Of course, articulation would be nothing without lighting fast valves, and the Xeno series valves are among the best. I wouldn’t say they are absolutely quiet or anything, but certainly not distracting.

Surprisingly, I also like the stock mouthpiece. It’s basically the same size that I was using previously, but it seems well-tuned to the trumpet.

The horn already slots well, but with this mouthpiece it almost seems to play itself.

The Yamaha mouthpiece is not as warm sounding as my Bach Megatone, but it is much more precise and requires virtually no change in embouchure from G below the staff to the C above. It also doesn’t seem to require a whole lot of pressure. Perhaps most telling is the fact that I actually seem to have to warm up, and as I play, my playing and stability seem to improve. This is basically the opposite of how it used to be. I hated warming up, because it wasted some of my playing endurance. The peak endurance point was from the start of play. From there it would steadily fall off. My new horn and mouthpiece combination yields a peak somewhere around 50 to 70% in terms of duration of play. I still haven’t gotten used to this concept, but it has helped me to follow good habits such as a thorough warm-up and warm-down routine.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. I got an amazing horn at a great price. Even in the short while I have owned this horn, my playing has dramatically improved. I am certain this horn will help open the door to my eventual return as a legitimate trumpet player. If you’ve ever wondered what kind of difference a good horn can make for a player of any ability, pick up one of these and see what you think. It won’t make a bad player great, but it will help any player fight the horn less and just concentrate on performing. That, ultimately, is what makes a trumpet great.

Musical Injuries Series – Methods of Recovery Post VIII

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You may be wondering why I opted for the 8335S (yellow-brass bell) as opposed to the 8335GS (gold-brass bell) that is supposed to have a warmer tone. I have two reasons:

1) The yellow brass bell is supposed to project very well and have an extremely well-balanced tone.

2) It is also supposed to be very responsive to articulations, etc.

I am not sure that the added warmth of the gold-brass bell version is really such an obvious sell over the 8335S, but since I played them in different environments, I won’t swear to it. The 8335S has a beautiful, full and balanced tone that sits perfectly between warm and bright. Here’s what I think are the strongest selling points for the yellow-brass bell:

A lot of trumpets will tend to sound as though the notes are coming directly from the bell of the horn, which is not only common, but probably a logical expectation. It’s easy to get comfortable with that, but it is not always representative of what the audience is hearing. In other words, when you play a forte you feel like you are playing a forte. However, with the yellow brass bell, it first sounded like I was playing at least one dynamic lower than I felt like I was playing.

I soon realized that, because the horn was projecting so well, I was actually getting a forte while playing at what would have normally been a mezzo forte or less!

I can’t begin to tell you how much this characteristic has made a difference, reducing the amount of pressure required while playing. I discovered this phenomenon when trying out the new horn in various environments, from small rooms to a large sanctuary. Once I started playing in open areas, I heard a big, rich, powerful sound resonating back at me. …Even though I was putting only a moderate amount of force into the notes. The same was true while playing into a wall. In a medium sized room, however, the sound didn’t resonate back as well, thus the initial confusion.

To give you a different way to think about it… It almost seems like the center of the horn’s sound comes from about 15 feet in front of the horn. That’s why I didn’t notice how big the horn’s sound was in a medium sized room. About the point where the sound “centers” is just about the point where it would normally be reflecting back… Kind of canceling itself out from the player’s perspective. I know that is not a scientific explanation, but it is how I perceive it never-the-less. It took a little getting used to, but now I love the amazing projection.

Projection isn’t the only selling feature. The other thing I am very happy with is the 8335’s truly amazing response to articulation. I have never been able to articulate so quickly or cleanly. It’s feels effortless, and never seems to get in the way of the notes. Here is an example of the horn’s responsiveness. It was recorded by accident in the pocket of my crumpled-up jacket by a small Sony digital recorder. …So it sounds a bit muffled.

…Or use this link:
Articulation Example 1

To be continued…

Musical Injuries Series – Methods of Recovery Post VII

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A few posts back I posed the question, “is it time to buy a new trumpet?” Well, after several years of going without and then finally seeing signs of real progress, I decided to take the leap. This would be my fifth trumpet following this lineage: King 600, Bach model 37, Yamaha (6445?), Yamaha (6335?) and now…

My brand-new (well, very slightly used) Yamaha Xeno 8335S!

That’s a stock photo above, but it looks identical to mine. I got a great deal on eBay, paying about 1/3 of the ridiculously high list price of $2,884 for a new one. Online, they seem to range from around $1,900 to $2,100 brand new. The local store wanted 2,400+ (which, in the interest of supporting local business, I actually considered), but reconsidered after learning the following three facts:

1) They didn’t have a rent-to-own program for this trumpet

2) Yamaha offered a credit line with an interest rate that could put a small company out of business… Oh, and I happen to think credit is akin to being shackled to a sinking ship. Oh, and by the time you paid off the interest, you’d be paying as much as or more for the trumpet than the list price!

3) They didn’t carry in stock the model that I ended-up purchasing, thus I couldn’t try it out.

In case you were wondering, the trumpet is near mint, no scratches, no dings. The valves are in spectacular condition. The case, also in excellent condition, was included. A Harmon mute and two straight mutes were included, along with some valve oil, slide grease and several polishing cloths. Another handy addition was the collapsible bell stand (the kind that fits in the bell). Very cool. For a little icing on the cake, I didn’t realize that the stock gold-rimmed 1 ½ equivalent Yamaha mouthpiece was included, as the description left this fact out. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but in this case I actually wanted to give it a shot. It was also in mint condition.

To be continued… 

Musical Injuries Series – Methods of Recovery Post VI

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OK, now here is an annoying fix (work-around)… Well, actually a few. I warn you, you won’t like any of them.

NOTE: The term “workaround” means this does NOT actually fix the problem, it just circumvents it. It should also be noted that I originally tried to revert back to an older version of iTunes, and it caused me nothing but headaches. Believe it or not, these solutions could actually be easier in the interim while Apple figures out how to make a version of iTunes that actually works for PC all users.

THE “THROW MONEY AT THE PROBLEM” SOLUTION

Go out and buy a new HP Laptop with Windows 7 on it (not a guaranteed fix). Download the latest version of iTunes. You can do this all for the low-low cost of $750 or so. I only know because I happened to pick up a new laptop for my wife recently, and I can buy stuff in the iTunes store with it. I guess you could try just upgrading to Windows 7, but there’s no guarantee that’s going to work either.

THE “HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE ANOTHER COMPUTER (LIKELY NOT THE ONE YOU WANT TO BE USING) WITH AN OLDER VERSION OF ITUNES ON IT” SOLUTION

I’ll use a Podcast for an example. (This one has sub-steps, so follow along closely)

1. Have an old laptop (mine’s running XP) that has iTunes 8.2.0.23 sitting next to your desktop computer (also running XP, but iTunes 9.0.3.15)

2. Make sure that these computers are properly networked (sorry, that’s another post entirely)

3. Use iTunes 8.2.0.23 (or something that starts with less than a 9) to search for and download the music, movies or podcasts that you want

4. Under “LIBRARY,” go to “Podcasts” (for example) and right click on the one you wish you could download on the other computer

5. Click “Copy”

6. Find your “My Network Places” (or equivalent) somewhere on your Start Menu and open it up.

7. Find the shared folder on the destination computer called “My Music” and follow this path: /iTunes/iTunes Media/Podcasts or a similar one that gets you to where you find all of your stuff. You will know you are in the right place when you see other similar media. NOTE: You can skip finding the right folder if you just want to drop the file in a shared folder accessible by the destination computer.

8. On the DESTINATION computer, open “My Network Places.” Go to the shared folder where you put the file.

9. On DESTINATION computer, open iTunes. Next, drag the new file into the appropriate folder in the iTunes LIBRARY.

Well, that should do it. You can go into your device list with your iPod connected and click on the Podcast tab to configure your new download.

THE “EASY BUT DISAPPOINTING” SOLUTION

1. Use the old laptop as a dedicated iTunes platform. I mean, you were probably just going to use it as a paper weight anyway.

THE “STOP USING YOUR $200+ iPod” OPTION

1. This is among the least popular options, but it can often cure the headache of trying to use the iTunes store. This option is often complemented by the “Sell Your iPod On eBay” option.

This is Part 4 of the iTunes – A Love/Hate Relationship Series.

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