| Whew!! Nice topic and nice setup Larry.
From a personal viewpoint, I enjoy a horn more when I receive feedback (blowback) from the bell as I play. I want to hear rich overtones and much of what the audience might hear. Comparing my former Yamaha Z to my current Selmer Paris, the Z seemed positively dead. Yet, I know that the Z put out a good sound out front. At the same time, I know that the Selmer also puts out a great sound out front. My bandmates immediately commented on my sound with the Selmer as soon as I used it, unannounced, at a rehearsal.
You should know that I'm playing almost exclusively commercially, meaning my bandmates don't hear me without a mic. On the gigs, it seems like I don't hear myself without the monitor. So it's a very different experience from community band. Also, you'll realize that most of the added enjoyment I receive is when I practice by myself at home, without the mic and monitor. Just doing Charlier, Clark, Hummel, etc. trying to keep my classical form half way presentable.
Still, it's important to hear myself and be aware of how I'm blending with the band. The soundman ultimately determines that since what comes through the monitors and what goes through the mains are two different things. My need to hear myself is a survival thing. I try to go by "feel" and move back and forth from the mic to get a level that seems appropriate. If the level seems too low and I try to play louder to adjust, I'll blow my lip away in fairly short order. Instead I'm better off moving closer to the mic, letting the soundman turn me down in the mains and hope that the monitor level stays where it was. Sometimes, no matter how close I am and no matter how I signal the soundman, I still can't hear myself. In these cases, I MUST go by feel and use experience not to overblow and shoot my lip.
Playing acoustically (without amplification) is much the same, just more subtle. Many, many players don't seem to realize that what's happening out in front of their horns can be entirely different from what they perceive sitting in the gunner's position. Hearing how others sound playing the same horn is useful. Also, I've found that playing into a mirror or lively corner of the practice room can give you feedback as to how the outfront and player-position sounds differ. Bright overtones, in particular, can often only be heard by the player when the sound is reflected back. I compared two Xeno 8335RG horns recently, one in shot-silver the other in shot-lacquer and they sounded exactly alike UNTIL I listened in a reflective room corner. Then the silver sounded considerably brighter.
Anyway, hopefully this thread will get a few more thinking about how they sound "out front" vs. what they hear in the "blow back."
BTW, it isn't necessarily a question of good or bad, but awareness. Certain tools will be better for certain jobs, but awareness will allow us to adjust to the circumstances that we find ourselves in.
Dave |