I recently bought a King 4 valve single b flat off
ebay, not to play seriously, but to have fun with.
When I play it alone in my living room it sounds
great; but, when I have tried it with an ensemble, the
intonation is all over the map. I mean, this little
horn is squirrelly!
I probably should give some background on this horn
and my own playing.
The horn was beat when I bought it; I knew it wasn't
pristine, but I didn't pay a lot for it either. I had
to have several joints resoldered. (I'm glad I wasn't
around when my repair guy worked on it. According to
my husband, my repair guy was knocking his spare parts
off the walls with the words he was using to describe
the mental giant who replated the horn without
checking the solder joints.) The valves themselves
are also somewhat leaky. I can still get a weak pop
out of them when I pull the slides. Thick oil helps,
but then the valves feel gummy.
For my own playing, I am an amateur. From a
temperament standpoint I lean toward being 2nd/4th
specialist, but I end up playing 1st in most of the
bands I'm in based on my skill level. My mouthpiece
of choice is a Shilke 32 and I alternate between
playing an Abilene Conn 8D and King Eroica.
The Shilke 32 is obviously way to big for this single
b flat. I've tried a Benge 11 and the intonation is
still all over the place. I have also tried an MDC
with this horn; but the sound is too thin for my
tastes. I haven't tried the horn with the MDC in an
ensemble yet.
All this is leading up to my question. Is there
anyway to get this little horn under control without
spending a fortune on a valve job and a lead pipe?
Should I try a smaller mouthpiece, a different hand
position, or should I just hang it on the wall next to
my Olds alto horn and call it a failed experiment?
Kathy
Anaheim, CA
____________________________________________________________________________________
Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news,
photos & more.
http://mobile.yahoo.com/go?refer=1GNXIC
_______________________________________________
post: horn@music.memphis.edu
unsubscribe or set options at
http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
