Best posts made by ROWUK

My problem is that I am not really motivated. Many threads develop in a similar way:

1. original post
2. a couple of thank yous
3. maybe a subject supporting post or two
4. Class clown attack that has nothing to do with the original content
5. Derailed post can go just about anywhere - but not without devils advocate posting

I can say that the feeling is like with certain teachers that I had - for one or 2 lessons. My general feeling here is of suffocation. Extreme efforts (in my opinion) are being made to keep it "clean", "friendly", "family". The general feeling is not digging in and accepting reality, rather a lavender painted over.

I a pretty sure that if I started posting like I feel, that the threads would last 2 days. In that case, why bother. At Trumpetmaster I made a point about getting to the meat immediately. Here we seem to be afraid of blood.

Brass instruments adhere to standard characteristics of physical laws. If we look at the series of partials (the notes that we can play without changing the valve pressed), they each represent a resonance mathematically related to the fundamental. Pedal C is the fundemental, low C at double the frequency, 2nd line G at 3x the fundamental frequency, 3rd space c at 4 times the fundamental...

In addition, based on the construction of the horn we have a "quality" of resonance (in physics called "Q") that determines how easy or hard it is to bend the note. If the Q is high, we have to exert a lot of energy to bend a note. If the Q is low, our chops have to provide the stability. Anyone that has been forced to use alternate fingerings on a Bach C trumpet, has firsthand experience about the Q of the 4th space E, Eb and 4th line D being too strong. The horn "wants" to play those notes very flat. Many trumpets also have a top of the staff G too high in pitch and a high C too low. That forces us to compensate with body tension - something that hurts our overall playing and sound.

Slotting is NOT the Q, at least not directly. Because we need to hear ourselves to tune, there is a perceived pitch and resonance that we call "slotting". The artisan building the trumpet must optimize the "targets" that we play, allowing moderate bending of pitch but a sense of security at the same time.

The resonance pattern of the trumpet also determines its tone in the various registers. Our brain reacts to a thinner sound of equal pitch with the sense that it actually is going sharp - we compensate by forcing the pitch lower - even although it is wrong. The opposite happens when the sound gets thicker - we force the pitch up.

My whole point is that "slotting" as a concept is flawed. We have to break down what affects pitch, tone and security. Players that "brag" about the "slotting" of their horns, generally play out of tune...

Now to confuse the rest, the "Q" of a trumpet is based more or less on bell flare shape (slotting is additionally affected by the mouthpiece, bracing and thickness/hardness of the bell). Standard horns are most efficient between low C and 2nd ledger line C above the staff. Above and below that, the Q goes down very quickly. Because Q is resonance, we have to work harder above the staff because the trumpet helps us less. A larger bell like on the higher Monette models, extends efficiency to lower notes. There is a cost of business however...

@Dr-GO said in Frustrated:

To me Rowuk was the role model of moderators. Tough love is the best!

Thank you, but I was not trying to be a role model. I was just trying to keep the fluff out. There was nothing to prove - except that discourse needs more than a weak opinion.

This post is not intended to be political in any way, but if we recognize that internet AI bots use all available material found on the internet, how qualified could any response be to a question concerning President Biden, Donald Trump or both in the same Query? What about a response to asking a question if we should buy a Monette, GR, Warburton or Schilke mouthpiece? With all of the good and bad, quite a bit of intelligence is required to understand what it true or probably true and sometimes the best answer is I don't know. Bots are not programmed for "I don't know"!

In many queries I get very "delusional" answers from ChatGPT. Where it really shines is helping to formulate text. I think that we have a HUGE challenge before us!

Hang in there big guy! Better times are coming!

@masterwannabe Used trumpets are a buyers market - with very few exceptions. I would have no personal interest at all for me or my students. It would make a nice lamp - that is what I will do with my Monette Raja C when I retire from trumpet playing.

The thread owner needs to clear some stuff up. Nothing makes sense.

I think that there are multiple benefits.
Inserting a mouthpiece in a specific way increases the chances that similar insertion pressure will be used. I experimented with this quite a bit. The trumpet plays much differently if inserted lightly or firmly (and everywhere in between).
Our perception of things change when we develop a ritual. We “feel good” about having developed that process. It becomes part of our reality - and safety net. I do not consider this to be a myth. We know how much of our playing is inspiration and how much is perspiration. We all enjoy reaching a point where the musical portion becomes greater than the mechanical.
Modern mouthpieces do not have centricity issues, the mass is also uniform, the finish consistent. Even with many years of use, this does not necessarily change. That being said, minor damage to the shank or dirt in the receiver can cause large changes in playability! I have often wondered why more players do not have better protection with a “better designed” mouthpiece case and tools to keep the shank and receiver clean, round and true.

I really do not spend much time here (there are various reasons), but when I do, I sometimes find very annoying things.

Today: Multiple threads were locked down "for obvious reasons" - but no obvious reasons were anywhere to be found. Could it be that the threads are cleansed and then locked down? If they are censured, what does the lock accomplish? If there is no indication as to why, how does the casual user even make sense of what goes and what does not. What is the motivation on locking threads down? Is there a policy governing this?

As I had an administrative function at TrumpetMaster, there was regularly an "urge" to lock down a thread not going anywhere. We (I) only did when the posting got really ugly. The ugly words were replaced with a clear note as to why. Sometimes the member got a vacation. Keeping threads open kept them alive. A bump after a year or two brought forgotten subjects back to life - even if the original poster was long gone.

I would appreciate a real reason when threads are locked down. I never appreciate completely deleting anyones posts - or intentions. Unsuitable language is easy enough to smooth out and publicly document.

I am not expecting or demanding an answer. I would consider a detailed why in the respective threads to be "courteous".

@oldschooleuph
And as fine of a horn as the Bach 180 Stradivarius is/was (when yours found you), the "build quality" in the 60s/70s/80s was worse than a student Ambassador or certainly a Schilke. Lacquer and silver plate usually developed blemishes within 3 years. For heavy players, the valves were worth refurbishing every 5 or 6 years to get compression back. Precision valve alignments had very noticable effects (sometimes even negative). Perhaps the valve wear could have been minimized with synthetic lubricants - or cleaning more often and repeated application of "Al Cass" per day. Standard for me was oiling when the horn complained or after the weekly bath.

Although there were hundreds to thousands of possibilities, Most everyone that I knew went to a store to pick one out of stock. I know of one single trumpeter that actually ordered a customized horn directly from Bach. In my opinion even today, Bach=play before you pay.

Time to clean up your websites. Nothing that demonstrates a superior attitude more than keeping the creative juices flowing. I can imagine that people stuck at home would spend more time online. It would be a good thing to have a big chunk of that time.

@barliman2001 said in Mute Clarification?:

@j-jericho As I do have a derby mute, but no derby hat, I think I'll settle for the mute...

Playing into a "soft" mute of any kind means that there is enough damping to kill overtones. A normal "hat" or derby mute is OK but putting some additional damping material performs the conversion. Kill the overtones on a trumpet, and it sounds more flute like.

@barliman2001 I guess, I just disagree in principle with locking down non-abusive threads - regardless of age. I see no logic or necessity (your argumentation of cluttering simply does not apply in my view), but I guess I have never really felt "at home" here - at least not enough to start actively posting. I find this behavior of locking down unique to you and not standard at any other forums that I am a member of.

This issue is not enough to make me stop visiting, but it certainly was enough reason to address the issue. As I said, it is just one of the things here that I find unnecessarily "annoying".

Kehaulani, perhaps it does not matter but I felt a need to address what I feel is an admin looking for work instead of a valuable forum feature. I do understand that this was never policy. I know that Elmar is not doing this with malicious intent, but I have the impression that this is not something that anyone ever asked for.

@oldschooleuph Even at the end of Mt. Vernon, the horns simply did not have the build quality of the "competition". That does not necessarily have anything to do with playing "well". Even a "bad" Bach had that magic core and adjusting to the playing characteristics was just something that we did back then.

The perception of the Mt. Vernons today is considerably different although the lacquer and valve issues are the two things normally necessary when refurbishing. Either the Bach lacquer was not so good or the horns were not prepped properly.

There is a swiss artisan Rene Spada that disassembles Bachs and rebuilds them with swiss precision. In my view, they are what Bach should have been all along. The Spada Bachs are simply that much better using only Bach parts. Even if I had a Mt. Vernon, I would have it disassembled, cleaned and put back together with Spadas precision and attitude. There are other artisans. I use one Rainer Jordan who has his shop close to Frankfurt.

I have had 3 Bach trumpets. A 180 B172* (new picked at Giardinellis in New York but rebuilt by Spada), a 180 B25 and a C229H (also bought from Giardinellis). I still have the 229 although in the mean time, it has been completely disassembled and rebuilt without tension as well as getting a tuning bell and a new leadpipe.

@Brian-Moon
is a joke thread really the place for another Evolutionist vs Creationist discourse? I think the topic deserves its own thread - with the chance that it will get shut down when (not if) it gets louder. It is almost religion - regardless of what side of the issue one is on. We did have this issue at TrumpetMaster too...

As far as the NY Times "consistently" lying, that is certainly open to interpretation if reporting someone elses findings is lying or reporting. Or if it is the reader that injects other arguments...

I have no knowledge of jellyfish, so I asked Dr. Google what science there is. There is a wealth of research and plenty of non ambiguous "proof". It was an interesting 30 minutes!

The reference to Utah specifies the Cambrian era (in fact 500 million years ago):
Van Iten, Heyo; Marques, Antonio C.; Leme, Juliana de Moraes; Pacheco, Mirian L. A. Forancelli; Simões, Marcello Guimaraes (2014). Smith, Andrew (ed.). "Origin and early diversification of the phylum Cnidaria Verrill: major developments in the analysis of the taxon's Proterozoic-Cambrian history". Palaeontology. 57 (4): 677–690. doi:10.1111/pala.12116.

A more precise date using modern radiometric dating yield a date of 541 ± 0.3 million years ago.
Gradstein, F.M.; Ogg, J.G.; Smith, A.G.; et al. (2004). A Geologic Time Scale 2004. Cambridge University Press.

None of the science that I mentioned delves into any divine creation or "evolution" of the jellyfish from lower forms. It does show a unique trait that makes a specific type more or less immortal. Here is a non-scientific site that is certainly entertaining: https://immortal-jellyfish.com

Let's make this thread funny again...

To add a bit to my comment about cheap tools twice:

We ALWAYS have to consider what we are using the instruments for. An amateur in a town band will certainly have different NECESSITIES than the working pro. If I read the comments by many amateurs on the internet, I wonder how they really play. The comments do not match the requirements. Many times we have a luxury issue - more money than common sense. We cannot necessarily equate price with performance but there is a bottom line for quality.

At the end of the day, no one can answer the Bang for the Buck question for someone else. How much is pride in ownership worth? How much inspiration do we get from having something special in our hands? How many owners handicap themselves by believing the yarns that they spin.

https://www.bacmusicshop.com/collection/?sort=featured

In the shop there are some horns with prices.

It looks like a standard Bach to me. It has the finger ring, stop rod and double tuning slide brace.

I don't really think about what trumpet any artist plays, I only think about what they accomplished and with Alan, the list is long!

320kbps MP3. Respectable sound for a free download! I wonder if the original recording has better sound?

Thanks Dale for the link!

Every generation has had their heros. In Bachs day it was the Haas, Ehe and Leichamschneider families, then came Michael Saurle at the turn of the 19th century.
After that we have Couesnon, Heckel, Distin and many others.
The 20th century brought Besson, White, Bach, Conn, Holton and later Selmer.

Many of you will have additional "heros". Kanstul did not make it because the business model was not sustainable without the myth Zig. The real problem is zero innovation. There was no reason to buy a Kanstul over a Bach, Yamaha, Jupiter, Getzen or other brand. Sure, they were well built and sounded OK, but that is not enough. If there had been innovation, they would have been snapped up - if nothing else for the patents (what patents?). Can you base a company on Martin Committee copies or a better Bach?

Look at the last 20 years. Yamaha has smoked Bach, Schilke and many other manufacturers. Many of the major symphony orchestra and jazz/studio musicians play Xenos. They are being used in places that no other manufacturers have been able to penetrate.
Who will miss the Kanstul brand in 10 years? Have you seen prices for used Kanstuls going up since they closed their doors?