What instrument do you play?

Post Reply New Topic

After playing clarinet, bass clarinet and that piece of junk paper clip that LeBlanc manufactures known as a contrabass clarinet (that instrument was nastier than my vintage Buffet R-13 clarinet, which the keywork would go out of alignment if you even looked at it crosswise.) the best way to build any brass instrument’s embrochure is 1) find a mouthpiece you’ll be comfortable with (in my case, the Bach 1c trumpet mouthpiece (aka the Louis Armstrong Special)) that you can get an acceptable sound out of the horn. Second, do a lot of “buzzing” without putting the mouthpiece on the horn. 2) Once you’re comfortable buzzing with the mouthpiece only, then attach it to the horn and start learning technique.

Like any other wind instrument, it takes time to build up the chops. Just be patient and persevere. Louis Armstrong, Maurice Andre, Maynard Ferguson, Carl “Doc” Severinson and Dr. Kevin Eisensmith (past president of the International Trumpet Society) and fellow IUP alumnus (and current assistant department head and professor of trumpet and head of the jazz studies program (iirc) at IUP (and a York County, PA native, to boot.), didn’t make it overnight.

As I mentioned earlier, I used to play clarinet, bass clarinet and that damned paper clip manufactured by G. LeBlanc of Paris. Unfortunately, I gave it up almost 40 years ago, after dad died. I tried a few times to pick the horn up, but carpal tunnel pretty much took care of me ever picking it up again. I also minored in voice in college, so, until very recently I was better known as a lyric tenor. (I’m not doing that much any more since 1) the community choir I sang with Disbanded, and the church I attended is about to disband their choir. Besides, I’m no longer allowed to drive, no one from the church is willing to give me a ride to church (since only one other elderly lady in the congregation lives in Red Lion, and there is no bus service of any kind that runs to Red Lion on the weekends and holidays.)

i just found this post there are different kindsa harps, the concert pedal harp is at the top, with the broadest repertoire. then there are lever harps and troubadour harps for more basic players. i've not heard Sitars play much of anything [other than george harrison] outside of the culture of the Sitar's creation but i have heard pedal harpists play classical and jazz and even rock.

i imagine both are equivalently tough to learn to play, with steep learning curves for both. george harrison though, learned sitar in no time at all, and harpo marx taught himself how to play the pedal harp, albeit with his own unique tuning system.