Posts made by ROWUK

Most of the time, the pimps simply demonstrate that the owner had no process for picking the right horn in the first place. If they did, generally they can find one that does what its supposed to without any pimp. For instance, they buy a Bach 180 model, but do not like that much "core", so they unbalance the design with a pimp, normally making something worse for every thing that is viewed as "positive".

I can't count how many Bach owners drilled out the throat of their mouthpiece to "fix" something that was not broken - or to compensate for something that was not right instead of fixing it.

Is this innovation? Haven‘t we been doing stuff like this for a long while? There is more of it maybe than in the past, but innovative? I don‘t think so. It is fun!

If you are looking for decent jazz radio, there are a couple of decent quality free internet radio stations:
http://stream.psychomed.gr/webstream jazz.html
http://radio.linnrecords.com/index2.html
https://radio.nrk.no/direkte/jazz

@barliman2001 said in Did something change?:

@ROWUK I agree with you that TB has not yet reached the kind of wealth of information that TM had... but then, many old TM members did not switch to TB when TM suddenly went dead.

I do not think that the problem is number of members. What bothers me is who posts why. I do not share the sense of humor of others and having an opinion just because we can is not always a good reason to torpedo threads. I am convinced that many think that they are funny and do not even realize the damage that they do. Sometimes just keeping a thread serious would be a great course of action. The NY Phil controversy is a good example. What torpedoed it had nothing to do with the charge or the aftermath. The second thread was simply embarassing.

I am sure the quiet is just temporary...

A contentious thread got locked down, a second one was started - but immediately reduced to a very low level bickering that had nothing to do with the original theme. That second thread was also locked down. I have no indication if any resolution was attempted by PM before the first or second lockdown. If I was new here, I would just leave. I stay because there are some old friends, unfortunately not because of the "content".

I continue to see reasons why I do not post much in any trumpet forums anymore. The threads get way off track, the clowns inject "junk", the value add for new members is teaching them to find content in a lot of wasted bits. Kind of like panning for gold...

I personally never agree with the "lowest common denominator" type of decisions. Something currently very relevant to society in general happened at the New York Philharmonic. It was clear that a thread like this would draw a great variety of responses.

If a member gets out of line (for instance sexually explicit, lies, politics), I would expect a PM from a moderator to that person, perhaps even a short vacation for those not willing to be part of the family, but not locking the whole thread down unless there was a reason. I looked at the thread, do not see anything requiring it to be locked down. If someone has trouble with topics like this, just don't go there. I never really got into TH for this very reason: snipers and trigger happy moderators. I was accused of this at TrumpetMaster, but seldom got any decent feedback when I offered my perspective (even by PM). I basically came to the realization that many were not even interested in learning. They are only looking for a venue and some others to agree.

I think that this is an area where Trumpetboards.com can and should grow. If we can't discuss difficult things, what is the justification for another forum like the rest?

I officially disagree with the decision to lock down the thread. I consider shutting something down because "my question was answered" also to be a very "weak" comment and probably not completely true. It is obvious to me that the question was only partly answered and the admin simply did not want to see the rest on line.

The issue is a big deal (2 premiere players were "fired" because of it) and the thread is a big deal as we know enough to discuss the legalities, how decisions are made and what type of recourse someone charged has. In this case, both players were reinstated, happy end? I think not. We will see if they decide to stay or not.

I disagree with the orchestras/operas "right" to dismiss without due process. A private investigator is NOT due process! The organization does have a right to give someone an extended "vacation" until charges are filed, heard and a court of law has made a decision against the person. It seems to me that "Me Too" is overstepping the basic tenant of innocent until proven guilty.

It is clear to me that no president of any orchestra wants to be charged with "not having done enough". That is the same BS that cause politicians to overreact over a lot of difficult things.

Just like with the trumpet, there is no easy solution for a difficult issue. Spinelessness is just as bad as sexual harassment. In my world, it does not matter who tells the lies.

Perfect pitch is a curse not a blessing. If you have perfect pitch A=440, what happens when the orchestra tunes to 441, 442, 445? What happens when playing outdoors and the pitch drops to A=438, 435? What about if you are playing in any historical pitch (A=415, 420/430).

This whole thread is just like every other one where somebody thinks that they are on to something and are completely blinded to reality. The long repetitive posts are a sure giveaway.

I posted this once before - if there was ANY killer system, where are all of the killer players using it? All of the blah, blah about teeth, lips may work for a "few" but a disciple is usually the WORST person to have. They simply lack the holistic view of the world as it is.

The biggest joke is the so called opposition to the method. Just because we do not believe "Sound Advice" does not mean that we discredit Stevens or Costello. I generally oppose zealots of any color. Just let him have his rant on this thread. I really see nothing to discuss.

Get well soon!

@Kehaulani

@Kehaulani said in Change in paradigm?:

When I started reading this thread and it clumped trumpet technology/sound in a 50 year grouping, my mindset was as if I was reading about something historical, antique, distant past. Then I realized that last 50 year clump wasn't in the historic, distant past. It was within my lifetime!

I most certainly agree! I started playing in 1966 over 50 years ago.

Unfortunately, we only have audio documentation for the last 100 years or so. The instruments in museums and in the hands of very gifted players however are showing the 50 year turnover on style/construction/technical possibilities. I do not have instruments from every epoque, but I have natural trumpets from the Rennaissance, early baroque, late baroque and classical periods. I have valved instruments from around 1880 to very modern Monette. Even the approach to playing these instruments is different.

I think that you guys are getting off track - like on so many threads here. I prefer hammering the shit out of people (thank you Dr. Mark!)

Youtube Video

You want to watch this!

Here is where I would disagree on many counts. The „vintage“ recordings offer a lot more insight - even more than today where the homogenization and pasteurization in the studio changes the „facts“. The vintage recordings have all of the „bite“ and „substance“, we just need decent playback to make it work.

I would also disagree on Bb vs C comparison. To me it is the musicality of the player, not the slight difference in overtones. C Trumpets have been popular in US orchestras since the 1950s. I do perform romantic german music on a rotary Bb however. The vintage german instruments did NOT have a consistent sound throughout the registers. The lower octave is big, dark and resonant. The middle octave is very clear and articulate, the upper register is very „brilliant“. Using the old horns for Mahler, Bruckner, Strauss or Wagner presents a very different picture. Funny enough, the US horns have never had this effect. Modern rotary trumpets have become very close to their US piston siblings.

@grune said in Change in paradigm?:

@ rowuk...A pity the recording technology back in the 40s and 50s was rather primitive: we cannot hear the true sound of the big bands and symphony orchestras. I do prefer the timbre of a Bb trumpet over C. When I hear today Copeland's Fanfare performed with C trumpets, it is lacking something compared to the sound of ensembles in the 60s when Bb trumpets were the norm; and when, as you say, Bach was primarily the norm.

I think that a trumpet generation throughout history has lasted about 50 years. If we look at the medievil trumpets, then Rennaissance, early baroque, late baroque, keyed trumpet, valved trumpet, ever higher pitched trumpets, you can follow the development.

Even if we only look at the 20th/21st centuries and classical music)we see how the first half of the 20th century was dominated by certain types of instruments. The second half of the 20th century was „dominated“ (in the US at least) by Bach C trumpets. Enter the 21st century: things change - Yamaha starts to dominate with the Xeno sound which is considerably different than the traditional Bach. There is a similar development in Germany/Austria too, but the focus was elsewhere.

One thing that we should not confuse however is the luxuries that we have basically since the beginning of the 21st century. We have many historically informed performance that certainly require the modern trumpeter to be more flexible than in previous decades.

Part of the legacy though was driven by recordings. The player started to focus more on „security“. Smaller trumpets became more popular for this reason.

So, in my opinion, the paradigm has changed in roughly 50 year intervals for many centuries.

@Dr-GO I do not think that I am selling myself short. All of my students get a „well rounded“ education and most of them get opportunities to gig with me (for money). The aspiring lead player will not get the opportunity to gig with me in that genre. I still play the occasional studio or jazz band gig, but never with the opportunity to bring a student along.

My personal history has been one of opportunity. I send my students where they can get „opportunities“. If they want to play lead, they can still be my students, but they benefit greatly with direct exposure to real lead players.

I do consider the requirements for an orchestral first trumpet to be far different than a first trumpet in a jazz band in regards to tone, chops management, timing, ability to move in and out of the orchestral fabric. In addition, the improvisation that they get from me is for the rennaissance and baroque periods, not 20th/21st century jazz.

Here we go again - uncontrolled empirical evidence called a "solution".

I have no personal grief with any embouchure method. I do have trouble with players that attain upper register without the common sense required to use it.

One thing that I would like to offer here:

If there is any truly killer method for developing the stratospheric register: WHERE ARE ALL OF THE KILLER LEAD PLAYERS USING IT?

Think about this for a minute. Any of the popular methods have hundreds - if not thousands of followers, but we still do not have hundreds of killer lead players. Why might that be? I have thought for at least 40 years about this and here is what I came up with:

1. not enough common sense
2. maybe physiology IS too individual to allow any system to have advantages
3. maybe the sound concept needed is not part of the method - a lead sound is a lot different than a 2nd Brandenburg, Richter, Michael Haydn sound - although the notes are the same
4. maybe all methods are very incomplete
5. maybe musicality and context must come first
6. maybe success is all natural talent (upstream/body use/teeth formation) and luck to find a method that does not muck up the talent

My own teaching searches for the goals of the player. If one of my students wants to be a lead player, then I am the wrong person to bring them there. I can give them enough basics and range, but then they need a real lead player for attitude and context. I do not preach any embouchure method dogmatically and in my over 50 year career, I know of more players worse off than before after attempting to "change their embouchures". The most success has been through evolution, not revolution. I avoid teachers preaching revolution.

Do not we all go through "stages" in our life before we even identify our own voice? Do not we from birth on "emulate" until we collect enough tools to follow our own path - first with attitude, then speech, then learning to walk... Do not many of us reach a level of "good enough for the gigs that I get" and actually play more than invest in new skills?

I always have trouble with out of context online criticism. I know from my own development and that of my students how many small steps are required to reach any particular goal.

I like Fabrizios playing. Thank you George for the link. I hear a lot of shedding and a certain command of the "jazz" genre. He is so far along, that many (including myself) could learn something even if he is not Miles, Cannonball or any other popular jazzer.

Let us watch his development over time. The media is not always kind to newcomers, we have a real opportunity here before others spoil it.

@J-Jericho The teeth are not in the way of fun (have been playing since the third day after the operation) and the Corona overreaction has given me some more breathing space/time for my new physiology. My range is the same, tone is OK and articulation is "good enough for right now". I am switching between the modern C trumpet and the natural trumpet as far as exercizes go. As the healing process (and shrinkage of the gums) is not yet complete, there is a bit of wobble and pain sometimes. I am certainly not complaining.

Please do not interpret "Corona overreaction" as criticism of self quarantine! We know that there is a control group of endangered people and that the rest will get through. My problem is: not enough for the endangered and too much for the rest, as well as irresponsible coverage of the infection. The number "reported people with corona" is 100% bogus. We can not put that number into any perspective! Are we only testing the gravely ill (where the percent of deaths is high), or are we mostly testing the paranoid masses (where the percent of deaths are low)? Are we testing efficiently/methodically to measure what is really going on? What information do we have to tell the difference?

The current information that I have is that 50% of the infected have few if any symptoms and that between 2 and 5% with the infection will die. Due to eternal stupidity in the supply chains, many necessary tools to keep the doctors and nurses safe are not available due to irresponsible politicians, crazed masses and unscrupulous business people diverting things like masks and protective clothing to the "unworthy". The brainlessness of stockpiling toilet paper and sanitizer is alarming indeed. There are many reports of supplies being stolen from hospitals, doctors offices and even churches!
If one is that paranoid, stay home, order online. Use lots of soap (that does not seem to be stockpiled!). Keep your hands out of your face.

One glimmer of hope: there is research at the university of Marburg Germany that has shown CPAP machines as useful respirators once the patient has gotten through the most critical stage. That frees up the heavy duty equipment for more needy situations. There is also a second effort from Marburg to create additional "respiration aids" from readily available supplies (abu bags and masks). More for those that read german/trust Google Translate: https://www.uni-marburg.de/de/fb13/halbleiterphotonik/the-breathing-project/the-breathing-project

This is NOT a DIY forum activity. It is doctors responding creatively to a need!

@Vulgano-Brother Actually the articulation is not usually "slurred" at all. Te-re, te-re, te-re.