While I was at the ITEC exhibits I had the chance to meet a genuine entrepreneur, Mr. Bill Ricker. Or maybe "inventor" is a better word. He did what clever folks have done all through history: he saw a need and developed a solution to addresses it. Most of you reading this have probably tried to clean a horn out at some time or other. And some of you have probably wanted to do some horn cleaning while you were traveling. I have cleaned my euphonium at home by putting a garden ...
I recently returned from a performance at ITEC 2010 in Tucson, Arizona. There were a few logistical problems, not the least of which was that Delta managed to damage my horn's tuning slide. But I borrowed a loaner from Custom Music's display. It's a little like running a foot race in new shoes, but it wasn't too uncomfortable. However, I really didn't welcome the extra mental stress of performing with a brand-new instrument. A thing like that can make a person nervous! And I still ...
Why does one spend the money and take the time to attend an International Tuba-Euphonium Conference? Certainly to hear some wonderful performances and to meet old friends and make new ones. That is reason enough to go for many. But consider the shopping/research opportunities! There are many posts on my forum about things like: Is the ___ euphonium better than the ____ euphonium?What difference is there between the bells on the Sterling?How different are the Yamaha 842 ...