Bach219

Well, my older brother in 6th grade played trumpet and only went to one concert before he relized it wasn't his thing. So 5 yrs later, when I reached 6th grade, some kids from one of the high schools, came to our school and showed off their flashy horn and played for us. I decided that I wanted to join about a week later. I went to the director and he had me try his trumpet, I barely made a sound from it, when he said, "Let me look at your teeth, alright your our newest trumpet player!" So a few days later he handed me a cornet to play on until I got my trumpet.

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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

rowuk

Tijuana Brass; Whipped Cream and other delights and an Al Hirt LP with Stella by Starlight

The TB LP cover was fascinating and Stella still moves me today!

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

cl7307

i have that album by al hirt.in fact i am going to transfer it to a cd.it is a great way to save great music.the device i used cost me $70.00 at radio shack but i have transfered about 10 33-1/3 lp's so far.my my mf horn albums plus some of my long time favorites.i have about 8 hirt albums i bought at a flea market fo $.50 a piece.

MrTrimmings

There were some music genes in the family. My Dad played trombone in High School ( late 30's, I still have his little band book with his name written on the cover) and my older sister played clarinet through High School. My folks listened to records , 78's and then LP's when I was a tot.
In 5th grade I got to be in band class. My best friends Dad owned the local music store so we started together. At the beginning of the year Tom Sr. brought a bunch of instruments for us to choose from. I wanted to play drums but my parents encouraged me (wisely) to pick something i could carry easily. A nice Holton cornet caught my eye and my fate was sealed. Progressing through 5th and 6th grade I showed talent and ability. Nod here to Herb & TJB and thanks to my dad who bought every one of those records. On into Jr. High I stuck with it. I sucked at sports and was a C average student but band was aways the best part of my day. I went on to earn a performance degree and even managed to play professionally for a time. Mostly as a jazzer but had many legit and commercial jobs too. I am now a comeback player/hobbyist and I have many wonderful memories of music friends and gigs from school days and beyond. As a parent I am thrilled to say that my daughter will hopefully go on to college next year in vocal music. I do not play my horn everyday but I HAVE TO listen to music everyday. Those were the days...when elementary band and choir were a regular and funded part of the curriculum. Oh yes..the first famous trumpeter I ever heard live was Doc in 1970. Represent Oregon!!

Paul

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Nobody said it was gonna be easy folks!
Bill Schonley

Whataguy!

For me, it was Warner Bros. cartoons, The Flintstones and The Lawrence Welk Show that piqued my interest in music. But when I was 11, it was Herb Alpert and the TJB that made me want to actually play the trumpet. He looked so cool on TV that I knew the trumpet was the instrument for me. After picking one up in school and looking in the mirror, I realized I didn't look (or sound) as cool as Herb, but by then I didn't care. I couldn't imagine ever playing with Herb and the TJB because they were too cool, but I could imagine being one of the relatively anonymous trumpets of the Lawrence Welk Orchestra. Eleven year olds thought of strange things back in the 60's.

cl7307

nothing wrong with those reasons !!!

et_mike

I was on a walking tour during 6th grade orientation with my grandmother. We went through the band room and the band teacher, Mr. Farney.... yes that is his real name... had several instruments set up for us to "look" at. I took one look at the trumpet and said, "Grandma, can I take band? I want to play the trumpet!" She looked at me and said, "I don't know, your father wasn't able to play the trumpet, so I doubt you will be able too."... I signed up for the class anyway... and 17 years later, I'm still proving her wrong, respectfully, of course. :) Now when I am giving lessons I tell my kids this story and remind them that the only person that can tell them they are not capable of accomplishing something is themselves.

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~Mike
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school." ~A. Einstein

Check out my boy Mark Ingraham...
http://www.bungalo6.com/

westview1900

John Lee Hooker said it better than I ever could:
"One night I was layin' down... I heard Papa tell Mama, Let that boy boogie-woogie. It's in him. And it got to come out."
From "Boogie Chillen"

For most who play, I'd hazard to say that there is an inner drive to make music. Anyhow, that's the way it worked for me.

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Thank goodness for music.

towerguy

New to this forum, actually my first post although this seems like a really good thread for that!!

I come from a very musical family, although my parents are not musical at all. My grandparents and uncles and aunts (fathers side) all were heavily involved in a dance band in the 50's to 70's. I had an uncle that was an excellent trumpet player / charismatic showman with these dance bands although I had never met him as he was killed in a car accident on his way back from a gig 5 months after I was born. As a young kid I remembered hearing stories about my Uncle Buck and how he could captivate an entire audience with his playing......so when grade 5 rolled around and the school had a "band day" and I was to try out / pick an instrument. I went straight to the trumpet. The band director actually did not want me to play trumpet because "my lips were too full, and I would be better suited to the trombone" (silly sax player band director!!haha Even funnier is that I now play on equipment that would be considered very small by most standards). After hearing all these great stories as a child, I was having NONE of it and had my parents rent me a trumpet against the band directors recommendation. Anyways, this is what inspired me to take up the trumpet and I immediately fell in love with it! A couple years after this I was playing in a local band and there was an award for "Most Promising Trumpet Player" that was in honour of my uncle as he had also played in this band. I won it every year I played in the band which was pretty cool...

Also, the first private lesson I ever had was with the local lead trumpet / high note guru and he started the lesson by showing me a recording of Faddis' Into the Faddisphere!! I was 12 and hooked on the high notes from then on.......haha

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Schilke S42 in goldplate
Bach 180-37 in silverplate
Schilke P5-4 in silverplate
Conn Vintage One flugel in lacquer
Schilke mouthpieces

Solar Bell

Hey Towerguy,

Welcome to TrumpetMaster!

Hop on over to the Introductions and Greetings forum for a proper Hello!


-cw-

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Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
Ronald Reagan