[TPIN] Bach stuff

[Rick Rangno]

Hi all,

I haven't posted in a while, but this thread got me thinking about what one of my teachers once told me:

"I don't care what you play on as long as it isn't a complete piece of junk. If you're playing well you'll eventually sound like yourself no matter what gear you're using. Now, get your Schlossberg out....."

I wonder whatever happened to that respect for individual sound? Sure, Bud sounded great on the large bore Bach C with a 1B mouthpiece, but I believe his sound would have been the same (eventually) on an old Huttl trumpet with a no-name 7C piece. Would everyone at the time have flocked to that set-up? Sure, we can look for horns and mouthpieces that will make our job easier, but do we really want to sound like someone else?  Used to be you could tell Herseth from Adelstein from Vacchiano from Ghitalla. Now it all sounds a bit homogeneous to me. That brash individuality doesn't seem to be there anymore.

The older generation of players always reminded me of fighter pilots....always on the edge, always taking chances, always going for the glory (notes). Now it just seems the orchestras sound cleaner but somehow not quite as exciting. Just a wee bit too careful. Man, those old recordings of the NY Phil with Lenny at the helm still give me goosebumps! Wow!

I digress.....

Do you play a Bach or Monette or Yamaha or Getzen or.....? Do you really hear the sound of the horn when you play or do you hear your own sound coming through the horn? Hopefully the latter because trends in horns come and go (as we've seen from a previous post) but your sound is your sound and I think you're stuck with it (not that it can't be improved with lots of good old-fashioned hard work) 

So what am I trying to say?

Get a good horn that plays well for you, get a mouthpiece that suits your physiology (and that could be a 1B or a 6A4A - who cares?!), get out the music you want to play and hit the practice room!!!  And revel in the great sound YOU are going to make and then share it! 

Take care, and I welcome any discussion of course!

Rick