Posts made by SSmith1226

A band director was having a lot of trouble with one of his drummers. He talked and talked and talked with the drummer, but performance didn’t improve.

Finally, in front of the whole orchestra, he said: “When a musician just can’t handle his instrument and doesn’t improve when given help, they take away the instrument, give him two sticks, and make him a drummer.”

A whisper was heard from the percussion section: “And if he can’t handle even that, they take away one of his sticks and make him a conductor.”

A great interview with Adam Rapa:

@flugelgirl said in Instrument Maintenance:

@SSmith1226 I wouldn’t as I haven’t tried it, and it may freeze things up a bit more since you would be rinsing out all the oil.

Thanks.

On their honeymoon, the new husband told his bride: “I have a confession to make that I should have made before, but I was concerned that it might affect our relationship.”

“What is it?” his new bride asked lovingly.

“I’m a golf fanatic,” he said. “I think about golf constantly. I’ll be out on the golf course every weekend, every holiday, and every chance I get. If it comes to a choice between your wishes and golf, golf will always win.”

His new bride pondered this for a moment said: “I thank you for your honesty. Now in the same spirit of honesty, I should tell you that I’ve concealed something about my own past that you should know about. The truth is, I’m a hooker.”

“No problem,” said her husband. “Just widen your stance a little, and overlap your grip, and that should clear it right up.”

@Dr-GO said in How about a "Random Meaningless Image...let's see them string"?:

I did not know Alligators could read!

@Dr-GO said in Instrument Maintenance:

For me, I first soak in moderate warm soapy water at 101 F. Then I will add a bit of conditioner to the water. After about a good 15 minute soak, I then drain the tub and pat EVERYTHING dry. Immediately after this I chose a 100 Proof pure grain alcohol cleansing....

...Then I will wash my horns!

It sounds like you washed your horn. Perhaps you might clean your trumpet next.

@flugelgirl said in Instrument Maintenance:

@SSmith1226 I would never recommend that someone who is not trained to ultrasonically clean an instrument to do so at home, especially in a cleaner set up for other purposes. I would also never clean something like a gun in my setup just because the approach and chemicals used may be drastically different, and I have no training for guns.
As far as rotary maintenance goes, oil rotor spindle and bearing before playing, and play regularly as the condensation from your breath is part of what keeps rotors moving. You can pull and clean slides once in a while, but get your regular pro clean if you’re not familiar with disassembling and reassembling rotors and strings. They are a bit more complicated than pistons and require the right skill and tools.

Thanks for the advice. Would you ever run water trough the rotary instrument as part of regular cleaning in between professional cleanings?

@flugelgirl said in Instrument Maintenance:

French hornists and other rotary players are incapable of disassembling their instruments and have no idea what a rotor looks like or how it actually functions.

I actually have a few rotary horns including two Bb Trumpets and a Flugelhorn that have Top Action Rotary Valves and standard rotary valves on a Corno da Caccia. Do you have any advice how to maintain and clean rotary valve instruments between professional service? Also, is there any benefit or harm in putting a piston valved Trumpet disassembled in an ultrasonic bath meant to clean fire arms?
Thanks for considering these questions.

@Vulgano-Brother said in How about a "Random Meaningless Image...let's see them string"?:

@Comeback said in Instrument Maintenance:

Several hours after I’d begun, the bathtub and sink I’d used were cleaned to the point where Mrs. was satisfied and my man-room was restored to its normal state of comfortable familiar disorder. After every one of these episodes I ask myself if I really need all of this stuff...

@barliman2001 said in Instrument Maintenance:

When you're in my shoes, with 29 trumpets and cornets, two trombones and two euphonia, you get to realize that cleaning is thoroughly overrated...

I feel both your pains. I have a collection similar in size to barliman2001’s, but instead of Trombones and Euphonia, in addition to trumpets snd cornets, mine has Bass and piccolo trumpets, flugelhorns, a Corno da Caccia. The truth of the matter is that of all these instruments, I play one trumpet 98% of the time, obviating the need to clean most of the other instruments. Thus I agree with barliman2001 that cleaning is thoroughly overrated, and I agree with comeback when I ask myself, do I really need all this stuff. This comes up especially at times I need to oil the valves a grease the slides.
By the way, I can personally attest that barliman2001 was being modest. He too has at least one flugelhorn and one piccolo trumpet in his collection.

@J-Jericho
But it’s a Japanese Sushi Restaurant.

@J-Jericho said in How about a "Random Meaningless Image...let's see them string"?:

The deliberately tongue-in-cheek Xin-Gao restaurant.

I give up. Sin Now vs Sit Down vs ?.

@Kehaulani said in How about a "Random Meaningless Image...let's see them string"?:

That's funny. I ran across a Chinese restaurant in Salzburg named the Fu King. We had a lot of fun coming up with advertising variations on that name.

BTW, that was around the corner from Schmuck Allee.

Also in Lake City, FL

@administrator said in How about a "Random Meaningless Image...let's see them string"?:

Ok, now you're just making me jealous that it's not sub-zero temperatures in Key West.

80 degrees

@Dr-GO said in A little humour:

@SSmith1226 said in A little humour:

@J-Jericho
That was the funniest post I’ve seen in weeks!

As hard as I could look, I really couldn't see their posts. How were you able to see around that piano?

I was referring to J. Jericho’s post above mine which actually was much funnier than my Piano Duo post. Oh, by the way, as far as looking hard, be careful, you could hurt yourself.

@J-Jericho
That was the funniest post I’ve seen in weeks!

@Dr-GO said in Artist on BOARD:

@SSmith1226 said in Artist on BOARD:

More Ghost Ships! No Crew!!!
Who are you going to call?

Bill Murray?

Exactly what I was thinking!

@BigDub said in Artist on BOARD:

They kind of look like ghost ships for some reason.......not intentional
This is more like it

More Ghost Ships! No Crew!!!
Who are you going to call?

@BigDub said in Artist on BOARD:

This truly is a ghost ship. It has a back wash and small wake but no captain operating the boat!

@Kehaulani said in How about a "Random Meaningless Image...let's see them string"?:

I spent a lifetime, one night, in the keys!

41 years of my lifetime has been in the Keys.

Envious! Have spent a couple weeks of my life in Key West, one of them below from the deck of the bed and breakfast I stayed at with my lovely wife during a wedding anniversary:

Living in the keys has been a great experience. However, if one has to work, it’s not Margaritaville 24 hours a day, or even necessarily, one day a month. Depending on what you do for a living, the amount of free time you have here is not any different than if you lived on the mainland. As in my case, may even be less. My particular line of work is very unpredictable, stressful, and extremely time-consuming. The nice thing about living here, is that you are already here, so if you have a few free hours, and the weather is cooperating, you can break away and go boating, fishing, or diving. The trade off is thar there are minimal cultural activities, there is relative isolation, and there are hurricanes. When I moved to Marathon, FL in 1979, my motto was, “If you couldn't find it in Kmart, you didn’t need it.” When it came to water activities, due to work obligations, I fished more hours on vacation outside the Keys than I did at home. It was also more relaxing than the Keys because no one could reach me (in the days before cell phones).
What is very ironic is that I am planning on retiring in a few months. Instead of retiring in the Keys, I will move to Orlando as my full time residence and spend summers in Massachusetts. Any return to the Keys after that time will be as a tourist. I will finally be able to go fishing in the Keys without worrying that the cell phone will ring and I will have to cut the day short.