Best posts made by tmd

@Kehaulani said in Phaeton customer service sucks!!!:

Have you contacted them with the problem?

Sorry to hear about your horn. As Kehaulani asked, did you talk to Phaeton? Did they offer to evaluate and fix the damage?

Also, I may be missing something. But I'm not sure why would someone ship a horn back to the manufacturer to have the valve stems replaced. You risk shipping damage. You risk misunderstandings due to a lack of face-to-face contact. Again, I may be missing something, but valve stems are something I could easily change myself.

Mike

@GeorgeB said in Embouchure Dystonia:

I have heard about embouchure dystonia becoming a problem after overuse and my symptoms seem to fit that category. There is a website, I believe it is by the gent who wrote The Balanced Embouchure. it is heavy reading for someone who is not a doctor, so I sent a link to the site to a doctor who is a member in our band. I am looking for answers as to what I have to do to make a full recovery.

(I'm a physician. I am making some general comments about dystonias and your post.)

Sorry to hear about your problem. Based on what your saying, it is very likely not an embouchure dystonia.

FWIW, a dystonia is an irreversible neurologic condition. It is believed to be the result of a disease state, although the exact cause is often unknown. It often begins abruptly and without warning. And it never goes away. (It can be compensated for, by doing things differently, but it never goes away.)

Do you have a reason to believe you have a neurologic disease? If so, you should talk to a doctor. And without commenting on any specific embouchure-rehab website, I would be highly skeptical of any non-physician trying to diagnose or treat a so-called dystonia.

But based on what you shared, you're playing the trumpet beyond your normal abilities, and you are suffering negative consequences. You most likely have a soft tissue injury. Based on this, you need rest, you need to avoid the type of playing that caused this problem, and you need to work on exercises to refocus your embouchure.

Mike

@Dr-GO said in Welcome Thread:

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

Wuss!

@rowuk said in Tough Decision to make:

@administrator
My take on this is perhaps a bit unconventional, but I would insist that between those two horns, it does not matter. Regardless of which on you pick, there will always be something in the back of your mind questioning that choice.
That being said, I do not believe in a lot of this synergy blah. I do not believe that most musicians have a "well formed concept" that would guide them only to specific hardware ....

I agree. It's rarely ever the hardware that makes the difference. Buy the horn that inspires you the most. And although this isn't always possible, especially with boutique horns, play the horn before you buy it.

I play a Bach 43*. It's been my main horn since 1975. It's perfect for me for 2 reasons. First, I'm emotionally attached to it, having played it for 45+ years. Second, it's what I'm physically used to playing. For me, it has nothing to do with the horn.

Mike

@Dr-GO said in Instrument Maintenance:

@tmd said in Instrument Maintenance:

...I have about 10 horns... I'm actually thinking about thinning the heard.

Mike

As long as one of them is NOT that Getzen Eterna Flugelhorn. It is a beauty and plays just the same. I know. I've played it!

I've had my Getzen 896 Eterna Flugelhorn since the last 1970s. It's a great horn. I'd never sell it.

Mike

@GeorgeB said in Embouchure Dystonia:

The next morning during practice ( I play approximately 45 minutes horn on the face technical stuff every morning and the same time playing tunes every afternoon ) nothing sounded good and the mp on the chops didn't feel right. The next 4 days I struggled to get back my tone, and on the 5th day ( Monday this week ) after playing two songs horribly, there was suddenly nothing but dead air coming out the end of the horn.

What we do the day after a tough gig is important. What you did the next morning may have created or significantly worsened the injury.

I had a tough gig last week. I was sitting in with another band, and by the end of the gig, my chops were spent. The next day, I played softly for 10 minutes, and then put the horn away. The following day, I practiced for 45 minutes (instead of my normal 60-90 minutes), and was careful not to push anything. The next day, I felt great, and resumed my normal playing.

Mike

What's in your mute bag?

Trumcor Straight Mute
Harmon Type-B Mute
$1.95 Hardware Store 4" Plunger Mute
Soulo Cup Mute
Soulo Bucket Mute
Felt Mute (Crown Royal Bag)

I have a few others, probably more than I need. But these are the ones mainly use.

Mike

@Dr-GO said in Covid-19 Closing Down Music Venues:

Venues Closing Down All Around; Creative Alternatives. Let' Hear Them!

Sorry to hear this. My next gig is March 28th. I suspect it will get cancelled, as will some senior center gigs I have coming up.

You asked about creating alternatives. How about live video streaming through Facebook or YouTube. Has anyone used other streaming platforms? Has anyone used digital tipping for events like this?

Mike

@Richard-III said in Embouchure Dystonia:

@GeorgeB said in Embouchure Dystonia:

Once I am playing again, I intend to take off the day following practice or tough gigs.

Okay, I'm going to say this again. If this is required, your approach to playing has something wrong with it. Please find a teacher who knows embouchure formation and go there. I've know many players who take lessons year after year and make slight improvements but the same faults continue. I think those teachers shouldn't be allowed to keep teaching. A teacher needs to to be able to say what the basic issue is that is holding you back.

Richard, maybe I've misunderstood you. Are you saying, that if someone has the right fundamentals, he/she can play infinitely and without consequences?

Many of us have had tough gigs, where because of the needs of the moment, we overdid things, and needed a recovery day. I don't thinks this is due to a lack of fundamentals. And I don't think it's the result of bad teachers.

Mike

@Dr-Mark said in Please Help Me Understand Something (Pt 2):

So you shut down a thread because "your" question was answered? That's a weird approach for even this site.
So once our questions are answered to "our" satisfaction, we have the same ability to shut down a thread? We should be seen as "above reproach" right?
Sad

I didn't read the first thread, or a similar thread on TrumpetHerald about this topic. I assumed they would contain inflexible comments from people with preconceived biases, and there would be very little in the way of a constructive discussion. And while this may be an important topic, and while there may be valid opinions, it's just difficult to discuss these topics online in a constructive way.

I just looked at the first thread. My assumption turned out to be true. The admin was right to close the thread. Maybe the rest of us should let it go, too.

Mike

Nice. Thanks for sharing.

Mike

@Richard-III said in Embouchure Dystonia:

I think that anyone who can't make it past 45 minutes of playing has an issue. And if they go past that and play for 90 minutes are having prolonged issues days later. I get the tough gig problem resulting in feeling tired the next day. But damaged sounding embouchure from what was described doesn't sound reasonable. Does it to you?

He played a double concert one night, and then tried to do his full practice session the next morning. Regardless of what he could be able to do, or should be able to do, he played well beyond what he normally does.

Mike

@Kehaulani said in Please Help Me Understand Something (Pt 2):

Could I make a reminder, and that is being an administrator of a site can mean a lot of thankless work. So many want to bitch but expect someone else to do all the work. It's a work in progress. Give the guy a chance.

p.s. Does anybody else want to do all the work. And for free?

Worth repeating. Thanks Kehaulani. I don't always agree with edits by the moderators (here and on TH). But I agree that they are trying to do the right thing, and are doing the best they can.

Yes, this may be an important topic. But there's lots of venting here, and very little constructive conversation. I agree with @ROWUK , that some "are only looking for a venue and some others to agree". But I would disagree with @Dr-Mark that "everyone has behaved". The passive-aggression is so thick in this thread, you can cut it with a knife.

Mike

I agree. I would be nice to see videos of our performances or things we've been working on.

@administrator , how about a "Show us your YouTube" subforum?

Mike

@barliman2001 said in More info about me:

As I am now in the grandiose position of Most High Executive Global Moderator of the TB Empire...

Congrats! It's good to be the king.

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

@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

It's safe to assume that Paul Anka is a talented and motivated individual, and that he may have very different goals than those working with him. And like some uniquely talented and highly driven people, it looks like he can be harsh to those around him. But we don't know all of the circumstances behind this video, what other problems were going on, what led to this event, or what inspired someone to record this private moment. So while a picture is "worth a thousand words", a video is often "worth a thousand lies".

Mike

The holidays just past. But FYI, a couple years ago, I transcribed the following and uploaded it into the MuseScore library.

"Dona Nobis Pacem (Give Us Peace) /Auld Lang Syne", as performed by Yo-Yo Ma and Chris Botti,

https://musescore.com/user/4720896/scores/4873573

Mike

@Dr-Mark

@Dr-Mark said in How Does The Theory You've Learned Apply To Improvising?:

We've heard that we must learn the theory and then forget it when we improvise.

We're speaking metaphorically, of course. I don't think you "forget it". Instead, I think it becomes second nature.

For example, when I play a C scale, I'm not thinking about the fingerings. But of course, I haven't forgotten the fingerings, either. It become second nature. (Of course, we can argue over what "second nature" means, too. )

And FWIW, theory/grammar is fundamental to any language. For example, we don't speak words "by ear" or "by intuition". If we did, it would just be meaningless noise. And while there are some illiterate people who have a reasonable command of the spoken language, these are exceptions.

The same is true with improvisation. Of course, there are exceptions. And a BigDub said, different types of people process things in different ways. But most people who think they can just play what sounds good (without understand the meaning of what they are playing) are likely working with a significant handicap. This approach might work within a constrained context, but quickly falls apart as you try get more advanced.

Mike