Trumpets

[J Larsen]

Or a drummer who's not quite "right"?

[RDK]

I 've got a degree in music education

Well despite that you seem to really know what you're talking about.

[Shrdlu]

The same principle applies to any air column or a string.

You have the fundamental note, where the whole thing is vibrating and the two ends are still, then the first harmonic, where the two ends are still and so is the center, this being an octave higher. Then, still higher notes (or overtones) with still patches at various intervals along the pipe or string. The "still patches" are called nodes.

The second harmonic is a 12th (= 12 notes) above the fundamental, not two octaves. This has nodes 1/3 and 2/3 of the way along.

As the harmonics get higher, they get closer together, not as far apart as a whole octave.

With the trumpet, where the three valves give you three different pipe lengths, the fundamental notes are seldom played. It's mainly the higher harmonics, which are more close togther. So this, plus the operation of the valves, gives you a way of playing all the 12 notes in the chromatic scale.

As was said, you can do this on a saxophone. For example, you can finger the bottom Bb and by altering the embouchure, you can get Bb an octave higher, then the F above that, and so on, including the top F and beyond. But with all the keys on the horn, you don't need to do that.

[MoGrubb]

Speaking of dicks, let's talk "lead" guitar players.

[7/4]

Speaking of dicks, let's talk "lead" guitar players.

Interesting expression...

[Shawn]

Speaking of dicks, let's talk "lead" guitar players.

There are actually very few "Lead" guitar players...but there's a shitload of "Follow" guitar players.

[montg]

I played the trumpet for 8 or 9 years through high school but finally gave it up, I was getting concerned my lip was going to be permanently swollen or scarred. Blowing air through brass is a tough way to make a living, just look at those pictures of Pops with scar tissue on his lips to see the evidence. It amazes me when old guys can still get a nice sound from the trumpet--like Ruby Braff playing into old age with emphysema even, don't know how he did it.

[Hot Ptah]

I played the trumpet for 8 or 9 years through high school but finally gave it up, I was getting concerned my lip was going to be permanently swollen or scarred. Blowing air through brass is a tough way to make a living, just look at those pictures of Pops with scar tissue on his lips to see the evidence. It amazes me when old guys can still get a nice sound from the trumpet--like Ruby Braff playing into old age with emphysema even, don't know how he did it.

Another example of an older guy who can still play well is Clark Terry. He still does that routine where he plays two trumpets, one in each hand. I tried to shake his hand after a concert a few years ago and he could barely make a fist. When I was playing the trumpet, I depended a lot on using my hands to hold the trumpet hard when I was playing high notes or loudly. How Clark Terry can still play so well when he must barely be able to hold the trumpet is amazing to me--and how does he play the two trumpets at once under those conditions?

Of course, that may be one (of several) reasons why I wasn't any good on trumpet. Maybe none of the good players use their hand grip on the trumpet as a crutch.

Hmmm, I have been telling people all of these years that I quit trumpet because I was a lousy player. Your post has given me inspiration--I will tell them instead that I was concerned about the scarring of my lip.

[montg]

Right, I was lousy too, but no one needs to know that part of the story I could play taps pretty well though! When I was in high school the VFW guys would come and get me out of school fairly routinely to play taps at a vet's funeral...pretty cool, sitting in the VFW bar drinking coke while watchng the vets complain about Reagan and getting half drunk as they got prepared for their 21 gun salute at the funeral. It sure beat sitting in high school geometry class.

I'm sure my lip swelling was due to poor technique and, like you said, getting into the upper register required me to hold/squeeze the trumpet hard. The physical demands of playing a trumpet are real, that's for sure. Look at Pops' upper lip..man that is hard work

[MoGrubb]

Check out Maynard Ferguson's chops for a freak lip, too.

Scarring of the lip must be at the top of the list of excuses for giving up

the trumpet. Other good ones could be[feel free to add:)]:

1. I didn't have time to practice

2.

[DukeCity]

Check out Maynard Ferguson's chops for a freak lip, too.

Scarring of the lip must be at the top of the list of excuses for giving up

the trumpet. Other good ones could be[feel free to add:)]:

1. I didn't have time to practice

2.

Maynards chops certainly survived their share of abuse. But there was even harsher activity going on on the inside. MF played with a "dry embouchure", meaning that just before he would play he wouldn't lick his lips, he would dry them on the cuff of his shirt. This would give him a good "grip' on the mouthpiece. The combination of that and how his lips pressed on his teeth resulted in him building a callous on the inside of his upper lip.

The callous had its own life cycle: There would be a point in the growth of the callous when it would allow MF to play pretty hard all night, but the callous would still be small enough that he could still play with some flixibility and subtlety. As the callous grew, MF would gain endurance, and could really scream all night, but would start to lose the flexibility. THEN, there would be a night when he would be pounding away, and the callous would crack. MF would go back to the hotel after the gig and take a long hot shower, steaming and soaking the callous, then he would...uh...remove the callous!

He might mention it on the bus the next day, and that night his power and endurance would be a little down, but he would have tremendous flexibility and suppleness.. And the cycle would begin again...

Nasty Buisiness!

[montg]

Check out Maynard Ferguson's chops for a freak lip, too.

Scarring of the lip must be at the top of the list of excuses for giving up

the trumpet. Other good ones could be[feel free to add:)]:

1. I didn't have time to practice

2.

Maynards chops certainly survived their share of abuse. But there was even harsher activity going on on the inside. MF played with a "dry embouchure", meaning that just before he would play he wouldn't lick his lips, he would dry them on the cuff of his shirt. This would give him a good "grip' on the mouthpiece. The combination of that and how his lips pressed on his teeth resulted in him building a callous on the inside of his upper lip.

The callous had its own life cycle: There would be a point in the growth of the callous when it would allow MF to play pretty hard all night, but the callous would still be small enough that he could still play with some flixibility and subtlety. As the callous grew, MF would gain endurance, and could really scream all night, but would start to lose the flexibility. THEN, there would be a night when he would be pounding away, and the callous would crack. MF would go back to the hotel after the gig and take a long hot shower, steaming and soaking the callous, then he would...uh...remove the callous!

He might mention it on the bus the next day, and that night his power and endurance would be a little down, but he would have tremendous flexibility and suppleness.. And the cycle would begin again...

Nasty Buisiness!

Great, if somewhat gruesome, story!

[nemo7]

blow

[MoGrubb]

Check out Maynard Ferguson's chops for a freak lip, too.

Scarring of the lip must be at the top of the list of excuses for giving up

the trumpet. Other good ones could be[feel free to add:)]:

1. I didn't have time to practice

2.

Maynards chops certainly survived their share of abuse. But there was even harsher activity going on on the inside. MF played with a "dry embouchure", meaning that just before he would play he wouldn't lick his lips, he would dry them on the cuff of his shirt. This would give him a good "grip' on the mouthpiece. The combination of that and how his lips pressed on his teeth resulted in him building a callous on the inside of his upper lip.

The callous had its own life cycle: There would be a point in the growth of the callous when it would allow MF to play pretty hard all night, but the callous would still be small enough that he could still play with some flixibility and subtlety. As the callous grew, MF would gain endurance, and could really scream all night, but would start to lose the flexibility. THEN, there would be a night when he would be pounding away, and the callous would crack. MF would go back to the hotel after the gig and take a long hot shower, steaming and soaking the callous, then he would...uh...remove the callous!

He might mention it on the bus the next day, and that night his power and endurance would be a little down, but he would have tremendous flexibility and suppleness.. And the cycle would begin again...

Nasty Buisiness!

Great, if somewhat gruesome, story!

I heard somewhere that MF had serious dental work done, to boot. That right there has been some guys' excuse for dropping the axe; must be a bitch, like starting from scratch.