This ability to play a single sustained note for 59 minutes is a game changer for me,

I thought I had too few tunes in my set when gigging, I see now that I dont need more tunes I just need longer notes.

Circular breathing opens the door to 30 minute notes for me and a larger paycheck for less effort.

I could make a tune last 24 hours with this approach.

I may pick up the drum sticks and repeat the 2370 beats per minute of that 10 year old who beat the old record, Who needs to learn rhythm when you can kick out almost 3000 beats per minute.

This performance and the 59 minute sustained note are clearly pushing the boundaries of music.

Some say we have lost real music to the sideshow but I say I cant wait until we have the 3 hour sustained note and the 10,000 beats per minute drum solo,

In your dreams Buddy Rich and Miles you guys hadnt got a clue about real music.

If this excellent recording by the Leningrad brass sounds this good and this powerful due to their use of home made poorly manufactured instruments made from old car and truck parts then let us all play on such instruments.

I have seen so called musicians complain that they have never managed to get a decent sound out of any bach instrument and likewise other musicians say similar things of shilke or martin or conn.

I have also seen a good musician deliver a superb performance from a so called communist wall-hangar ornament.

I also believe that the communist regime were obsessed by a need to show the superiority of the communist workers over the decadent west and if the instruments really were compromising the performance and making the musicians task impossible then they would have corrected that situation.

I believe that a great musician can make even a stove pipe sound great.

A brass instrument is just a tube, it is the musician that is the heart and soul of a great performance, he does not need some thirty thousand dollar instrument to sound great. The instrument just makes it easier to sound great.

There are many reasons why this could be happening, but lets assume the instrument should play and you have the right valves for the instrument.

I assume from your post that the air is being blocked somehow so I will address that.

There could be some blockage in for example the ports between the valves.

Let us first try to make sure the valves are in the right chambers.

Remove all the valves.

Now blow into the mouthpipe and see if air freely exits the mouthpipe into the third chamber with no restriction.

If it does place the third valve in its chamber and secure it with valve guide located. Then blow again into the mouthpipe. If the air is blocked then you have a wrong valve or a valve wrongly fitted.

Reseat the valve 180 degrees apart and see if the air now blows through.

If you cannot get the air to blow through then it is probably a wrong valve try the others and see if the air will blow through.

If the air blows through with the third valve fitted then move on to the second.

Fit the second valve and try to blow through, if you cannot blow through then try the valve 180 degrees the other way.

If you can blow through then fit the first valve and try to blow through.

I know it sounds a bit daft but this method should reveal if the air will move through the instrument with no valves pressed, and also will check all ports between valves are clear.

Once the air blows through you can test there is no blockage in the valve slides by blowing through and then as you blow press a valve.

Once you have made sure air passes through the instrument with no valves pressed and with each valve pressed then there is no blockages.

I assume that one of these tests will reveal a blockage somewhere.

If no blockages exists then you should have the valves all correctly fitted and the instrument should then play.

I have never had a problem finding plenty of places to play.

First of all equipment, the smallest under seat cabin bag for most international carriers can accommodate a standard trumpet.

If that doesnt work cornets fit in the smallest of bags.

I have travelled abroad internationally in passenger jets with a trumpet stowed in a cabin bag under the seat in front of me with no difficulties at all.

Dump the trumpet case, take a soft cabin bag.

This means you will never have to compromise on your equipment while travelling.

When you get to your destination, there are always parks woods streets back alleys I have never had any difficulty finding a dozen places within minutes of where I am accommodated.

The only place there has ever been any issue or restriction
was a Mall. And their heads were so far up their rear ends they outlawed their customers from singing or humming to themselves in the Mall.

The problem you will most likely face is turning people down who want you to play for them.

The main problem I expect you to suffer is there being too many places to play and practice in rather than there being too few.

What I have seen in the past in forums is trumpet players who insist on buying a pocket trumpet when there is no need, and then they insist upon playing it in their hotel room and suffering intonation issues from unfamiliar gear and complaints from the hotels guests.

Take a trumpet with you, walk to a park, alley, street, and you will be astounded by the good will and respect the citizens there who are staved of live music, will give you for your efforts.

What better high is there for a musician than spontaneous applause and cheers for what amounts to doing a bit of practice to preserve your chops.

One thing I would suggest is learning a few simple tunes that you can play easily that local audiences might like, but I suspect you dont need that being an experienced player.

People want to hear you, so let them and have a ball doing it.

You got me on a technicality

Ok first of all dont panic it may be that the instrument is gunged up and needs a really good clean.

I would also suggest that the corks are falling apart, and the water valves corks are probably leaking.

Bad or leaking corks can make an instrument sound strangled. I would take it to a good tech and ask them to make it playable, basically a cork and felt replacement and that should only cost a few dollars and will make a world of difference.

Also they will check the valves are all seated correctly and working correctly.

The instrument sounds like a Reynolds Medalist trumpet these were a premier student trumpet from a great manufacturer and they had many features of professional instruments. It sounds like you have a very good instrument there that is well worth having a tech check it over and it will help you to develop for many years.

@Kehaulani

Or maybe we dont perform as well as we used to.

I think there are lots of reasons, I like your direct and no messing about way of expressing yourself Kehaulani, it is very refreshing.

I would counter that there was nothing communicated throughout this clip between 0:43 to 2:41

0:43 to 0:50 was the exactly same as 1:10 to 1:30 and exactly the same as 2:10 to 2:30 in content it was the musical equivalent of repeatedly saying

Four score and 17 years ago
Four score and 17 years ago
Four score and 17 years ago
Four score and 17 years ago
Four score and 17 years ago
Four score and 17 years ago
Four score and 17 years ago
Four score and 17 years ago
Four score and 17 years ago

Yes the audience went wild but audiences have gone wild over my performances and that reaction in itself does not mean anything was communicated, other than surprise.

I can make audiences cheer due to surprising them as well as anyone but it is not an aspiration of mine to make a career from simply surprising or shocking people.

They were impressed by trombone shortys ability but there was no communication at all that I could detect beyond "I can do the same thing over and over and over and over again without stopping"

I agree trombone shorty was skillful but being skillful is not communication.

Any politician could have given a speech at ghettysburg, but Abraham Lincoln communicated a message that inspired a nation.

Just repeating the same few notes over and over again for 2 minutes or for 2 hours or for 2 days does not move me at all.

I can listen to an entire performance of The Magic Flute, that is 3 hours and 5 minutes and be entertained from beginning to end but 2 minutes of trombone shorty had me losing the will to live.

Is it possible for Bix to exist today with the internet and music resources so widely available.

Bix could not read music other than on a rudimentary level.

He was not trained in cornet or any brass instrument

He had to work out how to play and used alternate fingerings because he did not know correct fingerings

This led to a number of things, he developed a unique phrasing and style, and he did not write down his improvs or use licks.

In his last appearance he stood and was unable to play anything his improvs deserted him. If he were a modern player with licks a plenty and a strategy for jazz improv he would not have had a problem but instead would have made it through that performance.

He was replaced in the band because of being unable to play when called upon to do so.

If he were born today he would have access to theory training and software that would have moulded him to use correct technique correct fingering a huge number of licks and jazz phrases plus access to Jamey Abersold.

Would he have any chance of becoming the great man that Bix became in his lifetime.

Possibly, but I doubt it.

Students learn to be as their teacher, Bix had no teacher and was free to develop to his full potential in areas that mattered.

I believe that if he was born today Bix would not be Bix.

I believe that the saying keep a fighter hungry applies, Bix was hungry for Jazz and when he couldnt find what he needed he invented it and we all benefit from that.

Long live Bix, the musician the seeker the inventor the ground breaking Jazz man.

Forever we will be in his debt

I deeply suspect that your conductor had no idea of your quality and that of your daily driver instrument.

Flugels I am led to believe can be somewhat skittish and variable. I must admit somewhat shamefully that I have never played on one.

Just having the name Bach or strad on an instrument is not an absolute guarantee of quality and beauty of tone even though the strad 135 is well respected, especially if the instrument is the worst for wear and has suffered a hard life.

It seems to me that if he knew about flugels he would have recognised your courtois 154r as one of the very best you can play. (going by reputation here).

I like that he reversed his decision when faced with the truth.

I know Brandons work and he is exceptional

I believe that blues and jazz are speaking of the natural condition that we all experience, this why jazz reaches into our soul and it resonates with us.

In japan they teach this mantra, learn everything until you can do everything perfectly and precisely, and then throw it all away and just do what comes naturally.

Then we have natural perfection and it is very powerful.

Classical musicians perfect their craft and when they reach this highest level of perfection everything they do will be perfect, and if they can abandon trying to be perfect but then simply play naturally then they transcend perfection into beauty.

And this is what Brandon has done here.

The Japanese Shakugachi player is taught that to try to sound musical is a failure and to try to sound beautiful is a failure, and yet in not trying to sound musical or beautiful they sound both musical and beautiful.

It is a paradox.

Is it Jazz or is it Classical? why can it not be both.

Welcome

You are facing some obstacles

My thoughts are with paralysis of your entire left arm then you need a substitute for holding the instrument.

A possibility is some kind of jury rig strapped to you like movie camera rigs as in this on ebay

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115883673313?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338943143&toolid=20006&customid=CjwKCAjw29ymBhAKEiwAHJbJ8rTv8uyecNC09tMrcbTNGdtNeCG7bhww_t7eomRTNWtNXKBePYX1lBoCv-sQAvD_BwE&gclid=CjwKCAjw29ymBhAKEiwAHJbJ8rTv8uyecNC09tMrcbTNGdtNeCG7bhww_t7eomRTNWtNXKBePYX1lBoCv-sQAvD_BwE

I think you will need to work on playing with very low mouthpiece pressure.

I usually advise new players to practice making pitches as beautiful as humanly possible, to practice striking pitches confidently and strongly on pitch and practicing smooth unwavering tones.

If you can master these or at least work on them then you have a good chance of sounding at least as good as others in your community band and possibly better than many.

Range of course is always a challenge

My advice here is to practice musical phrases that include pitches at the upper end of your range and at the lower. This should see your range develop and gradually extend.

If you can play confidently and sound good at articulating and sounding pitches then you will win a place in the band and the respect of the other musicians.

Uan Rasey has been mentioned and he overcame disability to reach the very top.

It might seem like an impossible task at first to overcome your disability and reach a high standard but remember this, everything is impossible until you know how to do it.

I love your can do attitude.

Apologies for jumping in about the possible replating of the valves on this.

Replating could cost between 350 and 500 dollars depending on the shop or tech.

It is a difficult decision and I would want to be convinced that the instrument would be worth beyond this figure before embarking upon it.

Many well respected and known fabulous pro grade instruments from makers such as Olds Besson Conn Martin Bach Selmer Shilke Yamaha Bouescher can be purchased relatively inexpensively and would be a better prospect for a valve replate.

They are well known instruments and a valve replating would be a good investment on such instruments.

On this instrument I would think carefully before going down that road.

I have refurbished Conns, Selmers, and Bessons, sometimes at very high expense and it always made sense to me, but I doubt I would replate this instrument it just doesnt make financial sense to me, in my mind it is a simple cost benefit equasion.

Will the resale value after the work is completed equal the cost of the work on the instrument.

I dont see the value in the instrument to justify the work.

I dont see many similarities with my older instrument and I want to avoid speculation on this, I can however make a few comments now that I can see a lot more detail.

The metal valve guides are robust and suggest early manufacture and high quality.

Various hexagon shaped parts have been seen on artisan models and this also suggests higher quality.

The water keys are slung beneath the tubing in the manner of a trombone and this is fairly typical of a manufacturer that has a history of manufacturing trombones prior to manufacturing trumpets.

Olds for example manufactured trombones before trumpets and adopted the underslung trombone style water key on some of their trumpets, they also adopted brass valve guides very similar to yours, although we should not draw conclusions from these two facts.

Martin adopted trombone style side action water keys on their Committee horn and you cant get better than that.

As to the hexagon shaped parts Bach used hexagon receiver ends as did Olds and several others.

I also believe I see Nickel balusters on top of the brass valve casings, this suggests the valve casings were fabricated in two parts in the manner of Bach Strads, and the Bach strad is about as good as you can get.

Additionally all the ends of all the slides are rounded like a bead, I have seen a lot of beginner intermediate and pro horns and you tend to not see this on either beginner or intermediate horns but you do see this on some pro horns.

It looks like a great deal of money and care was lavished on this instrument during its manufacture.

There are so many elements that singly do not prove quality but when all are taken together they suggest quality.

Adding everything together I have reason to believe this horn could easily be an intermediate or better instrument.

But none of this really proves anything. An instrument can be made well but still play poorly.

There are many factors that could relegate this instrument to beginner or worse quality, the resistance, the intonation, possible valve wear, bent or ill fitting parts due to damage, we cannot yet know where the gremlins are.

The only opinion that will mean anything is that of a competent player following an extended play test.

Regarding the mouthpiece, I believe that the mouthpiece and instrument should be matched to each other so as to deliver the timbre and tone that the player aspires to.

My mouthpiece is unlikely to be of any value for you I have many and can swap them to discover a good match.

You may need to swap mouthpieces out to reach the tones you are looking for.

This I have never seen before however I have not seen everything of course

The name appears not to be Ciicel but Cusel and the u is the umlaut u as seen here in the explanation of the umlaut below.

Umlaut (literally "changed sound") is the German name of the sound shift phenomenon also known as i-mutation. In German, this term is also used for the corresponding letters ä, ö, and ü (and the diphthong äu) and the sounds that these letters represent.

This is similar to the umlaut u in the name of the instrument maker Rudy Muck who has an umlaut u in his name.

Rudy Muck should I believe should be pronounced Rudy Mook so this makers name perhaps should be pronounced Coosel

Rudy Muck is a well respected maker familiar to many and is of German extraction and he emigrated as I understand it to England and then to the USA.

The general appearance of the instrument has a look of German or Czechoslovakia instruments of between 1910 and the modern era, this means little quality wise as many of them are good instruments, but some admittedly are not so good.

The engraving style is typical for example, of many ancient instrument makers that ultimately were gathered under one company name in the eastern block.

Hornucopia has nothing under Ciisel or Cusel but that means they simply have not seen one yet, the chance of it being a stencil is high.

Selmer London for example around the 1930s routinely purchased high quality instruments from Europe specifically Germany and Czechoslovakia and had those engraved as Selmer and we would not question the high quality of those instruments today.

On a personal note and as a warning This instrument has similarities to an older European instrument I owned some years ago, the valves were problematic and would bind because each part of the valves were individually manufactured and fitted by hand and some past owner had disassembled all the parts and mixed them up so you had a stem from valve one fitted into valve two etc etc.

These days this would not be a problem but the valves would not run sweet until all the parts were swapped around and the original configuration hit upon. After that the valves were buttery smooth and sweet as a nut.

This would never happen in a modern instrument parts on modern horns can usually be interchanged freely.

I mention this just in case you have valve issues in this instrument. Each little part of each valve may need to be in its original factory fitted position to work well.

The play test is everything and try several mouthpieces they can be very mouthpiece specific, and all the usual applies, chem clean, corks and felts, and a good lubrication.

@Dr-GO I cant imagine anything better than playing classic New Orleans music in a great band like the Queen City Krewe

That makes me smile inside, good luck sir.

Correct me if I am wrong but the Recording has a single slide and brace on the main, this one looks like it has a specially fabricated removeable extra slide inserted into the main slide.

This pushrod looks like it allows the player to extend the main slide under thumb control of the right hand.

If this is set up like a trigger with an internal spring, and that looks possible, then the player suddenly has trigger control available on first and on third.

Additionally this trigger would be useable when the left hand is occupied by a mute.

The plunger now becomes more user friendly.

It looks to me like a classy addition to a classy instrument.

Just my 2 cents.

Hi all. What I am about to post is in no way to labour the point and I am not trying to prove anyone wrong, but it simply is a statement that establishes that flushing every day is not an odd, weird, or maverick activity.

It is a traditional method of cleaning an instrument that was favoured by some of the best players of the instrument.

This is a quote from the internet about Louis Armstrong and his approach to trumpet care

Armstrong said once he went through trumpets fairly regularly. “I give my horns about five years. Of course I look after them, run hot water through the instrument every night so you know it's going to percolate.” “It will last forever if you keep it cleaned out, like your stomach,”

Of course Louis may have been very over cautious and wrong about this, his belief is simply similar to mine.

I am simply saying that anyone who chooses to "run hot water through the instrument every night" is in good company and it does appear to work,

It is an option that members might wish to try.

@Kehaulani-0

Hi Kehaulani by way of explanation I stated my opinion and that was disputed, I stated what I have found over many years to work and solve a major valve issue, I was then accused of wishful thinking, which is a nice way of saying I was making it all up.

I felt I had no choice but to support my position with some stats and facts.

This seems reasonable to me, not supporting my statements with facts when called to do so would be a mistake.

I stated reality and it appears that some people in here think that reality was instead a fiction.

I am giving you truth supported by facts which is reality.

That seems reasonable behaviour to me.

@ROWUK

I dont think it is wishful thinking.

I cannot recall the last time I had any valve issues certainly not any time during the last 12 months.

In my experience all valves are equally excellent.

As for posting more than practicing, in my case I practice around 5 hours a day 7 days a week, I used to practice more than this. That adds up to 35 hours of practice each week.

I post maybe on average 5 minutes a week, that I believe is posting less than I practice.

I dont think that experiencing zero valve issues over 1,800 hours of playing and practicing can be called wishful thinking.

I am sure I would have noticed if my valves became slow or hung up or stuck partially down.

Does any player experience any valve slowdowns or hangs at all in 1,800 hours of playing. I dont believe they should expect any valve issues.

My present daily player is a conn built in 1965 the valves are perfect and never give any trouble at all. I am not wishing that were true I am stating that is true.

So yes I will continue to flush as it works, it is not possible to experience less than zero valve issues. I attribute this to keeping the valves clean and well lubricated.

I have experienced occasional valve issues once every 3 years or so due to spring or guide issues. Easily fixed but that is all.

Or I could just be lucky of course.