Excellent advice, Jack...
On 12/4/07, John Dutton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > [Q] > How much different will a particular horn play with a different bell > flare. > I have a 1 year old Atkinson with a rose brass bell and I've noticed I > can't > play as loudly as I could on my old 8D before the tone takes on that > characteristic raspy edge. Any thoughts? Would a nickle silver bell flare > in the 300,000 series size change the playing characteristics very > much? > [/Q] > > Hi Jim, > Different bells can have dramatic effects on how a horn plays. This is > perhaps more true of older horns than newer horns but applicable to > all. My > most aesthetically pleasing bell is one I don't ever use as it makes my > horn > a chore to play. Someday I might find a horn it fits up better with but > maybe not. Bells new or old that have been damaged and repaired or > sometimes even undamaged new bells can be 'dead' and have zero carrying > ability. This 'deadness' often is not apparent to the individual playing > the horn as they perceive plenty of volume up close but that might > diminish > drastically after even 20 feet of perspective. At any rate, I would think > this would not be the case on a new Atkinson. Also, you didn't say what > style Atkinson flare you have now so comparing it to Mark's 300,000 series > Elkhart model is impossible. By changing alloy and size you are changing > quite a few variables IMO. > > Be careful of judging your volume by what you hear at your ear. Often > when > we change equipment we forget that we need to adjust our perspective to > that > new equipment. Have someone you trust listen to you at the back of the > hall > and also get feedback from trusted ears in a performance situation if > possible. Often a very efficient bell will not seem to sound as loud up > close to the player with the result that we 'think' we are not as loud as > before. The instinct is then to drive the horn harder which is often > counterproductive. The key point I think is to know when the core sound > starts to blossom. > > I encountered this same situation when I changed from playing a beautiful > and powerful 8d (800xxx) full time to playing a beautiful and powerful > Alex > 103 full time. Even though I knew better intellectually, I had to go > through an adjustment period. I had the advantage of having trusted ears > (Caesar LaMonaca and Don McComas) in the audience to get feedback from and > it made all the difference. I tend to now judge my volume by more > criteria > than the tinnitus level in my ear alone. > > Hope this helps, > The Jack Attack! > > _______________________________________________ > post: horn@music.memphis.edu > unsubscribe or set options at > http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/fbaucom%40gmail.com > _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
