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Geezer goin' at it, again.



 
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Ridgernr
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Joined: 01 Jul 2019
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:23 am    Post subject: Geezer goin' at it, again. Reply with quote

Hello all, nice to see I'm not alone in this.
Little ancient history: I started learning the trumpet at school in the 6th grade, about 1972. First horn was a beat up old Conn. Ugly but it worked for me. A couple years later and some decent progression, I found a brand new Bach Stradivarius under our Christmas tree. That's when I went into high gear. I lived and breathed trumpet. Marching band, concert band, jazz band. Managed to win some state Class 1 solos and ensemble medals. First chair all throughout High School. Even got a gig in a Mexican disco band down in San Antonio where I went to high scbool. We played the night clubs, wedding receptions etc. Lots of KC and the Sunshine band, and lots of others I can't even remember. Being the only white boy in the band had its "perks". But, I couldn't make any real money at it. I ended up joining the Air Force and becoming an aircraft mechanic.
One of my favorite things to do in my alone times was to fire up the 33lp and play Herb Alberts 9th. I learned to play the entire album by heart. Also had a Hugo Montenegro Good Bad and Ugly album and some others I'd play along with.
And that's kind of what brought me here. Saw some old Eastswood flics on TV, heard the music, and said hey, I can play that. Opened up my trumpet case and there she was. I oiled up the valves, played a couple scales and proceeded to horrify my wife.
So yeah, this is gonna take some work.
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laundryman
Regular Member


Joined: 27 Jun 2016
Posts: 14
Location: Knoxville, TN

PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welcome to the comeback trail. From your description you were way more advanced than I ever was. You will find encouragement and good information here.
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tptptp
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 25 Oct 2001
Posts: 1408
Location: Georgia

PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 11:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's great, Ridgernr! Even though you had some success years ago, consider taking some lessons early on. Might speed your comeback and avoid learning/relearning some bad habits.
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Craig Mitchell
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tptptp
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Joined: 25 Oct 2001
Posts: 1408
Location: Georgia

PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 11:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, and 6th grade in 1972 means you're probably not yet 60...You ain't no Geezer yet!
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Craig Mitchell
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Ridgernr
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Joined: 01 Jul 2019
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 11:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks guys. I did have a dedicated trumpet instructor way back when, and he really helped me lot. I may go that route again. But what I think would be really cool is a karaoke style gizmo with back tracks and Bb sheet music sliding across the screen. Is there such an animal?
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spitvalve
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Joined: 11 Mar 2002
Posts: 2149
Location: Little Elm, TX

PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 11:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ridgernr wrote:
Thanks guys. I did have a dedicated trumpet instructor way back when, and he really helped me lot. I may go that route again. But what I think would be really cool is a karaoke style gizmo with back tracks and Bb sheet music sliding across the screen. Is there such an animal?


YouTube is full of stuff like that. I pull up backing tracks all the time, often with the chord changes available. Melodies not so much.
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Bryan Fields
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1991 Bach LR180 ML 37S
1999 Getzen Eterna 700S
1979 Getzen Eterna 895S Flugelhorn
1969 Getzen Capri cornet
Eastlake Benge 4PSP piccolo trumpet
Warburton and Stomvi Flex mouthpieces
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Ridgernr
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Joined: 01 Jul 2019
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 12:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tptptp, acttually I am 60. I may not be correct on what year I started. Heck, I have a hard time remember what I had for breakfast.
My tentative plan right now is: I live in a very small Illinois town on the Mississippi river. Everybody knows everybody and pretty much all hang out together at the American Legion or one of the two other places in town. And since I'm pretty much the only brass player in town, I don't have a band. There's a couple country bands but brass and redneck music don't seem to mesh
very well. So I thought I'd work up a trumpet karaoke routine and share it with my friends.
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Ridgernr
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Joined: 01 Jul 2019
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 1:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welp, after last night's first serious practice session (attempt), I'll be headed for the Fundamentals department.
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JorgePD
Regular Member


Joined: 03 Apr 2018
Posts: 16
Location: Lake Worth, FL

PostPosted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 3:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ridgernr good luck on your comeback! I’ve been back 1 ½ years after a “short” 40-year layoff. It’s been challenging and a bit frustrating at times, but I’m having a really enjoying it. Being that you’re in small town you may want to consider Skype lessons with a good teacher. You’ll find several here on TH. Have fun!
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Trumpet practice can drive me crazy, but playing keeps me sane.
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Ridgernr
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Joined: 01 Jul 2019
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 6:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks JorgePD. I appreciate the encouragement. I can tell it's going to take some serious practice. My embouchure is pretty much non existent. Only remember a few scales. Can only go a few bars and my lips go out. A taste of Honey and Lonely Bull were staples and used to be so easy. Not so much anymore. Herb Albert would slap me. But I'll get it back. Eventually.
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mrhappy
Veteran Member


Joined: 03 Dec 2018
Posts: 371
Location: Port Jackson, NY

PostPosted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 9:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welcome back Ridgernr! Back about 8 month here. Trumpet sure is a pain in the ass but I've been having fun so far! I'm sure you'll get back to your old self before long!
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Howard
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Joined: 09 Nov 2016
Posts: 2
Location: Barrie, Ontario

PostPosted: Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Ridgernr. I restarted playing trumpet about 3 years ago after not playing for 52 years. My progress has been slow and I'm still not back to where I was in high school. I have a couple of suggestions related to your previous posts.

Check out the New Horizons program [url]newhorizonsmusic.org[/url]. They have 5 groups in Illinois so there may be one somewhere near you that you could go and check out. They typically have teaching programs and they appeal to us older comeback players. I think you'll find it a lot easier to relearn if you have others to play with who have a common goal.

Check out the Hal Leonard Jazz Play-Along series. https://www.halleonard.com/search/search.action?keywords=jazz+play-along&dt=item#products They come with the sheet music for 10 songs and a play-along CD. I have several of these but you might like the Herb Alpert one which is Volume 164 https://www.halleonard.com/product/14041775/herb-alpert.

Good luck.
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Ridgernr
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Joined: 01 Jul 2019
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Thu Jul 11, 2019 5:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Howard, I'll explore New Horizons music later when I get to my home PC. And I do plan on getting some of them playalong cds.I wish those existed back in the day. Back then I'd play along on LP records. I learned that lifting the needle up and back about 1/16" got me about 10-12 measures of rerun. LOL.
Word to the wise: This morning on the way to work buzzing my mouthpiece, I drove by a state trooper. He pulls me over and asks me what I'm smoking. I showed him my mouthpiece and explained to him what I was doing. He lets me go with a "warning". Warning for what, I don't know.
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Howard
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Joined: 09 Nov 2016
Posts: 2
Location: Barrie, Ontario

PostPosted: Thu Jul 11, 2019 6:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Distracted driving, perhaps? In any case that doesn't seem like a very safe thing to do.

With New Horizons, you can call up the director, talk to him and get the details. Then before you commit, go to a couple of their practices and talk to the other players about what they do and don't like about their particular group. You'll learn quickly if it's a good fit for you. Our group (Richmond Hill, Ontario) has a beginner section, 2 intermediate sections, a jazz ensemble and a small pop ensemble that plays short concerts in local retirement homes and the like. Our director is a retired high school music teacher.
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