Trumpet Concerto

Hi Fred,

I guess the trumpet concerto played with enough volume there. My settings must be off somehow. With the sound card in the old computer, I used to have to set them way up; in the new computer, it's just the opposite--radically.

When the card was in the old computer, I discovered a way to get more volume, using the graphic equalizer. I just selected the "flat" preset and moved each slider up by exactly the same amount then saved it as a preset. I wound up with presets vol+1 through vol+4. +4 gave a huge increase in volume.

Enlarging the screen to do pitch bends sounds like a great idea. So does saving a successful one...which I'll do as soon as I get one. I didn't know you could use the straight line since the manual says to use a curve. I'll try that, too.

When I was in my 20s, I went through a period of renting an instrument for several months, buying an introductory book, and learning the basics of playing it. The trumpet was one of those rentals, and far from the most successful. Oddly, I had the most success, among the brasses, with the french horn. I've already written some notes above the normal trumpet range, so I guess I'm limiting any pool of possible players. I just hope the final product will make someone want to play it.

all best,
mgj

Hey MG,
The Trumpet Concerto is really coming together. Man, you play the heck out of that horn!!
Cheers,
Fred

Hi Fred,

Thanks.

I'm afraid I'm still chuckling about the trumpet you sorta rented for the weekend at a total cost of $20. I imagine the store owner remembers the trumpet he sold for $20 plus the $30 the next guy gave him, too.

I wish I had got far enough with the trumpet to have an idea of whether jumps of an octave or more are possible to play fast, but I don't really know. I do know they can be done on the flute, but never really got easy for me. At any rate, I won't change anything until I find out it can't be done.

Is more Dixie Land in the pipeline?

best,
mgj

Hi MG,

>I'm afraid I'm still chuckling about the trumpet you sorta rented for the weekend at a total cost of $20.
Me, too!

>I wish I had got far enough with the trumpet to have an idea of whether jumps of an octave or more are possible to play fast, but I don't really know.
I don't believe there is very much that a good musician can't play. When I listen to some of your trumpet parts, I recall my old trumpet player, Mike Palmiere, warming up in the dressing room. It sounds just like him. Then he would go out on stage and have to play the stuff we were forced to play in order to make a buck. What a waste!

>Is more Dixie Land in the pipeline?
Maybe so! I haven't done very much lately. I have been spending a lot of time trying to get my web site the way I want it. I have been playing around with some more big band jazz stuff, but I am not happy with it. The ideas have been a little weak lately. It might be fun to get back to another Dixie thing. Thanks!
Cheers,
Fred