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ebolton Veteran Member
Joined: 03 Feb 2021 Posts: 123 Location: New Hampshire, USA
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Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2021 5:48 pm Post subject: My Story |
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I grew up in a fairly weird family for the time, since both of my parents were craftsmen. And my mother played trumpet in her youth. When my sister and I were growing up, she had stopped. My sister became an accomplished flutist. I tried the trumpet myself as a kid, at my parents urging, but it didn't work out for me at the time.
When my sister and I were more-or-less out of the house, my mom procured a Holton Collegiate and began playing again. Once she got her chops back, she played in an adult community band in Dartmouth MA.
The serial number of her trumpet suggests it was made in 1966, which is pretty much central in the gap in her playing. I suspect it was a returned rental horn, or she bought it second hand. My parents rarely bought anything new.
Meanwhile, I went to RPI in 1976, and among other changes got hooked in watching hockey games. One way to get into RPI hockey games back then, at home and away, was to play an instrument in the Pep Band.
So, upon coming home between freshman and sophmore years, I went with my dad to a flea market he went to often, and bought an ancient but working trumpet for about $10. On the same trip, I bought a cornet in pieces for about $2. I recruited the brother of a good friend of mine who was an outstanding trumpet player and attending Berklee College of Music to teach me. Over the course of that summer, he got me good enough so that when I returned to RPI, I sat for the Pep Band and got the last trumpet chair, and last was all I needed. You know the old joke about what you call the guy who finishes last in medical school? It's Doctor.
I did continue to improve, and eventually my mother helped me silver solder the parts of the cornet back together, and I began playing that also at times. A couple of years later, I saw an ad for a used professional-quality Getzen trumpet, and I bought that. It had a brace that had become unsoldered on one end. Since I was in a dorm room with no access to my mother and her tools, I took it to an instrument technician in Troy to have it soldered back together. It sounded much louder, having a much bigger bell than my original trumpet or cornet, and fit in better with the Pep Band, where volume was key.
Eventually (1980), I matriculated RPI (fancy word for 'graduated', or 'escaped') and I also stopped playing. My mom died in 1989.
Fast forward many, many years...
Just before my dad took a bad turn for the worse, I had divested myself of my three horns still stored in my cellar. For some reason, I kept the ragtag collection of mouthpieces I had. Later, in cleaning out my dad's house, I found this Holton Collegiate of my mother's, and rather than sell it with the rest of the stuff I took it home.
Lately, I noticed the case had all but disintegrated. The valves were all stuck, the slides also very tight. I decided if I'm going to keep it, I should get it back to playable condition and keep it that way. And I've accomplished that.
I've bought a replacement case from Amazon to hold it safely, and begun making some sounds with it on occasion. Over the decades, I have forgotten nearly all my scales and much of the fingering, and my embouchure which was never great has totally disappeared. It's basically starting from scratch. I've bought a few books, and poked around on YouTube some (a resource that would have been fantastic in 1978), and we'll see where it goes. _________________ -Ed |
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Bryant Jordan Veteran Member
Joined: 16 Aug 2015 Posts: 410 Location: Utah, USA
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Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2021 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome back!
Good luck with starting up again! A great place to ask questions, get advice, etc. is here on TH. We're all in this together.
Cheers |
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cbtj51 Heavyweight Member
Joined: 24 Nov 2015 Posts: 739 Location: SE US
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Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2021 6:20 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome back Ed! I am 6 years in since coming back. It has been a very great experience. Best wishes to you on your trumpet journey!
Mike _________________ '71 LA Benge 5X Bb
'72 LA Benge D/Eb
'76 Bach CL 229/25A C
‘92 Bach 37 Bb
'98 Getzen 895S Flugelhorn
'00 Bach 184 Cornet
'02 Yamaha 8335RGS
'16 Bach NY 7
'16 XO 1700RS Piccolo
Reeves 41 Rimmed Mouthpieces |
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deleted_user_687c31b New Member
Joined: 03 Apr 1996 Posts: 0
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2021 12:41 am Post subject: |
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Welcome to Trumpet Herald. I hope you'll find it inspiring and looking forward to your contributions as well! |
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Dayton Heavyweight Member
Joined: 24 Mar 2013 Posts: 2100 Location: USA
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2021 1:56 am Post subject: |
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Welcome back to trumpet playing! If possible, get some lessons. Online is fine for now. It will really help you get back off to a good start, figure out what and how to practice, etc.
If lessons are not possible and you will be playing on your own, Harold "Pappy" Mitchell's "Mitchell on Trumpet" is an excellent comprehensive method, with 84 lessons that go from absolute beginner or comeback player to a very advanced level. Highly recommended.
Good luck, and have fun! |
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JH3136 Regular Member
Joined: 14 Dec 2020 Posts: 18 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 4:47 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for sharing your story! I picked up the trumpet in December 2020 after a 25-year layoff and not listening to a single piece of trumpet music or reading a scrap of news. It was like emerging from a time machine: where's Phil Smith? Whoa, who is this Chris Martin guy - he's amazing!
I have found the community here at TH to be welcoming and I have enjoyed and learned from many of the posts here. Enjoy the journey! _________________ Comeback Trumpeter as of 12/20 (after 25 years off)
Horn: Bach Bb Strad bought for me in 1977 by my Mom and Dad
Mouthpiece: "We're on safari to stay" - Beach Boys |
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tptptp Heavyweight Member
Joined: 25 Oct 2001 Posts: 1411 Location: Georgia
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Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 6:14 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for posting, Ed. Great story. You're a good writer, and you've got a good head. _________________ Craig Mitchell |
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cgaiii Heavyweight Member
Joined: 26 Jun 2017 Posts: 1561 Location: Virginia USA
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Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 4:46 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome back to trumpet playing and welcome to the forum.
A teacher as others have advised will make the process much better. _________________ Bb: Schilke X3L AS, Yamaha YTR-6335S
C: Schilke CXL, Kanstul 1510-2
Bb Cornet: Getzen 800 DLXS
Pic: Kanstul 920
Bb Bugle: Kanstul
Bb Pocket: Manchester Brass
Flugel: Taylor Std
Bass Tr: BAC Custom
Nat. Tr: Nikolai Mänttäri Morales Haas replica |
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ebolton Veteran Member
Joined: 03 Feb 2021 Posts: 123 Location: New Hampshire, USA
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 11:42 am Post subject: |
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Well, I'm back, or more accurately still here. I've had some lessons, and watched a ton of "Masters Classes" on YouTube. And followed most discussions on TrumpetHerald. My range is better than it ever was, both higher and lower. I need more work on flexibility and am pursuing that. Thinking about joining the local Community Band, but I missed the first rehearsal after their XMas concert which seemed to me to be the perfect time. I'm shooting for the first rehearsal after their Spring concert now.
No real problems at the moment: I just wanted to get some positivity off my chest. _________________ -Ed |
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JayKosta Heavyweight Member
Joined: 24 Dec 2018 Posts: 3380 Location: Endwell NY USA
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 12:45 pm Post subject: |
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ebolton wrote: | ... I missed the first rehearsal after their XMas concert which seemed to me to be the perfect time. I'm shooting for the first rehearsal after their Spring concert now. ... |
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Unless you're certain that band has a policy about when new members can join, I'd contact them and ask about beginning immediately. _________________ Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'. |
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ebolton Veteran Member
Joined: 03 Feb 2021 Posts: 123 Location: New Hampshire, USA
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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JayKosta wrote: |
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Unless you're certain that band has a policy about when new members can join, I'd contact them and ask about beginning immediately. |
Actually, I tried early in December using the contact info on their website, and never heard back. They don't list a phone number. They do post the date, times, and place of their rehearsals. That's why I resolved to just show up. _________________ -Ed |
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Brassnose Heavyweight Member
Joined: 07 Mar 2016 Posts: 2142 Location: Germany
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 8:56 pm Post subject: |
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As you can tell from my signature I have a 1966 Holton Collegiate cornet. If yours is clean and runs smoothly you do have a very nice instrument plus one with a personal history. Nice. _________________ 2019 Martin Schmidt eXcellence
1992 Bach 43GH/43
1989 Kühnl & Hoyer Model 15 flugel
1980/2023 Custom Blessing Scholastic C 😎
1977 Conn 6B
1951 Buescher 400 Lightweight
AR Resonance, Frate, Klier |
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