GospelTrumpet

1. To reduce player fatigue in the right wrist, I would rotate the valve cluster away from the musician by about 30 degrees, and tilt the cluster about 15 degrees to the right. These changes involve the valve block as a unit, not individual valves.

2. A new design theme would be called the Eclipse Sunrise, touted as "the dawning of a new era in trumpet playing." This design would incorporate the following elements:
* The overall side appearance would have an arched shape, like that of the sun peeking over the horizon at sunrise.
* To accomplish this fluidity of shape, the leadpipe and bell tube would both bow up in the middle of the horn. The leadpipe would continue in a curved fashion, similar to a shepherd's crook cornet, or the Flumpet(tm), into the tilted valve cluster. Individual valve slides would be to the left side (back side) of the trumpet if possible, to maintain a clean visual line. If this is not technologically feasible, the standard straight leadpipe and bell tube would be fine, with the curved bows and tilted valve cluster.
* Leaving the valve cluster, the bell bow would assume a matching curve shape, through the arched bell tube. The bell mouth would have a standard orientation. Because of the curved structure, tuning would be managed by either the Equinox style "extra" slide, or the bell crook tuning slide.
* Because the arching of the leadpipe would raise it above the valve cluster, a small curved "support ledge" would be placed for the right hand thumb, either on the first valve, or between the first and second valve, as desired. Also, the pinkie ring would be suspended beneath the leadpipe as appropriate.
* Bracing would be managed in the front and rear bows, using sheet bracing shaped like a crescent (about 1.5-2 inches wide) to match the shape of the bow (symbolic of the Eclipse logo), and a sunrise cut into that (a half circle with seven rays emanating from it). The leadpipe and bell tube would be braced together using standard Eclipse bracing near the sheet bracing area.
* The finish would portray the various colors of the sun's rays at sunrise. The valve cluster would be finished scratch gold (with dark gold heavy caps), the leadpipe and bell tube would be copper, and the remaining pieces silver. The bell mouth would be etched in the pattern of a sunburst, or would have a different color overlaid for this effect.
The instrument would use the standard .460 bore. The standard LC copper bell tube/bell by nature dictates a large bell with a slow taper.
* Other design "fine touches" will be discussed during development as needed.


3. "Brap-p-p-p!" There! She heard it again. This time, though, Linda was awake enough to know that it was not some alien sound, as she first had feared. She rolled over and tried to get a few minutes more sleep before she had to get ready for...

"Breek-phroomp!"

There was to be no more sleep today, and Linda rose up from the bed and smiled. She knew that when she moved from her parent's farm to the apartment in Amarillo, Texas, life would be different. Instead of waking to the sound of the rooster's crow at sunrise, she was "serenaded" by the lad upstairs who is apparently just learning to play the trumpet.

The squawking continued as she showered and put on her nicest business suit for work. As she sat down to her usual breakfast of bacon, eggs and grits, she realized that not everything has changed in the big city. "Still up at sunrise, still a big breakfast, and still dressing up to go to work. No, I guess not everything has changed."

Cleaning up after breakfast, she left her apartment and waited for the elevator to take her to the garage where her car was parked. When the elevator door opened, she was surprised to see a little boy with his mother in the elevator, and he was holding tightly to a trumpet.

"So you must be my little sunrise trumpeter," she said with a smile. Embarrassed, his mother quickly apologized for his early playing.

"I'm so sorry about that. You see," the mother explained, "his father was a trumpet player in the symphony. He died not too long ago, and left his trumpet specifically for Pete to play. So every day he gets up first thing, and has to play on the trumpet, or carry it around with him...kind of like a security blanket, I guess."

"That's quite all right," Linda was quick to respond. "I just moved in from the country, and miss the rooster call at sunrise to wake me. As your son gets better, I can look forward to his music waking me and helping me start my day off right!"

At this point, the elevator stopped at the garage, and Linda left her new friends, got into her car and drove off to work, knowing that her "sunrise trumpeter" will help her adjust to life in the big city.


4. If I am selected for this contest, I feel that I will not be the only winner. Yes, by having my entry selected, I can have a dream horn built - one that I will appreciate for a long time. Also, Eclipse will be a winner, because of the further publicity and notoriety they can gain as people view their creation. Finally, other trumpeters may be winners, if they can better utilize the rotated valve cluster concept to allow them to play, even with their wrist ailments. So there would be many winners here!

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this great contest, and to dream...

rhstrickland

1. Tell us how you would improve a trumpet with a new feature or design.

To me, two characteristics play a major role in a trumpet helping a player maximize his or her abilities. Strangely, these are less dependent on the craftsmanship involved in putting the horn together as on the dimensions of the individual sections, the gauge of the metal in these various areas, and the position of the bracing.

The first factor is the players ability to hear the horn while he is playing it in various contexts -- solo, within a section, and when surrounded by amplified electronic instruments. The second factor is the ability of the other players, standing or sitting next to the trumpet player, to hear the horn being played.

Old Besson trumpets were superior in both of these areas, although they were fragile and poorly constructed. Many companies have tried to capture these playing characteristics, but most have failed. Best efforts involved copying the physical look of the Besson, while tightening tolerances, increasing the gauge of the metals, and paying little attention to the rate of taper from the venturi to the end of the bell.

A new design, ensuring these characteristics would involve a lighter gauge metal than that commonly used in lightweight horns today. Such would make the horn "come alive" in the hands, radiating vibrations from the horn directly to the face and ears. A smaller bead and/or a larger diameter bell may make the horn easier for both the player and the section mates to hear, ensuring better intonation from the player and his section mates. Braces are usually positioned too far toward the bell end of the horn. If you look at older horns like the Besson and the Conn 22B of the 1920's (a Besson copy), you will see that the leadpipe/bell braces are positioned further back, toward the mouthpiece than modern horns. This allows for more vibration of the bell, increasing the volume of the sound radiating from the horn. In short, the bells are held too tightly by the bracing.

2. Give us a theme for a trumpet!

With respect to my response to question #1, above, I think you need a really outstanding lead/solo horn that fiery British soloist/lead trumpet players, like Kenny Baker or Bobby Pratt, would have preferred to play. Sound carry -- in all directions, not just forward -- is the key, just as you can see fire and feel heat in all directions.

The identity may be one of a flame in the stratosphere -- reminiscent of the Greek god Prometheus, who stole the fire from the god Zeus and gave it to man. Here is more about him:

http://www.messagenet.com/myths/bios/promethe.html

As far as color is concerned, fiery red and yellow are good, but you may not want to use lacquer on the horn, as that would dampen the vibrations. You may want to use another form of decoration, through braces and/or the use of a gold or non-tarnishing copper accents.

3. Write a short story using each of the following at least once.

A. A TYPE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
B. A COUNTRY OR CITY
C. A FORM OF TRANSPORT
D. AN ITEM OF CLOTHING
E. A FOOD

Herschel was a taxicab driver in Bayonne, New Jersey in the good old United States of America, but his first love was music. He had played several instruments well in high school, but his favorite was always the trombone. To make extra money, he would pick up a gig on the weekend, but practice time was always a problem, because he often worked a long daytime shift and lived in a tiny, thin-walled apartment above Tony Albertini's butcher shop. Mr. Albertini, a notoriously light sleeper, lived in the other apartment above the shop.

Whenever Herschel had a day off, he would try to blow his horn in his apartment. But, as soon has he made one sound, Mr. Albertini would hit the ceiling of the shop with a leg of lamb and shout, "Hey, quitt-a blow-a dat horn; you scare-a da customer!" Dejected, Herschel would put his horn in its case, sit down, and read a book.

Likewise, whenever Herschel tried to practice in the evening, Mr. Albertini would bang on the wall with a hard salami and shout, "Hey, quitt-a blow-a dat horn; you keep-a me awake!" So, Herschel, with a tear in his eye, would put his horn in its case, lie down, and cry himself to sleep watching the 10:00 o'clock news. It seemed that Mr. Albertini never went anywhere; he was either working in the butcher shop, or he was at home in his own apartment.

This unworkable situation dragged on for about three years; Herschel limping through his gigs sounding OK, but not top-notch. He yearned for the perfection he knew he was capable of. One day, as he was putting on his shirt and pants in front of the mirror, he looked himself straight in the eyes and said, "This is stupid. I've got to practice or just quit playing!" He knew that he could not afford to buy a house, and moving to another apartment would not solve his problem.

He approached Mr. Albertini with his frustrations, asking him to be more tolerant. All Mr. Albertini said was, "My wife-a, she run-a away with trombone-a player. Every time-a I hear-a you trombone-a; it remind-a me of her; so you-sa lucky to be here at all-a! I need-a my beauty sleepa-a! Here, you have-a couple-a slices Prosciutto and a glass of Chianti; you-sa feel-a better tomorrow."

Mr. Albertini was not a bad landlord, as he had let Herschel slide and double up on his rent payment during the slow period following 9-11. He liked Mr. Albertini and really did not want to move, so he figured his only alternative would be to practice at work -- in the taxicab. He had tried to play in his taxicab a couple of times in the past --once while driving to pick up a fare. All he discovered was that a trombone is, at best, an awkward instrument to play in a taxicab. Herschel knew that he would have to re-engineer the instrument, if he were to practice at work.

Herschel borrowed from the library a book on antique brass instruments. While flipping through the pages, he noticed that civil war marching band trombones had their bells directed backwards -- a wise innovation, as the bands usually marched in front of the infantrymen following them in information. Such a modification would allow Herschel to play without the sound reflecting back from the front window glass, thus relieving his ears -- a super idea! He immediately set about bending the tubing of his trombone so that the bell pointed backward. He envisioned positioning the bell between the two headrests of the front seats of the taxicab, so he went down to try out his modification.

No sooner had he screwed his trombone together and sat behind the wheel, than he noticed that the slide would probably have to be pointed out of the driver's side window for him to be able to play. He knew right away that this would be unsatisfactory, especially in inclement weather and heavy traffic. Unscrewing his trombone, he slammed the door to the taxicab and carried his instrument back up to the apartment. He sat motionless, staring at his modern-era sackbutt and wishing some idea would present itself.

He dozed off for an indeterminate amount of time, only to be awakened by a fall off of his chair. As he lay on the floor, face down, arms sticking out; he had an inspiration, "Why not point the slide toward the front passenger side?" Jumping up, he quickly approached his trombone and bent the tubing so that the slide pointed directly from his face, 90 degrees to the right; the bell still pointed backward. "This way, all of the horn is inside the taxicab, safe from the elements. I can even play it while driving! I may even be able to get an extra tip or two from entertaining the passengers."

Herschel's prediction came true. He did earn extra tips, because his passengers enjoyed his music; they particularly liked his "Salute to Tommy Dorsey", his "Miff Mole Retrospective", and his medley of Billy Joel hits at 80 miles an hour. Besides, the music kept them from being terrified by his driving. And, because he could practice at work, he played much better on his gigs. More and more gigs came his way. He saved his money and was able to buy a home in the country, where he could practice as much and as loudly as he wanted. He did go back and visit Mr. Albertini whenever he had a fare in the neighborhood. In fact, one day, Herschel walked into the butcher shop, only to see Mr. Albertini sitting with a lady. When Mr. Albertini spotted him, he said, "Herschel, I want-a you meet-a my wife-a; she come-a back-a to me! Have a glass-a Chianti with-a us!"

Soon, Herschel was able to quit his job as a taxicab driver and open up a brass repair business, where he specializes in custom bending. His work includes all types of brass instruments, and his modifications allow them to be played in many different environmental situations, such as the shower, phone booths, and elevators. He is in heavy demand and commands a high fee.

As we move into 2004, all is good for Herschel. He is dating a contortionist that he met at a carnival. He is teaching her the business, and if everything goes as planned, she should be bending three days a week in the shop. They are a happy couple; drop in and see them sometime.

4. And last but not least! Apart from your brilliant answers to the above, please tell us just why you feel that you should win this contest.

I love the trumpet and all that one can do with it. I live for bebop, swing, and Dixieland music, more or less in that order, and I play in several different groups and improvisational situations. I maintain contact with my fellow trumpeters and enthusiastically talk about trumpet as much and as often as I can.

Trumpet has been a part of my life since, at four years old, I heard Ziggy Elman soloing on Tommy Dorsey records; I was hooked. I still listen to him when I need to have a swing fix. I have been playing continuously since 1966 and have owned almost every major brand of trumpet at one time or another.

Always in search of the trumpet that lets me best express myself musically, I have played medium, medium-large, and large bore horns. The closest that I have found to what I need is the Calicchio 1S2, but I have learned through the years that there can always be a better horn. I play mostly jazz and big band music, so I use a wide range of dynamics. I need a horn that allows me this option, while staying in tune, maintaining flexibility, and having good slotting. If an Eclipse Bb trumpet is such a horn, I would enjoy playing it and would not be shy about sharing my good fortune with others.

Thanks for letting me enter this contest.

Bob Strickland
strickla@airmail.net

Krafty934

1. Tell us how you would improve a trumpet with a new feature or design. Specifications for design:

I would make the leadpipe be a reverse leadpipe and copper plated in order to get a nice dark and rich tone that many strive to achieve. The finger hook will remain as a hook, no ring for me! I would want the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd valve slides, the finger hooks, and the tuning slides to be silver plated for a rich, in tune quality. The rest of the horn would be gold plated except the inside of the bell; that would be silver plated. The leadpipe and the inside of the bell will be the only things not gold plated apart from the slides; that way, the air you blow will start at a copper plated leadpipe and will come out of a silver plated bell! The resulting tone will be beautiful. Also, I would make 2 different tuning slides: one for achieving a bright and sizzling sound that many jazz tunes require and another one for a deep symphonic sound that can be used for orchestral and symphonic work.

ML+ bore top leg of the tuning slide, ML+ bore in the tuning slide bow, L bore bottom leg of the tuning slide that enters the horn for the symphonic sound.

L bore top leg of the tuning slide, L bore in the tuning slide bow, L bore bottom leg of the tuning slide that enters the horn for the bright, jazzy sound.

I would also have my name engraved in the bell among engraved designs of mythical creatures.

For the tuning slide, I would have a plate and also a plate at the other bend in the trumpet just as a Monette, except mine would look a lot cooler than the Monette, since it would be silver plated!! The bell would be an octagonal shape instead of the usual circular shape. The bell is two piece, in gold for the main stem, and gold for the octagonal flare. As I mentioned before, the inside of the bell would be silver.

Instead of having just regular pearl valve caps, the pearl valve caps would each have circular sapphire gems in the middle of them, just like some of the Taylor trumpets do. The valve caps will feel very smooth to the touch and look very elegant to the eyes. The mouthpiece would be fully silver plated except for the cup and its border; that would be 24k gold plated! Also, the mouthpiece would come with a weighted silver mouthpiece cover in order to produce a dark and almost "smoky" sound. The mouthpiece size would be a 3C. The trumpet would have two waterkeys and a first and third valve slide w/ adjustable stops.

Then, my Eclipse will be perfect for me!!!

2. Give us a theme for a trumpet!

Just like all other Eclipses revel in their beauty and grace, mine shall too. The theme I would give to the trumpet would be Moonflow since the silver plating coming out of the inner bell among the gold and copper plating would reflect the serene beauty of the moon. The trumpet will especially shine in all it's beauty when someone is playing it through it's voice and sound. My trumpet would be the result of dreaming for a professional trumpet that would be exactly what I wanted!

3. (back to school time!) Write a short story using each of the following at least once.

A. A TYPE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
B. A COUNTRY OR CITY
C. A FORM OF TRANSPORT
D. AN ITEM OF CLOTHING
E. A FOOD

There I was, walking home in the rain, a golden trumpet in my hand. That was when it happened; lightning struck! I was down in a second and seemed to fall backward in a graceful slow arc, the trumpet flying out of my hand and glowing with electricity. So many memories flashed before my eyes; when I was born, when I went to school, etc. One such memory stood out in particular: A high school basketball game. It was really snowy that day and half the band decided not to show up; I was one of five trumpet players that decided to come that day. This was at a school in one of the many suburbs of Chicago at around seven o'clock at night. So, my friends and I were there, in our Pep Band shirts, just fooling around and having a great time. When it was time to play, we started playing an awesome song; it was called Macho Man, I think. Then, it happened: Halfway through the song, the entire band, except for the drums, got lost and somehow decided not to play for, oh, twelve or thirteen measures ! There was an awkward silence that followed with only the drum set playing and everyone else looking at each other, wondering what in the blue hell was going on. It wasn't that bad though, since the director just laughed it off. Then, in an interesting twist, she surprised the band with free pizza at the concessions stand :P !!! So after eating, my friends and I busted out our hacky sack and started hackin' it up! Man, was it great! Forced back to the present reality, as I closed my eyes and felt it all slipping away, I couldn't help but smile. Then, I opened my eyes and took in the serene beauty of the place I was in. Must be heaven, I thought, and then gasped out in surprise! For before me was the Moonflow, with my name etched onto it! A custom built Eclipse trumpet for me?! "I am in heaven!!"

4. Please tell us just why you feel that you should win this contest.

I believe that I should win this contest because I am really into playing my trumpet. I've been playing for 6 years and my love for my instrument increases day by day. I still have my first and only beginner horn from 6 years ago: a Bach TR300. Due to issues with money, I am not yet able to get a new trumpet. A new trumpet such as an Eclipse could drastically change my ease at playing and I would always be amazed at my horn no matter how long I've been playing as I still do with my Bach. Everyday is a new day and I would love to be able to experience the quality and greatness of a "superhorn" such as an Eclipse. It would be awesome to see how a horn of such high caliber could change me and my playing ability; then I would practice even more than usual just so I can hear how the trumpet would sound. Hopefully, I would get a new trumpet soon; if not, oh well, you'll still see me coming in during lunch everyday just so I can play my trumpet just by myself and be able to appreciate it. Also, people tell me that I'm a nice and funny guy, and I'd like to believe them . Wouldn't you like to help me out? BTW, after listening to some Maynard Ferguson songs, I decided that I want to be just like him!

Kaushik

TheMoose

1. Trumpet would use a Sterling Silver bell. The bell flare/taper would be such that it produces a more projected, focused sound. Less bracing would be needed because of the weight of the Sterling Silver bell. The horn should have a continous leadpipe with the tuning slide located after the valve cluster in the back bell bow. The valve cluster should be located to balance the horn as needed. The horn finish could be Gold or silver. When possible the braces should be designed to compliment the theme of the horn.

2. Trumpet would be called The Tsunami after the wave caused by seismic or similar events. Like The Tsunami wave, this horn will produce Tsunami like sound wave, efficient and compact (Bell flare/taper) as it travels and very large and powerful when it reaches the audience.(Sterling Silver bell) The braces can be in the form of a T or be wave like in appearance.

3. John woke early that morning to a muffled rumble, he pressed his ear harder to the ground hoping to hear the sound again, but in that instant between sleep and uneasy slumber, the sound had retreated back into the sand. Johnny lived in the small village of Pancor on the Island of Java. The sleepy village was waking to the sound of street vendors riding in wagons ; no one had heard the distant rumble of the earth. The wagons were delivering fresh fish and fruit picked yesterday from local groves to the markets. John pulled on his pants, a faded blue shirt and hurried out into the streets of the village. Although things seemed normal there was a sense of urgency in John's steps this morning, a small voice was telling John that today would be anything but normal.
From the first day John was able to navigate the narrow streets of the village, he would spend his days by the sea listening to the old fishermen tell stories as they mended the nets. terrific but sometimes terrifying tales of killer storms with seas that swallowed boats and spit them out on the beach in pieces as small as match sticks. It was on one such day that John spied the old weathered brass horn that hung just outside the door of the net maker's shop. As the last knot was tied Johnny gathered the courage to ask about the old horn. Johnny listened as the old net maker told the story of how the horn had been passed down through generations to be used to alert the village of impending disaster.
Johnny hurried down the street to the net shop, all the while remembering the old man's story of the day the earth rumbled and the ocean turned its fury on a small village in the form of one large wave. The men must have been fishing for when he reached the weathered shack no one was to be found. John took the horn from its nail and climbed the tallest tree he could find, watching and waiting for something he had only heard about in tales told by ragged men with skin tanned like leather. Hoping out loud that this tale would end like so many he had heard before, with a roar of laughter and a slap on the back. As he squinted into the sun his breath left him and his heart began to race, on the horizon appeared an ever growing wall of water. John began sounding the alarm. People of the village fled as John sounded the horn. John continued even as the wave crashed onto the shore, destroying everthing in its path. After the wave passed, people returned to salvage what was left. As they worked each have their account of the event and when they last heard the sound of the horn. Workers later that day came upon an uprooted palm tree, hung in its branches was a faded blue shirt and the weathered brass horn. The fishermen rebuilt the old shed and hung the horn by its string on a nail by the door. Even today the small boys come to listen to the old fishermen tell the story of Johnny Tsunami.

4. Why should I be the one to win the trumpet? I started playing the trumpet when I was about 6 years old. My grandfather played in his brother's big band during the depression and when I came along in the late 50's he hooked me on music, trumpet playing to be specific. I played for the next 25 years until life with a wife and children interrupted. A little over 3 years ago I was inspired after hearing a local musician play the trumpet in church but quickly realized that even on my best day in my previous playing history I would not be able to play up to the level that would be required of me. This is why I decided to make changes in the mechanics I used to play the horn. These 3 years have been a hard fought battle to stay with it, not quit playing no matter how hard things were for me during the comeback. This attitude was shared by the one who introduced me to trumpet playing, hard times and long nights on the bandstand forged a trumpetplayer with good work ethic and a great sense of style which he passed along. The Tsunami is an extension of this sense of style. Who better to take care of a horn that is sure to become a piece of history than a trumpet player who understands the importance of passing along what generations of players have given to him, a good work ethic and a timeless sense of style.

The Moose

FreshBrewed

1. Tell us how you would improve a trumpet with a new feature or design.

I think that adding a bit of weight in another form other than sheet bracing would be a good idea. I'll explain more on that in my theme. A copper bell combined with a tapered leadpipe would contradict each other to allow the horn to really be an all purpose horn. There are those who would question a tapered leadpipe but this would be MY custom horn. I would eliminate the ability to extend the end of the third valve slide by making the third valve slide one solid piece. My next change would come in the leadpipe. I would eliminate the spit valve and adjust the lead pipe so that after the bend, the pipe would come back towards the player and bend out at the same angle as the second valve slide (parallel) and then bend back towards the front of the horn and go into the third valve at its usual spot. This extra curve would be removable for spit purposes and flush on the inside of the horn to help against resistance.This removable part would be held in place with a screw like the third valve slide only it would have no play in it like the third valve slide. The important thing is that the length of the leadpipe stay the same. It would just be manipulated to shorten the length between the receiver and the first bend in the leadpipe.



2. Give us a theme for a trumpet!
For example "THE SPIDERMAN" maybe we would then cut out braces in the shape of cobwebs? and spray the horn red and black?

The theme of this horn would be "All Tied Up". The horn would feature a series of square knots made of copper (wire?) that would replace the two main braces between the leadpipe and bell. The section of the leadpipe that is open would feature two complex knots that would start just after the receiver and end at the bend of the leadpipe. The entire horn would be silver plated with copper accents to include the "rope". There are also sections of the rope that I would want to be scratched copper. The pinky ring, first valve slide and 3rd valve ring would also be done in rope.


3. (back to school time!) Write a short story using each of the following at least once.

A. A TYPE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
B. A COUNTRY OR CITY
C. A FORM OF TRANSPORT
D. AN ITEM OF CLOTHING
E. A FOOD

The door flew open and Mike ran out with his trumpet strapped to his back and adjusting his cowboy hat. His thoughts were racing at a million miles an hour as he jumped on his bike and took off towards downtown Houston. He stopped along the way and picked up the usual, a Big Mac and Coke. After inhaling the burger he continued on his way until he finally arrived at the club. He had an hour to spare before he had to go on stage so he thought he’d do some warming up. “Something just doesn’t feel right”, he said to himself after about 15 minutes. From outside his little room he heard a voice say, “Quit trying so hard and the horn will speak”. Mike had heard these words before from one of his instructors. The voice said once again, “Just let the horn speak”. After the third time, the owner of the voice entered the room were Mike was warming up. The old man stopped dead in his tracks and just looked at Mike holding his trumpet. Mike looked at the man and said, “I can’t help it; just looking at this beautiful horn gets my stomach all tied up.”


4. And last but not least!

Apart from your brilliant answers to the above, please tell us just why you feel that you should win this contest.

On average, I spend no less than three hours a day on my horn. I already have a few trumpets and think that I deserve this custom horn so that I can change horns to change scenery so that I can keep up my intensity while I practice. Actually, I've been so driven to practice I figure that this horn would only increase that drive.

trumpet_dude_1

This is a great contest. Leigh I hope you get many great ideas.

1.) Innovation: Using your current tuning system you could make interchangable crooks. I'd like to have one as a normal trumpet crook, and one as a shepherd's crook like a vintage cornet. Also an interchangable leadpipe, one with a normal open leadpipe with a trumpet shank and a tapered leadpipe that would accept either a cornet or flugelhorn mouthpiece(if this violates the rule for not building a cornet we can take this out). This would allow you to get both the sizzling trumpet and the smoky cornet/flugelhorn sound. This would be the ultimate jazz horn. I would think the medium or large red would be the perfect bell for it.

2.) Theme: "Lady of the Night" She would have fishnet stockings on the outside of the bell with a clear brass undercoat and several layers of lacquer over the outside of the stockings. The fishnets would run back the bell to the tuning section. If actuall fishnets won't hold up to the process, small guage wire could be used to create the effect, but I think that the black on brass/gold effect would be awesome. Your bracework is gorgeous and I would want the braces to look like the tops to lace stockings with my initials carved out of the brace, but the edge to look almost lacy. Engraved either on the leadpipe or the bell bow would be "Lady of the Night". The braces between the leadpipe and bell would be a curved woman. Possibly incorporate the lipstick kiss shape into a brace. This would make it right at home in any night club. (how am I going to tell my wife about this?)

3.) Story: Sam was finishing up yet another evening at the Spicy Shrimp, a local haunt known for good seafood and great beer. Most of the club was empty with a stray man here and there hunched over his drink. Joe was wiping down the bar with the greasy towel that normally rested on his shoulder.

Joe called over to Sam asking him to wind up with his favorite “Autumn Leaves” and call it a night. Sam wasn’t about to argue, it had been a long, hot night, typical of the New Orleans summers. As Sam counted off the final chart in strode a long leggy blonde. He barely made it through the count. Nothing else was on his mind except for her. She had golden blonde hair which fell down onto silky white shoulders. Her crimson dress hid little, and tantalized the eye with every curve. Her legs were wrapped in seductive fish net stockings showing the lines of her supple calves.

She made her way down to the front table. Her eyes locked with his the whole way. She gently sat down pursing her lips and gazing at him seductively. Sam was having trouble keeping his mind on playing, and it seemed like he was in an oven. Miraculously he laid down a great solo and sat back listening to Jerry make his tenor sax sing. Sam closed his eyes trying to calm himself down with this beauty in front of him. When he opened his eyes she had put one leg up on the chair beside her and had rolled down one stalking and was beckoning to him with one finger.

Sam started throwing in bars with Jerry, alternating 8’s, 4’s and then finally 2’s. She seemed to bring out some animal instinct in his playing. It ended with both Sam and Jerry playing their hearts out. It had been a great night. Sam turned around and put his horn on its peg and shook hands with the drummer and turned around, trying to get up his nerve to go ask this beautiful vixen out. As he turned around Sam scanned the area where she had sat just a second ago. She was gone! Sam said, “Hey Jerry, did you see where that blonde went?” Jerry responded, “What blond, all’s I’ve seen for the last hour is a bunch of drunks.” “She was there. She was all I could think of for that last chart”, Sam said astonished. Jerry looked at Sam like he had grown a second head and said, “Man, there was nothing out there. Must’ve been the heat messing with your mind.”

Sam packed up his gear and threw it in the trunk of his Pinto, his ugly but dependable daily driver. He went back inside and walked up to Joe to get his pay for the night. It was a paltry sum for the work that he put in, but at least he’d make rent this month.

As Sam walked back through the club he noticed something in the chair where the blonde had sat. In her chair there was a single black fishnet stocking. Since that day he has kept it in his case reminding him of that hot, sultry New Orleans night.

4.) Why I deserve the horn: I'm a great guy, unfortunately horn poor. I'm currently eating through my horn so I need a new one. This horn will be my pride and joy (although probably not my church gig horn 8) )

drdoct

1. How to improve a horn : The horn would definitely have to be conical bore or stepped starting at around .330 or so at the mouthpiece receiver and ending up .475 by the time you hit the back tuning slide. Whatever you do you must leave the whole horn tunable. I think this could be done better with a lever type throw around where the 3rd valve throw usually is (think Olds Recording). There would have to be a stop to coarse tune the instrument which could be threaded for quick twist adjustment. The bell will be extended by 4 or 5 inches (think flag trumpet but not near as long).

2. A theme: The salute: The horn will start off with a red lead pipe all the way to the valves. All the slides will be red. The valve cluster will be ‘white lightning’ color (white). The bell will be blue with stars starting around the valve cluster and going all the way to the end. The stars can either be gold or silver whichever is easier, or even the white color of the valves. They will not be cut and soldered but smooth as if taped off before the blue layer goes on. The business end (inside bell) will be gold plate. This trumpet would be especially great for VFW funerals and other veterans’ day activities. A final salute.

3. It seems like yesterday we set sail on board the aircraft carrier USS Independence. First mornings at sea were always exciting. The thoughts of hitting distant ports of Sydney, Hong Kong, and Pattaya Beach Thailand, always energized the crew. The alarm rings and I realize that I’ve been dreaming about being back in the Navy. This morning seems normal as any other as I sit down and eat my bowl of oatmeal. I know that while it seems normal to me there is a family of a veteran who is burying their loved one. Yesterday, the local VFW called to let me know the time and location of the funeral but that’s pretty much all the information you get before you have to go play. I go upstairs and shave and shower feeling suddenly solemn wondering who it is and how they served. I grab my uniform and white gloves and put another buff across my mirror shoes. Time passes as I get to the funeral ahead of the procession to mark it all out and get warm. I pull out “The Salute” trumpet that was custom made by Leigh. I really love the finish of this horn and it seems very appropriate as the last salute. I wait for my cue and snap up my trumpet remembering my military bearing. Taps flows beautifully out of this custom made horn and because of it’s conical bore it can sound bugle like. The widow and family, who have been trying to keep it together, burst into tears as I give their loved one (our veteran) his final salute. A final salute from a proper trumpet and not a tape recorder. It’s the least we can do for those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

4. Why me? Certainly not because I’m the greatest player in the world. If you pick my design then I guess it’s because you liked it and that’s reason enough.

Yakeko

1. How I would improve a trumpet with a new feature or design:

- First valve trigger to make tuning easier.
- All finger hooks should be rings
- Amado water keys
- Stop-screw on 3rd slide
- Heavy valve caps gives stability to slotting. Also makes tone warmer.
- Valve top buttons could be made of bone or other natural material like that
- Removable leadpipe would be great if you plan to use different kinds of in future.
- Removable full silvered bell (in and outside)
- Bell diameter could be 5.0” and bore size .468 so that middle/upper register would be big and clear.


2. Give us a theme for a trumpet!

”CORONA"
This theme for trumpet is named after the golden ring around the sun, corona. This trumpet could be silver from the outside and have a ring of gold ( It would be lovely to have 24k gold plated ring) around the outer edge of the bell. Outside the bell there could be an engraved pattern of flames rising up from the golden ring of corona. The bell of this trumpet symbolizes the sun and the golden edge reminds the corona around it.


3. Write a short story

It was July and the summer was hotter than it had been for ages. Children were playing outside and the crop was in danger due to the burning sunshine, although the water was clear in the bay and pebbles were glimmering on the beach. It was a beautiful world indeed but it wasn’t so bright in the cell 247, where the window was like a small blue painting in the stony grey wall. One could see a piece of the horizon and few birds hovering but also a set of bars in front of the scene.
Roman, the prisoner 50703, watched the window all day and saw the sun colour the sky in the dawn and in the evening. He sewed all the tears in his dirty prison clothes and ate brown beans with watery soup, but he never gave up following the sun with his eyes. Roman wasn’t allowed to go to the exercise yard because he had committed a crime against the government. It had no relevance if the accusements were made up or not, and soon he had been captured on a charge of treason. He would have given up all his money and his small house with the chicken yard, but they took the most valuable item he owned, his trumpet, that he had played since the age of ten and ever since. Now Roman missed his instrument more than he missed walking outside or eating properly.
The sun that went pass his window twice a day kept reminding him of his grandfather who had played in the fields two decades ago, when everything was still fine in his native soil. Grandfather had brought the trumpet from Switzerland while travelling around the Europe by train and on foot trying to find his lost fiancée, who was taken away from him during the second world war.
Roman couldn’t play without his trumpet, but every day at one o’clock precisely he lifted his hands up, bent his fingers to reach the imaginary instrument and filled his lungs with air. He pretended to play the tunes he used to play, and so the days turned into weeks and months to years. Slowly the notes lost their places in his mind and he couldn’t continue playing them. Then he started to make up his own melodies. They had neither names nor the higher purpose. Ramon missed the music so.
One year in the All Saints Day prisoners got few candy in the tin foil paper. Roman folded his candy wrapper to remind a shiny trumpet. It was silver from the outside and golden from the inside. He placed it up to the windowsill where the sun could reach it in summer and make it look like it was shining its own light, the light of freedom, yet far but becoming closer every day. Then he raised his arms and spread his fingers again to make a trumpet to play. This time the notes came slowly back to him from the memories so far away and he played an old song that made him cry.


4. Why should i win this contest?

I am a young trumpet player who has been playing for 8 years. I play in the Big Band and several other bands and I have about 40 performances per year. I also study music. Now I use my old Bach strad but I would desperately need a new one because my Bach is in poor condition and limits my playing. This new trumpet would improve my ability to play.

wardsd

1. Tell us how you would improve a trumpet with a new feature or design.

Let me start by saying this trumpet, if I were to win, would not be for me. I feel a friend has a much bigger need than I, especially since I just ordered a new Eclipse . That friend is the director of the community band I play in, a band he created to mimic the village community bands you would find in Germany. His passion is music, and he even quit his well-paying job as a sales manager to go to school and major in Music Education.

The problem is, he is handicapped, and was born with only a pinky and thumb on his right hand. So, he is forced to play left-handed. The real difficulty is throwing the first or third slides to adjust intonation. To do this, the trumpet must be fully supported with his left hand which slows his finger movement. The Eclipse is the perfect trumpet for him to use, given that it already has better intonation than other trumpets. This should significantly reduce his difficulty playing.

So, my new design features are as follows:
A) A lefthanded trumpet. It does not have to be a true left-handed trumpet, just needs to be modified for left-handed playing. He needs a pinky ring (not hook) on the bell instead of the leadpipe so he can confidently hold it and support the weight with his left hand.
B) The most critical thing is the third valve slide. His hold causes his pinky to be quite high on the valve cluster. I would like a fully adjustable third valve slide ring. It needs to be able to move in all three axis, X,Y, and Z. The Z axis (movement from left side to right side of trumpet) could be semi-moveable. Possibly this could be accomplished with a dovetail mount. The fit would be snug, but could be moved if needed. This would be similar to a front sight on a gun. Also, the ring would be smaller diameter to better fit his pinky without slack, because he doesn't have much movement (his hand is already stretched wide just gripping the valve cluster.
C) The trumpet needs to be as light as possible, but with a big sound, so the bell will be the Large Yellow.
D) To reduce the need for him to have to move the third slide at all, I would like the end of the third slide to be a separate part capable of being pulled out to a "set" tuning position. For some pieces, this will be all that is needed, and he can then hold the trumpet with his right hand allowing freedom from supporting the trumpet with his left hand.
E) First valve slide should also be a ring to match the bell ring and third slide ring. There needs to be a slide stop on the first slide, because he typically is not capable of operating both first and third slides, so he can adjust the slide stop to keep the slide from moving.

2. Give us a theme for a trumpet!

The trumpet will be called the Southpaw!

Southpaw, of course, is slang for a lefthander in baseball. So, most of the theme is derived from it being a lefthanded trumpet. This trumpet is mostly about function, not cosmetics. However, I would like the finish to be Silver plate. The bell braces and the two pinky rings will have little dog paw prints carved into them. As stated above, the bell is a large yellow.


3. Write a short story using each of the following at least once.
A. A TYPE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENT - Baritone
B. A COUNTRY OR CITY - Munich
C. A FORM OF TRANSPORT - Plane
D. AN ITEM OF CLOTHING - Tie
E. A FOOD - Candy

I arrived in Munich 2 hrs late. The plane had left Dresden on time, but heavy fog caused us to to circle the airport endlessly. I am not sure what we were waiting for - it was still foggy when we landed. I was in Munich purely for pleasure - to meet a trumpet collector I had email discussions with many times after I outbid him on a compensating Besson on Ebay. I seem to meet many interesting people that way. It took awhile to find him at the gate, as all I knew was he would be wearing a tie with a Baritone on it. After finding him, we made small talk as we made our way to the parking lot. As we drove, we started discussing in greater detail trumpet collecting, and some of our more memorable purchases. As we talked, my excitement grew. I was quick to realize his 30 year collection greatly outnumbered mine in both quantity and quality. We arrived at his house, and I was speachless as we entered the house. There were instruments everywhere - on walls, in display cases, on shelves, and in every room! Most of these instruments I had never seen before or even knew existed. We started opening display cases and pulling out his favorites. I played several of them, and although most didn't play well due to age and condition (most were pre-1900 and had leaky valves), I was really enjoying trying out these pieces of history. His collecting theme was valve styles, and he had multiple examples from keyed bugles, to rotary valves, to TARV's and SARV's, to Berliner and Viennese valves. In addition, he had several examples of compensating cornets and Echo cornets. As we looked at them, I took many digital pictures as eye candy for when I returned home. He ended up selling me one of his Echo cornets. I managed to shoehorn it into my carry-on. I even considered leaving some ballast (clothes) behind, but managed to fit it all in. Most impressive of all, I didn't pay for that horn until I returned home and wired money back to him a week later.

This is now my most memorable horn purchase...

4. Apart from your brilliant answers to the above, please tell us just why you feel that you should win this contest.

When I first heard about the contest, I, like everyone else, got excited about the thought of winning such an expensive, high quality trumpet. As I developed my design idea, it became clear to me that I was wanting to win purely for bragging rights, and the greed associated with it. Athough I really WANT this trumpet, I simply don't NEED this trumpet. That is mostly due to my playing ability not being where I can get the most out of it, but I just ordered an Eclipse as well and I don't need two when so many others don't have any. As I thought about it more, a conversation with my band director came to mind, where he was telling me how difficult it is for him to support the trumpet wth his left hand and finger at the same time, because he needed to activate the slides with his right hand (see handicap description above). Being that the Eclipse has much better intonation than other trumpets, this would make his ability to play this trumpet much easier, and therefore, he has a much better need for this trumpet than I do. In addition, this contest is being promoted on a trumpet discussion forum. The purpose for this and other forum's is for trumpet players to give and receive help and advice to other trumpet players. I believe my submission captures the essence of the trumpetmaster forum by trying to provide help for a fellow trumpet player with a NEED for this trumpet.

Thevor

1. Tell us how you would improve a trumpet with a new feature or design.

• Heavily rounded edges on all finger hooks and rings for comfort
• Lead pipe and tuning braces to follow theme but designed byEclipse… see theme below
• Sheet bracing to follow theme… see below
• Gold/silver plating or silver/gold

• new design feature: taper w/ a chamfer or radius the edges of the "male extensions" (very thin material so it wouldn't have to be much) and edges of the tuning slide. It seems that when the slide is open these become abrupt edges t