Go to Costco and ask about "office glasses." That's what has worked best for me. They are "blended bifocals" with an enlarged middle-distance region. I can see the conductor OK and also read the sheet music well. I also sometimes use them in the office when working on the computer. And, since it's Costco, they aren't too expensive.
(Almost) anything by Vivaldi. It's usually fairly happy and undemanding listening. Vivaldi's day job was as the music teacher at an orphanage, so many of his more routine pieces were written to be performed by ensembles of non-professional musicians at the orphanage. To paraphrase an old car ad: "It won't knock your socks off, but it won't knock your hat off either." When I get a little tired of Vivaldi, then ABBA.
@j-jericho Have you guys ever tried absinthe? It tastes like a Listerine and Nyquil cocktail.
@_Mark_ Pressing the third valve (either alone or in combination with other valves) should lower the tone by a minor third, provided you don't change your lips. If the tone is going up, you are changing the embouchure (lips). Try following a systematic method such as the "Mitchell on Trumpet" series of books and get some coaching from a good teacher or experienced player.
So, Monette got paid $35K for making it, but says they invested "several times" that amount in labor cost, but recommends an insurance value of $300K. Sorry, but it doesn't look like the precious stones are all that precious, and it is basically a re-decorated version of an existing model. OK, it's pretty. But the values seem pretty inflated.
@ericmonroes The most expensive? Probably Monette, as a brand; unless you get into completely custom-built, totally from-scratch one-off things made by elves in the Black Forest. (Or extremely rare antiques owned by super-famous players.)
FWIW, I appear to have won my campaign for election to the city council of my small-ish Silicon Valley city.
Don't mess with eye problems. I worked with one guy who had 3 different surgeries over a period of a year before finally losing the eye.
The Spanish Flu of 1918 died down during August and nearly went away. But it came back with a vengeance in October, because the weather started getting colder and people started moving back indoors and having large gatherings. COVID isn't flu. But it is a viral epidemic. Don't take unnecessary chances.
@SSmith1226 Where is Gort when we really need him?
Pun, n. A form of wit, to which wise men stoop and fools aspire.
— Ambrose Bierce
Try.....
Monster Oil "Original" (Somewhat similar to Hetman #2) or
Monster Oil "Smoother" (Somewhat similar to Hetman #3)
Hetman #2 is my "daily driver", but I have this one particular horn that is only happy with Monster Oil "Smoother". Don't ask me why. I have no idea.
@Dr-GO Dude. Sorry, but that comment is not OK, even if it was lighthearted. There have been times in my life when I made that kind of money and paid those kinds of taxes. (And I'm not an MD.) But there are people on this board who struggle to come up with $100 for a new mouthpiece. I don't make your kind of money today, and I'm lucky enough that I don't need to. But this is a site about trumpet playing. I know the OP was about one of Louis Armstrong's collectible horns, but have a little compassion for the players just trying to get by on gigging.
OK, so thinking about this a little more....
Mouthpieces are made out of silver-plated brass, gold-plate over silver-plated brass, stainless steel, and plastic (acrylic or Delrin). A small number of craftsmen even make them out of wood.
If you had a reaction to the "more professional mouthpiece" loaned by your instructor, it might be a reaction to silver or brass (if some silver plating is worn off), or maybe even nickel in stainless steel, if the MP is SS (doubtful).
If you had a reaction of the (presumably new) gold plated MP obtained by the school it might conceivably be a reaction to gold, but that would be quite rare. Most metal contact allergies tend to develop slowly over time with prolonged and repeated contact.
If you tested negative for gold allergy, but had an immediate reaction using a new, clean gold-plated mouthpiece, it could be something other than the mouthpiece.
As suggested above by several people, thoroughly clean, disinfect, and flush everything including all horns and all mouthpieces. Then try using BERP BioOil lubricant, if you are not already using it.
Then try the gold-plated MP again.
If that still doesn't work, try one of the ACB acrylic-topped or Delrin-topped mouthpieces mentioned above by flugelgirl.
@tmd He didn't say he's not allergic to silver or brass. (Sorry for the double negative.)
