[Trombone-l] Bass Trumpets

[ALEX ILES]

Thanks to all our trombone list friends who have offered me so much  
help on and off-list with my question about our "colorful" cousin,  
the bass trumpet.

I am tempted to ask about what kinds of rotor/piston oils you guys  
prefer, but I will not act on that...

oops...maybe I just did.

:-O

Thanks again for help, y'all.

Best wishes,

LX
=========================================


On Jun 9, 2008, at 3:55 PM, Walter Barrett wrote:

> Hey, Jim!
>
> The older Bachs were indeed available in C or Bb, and you could also
> get them in C with a set of Bb slides. I got to play on one of those
> that Manhattan School rented for me to play when they did the Rite of
> Spring. (Did you play trombone on that, with George Manahan, Jim?)
> That was an amazing horn!
>
> I have an early Elkhart Bach that plays pretty well.
>
> I hear that the Selman is a copy of the Lidl, and plays about as well.
> Be prepared to have a repair guy go over the horn to tweak the
> mechanics that the factory didn't quite get right, but even with the
> extra repair $$, it'll still be cheaper than any other rotary. The
> Alex is pretty much the standard for rotary C bass, but quality as
> well as availability can be spotty. C or Bb? I don't think it matters
> much, as long as you put in the time and effort to be able to play it
> in tune. If you're going to get serious about orchestral playing,
> you'd probably want a Bach piston AND a rotary of some type. Fairly
> serious $$ for the 11 pieces in the orchestral literature that call
> for it.
>
> On Jun 9, 2008, at 6:29 PM, jscot at ucalgary.ca wrote:
>
>>> Gabe & listers -
>>
>> I would second the recommendation of the Mike Mulcahy CD - his
>> playing is
>> fantastic on both the Bass Trumpet and on the Euphonium. The CD is on
>> Summit records however, and he plays on an Alexander bass trumpet  
>> in C
>> with a Bach 15C mouthpiece.
>>
>> The old Mt. Vernon Bachs can be great - the Met has a pair of either
>> Mt.
>> Vernon or NY Bachs that if I remember correctly, can be tuned in C
>> or B
>> flat. I've tried newer Bachs, and some are quite good, while some are
>> awful. I played one at Manny's in NYC several years ago, where the
>> low B
>> flat was more like a B natural, the middle one was OK, and the high
>> one
>> was really an A. Good luck trying to find fingerings that work on  
>> that
>> horn!
>>
>> I still kick myself for not buying an old Conn in another NYC shop
>> some
>> years ago. It had a nice sound - slightly bright like you want from
>> a horn
>> that has to fit into a trpt. section. The scale was good, and the
>> blow was
>> fairly free - comfortable for a trombonist. They were asking $600,
>> and at
>> the time cash was tight and I couldn't see an immediate use for it.
>>
>> The Getzens are OK, not anything to write home about, but user
>> friendly
>> for the most part.
>>
>> I know that some people who play the instrument a lot like to use
>> something like a Bach B flat for the Janacek - Sinfonnietta and for
>> the
>> Stravinsky - Rite of Spring, where the part is scored low, and a
>> German C
>> bass trpt. for the Wagner - Ring Cycle.
>>
>> My $.02 (CDN) = $.022 (US) these days.
>>
>> Jim Scott
>
>
>
> Walter Barrett
>
> "...French horns have about the same length of tubing as the human
> intestinal tract, and both frequently offer similar products."
> 	- Chris Waage
>
> Alto, tenor, bass trombones
> Bass trumpet, euphonium, tuba
> Yamaha Artist/Clinician
> http://www.walterbarrett.com
>
>
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