parade, riding in our float.
Yeah, it was part of a medley we did during our nursing home Christmas tour. They were dancing in their chairs.