A.N.A. Mendez

I was 8. Mom & Dad took my brother and I down to "Cove youth band" To start music lessons. The music teacher looked at my teeth, and then at my brothers, he said to me "Trumpet" and to my brother "sax" That was it.
A few years later after many 3 hour practice days, I learned what it was like to be in a marching band in Indio Ca. during the summer (110 degrees) after riding 3 hours over a mountain road in a crowded non air conditioned bus.....
Life was good...

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(Above) Alexanders ragtime band-circa 1960

"Baby, I'm already the coolest, and the hippist, now you want me to be on time too?" Buddy Love

"We appointed all our worst generals to command our armies, and our best generals to edit our newspapers." Robert E. Lee

bigtiny

I wanted to play the drums (still do) but my dad would not have it. On instrument tryout day I decided I wanted to play trumpet. When I tried, I got a pretty good sound out of it. Then they had me try a trombone (I was a big kid and could reach the positions) and I sounded good on that too, but I wanted the trumpet.

I remember we had 'practice cards' and were supposed to practice at least 30 mins a day, at least 5 days a week. We would notate our daily practice each week on the card and have our parents initial them. 30 x 5 = 150 minutes a week, mine averaged 120 x 7 = 840 a week. =

Wish I still had THAT kind of focus!

bigtiny

lushcot714

I was impressed by a young trumpet player in my church band. At 10 I was "drafted" into it and selected trumpet at my instrument. A well battered veteran Blessing 125 was handled to me and it was my treasure until my mom got me a Yamaha 235, after little more than five years. My brother likes Herb Alpert and I got use to try to play his tunes. After many years I end up with Bach Stradivarious (2). I also have played many different trumpets, Getzens, DEG, Yamahas, Shilke, Cousenon, Selmer Paris, Leblancs,Conns, Kings and so. I like the Strads but I'm looking for a Benge 3x Burbank. I never had the chance to play one. By the way after 38 years in the trumpet I'm still playing professional.

bockhaus

My aunt was my inspiration. She was practicing one summer while watching us kids. She gave us all some pointers and let us try it out. It came pretty easy for me, so she decided to teach me some things. By summer's end she had taught me all the fingerings, how to read music and I could play a 2 octave C scale. Needless to say when I started to play in grade school, I was bored to tears. Only the threat of switching me to French Horn and discovering Drum Corps kept me playing.

Bach219

I actually came late to sign up for band in the 6th grade. So one day I went to the teacher and asked him if I could join. He then made me play his trumpet and supposedly I sounded good on it! I turned out to be 2nd best trumpet player in class, and still am today!

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Bach TR300
Vincent Bach 7C & Vincent Bach Corp 10.5C

I didn't want to get that ring around my lips from practicing the trumpet, because I thought the girls wouldn't like me. So I never practiced.- Wynton Marsalis

Darthsunshine

As a kid I saw Louis Armstrong on TV. The best and the coolest. I asked if I could join the elementary school band, and mom & dad asked what I wanted to play. I still remember how I thought it was an odd question. What else would I play but a trumpet? They didn't have much dough, but they saved up and bought me a brand spank'n new 1968 Bundy. Glad I had folks who kept their priorities straight!

Martin Williams

I didn't, the sax is my main instrument!

cobragamer

Wanted to play drums but my parents church did not allow so instead of picking my mom picked trumpet for me.

sonicgeo2

I wanted to play drums, but my parents told me to play a real instrument, so I thought trumpet would be okay... I am so lucky that I chose it over trombone.

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I didn't want to get that ring around my lips from practicing the trumpet, because I thought the girls wouldn't like me. So I never practiced.
-Wynton Marsalis

silverstar

Wow - a lot of would'a been drummers here!

Add me to that list...

I wanted to play drums - so badly that I cried myself to sleep for weeks after my parents told me "No, they're too loud."

So - I picked the trumpet because it was loud, too. Also - I didn't want to be yet another girly-girl flautist...and earlier that year a trumpet quartet had come and played for my 4th grade class...and I thought it was so cool. They had shiny, silver horns and sounded so pretty...

Lara

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email: Lara.Shema@gmail.com
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