Best posts made by ROWUK

Do we really have a "problem" or is life in general simply a challenge sometimes?

To be honest, one of the things that irritated me most at Trumpetmaster was the lowest common denominator thinking for conflict resolution. I was often accused of "abusing" my moderator position when having an opinion. There were enough members that felt "attacked" when called out on something controversial that they posted. My life was threatened twice and I had to go to the police station (in Germany) twice to make statements (different issues).

Sure, there are certain things that I consider "below the belt". Do I need "rules" to deal with that? (no) Do such rules simply move the attitude and danger "underground". (yes)

I think that lowest common denominator is the end of any society. I think that vehemently disagreeing is not a bad thing. As this is an open internet forum, there is no law requiring TrumpetBoards to let everyone in or even throwing them out with no reason given.

Those that want a haven on the internet for free that bends to the whim of the day simply should stay off line.

In theory, membership could be by audition with a probationary period - just like with any professional symphony orchestra on the planet.

I do not have to like anyone elses opinion. I certainly treasure their ability to have it however.

My personal opinion is that what is missing is not "rules", it is respect. By respect, I mean finding out what qualifications one has to make a definitive statement, and if the qualifications are "high enough", treating those statements as well founded - even if I do not agree. Unfortunately there are a lot of people with no qualifications that are powerful posters - but with no redeeming value. Those people would not DREAM of standing up at ITG and saying the same things that they post.

Have a great week. Stay healthy!

Robin

Great link! Thanks!

@dr-go The floor as a stand creates the greatest distance and strain for the back. Only recommended in combination with Yoga.

@Kehaulani If that was the goal, they failed miserably. I consider them to be light years apart on blow, core and tone.

@OldSchoolEuph said in PLEASE KEEP CIVIL!:

@ROWUK - I always found disagreeing with you on TM both entertaining and enlightening. (and sometimes quite a challenge as we dont necessarily disagree on much). The back & forth of differing experience and differing understandings helps root out truth - I will always support that, and found you to be one of the most valuable contributors in that regard.

So the issue is civility. Is it not possible to moderate a forum in such manner as civil discourse, civil debate, is possible? The only challenge is for a moderator to manage to suppress his/her own bias - which some do better at than others.

I fully agree - but discourse like range must be practiced until both sides find equilibrium (winning or losing all the time is not fun...). Squelching the post early only means that there is a winner (the admin or moderator) and a loser (devils advocate?). That is NOT a good situation in my view.

I have a view that if on earth war outbreaks, the politicians have failed - not the military. The same goes here. If we can't "reel a member in", is the problem the member, the tactical exercize or a problem with the community. I have a personal feeling about this, but am not stuck on any of those choices.

Let's take this thread. I have posted some pretty clear thoughts - no admin or moderator has engaged those thoughts. Why is that? I mention "class clowning" threads - of course I have specific members in mind - no response. What does this place stand for? Do we even have a direction or is this just a trumpet lounge with no HOT coffee, cold beer, Whiskey, Cognac or Schnaps - just warm to cool sweet mixed drinks? Well, I am diabetic and sugar is not one of my "vices" (it wasn't at TrumpetMaster either). I happen to like hot, cold and taste explosions on the tongue.

In the end, I do ask why I come back here. I am not even motivated to challenge other posts because I know how they will develop if I try. That was generally not the case in the "old world". There were a lot of "challenges" some died due to lack of argumentation, some ran in circles for months, some got "ugly" because one of the parties felt "attacked" or unfairly treated (probably my bad back then although I do have an opinion about insecure people on the internet). Some resulted in apologies. In the "uncivil threads" only the 4 letter words were dealt with. Issues concerning prejudice or hidden racism were more difficult.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not criticizing any member, admin or moderator. I am criticizing what I see: paler shades of gray. If that is what the community wants, cool for the community. I am trying to get to the meat of the issue here. I do expect more response - especially from those with "more power". Luke warm is NOT an option (neither is war).

A tuner is often the worst thing that we can do to our playing. Drones, Stamp and simple duets (not recording one voice and then the next however - then only one voice "gives" - the second one!) are about the best.
The tuner is almost always wrong except for establishing a one note reference.

There are a couple of internal mechanisms for tuning, none are accessible from the intellectual level.
Drones teach us to relate with sum and difference beats
Stamp teaches to find the resonant center
Duets teach us give and take in the context of ensemble playing.

The consummate trumpeter needs it all. We need thousands of repetitions to claim "habit".

Don't worry about me or my behavior. There are those members that I just will no longer engage. They were difficult at TrumpetMaster and certainly have not improved here. Sometimes I wish that there was a member or theme block feature like on Facebook.

I am not sure that moderating or policing produces different results. The truly technical blogs define moderating as submitting text and after approval of the moderation team, the text is published for others to see. This requires a team to make judgements about everything. Not really suitable for us here.

Moderation can also be moderators interacting with members - publicly or behind the scenes through PM.

Policing is after the fact. The damage is done, but what damage is that (other than members leaving)? Locking threads leaves the content for everyone in the future to read and draw opinions upon. I only wish that there was a solution to make stuff more easily searchable.

I firmly believe that the problem is the sense of "protection" behind a keyboard. Much of what is posted would NEVER be said face to face.

I am in full support of Elmar.

@IrishTrumpeter
My son lives and works near Cork. If Covid settles down, I may visit this year.

What would be the purpose? To rename Trumpetboards? To get any traffic that might still be looking for TrumpetMaster?

I wrote e'mails to admins and hosters, researched the blocking of the site but got no answers. I know of a couple of legal actions that fizzled out but nothing that would have locked the site down.

I think that you have done an admirable job giving the orphaned a home. Admins are clear about their actions and are willing to "discuss" decisions. I do have the impression that the troublemakers did not migrate.

I see no use for the domain if we can not restore content.

@barliman2001 I certainly agree with keeping politics out. The line quickly becomes fuzzy and the opinions are affected by global warming. There is a lot that the "average westerner" or "easterner" does not know and the online"pick your subject matter" experts now have swung over to "eastern Europe" politics - where they have equal brainlessness.
I can only recommend NOT using asocial media as a primary source to build an opinion. Try some real research in history first.

Offering an arrangement for free that applies to a current world "event"/"situation" is admirable in my eyes. Musicians have always supported peace and understanding - unless you were the lead trumpet in the Buddy Rich Big Band...

That all being said, we will be welcoming a refugee family in our home shortly. Civilians deserve the right of pursuit of happiness and bullets make that tough. I hope that they like trumpet instead...

I am suspicious, because this cleaning only covers half of the valve “system”. The casings need at least an equal amount of TLC. The Dirt/Damage/Distortion that Ivan mentions applies to the whole instrument. Without a deep clean on the valve casings (and the rest of the horn), we have NOT improved the overall situation. Yes, the valves themselves are cleaner with ultrasound.
These small, cheap ultrasound devices are safe for metals - even for extended periods. I have had issues with plastics and eyeglasses.
There is also a necessity to make sure that the valve and casing are bone dry before oiling after cleaning. Oil floats on water and this prevents a proper bond between oil and the metal surfaces

This thread will show the "foolishness" of putting "slotting" high on the list of trumpet priorities. We need flexibility to play in tune.

There is a "bible" on intonation written by Chris Leuba - a former horn player with the Chicago Symphony. I am not sure if it is still in print, but it is certainly worth having.

https://www.hornguys.com/products/a-study-of-musical-intonation-by-christopher-leuba-pub-cherry

Even so, without a degree, you won’t even get an Army Band job.
The problem is not the degree, it is the attitude that someone can get. Once you think that you are something special, the bar for acceptance goes way up. If you have the degree and are humble, you simply have prepared well!

I say YES, if you can, you should. Everything that we learn can’t be taken away - even learning to be an ass.

Prepare, stay humble, work hard and thoughtfully, be generous. It pays off in ways no bean counter can quantify!

I certainly have no interest in beating this issue up, but those in denial about valve casings are missing the point. When we send a trumpet in for a valve job, what is done? The casing is honed to make each one round again THEN the valve is plated oversized and lapped in. This means that the significant wear was on the casing - not the valve.
For those of us fortunate to play a lot for many years, we realise that even with proper care, valves (even stainless steel)were not necessarily built “for a lifetime of use”. Even although we have no mechanical trouble, the playing qualities deteriorate as the valves become more “leaky”.
I maintain (and do not need 1000 words to defend my stance): the casing, leadpipe and tubes need as much attention as the valve - every clean. The inside of a trumpet is a living organism, regardless if we brush our teeth regularly or not. The aerosols in our breath collect and wander down the instrument. This is what turns the valve oil into sludge that collects eventually on the valve and casing surface. That compromised lubrication allows metal to metal contact (wear) at the high spots and gunk at the low spots. We DO need a professional service at regular intervals IF we are truly interested in the long term playability of our instrument.
The idea of a low power personal ultrasonic device to clean the valves is good and certainly more thorough than just “wiping the valves down”. That does not remove the need for getting the rest of the problem solved however. Not “noticing” something - even over years is not evidence that a strategy is good. It is more a sign of “tolerance” of ever worsening “tolerances”.

If that is the original case, it is a far east creation. I do not think that a realistic value can be placed without physically seeing the horn - even if it were a popular brand. Valve condition, repairs, etc. all determine its value.

In this case with the leadpipe sleeve, I would assume that it did not come from the factory this way. I would suspect someone customized.

In my view, it looks terribly unbalanced. Sheet bracing, removable bell imply "heavy" something that is not good for a horn not designed to specifically be that way.

There is no time restriction for talent. Any quality can crop up from any country at any time. No one really can plan birth, experience and opportunity. Irrelevant question.

Mavbe some of us are reading the auction incorrectly. The engraving says Duke Donin FROM Louis Armstrong. Christies has a bunch of "non scientific" theories - not backed by documentation (invoice, serial number. history):
https://www.christies.com/features/The-1948-Louis-Satchmo-Armstrong-trumpet-10881-3.aspx

Certainly a collectors item, but you really have to want to believe the conjecture about Louis having actually played theis horn...

3 valve piccs can work IF we have an half tone extension for the third valve (1+2+3 should give us the low concert D with the A tuning). Then all of the D major baroque stuff works. I have a 3 valve rotary pic and it is my go to instrument for baroque literature in D or Eb when I play modern horns.

My experience with Chinese instruments has been very good. We just have to understand that they do not decide on the quality, they just build to order.

When I last visited, I saw the production lines. If some customer wants a $50 trumpet, they will build it. For $51, you get some nickel silver trim, for $52, a bit thicker metal. $55 gets you a couple of mu more Monel on the valves... And so it goes up to their most expensive instruments that cost maybe $650 each (including mouthpiece, case and white gloves) when a container full is ordered. The realistically purchased instruments are VERY, VERY good!

The bad guy is not the manufacturer, rather the customer that is willing to pawn off cheap on their customers.

What is "value"? Do we compare purchase price to what you can recover after 5 or 10 years?

I have always learned that we buy cheap tools twice.