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Through jr. high, high school & college, I was a low brass player. I played euphonium for the most part, until I was switched to tuba my senior year of college. Many years passed without a horn (and therefore without practicing), and I was able to buy a euphonium at a music store closeout sale, and so I started to play again. I've played the last couple of years at the local Tuba Christmas concerts, which is fun, but I've got limited space, and so pulling out a euphonium to practice can be a bit difficult at times.

I've been wanting to learn new instruments, though, and I recently found a really good deal on an Olds Ambassador trumpet; it is 43 years old, but it is in near pristine condition: very little wear on the lacquer coating, good valve compression, etc. The last time I tried trumpet, I had a decent lip, but I couldn't get more than one octave out of the horn. Now, 20+ years later, and me with a very weak embouchure, I can cover two octaves. I attribute it to a better horn--I've read that the Olds horns, up until the '70s, were some of the best ever made. Anyway, I started to practice, mostly playing by ear as I learn to read trumpet parts. I started to make up a melody, and it has turned into something that sounds like it is straight out of Jackie Gleason's orchestra: very cool, flowing, with lots of half-steps. I've got the theme of the piece; now I just need to work on the variations to the theme. It's exciting to be already creating something on a new horn. Now, I've just got to finish it, record it, and come up with some lame video so I can post it on You Tube or someplace similar...

I plan to learn some woodwinds as well, but they still intimidate me a little. I'm used to using three or four fingers, not eight or nine.



I've tried to construct this post to minimize the "heh, heh, he's playing with his instrument" comments, but I'm sure I slipped up somewhere, so let's hear 'em if you got 'em.  :lookingup: :tongueout: :lookingup:

I like my version better. :teddyr:

No crude remarks from me, I have ZERO musical talent. So I salute those that do.

Good for you!  I've got to start practicing my guitar more.  Songwriting is always fun.  Post a clip for us to listen to when you've got it done  :smile:

I somehow knew that, no matter how careful I was, Menard would be up to the task of corrupting it. Hopefully, I at least gave you a minimal challenge. I'd salute you, but my fingers are busy elsewhere.  (http://www.websmileys.com/sm/obscene/eck13.gif) :bouncegiggle:

Otherwise, thanks for the encouragement, guys, though it will likely be a while before I've got a finished song. And Jack, most definitely keep playing your guitar. I love playing guitar, but I can't as much as I'd like.

If you do decide to take up a woodwind, try the Sax first.  It's probably the easiest Woodwind to learn, and it's a good introduction to that group of instruments.

That's what a band director told me. Trouble is, saxes are #$%#@ expensive, and I am @#%@^ poor. She said to try the sax and then the flute. I've got a flute, so I may have to skip the easiest and move on to the only one to require more air power than a tuba. I'd love to learn the sax, too, though.

With my trombone players lip I could only manage about an octave on trumpet. I did better on horn and could really nail the lowest notes, which many horn players find really difficult.

Flutes have fairly simple fingerings, but do take quite a bit of air. Just remember to let the air stream create the embouchure, and don't try to 'whistle' into the thing.  :teddyr: Clarinet is relatively easy, and used ones can picked up fairly cheaply. With any woodwind you want to get it checked out by a repairman to at least make sure there are no leaks. Trying to play on any leaky woodwind instrument can be extremely frustrating, as many of the pitches will simply not play - no matter how hard you try.

In college I went from trombone to bassoon. Talk about having to learn to wiggling fingers! Bassoon is the only wind instrument that uses all eight fingers and both thumbs.

I played the trombone in the 5th grade but I was terrible so I gave up.  Here's a fun fact on me, I've given up a lot when it comes to stuff.  Karate, trombone, etc.

This is too easy. :teddyr:


More....more :twirl:

I play trumpet for a ska band called "Jerry Seinfeld is the Devil". I not that great at it, but I'm decent. I wanna pick up some saxaphone skillz.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AMd4CwUAGgk

Raffine,

I come from a musical family; one sister plays french horn, one plays bassoon, one plays euphonium. Two of my brothers played trombone. My wife plays clarinet/bass clarinet, and my daughter plays oboe. I currently own a euph, a trumpet, a flute and a bass clarinet (as well as guitars, a synthesizer and several recorders). I can't imagine going from trombone to bassoon; double reeds drive me crazy. I've messed around with the flute a bit, and I can get a good tone out of it (I had it re-padded when I first bought it, so it's not leaky). I learned a basic scale, but that was long enough ago that I've forgotten it and will have to start over. I really don't like the clarinet for anything but Dixieland jazz, but I may try out my wife's bass clarinet just for funsies (she doesn't really play it often). I started really basic with woodwinds by learning the recorder (I never played one in grade school), just to get used to using both hands.

Patient7--you shouldn't give up on things just because you're terrible at first. Look at Britney Spears: She's terrible, and she's made millions! Of course, if you're not a hot, young blonde and a pedophile's dream date, then you might have a more difficult time than she did.  :tongueout:

Menard: (http://www.websmileys.com/sm/crazy/291.gif)  :bouncegiggle: :bouncegiggle: :bouncegiggle:

Are there any videos of your band playing or anywhere I can hear you guys?

Now that's using both hands. Looks like it's leaky.:teddyr:

Well, there is this video, but its not a very good preformance of the song. Honestly, its a little embarassing. The song itself it great I think, but that night we were all a little off. Plus, this was back when our lead singer's girlfriend was doing secondary vocals, which also sucked. Nice girl, but not that great of a musician. She's not with us anymore.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8tkznDIlBm0

KYGOTC, cool stuff. I always wanted to be in a band, but apparently never badly enough to go out and find one that would have me. That, and I try to play too many different instruments without mastering any of them (did I just say that where Menard could read it? Yikes!). I'm best at vocals, play guitar well enough to perform in church, play euph well enough to be in an ensemble, and the rest is just having fun in a very amateur capacity.

Derf, that's really cool you have such a musical family. I was about the only one in my family that went into music, and I wound up with a degree in music and education.


You have my deepest sympathy.  :bouncegiggle:


You also gotta have big hands to play the thing. Small hands just don't fit around it.

I deeply respect anyone who can master an instrument.  In my life I have tried and failed to become competent on: guitar, clarinet, trumpet, keyboards, and harmonica.  I actually got the farthest on trumpet.  By my sophomore year in high school I had worked my way up to second to last chair, instead of last chair!

I can compose music with the aid of a computer, even though I can't play it back.

I can also carry a tune, on those rare occasions when a melody falls into my narrow half baritone/half tenor range.

I love and appreciate music but I've been cursed with the inability to make it. 

Slightly OT:

Please enjoy this clarinet-humpback whale duet:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7468761.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7468761.stm)

So then, you teach? At what level? I minored in music, but that's as far as I went with my education in that area. I'm afraid I'll always be a rank amateur, but at least I'm having fun with it. As for my daughter, I give her a hard time about sounding like a wounded duck, but she is actually quite good for her level of experience: She got second chair in her Region competition (several people, including the kid that got first chair, thought she should have gotten first), and she has taken lessons from one of the U.S.'s premier Oboists, a woman who happens to live near us. She actually chose oboe because her uncle (my brother-in-law) who is a band director told her that she would be able to get good scholarships for college if she played an atypical instrument like oboe.

KYGOTC, I'm really sorry to hear about your head.

Well, I used to give up a lot when I was younger, I kinda stopped with that now because I stopped leaving the house. :bouncegiggle:

I taught middle school band for about ten years. I moved to middle Tennessee to be closer to family and took a temporary job at a non-profit agency until I got a teaching job. That was 15 years ago, and I'm still here!

I do know lots of band directors in the area since I play with several community and university groups, so I'm still "in the loop" in case I ever decide to get back to teaching.

So you kinda gave up on giving up by giving up going out?  :teddyr:

I would love to learn an instrument. Keyboard would likely be most practical. But it's just one more thing I need to get around to.

I do kind of enjoy assembling musical arrangements out of sound loops. I started doing that when I needed free background music suitable for news videos I was doing.

Apart from that, I have a good singing voice (untrained), and used to do the odd bit of karaoke. Took second prize in a bar contest once. Unfortunately, that's about the only public venue I've been able to sing in. My wife gets frustrated because she likes my voice, but I can't sing in front of people with less than eight vodka tonics in me. Even in church (no, I do not drink vodka tonics in church).

My daughter is about the only person I have no difficulty singing to, and she loves music. I try to give her every opportunity to listen to different kinds of music and experiment with sounds and rhythms. She loves to sing and make noise, and I have no doubt she will learn to play an instrument. As soon as she's old enough to know what she wants to play, I'll get her the lessons. Been looking for a nice generic music class for toddlers, but not much is available around here.

Its cool. They found MOST of the peices and put me back together. Now I'm as popular as ever with the females!
(http://home.actlab.utexas.edu/~michald/michal_weird/Pictures/Picture7.png)

Exactly.  :bouncegiggle:

Edit:  Actually, my giving up on going out caused me to give up on giving up.