[caption id="attachment_644" align="alignleft" width="338" caption="Unobtainium Trombone"]
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Finally.
A Trombone powered by magic. I have been working with the technicians at Edwards UNDISCLOSED BRASS COMPANY HERE, and come up with a trombone that has surpassed all expectations.
It has a Thayer Valve, Carbon Fiber Slide, and a bell made out of solid Unobtainium. The instrument has been coated in an acoustical enhancing and light dispersing polygraphite polymer that was first used on the stealth bomber, and now has been adapted for the SR-71 Blackbird Trombone by Mr. Enrich Klinglehoffer and his team of technicians.
It's as if the horn were powered by magic. The acoustical enhancements are not trivial, as each overtone and vibration are focused and fired forward in a whirl-pool fashion into the venturi, then spun through the focal point of the instrument, eliminating nodal points and producing a forward resonance that can only be described as "3-D Audio".
Hats of to Mr. Klinglehoffer and his team of elves- this horn is a beast!
Instrument maintenance is perhaps the most often overlooked area by students (and professionals). I have created the following twelve maintenance videos on my YouTube channel. They were recorded in hi-def 720p, and I will be working in the next few weeks to improve the sound quality for you.
It sounds simple, but if you follow this tenet, it will prove true "take care of your instrument, and it will take care of you." Playing a brass instrument is hard enough without making things even more challenging by having an instrument that does not play well. I've spent the last twenty-eight years studying not only how to play better, but also how to take best care of my instrument so it will be "ready for battle." I've borrowed from colleagues, repair gurus, and experimented to come up with the following advice.
Please take a moment to watch the following videos (get a good cup of coffee first) or better yet, watch one, GO PRACTICE, watch another, GO PRACTICE, watch another, (you get the idea).
Please comment below, let me know what you think, and if you have any other advice of things that have worked well for you. Maintenance is often a lot of religion and mythology- I urge you to openly consider what I say here, and try it out, see what happens if you apply it consistently for a minimum of 2-3 months.
See you at the top!
Dr. J
Maintenance Video 1 of 12 - Introduction & Overview
Maintenance Video 2 of 12- Snakes
Maintenance Video 3 of 12- Slides that Tune & Grease
Maintenance Video 4 of 12- Thirsty Bones
Maintenance Video 5 of 12- Your Trombone needs a Tine
Maintenance Video 6 of 12 - Yamaha Slide Oil
Maintenance Video 7 of 12 - Slide o Mix Cleaning Rod
Maintenance Video 8 of 12 - Bath Time 1
Maintenance Video 9 of 12 - Bath Time 2: Bathing with Trummy Young
Maintenance Video 10 of 12 - Bath Time 3 Scrub it Out
Maintenance Video 11 of 12 - Bath Time 4 Slide Grease & Valves
Maintenance Video 12 of 12 - Application of Slide Lubricants
Where the heck are the videos you promised?
Hi there!
Sigh- technology is fun and challenging. I'm running out now to play with the Four Tops, and am having some difficulties with the website. All will b fixed by Monday.
Please visit DrJ YouTube Channel to see the videos until I get them, and the sample video up this weekend.
Thanks very much for your patience!
See you at the top!
DrJ
Made it to NYC, quick 4-5 hr nap and it's go time!
I really should have taken a photo- it's a neat feeling (even when you're flying coach) to approach the baggage carousel and see "that guy" with the sign is actually waiting for YOU.
OK, it's probably petty, but it's the little things that are nice- as I become a little more road weary I begin to truly appreciate the convenience of things like a nicer hotel, the workout facilities at a hotel, a decent meal (instead of fast food). (Maybe I'm just turning into an old fart?)
I must say that despite the initial lack of details, the YouTube and Google coordinators for the project really have gone all out to "take care of the talent." It's really nice to arrive at the hotel at 2 A.M. in a car (rather than subway or the Taxi) and settle into a really nice room (instead of the fleabag joints I have often frequented in the past).
Check-in at the hotel was effortless, and they had a "swag" bag with some goodies, a t-shirt, a really sweet hard drive from Samsung with the YouTube logo on it, schedules, and meal vouchers. Quick note on the hard drive- I've owned, and own, many small portable hard drives, but this new one is really quite impressive. It's a little under half the size of a normal "mini" hard drive, has a nice plastic grip on the bottom, and a variety of cables. I just transferred all the video from my Flip Mino onto it, and it copied multiple gigs onto it at a quite speedy rate. I'm actually going to use it for all of my future video editing & photos for the laptop. It's my new mobile jump drive of choice. It'd be nice to have a 500GB version, but I assume that's to come later as technology improves.
I kind of feel like I'm going to All-State Honor Band for Adults. :)
Holiday gift guide 2008: What are the best last minute gifts for any musician, and/or aspiring brass player? Metronomes, Stands, Lubricants, and downloadable music.
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