Liad Bar-EL

1. LEADPIPE – MAIN TUBE – CONTINUAL TAPER, SOLID NICKLE OR COATED INSIDE/OUTSIDE WITH NICKEL: Leadpipe (small bore) with O Pinky ring. I would like all finger “hooks” and bracings to be round ring, like the world and the sun from which they both make an Eclipse. Following the leadpipe, the main tube to be rounded and include an Amado water key. The continual taper from the leadpipe into the valve block of which is to be a medium large bore. If this taper cannot be made, you don't think that I will reject the horn do you? :) Well, we better talk first.

Nickel is harder and thus smoother than brass. I am requiring this metal hardness and smoothness in order to brighten up the sound and make the horn resonate more plus prevent inside pitting of which happens with raw brass. If raw brass pits on the out side next to the hand, can you imagine what it does on the inside where there is constant toxic spit, food, etc? It is preferred to have the leadpipe and the main tube to be of solid nickel but if this is not available then use the standard brass.

2. MOUTHPIECE It will be at my expense and it will be in the shape of the Ancient Trumpet’s mouthpiece which in effect was designed 2,000 years ahead of it’s time. In other words, through my research, I have found that the ancient trumpet mouthpieces as used in the Holy Temple trumpets were designed to have a built in Sound Enhancer. I informed Andy about this and he has the design. I would like it to be a solid nickel mouthpiece. Andy has my specs and design; so, I hope that you will be able to get his assistance to make this mpc fit the Eclipse and to give the horn balance in weight. Also, maybe a one-week supply of dog food would help Andy agree to this endeavor?

3. GOLD PLATING: valve block, slides, bracing and 1st & 3rd screw slide stops.

4. SOLID SILVER BELL:
a. Bell should have a rapid taper and large diameter much like what the WT, Marching Brass trumpets and flugel horns have. I believe this taper is called a bugle taper.
b. The bell should be soldered with silver and afterwards the whole bell should be silver-plated inside and outside. The silver-plating of the solder seams does prevent the bell seams from discoloring (turning black) and wearing away each time that the silver is polished. This was learned the hard way. :( The solder will wear away faster because it is softer.
c. It is my understanding that the bell bend cannot be made in solid silver; so, the bell bend can be brass with silver plating. The bell bend should be silver coated its full length. While tuning, the silver color will then look the same and there will be no color breaks in the bell bend tuning setup. This may present somewhat of a problem if we go with the Equinox model design for this horn in that the bend cannot be made of pure silver; so, how would you attach a pure silver bell to this type of design? The Equinox seems to be fitting for the item #5 on this list.
d. Would appreciate receiving the certified silver smith marking (.925) on bell. This is to verify to the Chief Rabbis in Israel that this horn meets the law of specifications for a trumpet as set down in the ancient holy documents.

5. “FLOATING SLIDE.” It seems that the Equinox model would be fitting for this item with a slight change in design. The bell bend for tuning would remain as it is on the other Eclipse trumpets and the extra tube near this bell bend could be for a floating slide for fine-tuning. It would be operated by the thumb and it will replace the first tuning slide O ring. This may be operated by an O ring that would be able to go back and forth about 1” thereby causing the slide to move in or out according to the pressure applied with a center preset sort of “stop”. Maybe a valve guide with three stops (one at each end and one in the middle) might be of use. This “floating” slide item may be cancelled if it is found to be impossible to develop at this time in which case the whole trumpet tubing layout would revert from Equinox to the standard Eclipse trumpet design.

6. THIRD VALVE SLIDE: Third valve slide ring. NO water key. I believe as does Schilke believe that this extra hole in such a tight bend of the tubing of the third valve slide interferes with the sound.

7. VALVE BLOCK Medium large bore and from the same company that Taylor uses also with nylon valve guides for quiet operation. It is my understanding that the medium large bore, for trumpet makers, have more successes in developing better intonation especially with this type of bell taper.

8. NAME IN HORN The Gold plated bracing will represent my first name. The name Liad in Hebrew is really four Hebrew letters that represent two words. I would like it to be written in Hebrew letters. I will nevertheless supply the characters via e-mail pictures so that you will know the design/shape of them. The first word of two letters, Li (Lee) that means in English “To Me” will be between the mpc leadpipe and bell. The next word of two letters, “ad” (ahd) that means in English “forever”, will be after the valve block connecting the remainder of the leadpipe to the bell. These letters will be suspended in the middle of O ring braces; however, if you find it more advantageous to make the braces out of the Hebrew letters themselves or cut the letters from a solid brace, let me know. This name will fit in conjunction with the theme of the trumpet.

9. AURA EFFECTS I would like the whole horn including the valve tops sparkle like an AURA. This effect is not just a reflection of light but a division of the light itself into colors that happen when a light hits a diamond or piece of crystal. Therefore, I think in order to get this light color division, one needs to put in the lacquer many very fine diamond or crystal pieces, chips or a large grain “dust” of one of these elements so as to give the whole horn an AURA. Which element do I prefer? Well let’s see………………………………………………………….Jade. What kind of a question is that? What ever increases the value of the horn. It would seem that the horn would have a very light 1st lacquer so as to make all the elements stick to the horn and then a 2nd lacquer so as to make everything smooth. Of course, what do I know about finishing off a horn?

THEME: AURA

As a total Eclipse gives off an AURA of light, so does everyone have an AURA around them ... like a light of the soul. Some people have more of an AURA than others depending upon how good, righteous or peaceful that person is. Moses was one who had an AURA that everyone could see. The AURA can be increased by doing good deeds and likewise can be decreased with bad deeds. One may feel this AURA from others as soon as they meet them and others may not. Peaceful endeavors, however, help increase one’s AURA. This AURA is transferable to things as well and this is how we get a feeling from certain objects that we handle that belonged to others. It is known that artists put part of themselves (AURA) into their work.

Leigh is an artist of a trumpet maker and puts part of himself (AURA) into his horns. Whatever he feels at that time of horn making is embedded into that particular horn and that horn will exemplify those feelings (AURA). This horn that I want you, Leigh, to make will used for PEACE (SHALOM) among the nations/peoples of this world. Leigh, what I request that you do in making this particular horn is to first put away from your mind that you are making this horn just for me. I humbly request that your main feeling for making this horn be of the following: We are all brothers and sisters, made in love and peace because we came from the same mother, Eve, and this transcends countries, nations, peoples and religions. This will bring us back to the basics of our being and living in peace as brothers and sisters. You know the feeling already from your wife now expecting her first baby. By you making this trumpet with this thought and feeling constantly in mind will increase your AURA. With every piece that you make and with every piece that you put together, you will be uniting these pieces as the peoples should be united as brothers and sisters together to live / function in harmony and in peace. This horn will then have an AURA that will exemplify, amplify and declare peace!


One Day in the Life of a Trumpet Player (before 1936+ years & Nov 14, 2003)

Once upon a time …. (conscience: come on Liad. This story is not a fairly tail. It’s true and very factual; so, please don’t joke.)

Chaim Cohen, 32 years old and father of 3 boys, is sleeping apart from his family in the cold stone room of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, Israel that is especially set up for the people who are scheduled to do the religious services for the coming day. They all have to wake up about 2 hours before dawn; so, the music director has to be sure that he has his program in tack and secured well before it starts. There are many rooms for various people for the Temple service and likewise there are guards for these rooms and for each entrance to the courtyards of the Holy Temple so as to prevent people who are not of the Cohen family from entering these rooms and/or other special areas of the Holy Temple. There is one person who is in charge of these guards and his job is to keep every guard awake; so, he goes constantly walks around to see if any of them are sleeping. If he sees a guard sleeping, he will smack him awake. Chaim Cohen woke up when he heard the guard next to his room get smacked. Chaim was wondering if his trumpet (straight solid silver valve less) was all right for it was getting time for him to prepare for blowing the trumpets in the religious service. Chaim took off his trumpet from the wooden insert that was used to keep the trumpet from bending because solid silver is very soft. The trumpet was fine yet very cold. There was nothing he could do to get it warm. November is very cold at night. Chaim, just like all the other people serving in the Holy Temple, was not allowed to wear any shoes nor socks. He walked bare foot to a huge round copper container of water that had about 12 water spouts underneath it for him and many others to wash their hands and feet 3 times each. It was freezing cold!! Chaim went to the room to change into special clothes. He put on his robes of several layers one of which was all blue and the final layer of clothing was multicolored with real gold and real silver threads woven into the material. It really sparkled with the light. Covering his waist was a band of cloth with the colors of magenta, blue and purple. One particular garment he wears has a tassel on each of the four corners that has one thread of the color blue. This blue color was obtained from a special snail called the “Chilazon”. He put on his head a white turban and walked bare foot into the area just for trumpet players. In fact, the name “trumpeters” in Hebrew was cut in stone and the stone was mounted in this area [and we have this stone even today]. There were always at least two trumpet players at the minimum and sometimes there are up to 120 trumpet players. As the people were saying Psalms this day, Chaim and his friend would sound the trumpets at the end of each Psalm. They were standing at the top of a very long stair way and each time they sounded the trumpets, they would walk down several steps. As the service progressed, the animal sacrifices (lambs, goats, bulls, etc) were being readied for the service. As the sacrifices were being performed, the trumpet players would play when a white piece of cloth (something like a flag) was waved. This trumpet signal was made for the people to bow.

WHAT NOTES DID THEY PLAY AND HOW WERE THEY PLAYED? The first note was hit head-on, very loud, straight and for about 8 – 16 seconds. The next notes were in a group of three in which the notes were not hit head-on but like a “gliss” upward toward the note. Following these three notes, the note was blown in two different ways. 1) rapid tonguing or 2) a lip trill/shake. [You jazzers think that you invented this style of playing and think that the sounds you play are new?] :) Finally, the last note was played the same as the first note. [Some of you pros pride yourselves that you can play loud? As is written in the Ancient Talmud] … The sounds that Chaim played on the trumpet could be heard from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem all the way to Jericho.

Getting back to the sacrifices, not all sacrifices were burned completely on the altar and those animals that were not completely burned were divided up among the Cohen family to eat. Chaim Cohen got his share to eat as well. He particularly likes to eat lamb with a hot green spice called “soog.”

After the service, Chaim was called to the battlefront for there was a war against the Philistines near Bet-Lechem. He and his friend, Joseph, got on their horses and rode fast with their trumpets slung over their shoulders to where the generals were standing. The trumpeters were used to give signals to the troops in the field. Once, the general gave the command for the troops to charge. The charge command on the trumpet is a fast note repeated. While the trumpet players were trying to play one note very rapidly and straight (even) in succession, they were playing it with jumps in rhythm and pitch because they were bouncing on the horse during the charge. Thus, we have a modern day version (military bugle call for charge). As the battle ended near the end of the day, Chaim and Joseph rode back to Jerusalem to sound the trumpets again. This time the trumpets were giving a signal for the people to end their work and to prepare to rest for Shabbat. Chaim goes back home and nobody knows who he is and what he has done because he is just another name on the list of thousands of people to do this service once a year.

At this time and era (Nov 2003) when there is no longer a Temple, Liad Bar-EL rises in the morning two hours before dawn, washes his hands and feet in hot water, dresses with shoes and socks, a suit and puts on the same type of garment with four tassels that Chaim Cohen once used but without the blue thread. It is not known what happened to the “Chilazon” so we don’t use the blue thread. Liad also puts on his head a small multicolor 6” head covering, not a full head covering white turban.

Liad crawls into his 1984 VW for if he jumped into it, he would bang his head and break his legs because the car is so small. If it starts, he drives it and sometimes it bucks like a bull not a horse, to the very place where the Temple once stood in Jerusalem, Israel. After several car inspections by the police and showing his permit to get close to where the Temple once stood, he parks his car and starts warming up his chops inside the car. Later, he walks near the very place where the trumpet players of ancient times were located and he starts reciting Psalm 100 for Liad is “Entering HIS gates with thanksgiving, HIS courts with praise,” etc. Just to walk on the very ground that G-d showed Himself on and upon the very places that very righteous people walked is enough to increase one’s AURA. Liad feels this right through his bones.

There are no sacrifices today, no white flags to signal the trumpets to start playing nor are the trumpets played for most occasions like they were played in ancient times but rather the trumpet playing has been limited to special prayers of repentance. No less that two trumpets are sounded together. The same notes are played as they were played in ancient times but there seems to be a major difference in how they are being played. In ancient times G-d was close to the trumpet players but today HE has hidden Himself. Liad and his friend Joseph have to play with more energy in order to get a feeling of powerful awl. When Liad and Joseph play, they feel like they are splitting the heavens open, they are covered with goose bumps from head to toe, they feel their hair rising up from their skin, their eyes are full of tears and their hearts are bursting with love, oneness, sadness and joy all together. It is like an expansion of our AURA to G-d Himself. It’s hard to describe. The people stand back in silence and stillness with their mouths open. After a few minutes, people come up to us saying that our playing went right through their hearts and that it was awesome.

After the prayers, someone usually brings some cookies to eat and some wine to drink. Some times a Mid East food is served like Humus (ground up chick peas) with soog (extremely hot green spice) that will ream out your intestines and burn a hole through your horn.

Later that day, Liad is called to the battle front near Bet-Lechem for there is an IDF military operation against Palestinian terrorists going on there. Instead of playing a charge for battle, Liad, on his modern day trumpet with valves, plays some very happy music which brings out the soldiers from their tanks and APC’s to sing and dance with joy. The soldiers are happy and encouraged to do their job to maintain peace and then jump back into their tanks and APC’s to protect our families from terrorism. Some of them, however, will not be coming back but they did have a little joy before they departed from this world.

A photographer there from the Jerusalem Posts takes Liad’s picture and publishes it (Nov 14, 2003).

As Liad comes home, the neighbors come out to get his autograph (joke, sorry couldn’t help it). Liad’s daughter, Hila (whose name means AURA in English), welcomes him home. Liad hears the sirens (no trumpets anymore) to remind everyone to stop work for the Shabbat is coming soon and the rest begins.

Edit: The picture is true. One neighbor jokingly asked for my autograph. :)

I am living in a holy land and this trumpet will be used for holy purposes and in holy places to promote peace. What are those holy occasions: Religious services, weddings, Circumcisions, Bar Mitzvahs (boy coming of age to accept responsibilities as an adult), a dedication of a hand written Torah to the Kotel or synagogue, a celebration of the completion of one’s studies of major religious works, and others. I have taken/used my present trumpet in holy places, for holy and peaceful purposes such as next to the Tomb of David and next to the place where the Prophet Samuel is buried to play for family celebrations and for the institutes of religious studies. I have taken my trumpet to the center of town many times to play in the very spots that there were suicide bombings so as to promote peace, bring the people out of hiding and give them feelings of happiness and peace once again.

My present trumpet, however, is far from the specifications of which G-d required. After several years of researching ancient documents thousands of years old in order to learn what the ancient trumpets were composed of, used for and of what they played, I attempted to reconstruct an ancient trumpet but to no avail. I will have to modernize the application of my research for the present day in a post horn and also in a valve horn. The two types of horns cannot be exclusive from one another if we are talking about making music for peace these days. The specifications of which were in the ancient trumpets are some of the same that can be put into the modern day trumpet. The trumpets G-d ordered exactly 3,314 years ago were of a continuous taper and of solid silver. The continuous taper and solid silver bell will not only be in keeping with the design specifications of the Greatest Horn Maker but it will give the warmth and rich overtones in sound that only such a taper and solid silver bell can make. The flugel horn, the WT and some Marching Brass trumpets has proved this to be true already. The nickel material will help in the loudness and clarity, IMO. The Gold, Nickel, Silver and Brass, are most of the same metals that were used in the construction of the Holy Temple. The Holy Temple was constructed for peace not war and it is hoped that this trumpet will be constructed and used likewise. The Holy Temple and the solid silver trumpets were also very beautiful. This trumpet will have all these metals and will also look very beautiful thus helping to create in my mind a concept of sound that will be very beautiful, strong, warm and clear. It will also help to create in my heart and in the heart of others the feelings of peace because it will be made in peace. I hope to transfer this sound of warmth and peace to the thousands of people who live here that will hear me and for those thousands of people who visit here from all over the world. Many times tourists and TV reporters from all over the world want to take my picture with my horn while I am blowing it. Just once I would like to see myself on TV. (joke) Once I get a web site up, I hope to be publishing these pictures.

I believe in peace and I would like to use this trumpet for the promotion of peace and not war. From me being in a very bad economic situation that is nation wide and in which the economy is only getting worse, there is no way that I could afford such a trumpet now nor in the future. I hope that I will win this trumpet to fulfill my dreams as a trumpet player of peace in the holy land. This trumpet will not only be a lead trumpet in sound and in design but it will hopefully lead others to peace, to feel peace and to promote peace. It will speak to the heavens!! It will be an AURA of peace.

Liad Bar-EL

FOOT NOTE:

I would like to say that if I do not win this prize, it has been fun creating this project, writing it up and I will miss the excitement to win. So, if you don’t see me posting here for awhile, you’ll know that I …….. (Conscience: Do you need a tissue here, Liad?) I neglected to put my patent numbers on the suggestions above; so, be careful here.(joke) Anyway, I will know that this horn was not meant to be made at this time and I wish the winner all the best with his/her horn. You’ve got a great horn, made with love, from a family of horns that are advertised, sold and distributed with integrity and honor. It is hoped that you will play it with the utmost respect and love as from which it was made. Peace.