@grune said in Opinions on Valve Oils?:

Care to post your opinion/s about valve oils?

My opinion is that you should probably use valve oil.

I used Al Cass back in the 70s/80s. I use Hetman today for 2 reasons: it doesn't smell, and it comes in every variation from thin oil to thick grease.

Some people talked about how long oil lasts. Once a week, I wipe down my valves and casings, and then re-oil. I rarely need to re-oil in between my weekly routine. Personally, I believe this has more to do with my weekly cleaning routine than it does with the oil I use.

Mike

@Kehaulani said in First gig today:

BTW, how was the temperature?

It was hot. We were under a canopy. But the heat really takes something out of you.

Mike

We had our second paid gig earlier today, at another farmers market. Today's event was bigger, with lots more people. This time, we were a piano/bass/flute trio, with me on piano. Social distancing was observed and masks were in place. Everyone did a great job to make the event safe and fun.

Mike

@Dr-GO said in Welcome Thread:

Weekend's coming up so I think I only go 28 in today!

Wuss!

@Dr-GO said in First gig today:

Did you lead off with "Fever"?

It's in our book, but we didn't play it. But on request, we played the Baby Elephant Walk, which my bass player said is proof that we'll do anything for tips.

Mike

We played our first gig today. It was at a farmers market, with these venues operating as essential services, albeit with some restrictions. We performed as a piano/bass duo. The market was pretty well attended, considering it was the day after the 4th of July. Masks and social distancing were in place. Everybody was friendly, happy to be out, and happy to be hearing some live music. We jokingly called our band The Social Dissonance.

Mike

@GeorgeB said in Well, old age has finally caught up with me:

Our doctor members will know the drug: METOPROLO. It slows down the heart rate. Well it also slowed me down, period.

There's one more "L" in the name ... metoprolol. Yes, fatigue is one possible side-effect. It may be temporary. Hopefully it is.

Mike

The reverb settings can be confusing. My reverb options are different that what you are showing. (Maybe I have a different version of Audacity.) I usually change the defaults to recommended settings, similar to this site.

https://www.howtogeek.com/62328/the-htg-guide-to-audacity-delay-echo-and-reverb/

I duplicate the original trumpet track. I add the reverb to the duplicated track only. Then I adjust the level on the duplicated track (usually to around -12, plus or minus), to get the right amount of reverb in the mix.

Mike

@Dale-Proctor said in The New Reality:

I was recently asked to participate in a pops/patriotic brass band concert as part of a Monday night concert series in a local park on July 6. No rehearsal, band members seated 6’+ apart. Should be interesting if it actually happens.

Similar situation here. I have 2 gigs so far scheduled for July 5th and 12th. Both are outdoors. It's easy for us to "socially distance", since my band is pretty small. First gig will be a piano/bass duo, with me on piano. The other will be trumpet/guitar/bass trio, with me on trumpet. I also run an open jazz jam, which may resume at the end of July, but more likely will resume in August.

Mike

@neal085 said in Longest Layoff:

What was your longest layoff, what caused it, and what was it like coming back?

I had one layoff. I played regularly through college and a few years beyond. By the time I hit 30, life was getting in the way, and I put the horn away. I thought this would be for good. About 20 years later, I felt I had more time, and I realized I had a strong desire to pick up the horn again.

Coming back was challenging. I didn't have the same youthful energy or free time. And I didn't have the same playing goals. First, I was determined not to abuse my chops, like I did back in college. Second, I wanted to play on my terms. But like many things is life, playing the trumpet is much sweeter the second time around.

I'll add that early on, my biggest challenge was trying not to do much at once. It's easy to forget your chops are just starting out again. I also had private lessons will a local trumpet teacher, to help keep me on track.

Mike