Best posts made by SSmith1226

I’m a neophyte at this, probably not much more advanced than you, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. What I have personally found to be extremely helpful in the “self taught” aspect of my journey, besides listening to accomplished musicians, studying theory, ect.,is playing along with iReal Pro as my rhythm section. There are over a thousand “standards” programmed into it, and you’d can create your own accompaniment (chord changes) in any key, tempo, and rhythm that you want. I have found that very helpful, especially in working out solos on Big Band Charts. I suspect that there are other “Band In A Box” apps that are similar.
I have also found a music transcription program to be very helpful in writing down, developing, annd editing my ideas.
Good luck with your journey!

@Tobylou8

“45 year old antique”!!! What the heck am I at 70?
On a more serious note, I’m going down to my local Ace Hardware and get me some Rustoleum and duct tape so I can restore my Mt. Vernon Bach to its original condition. As you know, “Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man.”

Groups of Americans were traveling by tour bus through Switzerland. As they stopped at a cheese farm, a young guide led them through the process of cheese making, explaining that goat's milk was used. She showed the group a lovely hillside where many goats were grazing.

“These,” she explained, “are the older goats put out to pasture when they no longer produce.” She then asked, “What do you do in America with your old goats?

One elderly man said "they send us on bus tours.

@Dr-GO
All tongue in cheek. No patients or families were harmed in creating my post!!!
Just a figment of my dry sense of humor.

@Tobylou8 said in Dr. GO? My back's been bothering me...:

While I applaud your effort, I do think there are better choices. I would definitely recommend these although it may be rough going cold turkey, but there would really be no other option! It wood be hard, but not really!

Tobylou8,
Absolutely brilliant!!! All the Tobylous who preceded you, Tobylou1, Tobylou2, 3, 4, 5, 6, &7.should be proud of you ( kvelling ) for suggesting this. I wish that I had known about these gloves when I wrote my post. I have not been involved with woodworking since I was a child, but to Play Devil’s Advocate, the largest grit available for these gloves is 100. In a serious problem of this type of carpal tunnel syndrome, caused by the Viagra imduced ergonomic issues, would a grit of 100 be adaquate, or would a grit in the range of 34 - 80 be better? I know that there is more than one way to “skin a cat” but I feel that we are walking on a tight rope, and would like our highly respected colleague to have the best treatment option possible to prevent permanent Median Nerve damage as well as avoid further iatrogenic issues. You should also note that I didn’t mention Vulgano Brother’s name in order to avoid violating the Federal HIPPA Law.
As a side note, it might be interesting to hear from our repair and restoration colleagues to see whether these gloves can also useful in their field.
Thank you for your consideration. Much to everyone’s relief, including my wife’s, I will do my best to avoid the temptation to comment further on this particular subject. It may be tough, so I can’t make any guarantees.

I would follow your Surgeon’s advice as far as when you can start playing, as well as Dr Go’s advice as far as how to start a playing routine. Remember, according to Claude Gordon, trumpet playing is no harder than breathing. If it were me, as a Surgeon and amateur trumpet player, when it is time to start playing, I would start, perhaps with Clarke’s 1 & 2, Chichowicz, and perhaps with long tone’s, all pianissimo as far as you could go without pain, light headedness, and stress. I would then expand my practice, as Dr. Go describes. Remember, if it hurts, don’t do it. While you are waiting to start playing the trumpet, perhaps now is a good time to start pencil exercises, without blowing. If you do this, or other non playing exeecises, please give us a report whether this helps.
Good luck with your recovery and stay healthy! Your trumpet playing is of secondary importance until you heal and regain your health.

One of the entertainers on a cruise ship was a magician. Since the passengers were different each week, the magician always had a new audience so he always did the same tricks.
The captain’s parrot, however, was stationed in the performance hall and observed the magicians tricks week after week. Being a wise old bird, he eventually figured out all the magician’s secrets.
Then, irritatingly, he started heckling during the show. “Hey, why is every card the same? It’s in his cape pocket! It’s a different rabbit!”
The magician was fuming, but it was the captain’s parrot so he couldn’t really do anything.
One terrible day, however, the ship had a boiler explosion and sank. The magician wound up on a small raft in the middle of the Atlantic with, as luck would have it, the captain’s parrot.
They glared at each other with visible hatred but didn’t say a word. This went on for several days.
Finally on the tenth day, the parrot couldn’t take it any longer. Exasperated, he said: “Okay, I give up. Where’s the ship?”

@tjcombo
Congratulations on your excellent medical, physical, as well as musical recovery. It sounds like you hit the Trifecta!!!

@rowuk said in Olds Ambassador Eb Trumpet:

@ssmith1226 Yes, I did play one for a while. It was HORRIBLY out of tune. Had I known then what I know today, I would have been able to get that fixed. Still, It was a marching band instrument, not really something for blend in the orchestra.

I have purchased the Olds Custom Eb/D, but not received it yet. The price was right, compared too a Bach, Schilke, Yamaha, etc., and it unlikely will ever be used in an orchestra setting. What is your solution to correcting intonation issues? By the way, I plan on using in on multitrack recordings similar to ones I have posted on this site which in the past consisted of me playing, Bb, C, Bass & Piccolo Trumpets, Flugelhorn, Corno de Caccia, Mellophone etc, purely at an amateur level. I promise that I won’t abuse an orchestra with it.

Jane and Arlene are outside their nursing home, having a drink and a smoke, when it starts to rain. Jane pulls out a condom, cuts off the end, puts it over her cigarette, and continues smoking.
Arlene: What in the hell is that?
Jane: A condom. This way my cigarette doesn't get wet.
Arlene: Where did you get it?
Jane: You can get them at any pharmacy.
The next day, Arlene hobbles herself into the local pharmacy and
announces to the pharmacist that she wants a box of condoms.
The pharmacist, obviously embarrassed, looks at her kind of strangely (she is, after all, over 80 years of age), but very delicately asks what size, texture, brand of condom she prefers.
'Doesn't matter Sonny, as long as it fits on a Camel.'

@tjcombo said in Practicing with drones:

Wonder if any TBers use drones as part of your practice routine? Apart from the great ear training benefits, I find it to be like meditation for trumpet. Relaxing and a lot of fun.

There are plenty of apps and resources available. I'm happy with the Drone Tone app - the web page has an online drone tool that works in a browser http://www.dronetonetool.com/

There is a good overview of drone usage and benefits here https://billplakemusic.org/2015/08/30/a-highly-effective-and-really-fun-way-to-improve-your-ears/

I used “Drone Tone Tool” for about six months when I was spending at least 30 minutes daily on the “Rusty Russell 19/30 Long Tone Routine”. I saw this in January 2018, revived on either TH or TM. I added the drone to this to improve my intonation. It seemed to help me and it was relaxing. When I have more time I will start this or a similar routine again with the drone.

One of the most memorable for me since I was a resident of New Orleans at the time.

A man was walking down the beach when he noticed a cave. He walked in and looked around only to discover a magic lamp buried in the sand.

He rubbed it and a genie came out and said: ” You may have three wishes but you must know that whatever you wish for, your boss will get double.”
The man agreed and said: “I want a million dollars.”
Bang! He got it and immediately his boss received two million.
Next he said: “I want a Ferrari.”

And so just like that, he got one and his boss got two. Next, being his last wish, he took a minute and thought about it carefully.
Finally he said: “Well I’ve always wanted to give a kidney.”

@Dr-GO said in A Trumpet Cover I Did. Would love some tips/advice!:

My guess is a single chamber cardiac pacer for standard rhythms and a duel chamber biventricular for resynchronization.

And an AICD to jolt you back into rhythm.

Another old Christmas Joke, but worth repeating:

One Christmas Eve, a frenzied young man ran into a pet shop looking for an unusual Christmas gift for his wife. The shop owner suggested a parrot, named Chet, which could sing Christmas carols. This seemed like the perfect gift.
“How do I get him to sing?” the young man asked excitedly.
“Simply hold a lighted match directly under his feet,” was the shop owner’s reply.
The young man was so impressed that he paid the shop-keeper and ran home as quickly as he could with Chet under his arm. When the wife saw her gift she was overwhelmed.
“How beautiful!” she exclaimed. “Can he talk?”

“No,” the young man replied, “but he can sing. Let me show you.”
So the young man whipped out his lighter and placed it under Chet’s left foot, as the shop-keeper had shown him, and Chet crooned: “Jingle Bells! Jingle bells!”
The man then moved the lighter to Chet’s right foot, and out came: “Silent Night, Holy night.”

The wife, her face filled with curiosity, then asked: “What if we hold the lighter between his legs?”
The man did not know. “Let’s try it,” he answered, eager to please his wife. So they held the lighter between Chet’s legs.
Chet twisted his face, cleared his throat, and the little parrot sang out loudly like it was the performance of his life: “Chet’s nuts roasting on an open fire…”