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ebolton
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Joined: 03 Feb 2021
Posts: 123
Location: New Hampshire, USA

PostPosted: Thu Feb 04, 2021 5:48 pm    Post subject: My Story Reply with quote

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.
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Bryant Jordan
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Joined: 16 Aug 2015
Posts: 410
Location: Utah, USA

PostPosted: Thu Feb 04, 2021 6:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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: 722
Location: SE US

PostPosted: Thu Feb 04, 2021 6:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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
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deleted_user_687c31b
New Member


Joined: 03 Apr 1996
Posts: 0

PostPosted: Fri Feb 05, 2021 12:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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: 1991
Location: USA

PostPosted: Fri Feb 05, 2021 1:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 4:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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!
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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
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Joined: 25 Oct 2001
Posts: 1408
Location: Georgia

PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 6:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for posting, Ed. Great story. You're a good writer, and you've got a good head.
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cgaiii
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Joined: 26 Jun 2017
Posts: 1541
Location: Virginia USA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welcome back to trumpet playing and welcome to the forum.
A teacher as others have advised will make the process much better.
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ebolton
Veteran Member


Joined: 03 Feb 2021
Posts: 123
Location: New Hampshire, USA

PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 11:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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.
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JayKosta
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Joined: 24 Dec 2018
Posts: 3276
Location: Endwell NY USA

PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 12:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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. ...

----------------------------
Unless you're certain that band has a policy about when new members can join, I'd contact them and ask about beginning immediately.
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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
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Joined: 03 Feb 2021
Posts: 123
Location: New Hampshire, USA

PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

JayKosta wrote:

----------------------------
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.
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Brassnose
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Joined: 07 Mar 2016
Posts: 2022
Location: Germany

PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 8:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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.
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