[Trombone-l] Thoughts for a restart in mid-life.

[Jim Battell]

Dave,

Back again on this.

The push into pro-hood can be a brief foray, or an outright blitzkrieg.

I get the renewability of the fuel.  The span of renewability remains to be 
tweaked, in my mind.  For example, I can see my self as a coal fired plant 
and run for a while.  Or as a nuclear reactor, and run a LOT longer and more 
cleanly.  And, the nuclear reactors, at least of my Navy days, required 
refueling/refitting after a while.  We have seen fusion reactors - the sun - 
and they can last a really long time.  and eventually they run down, or so 
we think.  We might think of receiving joy from the environment, as from the 
other stars in my life - you included.  And that system is thought to run 
down.  Then, there are things like the Brahms Requiem, or his Three Motets 
(Schaff in mir, Gott/O Cast Me Not Away/(and a third) which seem to have a 
life of their own - a luminosity.  Charm.  Attractiveness.  They bring or 
induce joy.  What's with that?  Maybe music has a future after all.  Maybe 
we've got this thing backwards.  Compaq should be in existence to support 
its band, and not the other way around.

I am happy to wax prolific with you anytime about the alto.  I have 6 altos, 
from a new Shires down to a rare, authentic Selman.  The Selman ain't bad. 
And it does not get the nod from me compared to some of my others:

Shires - the sweetest of the lot for me, 3 interchangeable mouthpipes, 
tuning in the hand slide, very light feel to the slide nonetheless.  I see 
me using it for the purely alto efforts, like a Mozart or Schubert Mass.  I 
hope that Steve will see his way clear to making an alto with Bb attachment. 
I stuff the ballot box about this every chance I get.  The horn gets the nod 
sometimes, otherwise sits on my practice stand at Osmun's.  Or, it sits in 
our showroom waiting for me to blow a few notes between customers, a 
meantime closing up fast these days.  The horn attracts other tromboni like 
flies.

Yamaha YSL-871 with Bb attachment from an Olds F Attachment (appropriate 
inside tubing diameter).  This is the sweetest, for me, under the Shires. 
It has a Bb attachment which keeps me away from those treacherous and 
unfamiliar 6th & 7th positions.  I get there a lot in mixed brass work - 
like horn parts in a quintet.  Or, even in trombone ensemble where I might 
swap out the 1st part to someone.  Osmun's (Jim Engele) installed the Bb 
attachment.

Yamaha 671.  A lesser 871, for me.  Also with Bb attachment, crafted by Jim 
Becker of Osmun's.  The Bb attachment is configured in a "Reynolds" wrap. 
Sits on my practice stand at home.

Conn 36H, Bb attachment.  Retired, in standby.

Mirafone alto, with Jim Becker installed Minnick wrap Bb attachment, retired 
in standby.

The authentic, rare Selman.  Not due to be retired soon.

I had an Amati with Brass Bow installed Bb attachment (scarily large inside 
tubing diameter, otherwise beautiful job.  Played well.),   Retired and 
sold.

Bach 39, retired and sold.

I continue to look for the alto which will let me play a fifth higher, with 
no further work on my part.

Jim





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Battell" <jbattell at comcast.net>
To: "Dave Demko" <demko61 at gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2007 2:15 PM
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Thoughts for a restart in mid-life.


> Agreed!
>
> And, personally, I advocate a little drift into pro-hood.  Perhaps to the
> point of self-sustaining - able to support my trombone/equipment/sheet
> music acquisition mania.  This is why I joined the staff at Osmun Music.
>
> 1.  They are Top Guns, IMHO.
>
> 2.  If I'm on this side of the counter it's a shorter throw to put my
> money into Osmun's cash register.  A certain efficiency there, you see.
>
> 3.  I might have joined Shires, also Top Guns, and alas they are too far
> away.  Let's talk again, Steve, when you move to Arlington.
>
> Jim
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Dave Demko" <demko61 at gmail.com>
> To: <trombone-l at server5.samford.edu>
> Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2007 12:28 AM
> Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Thoughts for a restart in mid-life.
>
>
>> Greg,
>> I have hardly played for 24 years, a brief wedding-band stint
>> excepted. But playing for a service last Christmas with my kids (high
>> school brass players) revived my interest strongly. I found a good
>> used .547 horn and have worked on the basics: Remington, Tyrell,
>> Rouchut. Also, I've learned or re-leaned some pieces I like.
>> My tone went from out-of-shape to OK pretty quickly. I'm still
>> chasing that gorgeous trombone sound in my brain. I'm impatient,
>> thinking about taking up alto and returning to euphonium. But common
>> sense and lack of hours in the day help me concentrate on the horn in
>> hand.
>> If amateur means a) playing for love, not money, and b) not good
>> enough to make steady money with the trombone anyway, then I'm doubly
>> an amateur. My plans are to join a brass ensemble or community band
>> and take occasional lessons for course corrections.
>> Six months into it, I'm pretty happy with my re-start. It doesn't
>> seem nuts to me. Enthusiasm and enjoyment are my fuel, and that fuel
>> is renewable.
>>
>> Dave
>>
>>
>> On 7/18/07, Greg Jones <conductorjonz at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>> I haven't played trombone in 15 years or so and never really learned
>>> properly to begin with.  I taught myself every bad habit in the world.al
>>> by
>>> myself!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Having laid off the horn for 15 years, I began staring longingly at my
>>> old
>>> King 2B (Which never left its stand in my office.) and thinking about
>>> playing again.but the proper way this time.  I have been reading the
>>> e-mails
>>> on the list with great interest, and have a great respect for those on
>>> this
>>> list, many of whom I have admired over the years.  So now that I've
>>> gotten
>>> nerve to ask.am I nuts to do this and spend this kind of money at 39
>>> years
>>> old.  Is it mid-life crisis early?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I had my old 1938 King 2B overhauled and love it more than ever.  A
>>> wonderful instrument!!  I bought a new King 3B since that is what I
>>> played
>>> before for jazz, and recently acquired a 1940's Olds Recording with a
>>> slide
>>> and valve section.  I just started lessons with an instructor, but still
>>> have doubts that I have lost my mind.  I thought learning to read this
>>> time
>>> might be helpful.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> My wife is supportive.so far.  She hasn't said a thing about vacationing
>>> with our new "child in the black leatherette case."  She continues to
>>> encourage me.  However I still think it may be a bit late in life for
>>> such
>>> things.  I've also had some profession musician friend who have given
>>> advice
>>> and been kind enough to answer questions as needed.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> While I'll never be the next Alex Iles, or Dick Nash, I would be happy
>>> to
>>> help by playing music for the Salvation Army band or some local bands.
>>> I
>>> don't have any delusions of being a "professional", but rather just want
>>> to
>>> challenge myself and keep my "gray matter" working before I get too
>>> feeble.
>>> (HA!)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Your thoughts would be appreciated.  I'd also be curious to have any
>>> feedback on playing valve trombone since I've rather enjoyed practicing
>>> both
>>> slide and valve horns.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Greg Jones
>>>
>>> Toledo, Ohio
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Trombone-l mailing list
>>> Trombone-l at maillists.samford.edu
>>> http://maillists.samford.edu/mailman/listinfo/trombone-l
>>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> "The awesome destructive power of the double trigger bass trombone
>> could never have been imagined by the founding fathers when they
>> granted us the right to keep and bear arms." -- Albert Manglesdorf
>>
>>
>