John FOWLER

G'day,
Jeff Purtle pointed me to here and I'm looking forward to the company.

I'm Australian, learned the cornet when young in a small town brass band, joined the army during the Korean Campaigne but they shoved me into a newly formed army band - The Royal Australian Engineers Band - where I played Solo Tenor Horn until I was chucked out of the army because of being put in gaol for 23 days for speeding on a motor bike - used to race away from the traffic cops 'til one day I was caught - pow!

But trumpet was my first love, but a beaut sheila was my second - and I had to make a career if I wanted to get married ... so, because my dad was an accountant, I studied accounting and worked my way up into some good jobs - which made trumpet my third love (wife, career & trumpet).

Got into computers (mainframes), was posted to London, then Vienna - and finished up Accountant in the International Atomic Energy Agency there for 16 years before returning home with family (didn't want the four kids talking German!).

Didn't play all these years, and my old silver Boosey and Hawkes NVA cornet hung on the wall - black!

Was sent to a country town as accountant of a hospital and I casually mentioned that I HAD played the cornet as a kid - BANG! Into the local town band I went. Bought myself a trumpet (Yamaha, James Morrison model) and started practicing hard. That was 20 years ago.

Now we are retired, live in beautiful Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales Eastern Coast of Australia, and both of us are heavily involved in music here ... city orchestra (the missus plays flute, I'm principal trumpet ... hahaha, they can't get anyone else!) ... and I play in a brass quintette, the town band (of course) and our church music group.

Well - there you have it! An old fart, and his missus, struggling away Down Under trying to play good trumpet.

I suppose most of us amateurs have problems - and mine is range, rather than technique.

What's a good exercise to get up there? Any suggestions?

administrator

That is a great story John. Thanks for sharing! Great to have you here and enjoy the site!

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Solar Bell

Welcome to the TrumpetMaster John!

Nice to have someone "down under"

Enjoy yourself!

-cw-

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Vulgano Brother

Weclome to TM, John!

Beautiful Coffs Harbour, huh?
You might want to consider a live-in trumpet teacher -- I'd be happy to bring my kids over from Germany with me, if you'd like.

As to the range question, there are a couple of factors: One is plain old muscle strength, and there are tons of good exercises for that, but don't overlook good old-fashioned long tones played piano. The other factor is that old brain, that tells us "this note is high, and I have a range problem: what shall I do!" Here is a fun exercise to find out if our brain is playing tricks on us:

Pull out the first valve slide completely, and alternate between 1st and 3rd valve in expanding slurred waves, going up and down, higher and higher.

The trick is to find out how high our highest note really was, which in most cases is higher than what we call our range. Fun stuff!

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John FOWLER

Danke, "Vulgano Brother"!
Quote: "You might want to consider a live-in trumpet teacher -- I'd be happy to bring my kids over from Germany with me, if you'd like."

I know that you were saying that with tongue-in-cheek but, seriously, the local Conservatorium of Music is in need of a good brass teacher.

Rosa and I have travelled extensively and we believe that Coffs Harbour is "The Most Liveable Town in the World" - it won that international accolade a year ago. It is by the sea; boasts beautiful white sandy beaches, wonderful surfing/boating/fishing, is half an hour to the coastal mountains and wonderful rural scenery; another half an hour to Winter skiing etc. and the weather is moderate Summer and Winter. AND - the sheilas are beautiful!!!

Let me know if you are interested.

Thanks for the embouchure advice. I'll give it a go.

John

John FOWLER

Hey CW (from Solar Bell) ...
Thanks for the welcome, mate. You look like a good dancer. Where's the horn?

John

Richard Oliver

John, welcome! Thanks for telling us about yourself. Facinating story. Don't know which I like better, racing the police or traveling and working in Europe.

Happy Practicing,

Richard Oliver

Eclipsehornplayer

Great to have you here John; welcome aboard mate!

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Vulgano Brother

Vulganos are never tongue-in-cheek when it comes to white sandy beaches and coastal mountains! Who do I contact? Maybe I can get my wife to come along with the kids.

One question, though -- what the heck are "sheilas?"

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Bourbon City

Most people with common interest are immediately friends. With all my friends around the world, I'll have some place to go visit when I retire.

Welcome friend.

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