Posts made by ROWUK

@Kehaulani said in Kanstul -- Any News?:

I'm wondering (jazz-wise), that, if you want a Committee sound (whatever that is), that all you need is a horn in the ballfield, the right mouthpiece and the right attitude and you can have it. I wonder if the sound-image in one's head is not given enough credit.

Absolutely! I think that we have a luxury issue here. How can we separate “being able to” and “having to”. If we have a Committee, how much of the sound is real and how much is in our imagination? Aren’t dreams sometimes self-serving? I think that on trumpet websites our voice is almost neglected compared to hardware. We really want to believe that a Committee is 50%+ of Miles or Tills “Voice”. I consider that insulting. Just think of all the notes that we did not get because of the things that a Committee did not do.

@djeffers78 Standard “problem” thread. What does best mean? Good enough? What definition of value do we declare? Resale value, acceptance by teachers, blend with other horns, bling factor for the student? The list goes on and on.

My point is that the term “BEST” is about the WORST description that there is. Because Monette is not Bach or Yamaha, would that be an off brand?

Are we looking in this thread for good value at a lowest price or innovation at any price? Are we considering dealer support? Financing possibilities?

I am actually allergic the the word “best” because it simply is not a factor, rather an opinion that is generally worthless.

Now, if we are looking for good deals for students, we need to be very clear about the advantages and disadvantages IF that student is going to music school. If we are considering vintage instruments, there may be a coolness factor but a big disadvantage in ensemble playing. Vintage instruments may need serious TLC to get the valves tight and slides working smoothly.

My students generally start with a Yamaha 3xxx or 4xxx model. Resale is great if they end up in sports programs. Performance makes life easy. Playing characteristics are sensational. Service in Germany is top notch - from the dealers AND Yamaha.

@SSmith1226 said in First Valve Slide and more:

Thanks for both of your opinions. Relative to the spacer suggestion, is it possible that the valves need an alignment?

Out of alignment valves cause more "focus" issues with the tone, not direct intonation problems.

@SSmith1226 The F being sharp is very unusual. E and D will be sharp and need a bit of correction. That being said, vintage instruments (the days before first valve slides) often had a slightly too long first valve slide. Someone that had habits from a vintage instrument can have acclimatisation issues when switching to a "new" horn. If it bothers you, there is nothing wrong with putting a spacer on the first valve so that it does not go all the way in.

@Bay-Area-Brass said in Kanstul -- Any News?:

@ROWUK Thanks for the reply-as for the classical world I'm not connected so I will take your word on that-I know that piccolo trumpets tend to be Schilke, at least in the US but I don't know what's most popular in regards to C trumpets (I've found outside of the Handcrafts, most Schilke models tend to play on the bright side). As for jazz soloists, the Xeno isn't used much (lead players yes). There are some Yamahas what are well suited for the jazz soloist and I see some of those. The reason I use the Schilke HC1 is because the bell flare and tapered leadpipe/tuning slide give it a nice buttery Committee like blow and feel but with better upper register and intonation. In commercial work I believe Xenos are more popular. I concur that Yamahas have a high standard in regards to build quality, intonation and blow. In the end it comes down to what suits you best. My post was state what I see among jazz and commercial players, and while I do see Yamahas, it certainly isn't the majority. Classical perhaps

Actually, I am very happy that the jazz world still is open to mixed sections and individualists. The US influenced classical world is Yamaha and Bach. In Europe, Yamaha has a very firm hold on the piston trumpet world.

@Kehaulani said in Does a large bore horn take more air?:

@ROWUK That may be scientifically true, but don't most manufacturers make a difference in air/resistance in their construction based on bore size? I believe this is for for marketing and classification reasons?

Well, I don't know of many companies making small and medium bore instruments except as a specialty. In the case of Bach, the valve cluster on the ML and L are supposed to be the same. I consider the largest bore Yamahas to be the easiest to play efficiently (compared to the ML bore instruments). My "largest bore" Monettes used far less air than my ML instruments.

@Kehaulani said in Researching old instruments:

Isn't German Grün spelled Gruen in American?

Yes, it is. Dutch and German are related languages. The two dots above the vowel are translated with an additional e.
Ä=ae
Ö=oe
Ü=ue

Scandinavian languages also use the "umlaut".

I guess the anglicized versions can be considered dipthongs.

Saw the facebook entry. Lose the heavy caps and replace the leadpipe and receiver and the horn would be well on its way to at least being in tune. This problem pops up even with professional trumpets. Monke rotary Bb and C trumpets occasionally had the same issue. The G on my natural trumpet is "naturally a bit high". Not quite this much, but it does require attention on a regular basis.

@Kehaulani said in Does a large bore horn take more air?:

@ROWUK said in Does a large bore horn take more air?:

In theory, the trumpets are already full of air. We only need air to sustain the buzz and modulate it for sound quality and volume.

But doesn't a smaller bore instrument require less air to do that and wouldn't a smaller bore horn make putting the air into the horn more resistant, thereby requiring less air to put the embouchure into motion?

Giving the phrase, forgetting the scientific reasons, that the smaller horn requires less air and a large bore horn more?

Actually, no. The smaller bore does not need less air. The artisan building the horn can dial parameters in - almost at will. Less air is a function of a more efficient embouchure AND/OR a more efficient instrument/mouthpiece/embouchure. Roughly, the greater the difference between the mouthpiece throat and the bell size, the greater the efficiency. More efficiency means the instrument does more of the work BUT it may not feel easier to play if the player does not hear themselves as well or has the impression that air is backing up.

@Kehaulani Groen is actually dutch for green.

@Bay-Area-Brass: Here are 260 registered brass players with Yamaha - just in the US. Kind of a "Whos who". What I meant by "smoked": Yamaha has become THE first choice for the symphony player (just look at the sections in US symphony orchestras) and the list of commercial players is certainly not small. The amount of university professors and teachers with Yamaha support is very large. Schilke has made no inroads to the classical player, in spite of the heavy model.

As far as innovation goes, the Xeno redefined what a trumpet could be. Less core than a Bach, but a wonderful brilliance and above all superior intonation and blow.

In any case, Yamaha is defining what artist support means and they certainly are setting the standards very high.

@administrator said in Does a large bore horn take more air?:

Well, at some point it does (think tuba). However, I doubt the difference between .438 and .444 is a matter of air volume. Seems to me that the whole horn has an effect, and changing the bore size will contribute to that effect. To some, it may seem like it takes "more air," but this is often an issue of perception and not reality.

The tuba needs more air because it is a far less efficient system which starts with the large mouthpiece throat and less efficient embouchure due to the low frequencies.

In theory, the trumpets are already full of air. We only need air to sustain the buzz and modulate it for sound quality and volume. Some horns are more efficient than others (speak more quickly and give the player more feedback). Those are not functions of valve block size (where the bore is measured). Artisans can pack any sonic features into a reasonably sized bore instrument.

@chelpres said in Researching old instruments:

@Kehaulani I asked this same question of a German friend of ours ,who is prone to being pedantic on matters of language.
Her view was that it should be pronounced phonetically...booscher. Then again, there may be regional variations.
Regards, Tom

With the double o in Boosher being pronounced like in "good or wood". The german slightly nasal pronunciation cannot be replicated with english vowels.

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?

@Kehaulani said in Does a large bore horn take more air?:

I've read a bunch of threads on this and they all devolve into other factors. All I want to know are the playing differences between medium and large bore horns, i.e. flexibility, tonguing, and most of all, does a large bore horn actually require more air.

This question does not ask for any technical info like measurements, and does not ask about tone differences. Only, does a large bore take more air and are there any differences in articulation. Thanks a lot.

No, they do not. The blow of the horn is something much different. A vintage medium bore Bach Vindabona takes a LOT more air than my Bach CL229H ever did.

I never noticed any additional requirements for articulation.

There are easy blowing medium and hard blowing large bore horns and vice versa. I think that the major difference for blow and articulation is how we hear ourselves - which is a function of bell thickness and bracing.

@BigDub: Wooden mutes can be made easily just like the "Stone Lined" mutes are constructed. Using veneer to make the cone is easy, then a hardwood top. Corks come from wine bottles.

@BigDub Yes, I have a 3D printer and have printed over 50 good working mouthpieces (mostly natural trumpet and cornetto - but some "Monette" clones) - as well as a bunch of other stuff. Next project it to get the spherical 3d tweeter horns plugged into the audio system.

@J-Jericho Half of the fun is the positive comments from colleagues for the idea. The coke bottles are physically more stable than much of the competition. My favorite is the smaller 0.33 liter mute. In theory, this is an adaptation of the Renuzit mute.

@administrator said in DIY Practice mute out of PET Coke bottles:

Does it have to be "null zucker"?

For my type of playing for sure...

Here is a method of creating a cheap but effective practice mute. I saw this mute at the international Natural Trumpet Workshop near Basel 2 weeks ago, so I am just sharing/documenting the idea.

In Germany, we have 2 "single portion" types of Coke bottles. .33 liters or for the more thirsty, .5 liters.

1. The first step is to get rid of the Coke (in my case Coke Zero)! Then wash out the bottle and let dry.
   
2. Now cut the top off as in the picture. Leave a little of the straight sides to provide a flat gluing surface:
   
3. Cut the bottom off as shown and discard the middle part:
   
4. Test the top and bottom parts for fit:
   
5. Glue both parts together with your favorite glue and use tape to secure during the drying process(make sure that the glue is suitable for PET):
   
6. Cut off the rim on the neck:
   
   
7. For the gasket between the mute and bell I used a bicycle grip
   
   
8. Drill a hole in the top a bit smaller than a drinking straw
   
9. for the 0.33 liter mute( middle) cut a straw to 3cm and glue it into the hole. For the 0.5 liter mute (right), a 2cm length works well
   

Longer straw lengths do not reduce volume as much but are more free blowing. Too short lengths reduce volume but are very stuffy/fuzzy