[Trombone-l] Advice

[Randy Fendrick]

> Williams horns are great. Stable in all registers,
I can attest to this statement.  I just bought from an old friend, an 
Earl Williams Model 6, that he had purchased new in 1934.  A much 
smaller bell than the Conn 6H that I now use as a jazz horn, but this 
thing is much more responsive than either my Conn or my Bach 42B.  The 
horn is 74 years old and what a gas to play.  When my friend bought it, 
he had the then principal of the LA Phil, Lorn Steinberger and Skip 
Wallace, the bass trombonist and also the person who was the financial 
backer of Williams,  play several horns that were in the shop at the 
time.  This horn was the most responsive.  There were also several 
studio musicians from LA at that time, in the shop and apparently all 
agreed that this was the best playing.

My friend is 95 years of age and wanted the horn to go to someone who 
would take care of it.   About 20 years ago, I told him that if he ever 
wanted to sell the horn I would buy it.   He also included his method 
books, a slew of mutes, and other toys that we, casual musicians, use 
on gigs.  Some of the method books include:
Daily Lip and Tongue Exercises by Ernst Gaetke
Several etude books by Robert Muller
Studies in Scales & Arpeggios part 1 & 2 by Ernst Gaetke
Universal Method for the Trombone by Paul DeVille
Daily Studies for Embouchure by Edwin Franko Goldman
Technical Studies for the Slide Trombone by Charles E. Stacy
Stacey's Successful Studies for slide trombone, Book II, Twelve Etudes,
Stacey's Successful Studies for slide trombone, Book I, Embouchure 
Cultivation.
Thos. H King's Thorough Method for Slide Trombone, Part II (This has 
many excerpts from band and orchestra literature).
66 Etudes by Anton Slama
32 Celebrated Melodies for Trombone by E. Vobraon, the Carl Fischer 
edition.  This is a duet book.

What a joy it has been to go through and read this stuff.  The other 
day, I started reading etudes and 5 hours later was still out it.  Then 
something told me I was getting tired.

On a slightly different subject, another friend called to say that he 
had a collection of Down Beat magazines from the 1950s.  There are 
approximately   100 of these things, needless to say I can't put these 
things down.

later,

Randy Fendrick
Southside Chicago Seven
Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, ret