Attention: A great player can make a bad horn sound great

[Rick Denney]

some bad players wil always have more money than sense, and buy expensive instruments and still sound bad when playing them...life is full of injustice!!

Not unjust. 1.) there is no shortage of good instruments. 2.) there is a shortage of good players. Ergo, 3.) some less-than-good players will own good instruments. Furthermore, those who can exploit their goodness should be grateful--those amateurs with more money than sense are making it commercially viable for the manufacturer to make good instruments.

Rick "who still remembers when Mike Sanders played his cheapie Sanders/Cerveny in a lesson" Denney

[Eric B]

*Any*one who plays *any* tuba with a smaller bore than .840" and with a bell size *any* smaller than 22" is not only *un*professional, but they are nothing more than a pitiful little pansy - if not an outright 'tuba cheat'.

Okay, Joe, enough is enough, how dare you insult all of us 186ers. You're an 8 hour drive from me. Let's meet in Little Rock and settle this like men. Bring your Fussel Book...it's on now! Man, a guy buys a Thor and all of a sudden he's an elitist! And by the way, I know of no other flower than can endure both heat and cool like the MIGHTY PANSY! So, thanks for the compliment!

[tubashaman2]

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[Biggs]

it seemed like you judged the studio....our other current trombone major plays bass trombone

I don't know whether or not BierGeek is judging anyone anywhere, but I will judge a trombone "studio" that has a measly two players!

Please note I did not say two measly players.

[Tubman]

So if the instrument make no difference, then why don't you go get rid of your Miraphones and buy small bore chinese made tubas?

There is a difference between a bad horn and an absolute hunk of rancid, steaming crap...some horns, like those cheap chinese pieces of crap, will be almost impossible to play on with a good sound, but there are very few horns out there that are that bad (and fewer still dumb enough to actually seriously buy one). If you put the right kind of vibrations into a seemingly bad horn, you can't help but sound good. I'm not saying I'd be able to do that, myself. That's just my 2 cents.

[oldbandnerd]

Here's a good example of what a skilled musician can do with the equipment at hand :


http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?PID=1178870&t=3635" target="_blank

Charley Brighton was given a 1933 Con Pan-American euphonium as a gift and recently played it a recital. Sounds pretty good for a 3 valved non compensated American euphonium. It was all in the wrist .

[imperialbari]

Here's a good example of what a skilled musician can do with the equipment at hand :


http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?PID=1178870&t=3635" target="_blank" target="_blank

Charley Brighton was given a 1933 Con Pan-American euphonium as a gift and recently played it a recital. Sounds pretty good for a 3 valved non compensated American euphonium. It was all in the wrist .

Yes really well and beautifully played. And wisely! As far as I can hear, the soloists stays away from the range where the compensating loops would have made a difference.

Klaus

[Todd S. Malicoate]

Lovely playing by Mr. Brighton...

but I don't think you made your point very well. The lowest note in that pretty little piece was Eb in the staff. It wouldn't make much difference to have a 3-valved, non-compensating instrument for that work. Let's hear him play Curnow's Symphonic Variants on it, then I'll be a believer.

Very nice piece, though, and well played. Thanks for the link and the listen.

[tubashaman2]

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[tubashaman2]

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[Tubman]

The trombone player recently finished paying off his car (8 years old) and is going to college, and college students aren't rich for those who don't know.

I heard that! It's pretty bad when all you have to eat during the week is Ramen noodles 'cause you can't afford anything else...haha!

[Tubman]

*Any*one who plays *any* tuba with a smaller bore than .840" and with a bell size *any* smaller than 22" is not only *un*professional, but they are nothing more than a pitiful little pansy - if not an outright 'tuba cheat'.

Okay, Joe, enough is enough, how dare you insult all of us 186ers. You're an 8 hour drive from me. Let's meet in Little Rock and settle this like men. Bring your Fussel Book...it's on now! Man, a guy buys a Thor and all of a sudden he's an elitist! And by the way, I know of no other flower than can endure both heat and cool like the MIGHTY PANSY! So, thanks for the compliment!

HAHAHAHAHA! That is the funniest thing I've heard in years! That is the best comeback I've heard in a while as well. Well played and well thought out!

[Matt G]

Sadly, our stats show that the music major retention rate is low. My class kept the most majors, of a starting class of 30 (including vocalists) we are down to 15, the year before has 1 and started with 25, the year under me started with 25 and has 2 left. Many people think they want to do music and can't handle the course work

Maybe the people who drop the music program have a better idea about ROI? Considering the odds to become a pro or the hours required to be a decent band director maybe they, as Todd Rundgren would say, "Saw the light"?

[Roger Lewis]

I always bring up in my lessons that the sound coming out of just the mouthpiece is going to be more important than anything coming out of the tuba. It helps to remember that the horn, by itself, makes no sound. It is empty, hollow, contains nothing but air and does nothing. It is a resonator, an amplifier. It does nothing until YOU do something to it. If you have a good product happening at the mouthpiece, you will have a good product at the bell. Garbage in...garbage out.....and vice-versa.

Initiative without good teaching leads no-where. Without a good start it is difficult to predict a successful outcome.

Just my early morning ramblings.

Roger

[pierso20]

Sadly, our stats show that the music major retention rate is low. My class kept the most majors, of a starting class of 30 (including vocalists) we are down to 15, the year before has 1 and started with 25, the year under me started with 25 and has 2 left. Many people think they want to do music and can't handle the course work

quote]

I agree that there is definitely a low retention rate in Ed, especially in the first 5 years of teaching, but a class who starts at 25 and ends with 1! If the dropout rate is that extreme REGULAR, then there is something wrong with that program......either they aren't selecting the right students in the first place, or there is something going on to cause that many students to want to drop....no reason for 95% of the students to drop out of a program. I'll bet law or medical programs don't see that much drop...maybe the navy seals...

(of course, maybe my school is the exception to the rule, but I know we have had not nearly that much dropping...at least not any more than other collegues of mine in other universities)

[imperialbari]

"If I could have sold my peashooter Cerveny and had just a bit more initiative, I *could have* been the National Sousaphone Champion...or maybe even the Olympic Sousaphone Champion...!?!"

Oh yes, what a waste that you didn’t make it (considering your current existence).

K

[windshieldbug]

"If I could have sold my peashooter Cerveny and had just a bit more initiative, I *could have* been the National Sousaphone Champion...or maybe even the Olympic Sousaphone Champion...!?!"

Your ears don't stick out quite far enough, though.