Annie

My university is going to have an orchestra play with the Chorale, and I'm going to be participating. The problem is, I do not have a D trumpet and the choir director has informed me that transposing is not an option for me. Would anyone know of any store in Pittsburgh or DC that might let me rent one for a month?

__________________
~Annie

*I may not be great yet, but I'm working hard on it and one day I'm gonna be there.*

michaelm2

Check with Chuck Levin's in Silver Spring, MD, they're just outside DC and have just about the largest inventory in the area.

Mike

Vulgano Brother

1. Does the Music Department own a D trumpet that you might borrow? They should!
2. Does the trumpet instructor own a D trumpet that you might borrow? They should!
3. Does the Music Department have an account with a local (or national) music store so they can arrange and pay for the rental? They should!

When we are asked/required to play an instrument we don't own as pros, we'll borrow, rent or buy one (usually borrow, networking is awesome!) -- and gleefully deduct the rental or purchase costs from our taxes. As a student, it shouldn't be your responsibility to pay for the rental, and it should be the responsibility of the department to facilitate as much as possible getting the d trumpet in your hands!

End of rant.

D's are fun to play -- Have fun!

__________________
www.letsbuildhope.org

Pedal C

Um, the director says transposing isn't an option? That's odd... Do you think he/she would even know the difference between a D trumpet and any other? You might be able to play your C and no one would know the difference!

If that won't work, fellow students and usually a good source of borrowed horns. Ask your teacher too...

__________________
"The oboe's A is to make sure we still play it 1 and 2" - Bud Herseth

"One way or another, every patient stops bleeding." - Scrubs

RG111

Did the director say why he did not want you to transpose? I have never heard of such a thing.

Roy Griffin

Manny Laureano

Annie, did he say that because it's a very high principal part (which would be reasonable) or are you playing in the section?

ML

patdublc

Honestly, I've never been told by a director what horn I'm supposed to play. I normally pick the horn based on the sound that I want to create or, if I'm not playing principal, whatever fits best with that person. That seems odd.

For D parts, I normally play the high ones on A-picc and the lower ones on D or sometimes C depending on the sound requirements and how many horns I feel like carrying.

Hopefully, your school can help you locate a D. Otherwise, try contacting members of the Pittsburgh Symphony - they can probably tell you who owns D's in the area.

By the way - Chuck Levin's (already mentioned) has a used Yamaha D for sale on Ebay. Contact Lee Walkowich at 301-946-8808 for more information about the horn. Maybe they'll rent it to you if it doesn't sell.


pat

RG111

A student of mine was told by a conductor to NOT play a C trumpet on a particular piece. He said OK, and pretended to pick up his Bb while continuing on his C. The conductor said "thats much better!"
Roy Griffin

Annie

I wish I owned a C - I think I'll add that to the list of instruments that I'm going to plan on buying (which includes a flugel and a Piccolo trumpet). All I have is a Bb, and the part is third trumpet, in D. Would it be a bad idea to just take out a student loan and buy the instruments?

The choral director (she), who does not know much about instruments, won't let me transpose the major third up (which it would still easily be in my range), and told me I need to find a D trumpet. Am I wrong that I should be able to just transpose up a major third? The only trumpet I have ever owned/played is a Bb. The part is not principal, it is actually Third Trumpet in D...at the moment I cannot recall the name of the piece - but with the thirds transposition it would not be out of my range in the least.

Thank you thank you thank you for the help!

__________________
~Annie

*I may not be great yet, but I'm working hard on it and one day I'm gonna be there.*

Vulgano Brother

What piece is it? If the 3rd trumpet part is in D, chances are it is a baroque piece, and the first and second players will be playing piccolo trumpets in A. Unless your part has a bunch of written low g's it would be playable on piccolo as well, and possibly have fewer intonation issues. It would then depend if piccolo is easier for you than D. Both can be strange instruments at first. In Germany it was common to find the two piccolo one D combination, the logic being that the D trumpet part had a fuller sound, but a good piccolo well played can still sound full and rattle windows, and most conductors are happy with the 3 piccolo ensemble when it is so played. (Wow, when I write about things German I start to use long sentences, like it used to be the normal thing to do. Sorry!)

If your director openly admits to not knowing much about trumpet (such honesty is rare and refreshing!) encourage her to join TM and post her questions -- most of us trumpeters have been dying for the chance to set conductors (and violists) straight!

If you want to PM me, I'll give you my email address, and your conductor can feel free to contact me. (Or, you might want to PM someone you can trust!)

Good luck!

__________________
www.letsbuildhope.org