amtrpt

Hi again,
This is the thread where I talk about the equipment that I am currently playing on. Before I do though I wanted to tell a short story that is related to this thread.


When I was in the National Repertory Orchestra a long, long time ago I was in a section with Todd Craven and Elbert Pruitt. Todd is playing in Florida West Coast Symphony I believe and Elbert may be one of the best players that we have lost due to injury.
On the first day of rehearsals we were all a little nervous and unsure of ourselves. After making introductions Elbert blurted out, "ok, what kind of mouth pieces do you guys play?" It was a great way to break the ice and we went on to have a terrific summer.

I am currently playing mostly on Yamaha trumpets. I tried them over the summer and officially switched right before this season. In fact the first thing I played it on here was a live recording of Pictures at an Exhibition.

So here they are:
Yamaha New York C trumpet/Bach 1 1/4 mouth piece
Yamaha Chicago Bb trumpet/Bach 1 1/4 mouth piece
Ganter Rotary C trumpet/JK Exclusive 4B mouth piece
Getzen C and Bb cornets/Dennis Wick 3B mouth piece
Kanstul Eb and D trumpet/Bach 1 1/4 mouth piece
Getzen flugel horn/Bach 1 1/4 C flugel mouth piece
Schilke piccolo trumpet/Bach 7D mouth piece

I really like and use all of the Trum Cor mutes.

For years I played a Mount Vernon C trumpet with a 239 bell., but it is currently in retirement in my basement. No, I will never sell it.

I think that's pretty much it. I'm not very big on equipment, but I'm finding that as I get older I think about it more.

Here are just a few other things about me that you might be interested in.

I teach at the Glenn Gould school in Toronto. It's a small school and we take only enough players to fill an orchestra. We are able to host two master classes every year for each instrument. This year we had Craig Morris from the Universtiy of Miami and Chris Martin from the Chicago Symphony. I'm going to try an get my students to put a re-cap of those classes in this forum. I'll put a link to the school below in case you are interested.

Secondly The Toronto Symphony has just released our first live recording on our own new label called TSO Live. The recording is Pictures at an Exhibition and Elgar Enigma Variations. We will be releasing Bruckner 4 soon I think. I will put a link to that as well.

Thanks again for allowing me to host this forum. I really appreciate the opportunity.

Best,
Andrew

ps. Here are the links.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

The Glenn Gould School

Jimi Michiel

Andrew-

Can you explain the difference between the Chicago and New York Yamaha horns. Is that a slight nod to different schools of playing, or is it just because one was designed by a member of the CSO and the other by the NYP? You play a NY C and a Chicago Bb--do you approach each horn differently (as apposed to a clarinetest, who would treat Bb and A instruments as an equal set).

Thanks,
Jimi

amtrpt

Hi Jimi,
Thanks for the question. Choice of instrument is such an individual thing. I can tell you what I like about each instrument compared to the other, but I couldn't tell why they feel different to me.

The NY C feels much more open to me. I generally like a horn that feels pretty wide. I also find that I can generate a lot more power, especially in the upper register. The Chicago C felt a little stuffy and I had a lot of trouble getting to make enough noise on that horn. Having said that I have heard a lot of players make them sound fantastic.

The Bb's are interesting because I felt almost the exact opposite. I can tell you that I think the Chicago Bb is the best Bb I have ever played. I really like that horn!

I play very much by feel so I can't say that I approach any of my instruments the same. I mean I think I mostly keep my habits the same when I'm playing, but I wouldn't say that I really think of them as a set, nor am I looking for that in my instruments.

Hope that helps.
Best,
Andrew

Jimi Michiel

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the response. That's interesting that you found the Bb and C horns from the same line play so differently. I had similar impressions to the first Chicago C I tried, but I tried another one this December and it felt much more open. Regardless, it sounds like a significant amount of R&D has paid off for Yamaha. Hopefully the other big manufacturers will take note.

-Jimi

BaroquePlaya

Hi Andrew,

So as a section do all the guys in the TSO play the same type/brand of instruments? Are you a believer that all players in a section should play the same model to get the right blend? What has your experience been with this in some of the other great orchestras you have played in?

amtrpt

Hi Baroque,

I have always felt that everyone should play the instrument they feel they sound the best on. For instance if the gentleman who plays second here liked playing a Kanstul C trumpet and he sounded great then that would be fine with me.

Right now three out of the four of us are playing the Yamaha NY C trumpet. The associate is still playing his Bach because he feels comfortable with it.

I can't imagine telling someone what kind of trumpet to play. It's not that I think it's a terrible thing to do if you are principal of your section, it's just not something that I could do.

Best,
Andrew