Best posts made by Kehaulani

@GeorgeB - I have a friend who plays first trumpet in a community orchestra and he's played his Capri for at least 20 years and loves it.

Ref. the rest of the section playing flat, maybe he's playing sharp. I have played in bands that tune differently than A=440. A player may play right but his (perfect pitch?) tuning may be different that the rest of the band's. In which case, he's the one who is wrong, not tactful.

I just used the trade-in system every twelve years or so.

This is a very lucid description that all, wondering what "slotting" is, or isn't, should read these concise but substantial words. Thanks, Rowuk.

Like I said . . .

@Dr-GO said in Why do scales go up?:

Personally, my scales are going up because I am eating more sweats.

Thanks, just wondering. The urge got the better of you eh, LOL? I think we've all been there.

I pulled the trigger on an Eterna Classic lacquered. Wrote Getzen just after I ordered it but when the answer came back it was too late for me to renege. Amazingly, I love it and it is now my go-to trumpet.

I used to be active on Sax on the Web, and several of the participants used drones regularly for intonation work.

In reflection, I think I always had lessons. I have played a number of instruments but have always had lessons.

My teachers had a lot of professional experience and showed me ways of developing things, either technically or musically, that I might not have discovered myself. This was supplemented by reading books on the subject and casually from other pros in personal, non-lesson environments.

When I wasn't taking lessons, I built on, and developed, what I had been shown by my teachers and mentors.

I think a person can be mostly self-taught and have no prejudice against that. I just think from my own experience, that a good mentor can condense the time spent and they can show you techniques and short-cuts that might take you longer, if ever, to discover.

@administrator said in Louis Armstrong’s Trumpet:

So, perhaps . . you would sound like Herseth on Herseth's horn, or like Satchmo on Satchmo's horn.

Hah, hah. I doubt that.

@Dr GO, can you give me a source of Armstrong being Creole? I don't recall that and would love to fill in the gaps. Thanks.

A lot humbler than trumpet players.

That last post got me thinking about my teachers. I've has some remarkable teachers on French Horn, Trumpet, Saxophones, Violin and yes, Irish flute. All top professionals and it just got me thinking how fortunate I've been. At least for me, the high quality of these people has just made me see the real value in such instruction/mentorship.

I think a simple statement to the good doctor would have been enough. I don't think he meant to be insensitive.

For what it's worth, though, I did cringe a little when I read that. There were times in my life that I didn't even come close to earning just a part of the tax money, much less the income and lifestyle it represents. I'm sure the good doctor earned his money but so did I. I'd rather not be reminded of that. But sometimes life just isn't equitable. That's just the way it is.

About the horn, itself, it would be nice to have a part of history but I really don't care and I would never pay that much money, or anything close to it. For me horn's a tool, not a collector's item. But if I was going to have a horn that represented a piece of history, I'd rather have Lee Morgan's or Adolph Herseth's or Fats Navarro's horn. Different strokes . . .

Just reacting like a lot of posts on this forum . . . out of context.
Didn't finish my morning espresso. Sorry.

Things I missed . . . Bette Midler was a schoolmate of mine . . . although she wasn't "Bette Midler", yet.

Seriously, and this isn't as self-serving as it may seem, but in reflection, I was actually better than I thought I was. In my family, excellence wasn't something one strived for, it was merely assumed. (I saw my father go from H.S. graduate to earning two master degrees, and my mother from H.S. to ABD at the doctorate level.)

Because of this, I just accepted a certain level of achievement was the norm. It wasn't.

Another after thought is that there can be of some valuable networking from whom you take lessons. I wouldn't let that be my main reason for choosing a teacher but it can be a spin off.

For example, through my H.S. and college trumpet teacher, I got recommended to play in the Royal Hawaiian Band. Through my first alto sax teacher, a reference to one of the best composers in Japan. Through another sax teacher, I got picked to play Lead Alto and then Solo Tenor in one of the workingist jazz bands in the region, and from my composition teacher a reference to one of the best composition jobs in the country.

In each case, it paid off financially and professionally. But that's not why I picked any of them.

"But make sure that is actually what the teacher said and the student "heard"." That implies to me that you actually do that before moving on with any further action. Could've been clearer.

@BigDub said in What Does The Tongue Do When The Trumpet Is Played:

These are the types of questions that get inside my head.
It will now take me weeks, maybe months, to stop concentrating on what my tongue is doing while I'm playing.
It’s ok, though. I got over the wet or dry lip dilemma fairly unscathed. My therapist says I am making great progress.

You know, this is tongue-in-cheek, but there's a ton of truth in it.

When I was in Haynie's master class at North Texas, we micro-analyzed Farkas' book, studied imaging videos, learning the fine points of physiological movement applied to brass playing. "Paralysis by analysis". I got so confused micro-managing the fine, mechanical points of playing, it messed me up, totally. Quit playing for a semester.

I'm not rejecting an analytical approach, some people's minds work differently, but for me, to an extent at least, the mind is much more compelling. I mean visual imagery. A saying I borrowed from the martial arts is, "The body follows the mind". I am terribly non-analytical and much more intuitive.

@Kujo20 said in Its Been an Age Long Requirement But How Many Can Do It?:

Many singers call notes as they are on piano (in terms of octaves).

The lowest note on piano being A0...the next octave being A1, then A2...etc...etc

I don’t see why other instruments couldn’t do the same. That’s about as easy as it can get.

But can you imagine telling a large ensemble of mixed transpositions to "play Middle C". You'd actually get some middle Cs, As, Ds, Es, etc. all at once. Players relate to their own tessitura, not the Grand Staff.

On another note, it's not necessary to play above a High D. I forget who, but one big name player said that the bread&butter range for professionals was below High C. Heck, Chet Baker made an entire career as one of jazz's most influential players, playing basically diatonically (to a given chord) and below high A. I see no need to deride someone for being interested in playing in their most neeed register..

Man, why do some of you guys have to get abrasive, emotional and crude? Is it really that hard to get your points across and be respectful at the same time?

Uh . . . O.K.
Just to make this clear, I have never been a Bach man and have played non-Bach horns (and (mouthpieces) my entire career. So, I surprised myself when I encountered a Bach 190-37. For ME, its sound is very rich and adaptable to all my playing situations.

If someone has the coin and is looking for a new horn, I suggest checking the Bach Anniversary out. You don't like it? Fine. But I suggest you leave your reverse prejudice at the door and see how it lives up to the other candidates.

BTW, I do not play Bach products.

I would never tell.
Did go to sleep with a smile on my face, though.