Blog Comments

  1. iMav's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by jelessard
    My favourite is the Yamaha 53DL. Gorgeous lower and mid range but still full high range.
    interesting. I’ve been playing on a 52E2. Never seen a 53DL.
  2. jelessard's Avatar
    My favourite is the Yamaha 53DL. Gorgeous lower and mid range but still full high range.
  3. Mr.WAFFLES's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by iMav
    Does the Sinfonico come with all three mouthpiece receivers?

    And, did anyone capture the weight of this instrument? (The standard 1150 Jinbao euphs are quite a bit lighter (thinner metal) than the popular Ovis-manufactured euphs (John Packer, for example)) Considering this gets higher marks than the ACB Doubler, I am curious if it is heavier like the Doubler as well.
    I believe it comes with all three receivers, I don't know about the weight tho.
  4. iMav's Avatar
    Does the Sinfonico come with all three mouthpiece receivers?

    And, did anyone capture the weight of this instrument? (The standard 1150 Jinbao euphs are quite a bit lighter (thinner metal) than the popular Ovis-manufactured euphs (John Packer, for example)) Considering this gets higher marks than the ACB Doubler, I am curious if it is heavier like the Doubler as well.
  5. MichaelSchott's Avatar
    Thank you David. The differences are more notable in the larger venue to my ears. Adam's mouthpiece sounds purer with fewer overtones, a bit lighter in general. The Alliance has more depth to the tone.
  6. davewerden's Avatar
    I was on a conference call a month or two ago, and they said it was going more slowly than they had hoped but it IS moving along. They are getting the ducks in order, starting back at the factory with they way the batch the jobs. That's about all I know for now.
  7. Shinn's Avatar
    Any status updates on the availability of Alliance mouthpieces in the US?
  8. Alex's Avatar
    All good. great post. I enjoy soloists who connect with the audience. I played trombone with the University of Illinois Jazz Band under John Garvey. One great thing I learned from him about performing is that most people come to SEE you play. They don't really understand what you are playing because most likely they don't know the melody, (if there is one). So we did a lot of horn flashes, hat mute flashes, stand up, sit down, move around kind of spectacle performance. it's part of showmanship. Now, my beef with most euph soloists is that they stand there like a statue, tickling the valves. How boring, visually. People can watch a trombonist's slide move vigorously. Same for violinists, percussionists...anyone who moves a lot to play. My advice to euph solists is to move around a bit. If you are playing by memory - look at the audience. Pick someone out and play right at them. The Candian Brass and Monozil brass do this expertly. In sum, being a soloist must incorporate a bit of showmanship too. Otherwise, you're just a recitalist. Booooooooring!
  9. anadmai's Avatar
    As the child of two pastors, who at times didn’t have a band or a piano player, would use me on cornet as their music for church.

    You learn all these things in a hurry. I think it’s vital for a good sound to be choral minded.
  10. iMav's Avatar
    Excellent post.

    I've played some at my church. Typically, my issue is finding appropriate "religious" music to play. And also, I don't want to overly burden our pianist, so I'd prefer to find music that works well without accompaniment.
  11. guidocorona's Avatar
    Hi Dave, thank you for your excellent review and recorded samples. I have listened several times to the clips on computer speakers and on my Plantronic headset.
    Am starting to form some very approximate impressions of the tonal contrast between DC3 and the ACB MPs. Never-the-less, for completion's sake, it would be fab if you could also record a clip of DC3 + ACB 1, 2, 3 in your small room environment. This should help to corroborate or disprove my first impressions of their character.

    Best, Guido
    Updated 07-15-2023 at 10:10 AM by guidocorona
  12. davewerden's Avatar
    Of course the tone starts at the player's mouth, and is strongly set according to each player's concept. Then the mouthpiece enhances it one way or another and gives it more center.

    AND I think some of our impressions when listening will be affected by the player's (me in this case) dynamics, note shape, and vibrato.

    It is also hard for me to review the recording and hear the differences. The key is to listen at the "edges." Ignore the music in this case and try to hear small differences in the sound. Can you hear a bit more/less edge? Also: clarity of attacks may sound different; or the dynamic responsiveness; or the "smoothness" of the tone color; or the amount of "core" to the sound.

    For example, no matter what horn or mouthpiece I am playing on, I try to make "Brisk Young Sailor" sound identical each time I play it. I have a very strong concept of how the attacks, dynamics, slurs, etc. should sound and I can usually get most of that out of the bell on any given horn. The trick is to ignore my ideas and input, even though as a musician I try to make those things compelling!

    You might also hear differences better in the small room sample than the large room samples...or vice versa.
  13. Pat's Avatar
    It takes a better ear than I've got to tell the difference in sound between the three. I suppose it would all come down to comfort and ease of playing for the individual driving the mouthpiece!
  14. anadmai's Avatar
    My views have an Army background but also rated for sensibility. Why is the euphonium/baritone one of the only parts in both clefs?

    There is a reason.

    I rather have her play Treble for wind related instruments. Better options as she grows older.
  15. dsurkin's Avatar
    My preference is to have high passages noted in tenor clef and low passages noted in bass clef. This makes the easiest reading for elderly eyes like mine (i.e., not too many ledger lines either above or below the staff). I opt for tenor clef instead of transposing treble clef so the key signature stays the same upon changing to bass clef.

    This is the way the notation appears for a number of the first trombone parts for the community orchestra I'm in.
  16. daruby's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by anadmai
    As a euphonium player, she’ll have more opportunities playing treble as compared to bass.

    She does get bass clef exposure via Cello and both via piano playing.

    A bass clef only euph player is a dead end.

    That’s my two cents. Do I get any change back? Lol.
    I think that your point of view is greatly influenced by your SA brass band background.

    Here in the US, the vast majority of performance opportunities are in wind bands, marching bands, and in doubling on either trombone or tuba. EXCEPT for brass band, those other opportunities are largely focused around bass clef and generally "think" concert pitch.

    I also grew up playing baritone and cello, as well a smattering of piano from age 7. I became fluent in bass clef and tenor clef and performed euphonium, trombone, cello, and bassoon literature on my euphonium for 50 years. I became fluent in transposed treble when I picked up a trumpet during my senior year of university.

    Unless there is certainty around playing in the brass band genre, either in the SA or outside of the US, I would encourage starting on bass clef, then becoming fluent in tenor and transposed treble.

    Doug
  17. anadmai's Avatar
    My daughter started playing Baritone(a real British Baritone) and I told the school to teach her Treble Clef. As a euphonium player, she’ll have more opportunities playing treble as compared to bass.

    She does get bass clef exposure via Cello and both via piano playing.

    A bass clef only euph player is a dead end.

    That’s my two cents. Do I get any change back? Lol.
  18. davewerden's Avatar
    I'm hesitant to say it would work with a British-style baritone. The arms adjust over a wide range, but the key to stability is how the bell throat rests in the curved support. A baritone bell is much narrower in the throat.

    MAYBE it would work if you could adjust the bell support down enough so the bell rests on it just beneath the rim bead. Just guessing!
  19. anadmai's Avatar
    Here's a question. Can this be used on a baritone? I know the KM14941 will hold one, but what about this?
  20. iMav's Avatar
    It's been slow...so I thought I'd be a bit provocative. LOL

    I find the 826 to be a bit more responsive than the Q41 for me. I was actually surprised how heavy the 826 felt (especially compared to the 526, which is VERY light...even with the larger bore).

    I've talked to a few Eastman/Shires artists that dismiss the 826 all together... basically touting the 526 as a great budget horn and the Q40/41 if you want a more professional one (opting never to recommend the 826 since the price is so close to the Q-series Shires horns). Looking at the history of the horns...it seems a bit like the 822 and the 826 were the beta versions of the Q40 and Q41 (based on the fact Shires was involved in the development and they were completed before the Q-series horns)...however, they ARE quite a bit different. With more time I may be able to articulate those differences more succinctly.
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