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Why we quit - Why we re-start



 
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50YrComeback
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Joined: 05 Nov 2018
Posts: 71
Location: St. Louis

PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 4:28 pm    Post subject: Why we quit - Why we re-start Reply with quote

There are some good stories out there - I'll start, not much of a story

When & Why I Quit - It wasn't fun anymore and tired of it - I played 9 years - put the horn in the closet at high school graduation in 1969 - Had been a lead trumpet player in a good program. However, I missed out on high school sports because of band. In high schooll, I started playing guitar and thought that was more cool.


Length of Layoff - a little over 49 years - My cumulative playing time during that period of time was no more than a couple of hours. My horn was destroyed by my kids in the the early eighties.


Any Regrets? - Not a lot - With family, 4 kids, career, travel and trying to mix in a little golf, bowling and softball, etc. i doubt there would have been any focus on the horn. On the other hand, now that i am starting back, wish i had kept up a little so the gap wasn't as big.

Why I Restarted - Had been in the back of my mind now I am retired with more time. I wondered if i could recapture some portion of the old skill. I saw some retired guys my age doing dixie land in Florida and they looked like they were having fun. The catalyst - I was in the Sweetwater music store in Ft Wayne, IN with my son-in-law. Knowing i used to play, he challenged me to try a horn in the store. A little hesitant, i pulled out the mouthpiece and made a decent sound, went in a practice room and struggled through a couple of scales. It wasn't good, but not nearly as bad as i would have thought. Good enough that i thought i would try it.

Progress - Progress has been OK and surprised how quickly some things came back. No stamina or range but very encouraged and i am starting back with lessons. More importanly, i really enjoy it and the challenge of it. Its kind of like being re-acquainted with an old friend. Not sure where the journey will lead but i am committed to see it through.


Any other stories???
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"I'm probably not as good as I used to think that I was"

50 year layoff
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GeorgeB
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Location: New Glasgow, Nova Scotia

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 4:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I played for 12 years ( 1953 to 1965 ) with a small 5 piece band. We did teen dances, special events, a lot of weddings, etc. But gigs for brass started to dry up in the 60s with rock bands and DJs taking over weddings. I had a wife and 3 children and was good at what I did in publishing so I dropped the horn and concentrated on my publishing career, which turned out to be a good move financially.

I lost my wife to pancreatic cancer in 2012 and I damn near went nuts. Three years later I was sick of sitting around feeling sorry or myself and dug my old student horn I started playing with in 1953 out of the closet. I had sold my Conn 28B a long time ago so the old student horn was all I had to start with. As soon as I felt I was going to be able to make a comeback, I bought a new Bach student horn and went at it. I was in my 80s and things were pretty tough, but in 6 months I was playing well enough to join a community band playing first chair.

I have come a long way since March, 2016, but my comfort playing range these days is a B above the staff and most of my band playing rarely calls for much above G on top of the staff. The one thing I still struggle with in endurance. Otherwise I am pretty contented these days. Music was my salvation.
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GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
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1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
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Last edited by GeorgeB on Sat Nov 24, 2018 8:52 am; edited 1 time in total
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Croquethed
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The five-year anniversary of my comeback is this Wednesday. My goals when I started were very modest - be able to play Jingle Bells at Christmas, Auld Lang Syne at New Year's, and Taps on Memorial Day.

I purposely avoided diving right into Arban's. Got a couple "comeback" books and serendipitously discovered a couple concepts of basic blues theory that had never been taught to us in school. Then it was off to the races. 99 percent of my playing is by ear; I'm lucky if I get an hour in, but a half hour 5-6 days of the week are easily doable (not retired yet, have a teenaged son and 90-year-old father living with us, so a lot of life gets in the way of playing).

Went off to jazz camp this summer and discovered I would rather explore New Orleans than sit in hotel rooms 12 hours a day and read sheet music. That crystallized what I really want and need from the horn. I'm a simple blues noodler but picking the horn up again has made me a much better listener of music, has improved my appreciation of the history of the role of the horn in blues, R&B and rock, opened my ears to a lot of great players, and given me a subject in which I can constantly and incrementally improve at my own pace. Range is pretty much stuck at D/Eb above high C but I can play melodies of songs I like from C to shining C and jump in occasionally for a Stones riff.

It's an important part of my day now. Think I'll go to my grave feeling that way.
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BGinNJ
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The reasons why I quit have varied, but the times in between when I've started again have shortened!

I don't think I ever quit completely for more than a couple of years. I played every day into my 30's, but I was only sporadically playing with others past my 20's. Eventually in my mid 30's, without outlets, I quit. I picked it up again in my late 30's, and around 40, when I was laid off for a while, I practiced in earnest. By I reached the same old plateau, got discouraged, and quit again. I focused more on guitar for a while, got into other styles besides jazz.

I picked it up again 6 or 7 years ago, after a divorce, and I've been playing ever since, despite getting married again and even having a kid. I found a Skype teacher and changed my embouchure and setup, which improved my playing. I have taken a few months off here and there, usually, again, out of frustration either with myself or playing opportunities. But I hooked up with a big band last year, and it's given me new motivation and an experience I haven't had since I was in school.
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Brassnose
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Started at eight in grade school, played the school big band, continued to play in a semi-professional big band with me being the only non professional trumpet player until I started going to grad school. Played in a trio until ca. 30 and then stopped playing, mostly for career reasons. Layoff around 12 years and when the kids got older, a sentence my teacher in Philly, Roger Prieto, said to me once "I want you to pick up your horn and play!" kept coming back to me. Plus I just wanted to play again.

In fact I play better now than before, mostly because I have been able to put all those things learned decades ago into place although of course I still need to work (a lot!) on improvements.

A funny thing is that I am much better at reading rhythmic patterns than before the break and also my sense for timing and intonation is much better. In part I assign this to the long nights I spent listening to everyone at Ortliebs Jazz House when it still existed in its original form with all the great local musicians passing by and jamming.

So here I am, back in 2-3 hour gigs with soul/funk bands and a community orchestra working on getting a good repertoire. Even started the bass trumpet a year ago and really dig that. It's fun and a good break from work and chaos in general.
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y-o-y
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 4:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

time. its always availability or lack of time to commit to this horrible, unforgiving, merciless, beautiful instrument/burden.
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TrumpetMD
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I started playing at around 9 years old, played through high school, was a music major in college. I switched majors in college. After college, I played trumpet less-and-less, and played the piano and guitar more. There just wan't enough time to practice regularly, and I eventually put the trumpet away.

Just over 10 years ago, I picked up the trumpet again. This was after a 20-year layoff. After practicing for a few months, I started going to open jam sessions. I eventually met a few like-minded players and put together a jazz trio, through which I play with regularly. I also play in the occasional church gig. Like many things in life, playing is much more enjoyable the second time around.

Mike
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GeorgeB
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 08, 2018 4:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

TrumpetMD wrote:
Like many things in life, playing is much more enjoyable the second time around.

Mike



My sentiments, too, Dr. Mike. Now if I could just play a 3 hour gig like I could in my twenties...
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GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
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vwag
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 08, 2018 4:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Croquethed wrote:
The five-year anniversary of my comeback is this Wednesday. My goals when I started were very modest - be able to play Jingle Bells at Christmas, Auld Lang Syne at New Year's, and Taps on Memorial Day.

I purposely avoided diving right into Arban's. Got a couple "comeback" books and serendipitously discovered a couple concepts of basic blues theory that had never been taught to us in school. Then it was off to the races. 99 percent of my playing is by ear; I'm lucky if I get an hour in, but a half hour 5-6 days of the week are easily doable (not retired yet, have a teenaged son and 90-year-old father living with us, so a lot of life gets in the way of playing).

Went off to jazz camp this summer and discovered I would rather explore New Orleans than sit in hotel rooms 12 hours a day and read sheet music. That crystallized what I really want and need from the horn. I'm a simple blues noodler but picking the horn up again has made me a much better listener of music, has improved my appreciation of the history of the role of the horn in blues, R&B and rock, opened my ears to a lot of great players, and given me a subject in which I can constantly and incrementally improve at my own pace. Range is pretty much stuck at D/Eb above high C but I can play melodies of songs I like from C to shining C and jump in occasionally for a Stones riff.

It's an important part of my day now. Think I'll go to my grave feeling that way.


What type of jazz camp? I’m 3 years into a comeback and would consider doing something like that some day!
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Ortrouvere
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Joined: 10 Aug 2018
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 8:25 am    Post subject: why quit and restarted Reply with quote

I started playing in the school band program and continued through High School and then into college. Played in orchestra, band and jazz band.

Once in college was studying both voice and trumpet. I was better in voice, and my trpt teacher had me drop to non-majors level. I wasn't up to the level he thought I should be to do the juries etc. Dropped out of playing the next year.

After graduation got a job as a singer with the Opera and was there for about ten years. During that time sold my horn. I regret that..........

In the mid 90s started playing the shakuhachi. that continued for about ten years.

Then finally last year decided to start playing trumpet again. I restored an antique (about 100yrs old) Conn/Ralph Kenny horn and played it for a couple of months. I had used it for marching band in highschool. Wasn't a very good horn; had leaky valves. And was found the Arban, Slossberg, and clark books online for free. And two months ago purchased a good horn from a retired band teacher.

I'm enjoying it so much more than when in school. And am more focused than before on building the right techniques etc. Haven't got back to where I was in college. It's taking some time to develop strength and coordination. But that should come along in some time.
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PitCrew44D
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Joined: 14 Mar 2019
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Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2019 9:19 am    Post subject: why we quit and restarted Reply with quote

starting playing in grade 7, in grade 8 played lead chair in my first musical (Where is the Mayor).....
Moved after grade 8 - new school didn't start band instruments until grade 9....so my first year at new school I completed grade 9 and 10 classes, and was the only trumpet player in our Pit Band (West Side Story - complete Broadway score). Played all 3 chairs for practice, split 1st and 2nd chair with professionals hired for performances).

when I was in grade 10, I completed grade 11 and 12 music classes, and in grade 11 I completed Grade 13 music classes (Grade 13 in Ontario was essentially 1st year university).

Played in wind ensemble, Pit Band, Jazz (Big Band). The "pro's" I played with in grade 9 got me a number of gigs playing in local musical productions with various schools and community groups.

Falling out was I was told I had to made a decision between music and hockey/lacrosse.....(new conductor was a jerk, so that was the start of the end).

stopped playing completely when I was 22ish....not sure what happened to my original trumpet - I recall my brother had bent the bell pretty badly.

couple of years ago, my mother-in-law and my wifes Oma purchased my Getzen from the Thrift shop they worked in....needed some repairs...so I fixed it and started playing a bit. Acquired 2 other horns recently.

then my oldest daughter wanted to join our local community band (she plays flute - and could not play at school due to issues with her teacher, but she still wanted to play) - so we joined our community band last September (2018).

I can not believe how much fun I am having, and how bad I feel when I miss a day practising at home. My daughter has since switch schools, and has resumed playing flute in school, and is also playing percussion in our community band as well - she is in grade 7).

should have done this years ago.....
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Dave Patton
back playing horn after 30ish years
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WxJeff
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2019 12:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welcome, Dave. Thanks for the introduction. Glad you're having fun!
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Kumara999
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 1:43 am    Post subject: Great Community Bands Reply with quote

Thanks guys - great stories. Similar to you all - I took about 25 years off. There is a great community group in our area called New Horizons aimed at 50+ players - either comeback or brand new wanting to learn - 4 levels of play. Is so nice to have options within the community.

What a stress free way to get back into it. First concert is next week.
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GeorgeB
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 27, 2019 3:18 am    Post subject: Re: Great Community Bands Reply with quote

Kumara999 wrote:
Thanks guys - great stories. Similar to you all - I took about 25 years off. There is a great community group in our area called New Horizons aimed at 50+ players - either comeback or brand new wanting to learn - 4 levels of play. Is so nice to have options within the community.

What a stress free way to get back into it. First concert is next week.


The Horizons program is terrific. Really got me going in the right direction during my comeback. After three years with Horizons I graduated to a high level community concert band that averages 1 or 2 gigs a month and I am having a ball. In a recent music festival, we took the Gold.
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GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
1962 Conn Victor 5A cornet
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yipDog
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Joined: 04 May 2019
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Location: Arizona

PostPosted: Sat May 04, 2019 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello all!
Started in 4th grade and got serious enough to get a full ride through college as a music major. Discovered record production and engineering as a junior in college and my actual degree is music production/performance.
I played professionally for a few years after school while I worked as a recording engineer. Then the studio stuff took over and I set the horns down. That was about 25 years ago. Then wife, kids, divorce happened. My youngest son asked about playing trumpet so I started him on the path. Figured it was a good idea to practice what I preached so picked it up last October. Joined the local Mesa Community College evening band which is scary good! Blend of music majors and old folks like me. Some of the folks I have met have been playing in this band for 10-15 years!! Just did our second and last concert for this semester. Will be getting my chops back into shape over the summer and see what kind of noise I can make!!
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GeorgeB
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PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2019 3:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

yipDog wrote:
Hello all!
Started in 4th grade and got serious enough to get a full ride through college as a music major. Discovered record production and engineering as a junior in college and my actual degree is music production/performance.
I played professionally for a few years after school while I worked as a recording engineer. Then the studio stuff took over and I set the horns down. That was about 25 years ago. Then wife, kids, divorce happened. My youngest son asked about playing trumpet so I started him on the path. Figured it was a good idea to practice what I preached so picked it up last October. Joined the local Mesa Community College evening band which is scary good! Blend of music majors and old folks like me. Some of the folks I have met have been playing in this band for 10-15 years!! Just did our second and last concert for this semester. Will be getting my chops back into shape over the summer and see what kind of noise I can make!!


You're off to a flying start. Best wishes.
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GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
1962 Conn Victor 5A cornet
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Bill_Bumps
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 4:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's a long post, so if your attention span isn't up to it, consider yourself warned.

My "comeback story" isn't really a "comeback" at all -- more like a "late start story." It goes like this:

I started taking music lessons at age eight. But not on a trumpet. One day my parents bought a clarinet for me and told me "your lessons start next Tuesday." So I became a clarinet player.

I was in various school bands all the way through high school. To be honest, I wasn't very good, but there were a lot of other things going on in my life at the time, and I just couldn't give my music anything near the attention it deserved. Then came college and marriage, and there was suddenly no time at all.

I spent the Seventies working as a photographer, in the days when cameras weren't little computers. But with the digital juggernaut rolling unopposed, I saw the writing on the wall, and decided it was time for a career change. The Eighties arrived and I went back to school, this time as a Computer Science major.

Once in a while, I hauled the clarinet out again, but it began to occur to me that way back in the beginning, I hadn't been entirely happy with it. What I'd really wanted at the time was to pursue the trumpet, even though my family's financial situation couldn't have encompassed another instrument.

I mentioned this to my wife, one day. And, much to my astonishment, her 1982 Christmas gift to me was a trumpet. Not a new trumpet, mind you, because with me back in school, we didn't have a lot of spare cash. In fact, it was in pretty sad shape, dented all over, bent, missing huge swaths of its lacquer and in general looking like it had been used for football practice over a couple of very rough seasons. But the valves worked smoothly, so I bought a bottle of valve oil and set myself down to learning to play.

I did that for a couple of years, getting practice time whenever I could, which wasn't very often. And then, around the beginning of 1985, I got my first programming job. And suddenly I didn't have any extra time for music again.

That programming job expanded over the next twenty-five years into a wide-ranging career in IT. I even ended up teaching at the school where I started studying ComSci so long ago.

Then came 2010, and I realized that now it was time to retire. So I did, and to my delight, I now had time to pursue all the projects and hobbies I hadn't had time for all those years. One of them was music, and I brought my old clarinet out into the light again. I discovered that it wasn't exactly top-of-the-line (though it was all that Mom and Dad could manage at the time), and started to play again. All that time in my schools' bands had served me better than I thought; although I hadn't been much of a musician, I did pick up plenty of basic skills and muscle memory that came back to me easily. I discovered my real musical interest: Swing, Big Band and modern standards. I bought a new clarinet and started practicing regularly.

And then one day, something occurred to me: Didn't I once have a trumpet? Maybe it was time to exhume it and see how it actually looked after so much time neglected. I finally found it in one of our storage rooms, where for years, I'd thought it was a suitcase.

When I opened the case, I was in for a surprise. I've learned a few things over the years, and I now saw that my battered old trumpet was in fact a 1959 Selmer K-Modified! How anyone could have treated such a high-end instrument so badly is a mystery I still haven't figured out to this day. And now that I knew what it was I had, I determined to correct its abuse at once. I had it sent out for repair, cleaning, complete restoration and relacquering, this time with durable epoxy.

When I finally got it back in January, 2019, it was the thing of beauty it should always have been. I bought a Bach 7C mouthpiece for it, and discovered, to my delight, that the few skills I'd managed to pick up on it back in 1982 were still with me, and I still remembered all the fingerings -- so at least, I didn't have to start from complete scratch.

And that's where I stand today. I'm still playing both clarinet and trumpet, although the overwhelming majority of my practice time goes to the Selmer, simply because that's where I need it most. It's a hard slog, as I see many others on this board understand equally well. Playing a brass instrument is qualitatively different from a woodwind, and a lot more physically demanding, so my practice sessions are always laced with profanity over missed high notes, a wilting lip and the other ills to which the learning curve is heir. But I can honestly say I'm getting better, and working hard to become better still.

Where will it all end? Playing in some public venue one day? I don't know. But even if I never play anywhere but our basement, it will have been well worth the time and effort.

It was the best damn Christmas present I ever received, even if it took me nearly thirty years to realize it.
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Rompson
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

^^^^^^^^

I wish this forum had a “like” or a karma system so we could collectively acknowledge your post Bill. Thanks for reminding us all of the beauty of music in all of its forms.
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vwag
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What a great post, and those decade long diversions CAN be corrected. I had a 30 year gap and I’m consumed nearly 4 years later with building endurance and range. I HOPE someday that I’ll find other outlets than the bi-monthly brass ensemble at my church.

Thank you for your post!
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Comeback
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great post, Bill_Bumps!
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