What instrument did you start your musical career on?

[Liuto]

Thanks John, for your good wishes.
I don't play the trombone that much right now, with the recital in view. But as soon as that is done, I'll have more lessons to get more used to the positions. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 are sort of OK, the others are difficult and high g on 2- doesn't speak well.
The recital is the yearly student recital of my teacher's trumpet and euph students, in a small concert hall which has 200-300 seats. So the audience will be co-students, parents and grand-parents, or in case of the adult students partners and kids. Maybe 50-70. I used to suffer from stage fright with my guitar, but I am fairly optimistic about this recital.
Liuto

P.S. As you will haved noticed, the euphonium is almost unheard of in Germany, or it was. We traditionally use the baritone horn, with a much narrower bore. It can sing, but is not nearly as mellow as the euph. This has changed a bit in the past decade. My teacher has three euphonium students, no baritone horn.

[Will]

I find it very interesting how I started on trumpet/cornet way back when (early 70s) and converted to "baritone" whereas my youngest daughter started on euphonium in 5th grade.

[massmanute]

It might be a bit of an exaggeration to refer to "my musical career", but anyway, I started on piano while in grade school, quitting after a year and a half, but actually it was a good foundation. In junior high I started baritone horn (i.e. American-style euphonium) and played for a year and a half, then switched to cornet for a year and a half, then back to baritone for one year of high school. Years later I picked up the recorder and played that a bit, and then violin, neither of which I was very good at, but it was fun. Later I played a little banjo (clawhammer style, and then a bit of four-string banjo.) Now I am going back to euphonium, which was probably my best instrument.

I liken the euphonium to the tight end in football. Just as in football the tight end (in my opinion, or possibly the linebacker) best exemplifies the widest range of skills and roles that the player fills, the the euphonium serves the widest range of roles in the band, including, at various times, a rythmic role, a fanfare role, a harmony role, a counter melody role, a lead melody role, and a soloist role. This applies to most instruments to one degree or another, but to the euphonium most of all. (Paradoxically, it does all of this while having probably the lowest profile of any insrument in the band in terms of public recognition.)

[massmanute]

...I have lived in Germany three different times for a total of almost 9 years. The last time I was there, I lived east of Nuremburg in a little town called Weiherhammer...

My grandmother was born in Nuremberg. Her mother was born in Leinburg, which is about 20km from Nuremberg, and my grandmother's father was born in Oberredwitz, which is, I believe, now part of the town or Marktredwitz, which looks to be within walking distance of the Czech border, if "walking distance" is taken to mean 18 or 20km. On the map Weirhammer looks to be about halfway between Leinburg and Marktredwitz

[MikeS]

I started as a clarinet player. My clarinet career hit the skids in sixth grade when an orthodontist told my parents that I would need braces if I stayed with it (hey, it was the early ‘60’s). If I switched to a brass instrument, all would apparently be well, at least dentally, so I switched to baritone- an Olds Ambassador.

When I got to high school I encountered marching band. Much love and respect to those of you who love/loved it but I loathed every minute. At the end of my freshman year I told the band director that I looked forward to concert band next year but didn’t want to march. He said, no marching, no concert band. My solution was to learn trombone over the summer and play in the orchestra. I stayed with trombone all through college and didn’t return to euphonium until well into adulthood when the threat of having to march was no longer an issue.

[lzajmom]

My parents took me to the choose-your-instrument-day at school the summer before sixth grade. We all assumed I'd choose something small to go with my stature, so I started on clarinet. I hated the way it tickled my mouth, so I tried flute. I couldn't even produce a sound! I wouldn't play trumpet because my brother did, and I didn't like how the French horn sounded. I surely don't have the rhythmic talent for percussion, and one of the boys who picked trombone really aggravated me. Then I tried an old Conn 3-valve baritone, and it was like Goldilocks trying Baby Bear's porridge. Juuuust right.

My parents didn't believe I'd stick with such a large instrument, but I loved it immediately and never considered anything else. Well, my band director quickly upgraded me to a YEP-321, but you know what I mean.

[Blessed]

Very disappointed because of the cello. Why was she not singled out as a single instrument in the survey, but porsto was assigned to the orchestral. Since childhood I have a passion for this instrument and will buy one for my daughter when the academic year starts

[davewerden]

Very disappointed because of the cello. Why was she not singled out as a single instrument in the survey, but porsto was assigned to the orchestral. Since childhood I have a passion for this instrument and will buy one for my daughter when the academic year starts

I'm not sure why you would expect to see much talk of cello here - we are focused on euphonium and tuba mostly. Do you also play brass (or perhaps other family members)?

[ChristianeSparkle]

though considering how often we play cello pieces, maybe it should have a place

[DaveBj]

In retrospect, I do wish I had started cello my soph year in HS, rather than starting double bass my senior year, just so I could get some orchestra experience. Cello and euph? Good pairing, I would say.

D

[JBegler]

I started with a Conn Director cornet my mom bought at a garage sale for 50 bucks in 1977 when I was entering 7th grade. I was already behind most others in our band by two years but with a lot of practice, I was playing first chair , first trumpet by my eighth grade year. My freshman year I worked my way to first chair again. My sophomore year I switched to baritone to fill the lack of anyone in that position. Played the baritone until my director bought a three valve Yamaha euphonium my junior year and through my senior year in 1983.

I hadn’t touched a horn since then until this past September when our current high school director put out a request for community members to help with the school pep band….they only have 4 students at the moment. I knew her from working with her at a retail store when she was still going to college. I told her if she had a baritone I could use I would see what I could do. She loaned me a Yamaha baritone and I went back to learning all over again. I was looking guru Facebook market place and ran across a horn for sale a couple hours drive away, it was a John Packer 074 for $600. My wife gave me the go ahead and I was able to get a little better price at $500. After getting the horn, giving it a good cleaning, ordering some music books, I was off and running. At least as much as I can for a one legged fat man 😎. A few weeks later I was browsing Facebook market place again and there was a listing for a John Packer 374s for $500, with stuck valves. I couldn’t pass that up, I figured the valves would be an easy fix ( which they were). So I talked to the wife again and we made arrangements to travel to buy it. Got it home, cleaned it up and got everything loose and working again and it plays fantastic. It’s a far better horn than I am a player but I’m working on that.

I lost my left leg above the knee at age 50 in. 2015 due to an accident related infection. Just this past April I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and have done radiation treatment on that so this return to music has been a pleasant distraction for me and with any luck, I can get my grandkids interested in taking up an instrument. My oldest granddaughter is playing the clarinet in fifth grade , just attended her first Christmas concert. She did a great job.

[hyperbolica]

I started on a rented King 605 trombone. I can still remember the new smell and my amazement at the case and how the thing went together.

[John Morgan]

...I lost my left leg above the knee at age 50 in. 2015 due to an accident related infection. Just this past April I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and have done radiation treatment on that so this return to music has been a pleasant distraction for me and with any luck, I can get my grandkids interested in taking up an instrument. My oldest granddaughter is playing the clarinet in fifth grade , just attended her first Christmas concert. She did a great job.

Well, good luck to you, indeed!! Seems you have had your share of hard luck, and there is nothing quite like music to put your attention towards something pleasant. I hope you are able to really sink yourself into the euphonium and perhaps join a community group in your neck of the woods. And maybe that will just help lick the prostate cancer, I am quite familiar with that in my family.

And getting your grandkids involved in music is so important. Good for you!! Good luck, I wish you a speedy riddance of the prostate cancer, and many hours, days, months, and years of euphonium playing to come.

And welcome to the forum!!

[JTJ]

Cornet, 7th grade
E flat sousaphone, 8th grade
Euphonium, 9th grade to senescence....

[daruby]

Hi all,

I started instrumental music midway through the 4th grade in January 1960 on baritone horn at age 9. I think I was playing a 3 valve Bundy bell front at the time. I also played Reynolds (grade 5 and 6) and Conn (grade 7 and 8) 3 valve horns. I graduated to a Conn Connstellation 24I in fall of 1965 when I was a freshman in HS and continued using the same type of horn through my 2nd year of college. So for the last 61+ years, I have always been a baritone/euphonium player.

Doug