| New Friend
Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Beckley, WV
Posts: 5
| 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... |