Are you a Hornaholic?

Palestrina · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 11:49 am Post subject: Are you a Hornaholic?

I've noticed there are many more posts in the Horns thread as opposed to the Fundamentals. I, like some players, think a new horn just makes you "better". Probably psychological... Is it worth the cost, though?

The crazy thing is, if Wynton put down his Monette and played a Jupiter, he'd still sound like Wynton. If you played Wynton's horn, you'd still sound like you.

My question: Do you really think a new horn will help you improve?

jazzartizt1742 · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 11:56 am Post subject:

MY LIFE? heck no maybe better tone or more open to accomodate your playing style or w/e but not your life. Most people just think it's fun to try new things or to try to see if they can find the horn that FITS them not the "best" or "newest" one, just the one that fits them the best. and another thing there is a huge difference between a student Yamaha and a 1500 dollar trumpet!
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rebelatheart · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 11:57 am Post subject:

I'm assuming Palastrina is a female. That explains it! Surely you've heard about boys and their toys!
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johntpt · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 12:52 pm Post subject:

Personally I'd love the History Channel do a segment on Trumpet Collectors as part of their Boy's Toys shows, but it might be interesting for the public at large.

Also a possibility for "The Incurable Collector" on A&E.

JU

DavesTrumpet · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:56 pm Post subject:

Perhaps one reason, at least the reason I post in this group (Horns) more than say Fundamentals, is perhaps two fold. One, I'm serious enough about learning/teaching to know there is only so much you can get across through the written word; there are many ideas and concepts that are near impossible to accurately relay in the written word. You have to HEAR certain things. Guess you could call me one of those folks that would say, "Get a real, live teacher". I don't mean to imply that one can't learn from these groups. They can. And do. And that's great. And people will continue to learn from these groups thanks to the generous people who take the time to offer help. (It's really a shame though, that in this day of immediate gratification, even in learning - "get online, you got it" - you have these people who all they want is to know it now, give me the info NOW and you never hear a "thank you" back. I've seen it time after time. It's a shame people share so much just to be disrespected this way.)

And another reason would be that for me personally, I'm kind of over the "Fundamental" stage of my development. And there's really not much more I could add to any of the pedagogical comments except, "You've heard what you need to do, now go do it!" I suppose if there is a specific question lending itself a direct link to any of my teachers, I'll add a comment, but for the most part, we already know what we need to practice.

Also, I'd urge you to look around in the Horns section more closely. There's tons more discussion than that of buying new $1500 horns. There's a great deal of topic going in the direction of maintenance and repair, history, design, ALL kinds of stuff, not just new horns. Don't sell yourself short. There are a lot of us here who are not looking for the "next big horn" as you put it.

Dave M

oneeyedhobbit · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 2:21 pm Post subject:

Hey, its more about curiousity than anything. I'm happy with my V1, and don't expect to find anything that outperforms it in my price range. But its fun for me to try other horns to compare and contrast, especially those I yearn for! Of course I know practice is more valuable any day!

valvepimp · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 2:31 pm Post subject:

The reason there are so many more posts in Horns than in Fundamentals boils down to this question: Would most kids rather do their homework or would they rather go to the mall? We "kids" may end up doing both, but we all know which is more fun.
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DavesTrumpet · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 2:49 pm Post subject:

[ This Message was edited by: DavesTrumpet on 2003-11-14 17:56 ]

DavesTrumpet · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 2:54 pm Post subject:

Not to whip a dead horse, but I find this next observation rather humorous. While waiting for a friend to call to go out for the evening, I'm sitting here counting the posts made by Palestrina. 24 total posts, total.

Here's the list with the corresponding percentage:

Post by Palestrina:

TOTAL POSTS: 24

Horns: 10 = 42%
Fundamentals: 4 = 17%
Mouthpieces: 3 = 12.5%
Pedagogy: 3 = 12.5%
Lounge: 2 = 8%
Other Toys: 1 = 4%
Performers: 1 = 4%

I suppose we could combine Horns, Mouthpieces, and Other Toys into an equipment-based subgroup. Making Palestrina's total equipment-related posts, just over 58%. That's 3 1/2 times as many posts as he/she has made to Fundamentals.

Dave M

[ This Message was edited by: DavesTrumpet on 2003-11-14 17:55 ]

BrassClass · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 3:13 pm Post subject:

DavesTrumpet,

You are so right and that is so funny!

brother · Regular Member Joined: 27 Nov 2002 Posts: 60

That's scary that you even did that Dave.
Amusing...but scary.
Brother
P.S.

plp · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 8:33 pm Post subject:

Every one of the trumpets, cornets, and other brass instruments I own and play have their own characteristics, and have their own variables depending on mouthpiece choice. I have one that I just got, a 1939 King Liberty, that sounds like a brace is loose, lots of dead vibration, unless I use an old Holton mouthpiece. With that mpc, the tone warms up and really resonates, as this is a deep cup, but tight backbore. I have a Couesnon Lafayette that is the only horn that seems to work well with the added resistance of a Silent Brass system, but wears me out if I try to play it without the SB.
My point is, while different horns will not make you play any better, different horns will allow you to develop different sounds and playing characteristics. And for me, it is a ton of fun picking one up on ebay for 30 or 40 bucks, and find I've got the horn for a certain style.

If all of this sounds like gross rationalization, that's because it is.

Palestrina · Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2003 2:16 pm Post subject:

It's really too bad DavesTrumpet found my post as an "attack" post on anyone who enjoys the Horns thread. I never stated I wasn't interested in horns and that I shunned anyone who did. On the contrary, I only thought it might be interesting to note how many more posts there were for horns. That was really it. I'm glad Dave is checking up on all of us on the members list to make sure we're not getting away with anything. That's super constructive. Keep up the good work, Davestrumpet! Hope you had fun with your friend that evening you made that startling discovery.

To answer my own question for the sake of discussion....Yes, I DO think a new horn could change your life. It could motivate you to practice more, improve your sound, or get you the right equipment for that audition.

DavesTrumpet · Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2003 3:23 pm Post subject:

WaxHaX0rS · Heavyweight Member Joined: 19 Jul 2003 Posts: 524

Get away with anything? So you you're saying that you can "get away with" spending most of your time on the horns forums but nobody else can? That's really going to make people listen to you... riiiiight...

Palestrina · Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2003 6:07 am Post subject:

Obviously, Wax, you can't take a joke. At least I think Dave did. Lighten up a little. Jeez.

trombapaul2 · Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2003 6:34 pm Post subject:

Am I a "Horn-a-holic"? Hmmmmmmm??? Does my dog lick his...never mind!!
YES I AM!! And proud of it too, although my wife takes great exception to the amount
of time I spend searching for the perfect mouthpiece or just the right horn for playing
a specific style. I can safely say I have a problem and I'm not interested in being
cured.

Paul
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