| 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 |