Before the big reveal, I'd like to say... I loved hearing this young man play. I was charmed by his confidence, bravado, style, etc. I've never met him, but would love to, however I found him on FaceBook yesterday. The link to the recording was provided by a friend who knows him personally. This student is obviously hard working and very talented. If he were my student or my son, I'd be very proud of his accomplishments and would hope others would offer encouragement.
Anyway... when I first heard this recording I was struck by the brightness & clarity of the tone. The first thing that entered my mind was all the discussion I've read about brass types & bell sizes contributing to tone. Some insist, that nickle silver produces the brightest tone, yellow brass a bit mellower tone and that rose brass produces a tone so dark some people describe it as "dull" or "dead." And, I've also heard that the smaller the bell throat, the brighter & more penetrating the tone. Hmmm... With this informaion and sound images in mind, I couldn't resist guessing what he was playing and thought others might enjoy the same game. Just for fun, I took a chance & guessed it was a yellow brass, medium bell, Geyer type horn. I asked the guy who shared the link with me if he knew. He answered...(drum roll)... Rose Brass Paxman 25L. Rose brass????? This seemed contrary to everything I've been told regarding rose brass (AKA gold brass). Of course, there are other equipment variables such as the mouthpiece, but... this little guessing game added one more reason for me to believe the oft repeated mantra: "It's not the horn but the hornist that makes the music." Since no one guessed correctly, I will award the winner's prize to the hornorable mention. In the shuffle of emails, I've misplaced this gifted individual's name & contact information. The honorable mention goes to the fella who guessed the 1/8th inch dent in a specific location. It was actually a 1/8 inch dent in the metal hinge on his horn case. But, congrats anyway, you were darn close. You may come forward to claim your prize, the winning claim number to the Canadian lottery, which will be delivered to your spam folder 20 or 30 times within the next 24 hours. ;o) Valerie -- Valerie Wells The Balanced Embouchure Method http://bebabe.wordpress.com/ http://www.beforhorn.blogspot.com/ _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
