| I define "free blowing" as having "low impedance". That's the electrical engineering word that describes the resistance to the "cycles" or "vibrations" of an AC current. "Resistance" is a different term and generally used to denote the resistance to actual "Flow" as in water through a pipe, or air through a hose or direct electrical current through a wire. A "high impedance" circuit will tend to absorb a lot of energy from the alternating current and the components (be they on a circuit board or whatever) will tend to be quite warm. It feels like "resistance" to the player since it fights his attempts to set up a big, full sound.
In a trumpet, we are setting up a standing wave. This wave consists of an axial vibration that is of alternating high and low pressure points down through the tubing where some of the energy bounces off the ambient air at the end of the bell and back up the tubing towards the mouthpiece (and through the mouthpiece into the player's oral cavity where it helps "aid and abet" the vibration from the player's lips...and so on and so on). The design of the horn (material, tubing shape, bracing, etc.) can either help the horn resonate and feed energy back into the air column (at all frequencies or at only some frequencies or ranges) OR it can be "dead" and force us to "blow like hell" to get the wave to build up enough so that the horn "speaks clearly and strongly". I had a chance to try my father-in-law's old Beuscher (don't know what model...had the gold and silver plating pattern on the bell design...Truetone?). I honestly thought that horn had a dead mouse in it somewhere! However, if I "blew my arse off", it actually had a very brilliant, clear and high tone...I suppose it would be good for Mariachi, screaming lead, or punching holes in the parade ground (he was a Canadian Army bandsman but was also in charge of the Western Canada Pharmacies during WWII) but definitely NOT what I like.
At band practice on Tuesday, a new fellow...an older European gentleman ... joined and brought his "new" trumpet. It is a B & S Challenger, model 435G. Now, I didn't see any markings to indicate if it was the Challenger I or the Challenger II because it was a European model.... he'd just bought it in Germany and paid a price that makes me think it must have been their "II model". It was nice... actually sounded very much like a Strad. Had a fairly decent heft to it (laquer, "G" bell?).
However it did not "sing back" at me the way my Schilke does. I guess
that the heavier material, the single brace on the tuning crook, and possibly different position of the bell and leadpipe braces IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THE OTHER PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES caused the sensation that I had to work it just that little bit harder.
So... that's my definition of "free blowing"... a trumpet that is built so as to require very little energy to sustain a clean, strong vibration throughout it's playing range. |