Amazing
I’ve mentioned the band practices I’ve been participating in, playing trumpet until the tuba mouthpiece gets here… Well, a couple week back we had mentioned our mouthpiece problem to a member of the Navy Construction Battalion (CB or Sea Bees, as they like to be called) here, and he referred us to a machinist mate Petty Officer Heard who said he could make one. All we had was a bass trombone mouthpiece for him to model it from (the tuba mouthpiece is about 15% larger), and to tell you the truth, we were not very hopeful (though I immediately stopped work on the wooden one that I was carving). Well, he finished it this morning, and it is a real piece of art. Made of bronze. More to the point, it works great. It is just an amazing thing.
Of course, the miraculous provision of a mouth piece through the amazing talents of a dedicated Naval professional has created a new set of problems. We discovered that the tuba specific pieces for the quintet numbers we were working on for Easter are not in the folder with the other tuba music. Can we get some more/replacement music in time? If I’m ready to play tuba music and the sheets get here in time, who will play the 2nd trumpet part, which is also integral to the piece? Switching between the tuba and the trumpet, at my age and ability, anyway, is a practical impossibility. What to do, now that we have a one-of-a-kind amazing bronze tuba mouthpiece, that is the question. Amazing how the solution to one dilemma so often creates more dilemmas.
Semper Fi, Jon G.
posted by JarHedJon | 10:26 AM
5 Comments:
Who is the composer of the peice you are working on? Is it specifically Easterish or would it just be cool to have it done for that time? I think it's really cool that you can play both trumpet and tuba--I wouldn't mind trying them both myself! I want to see the attempted woodeen tuba mouthpiece; I doubt it would have worked! ; ) I have always wanted to play in a chamber ensemble--Dr. Sulton (my piano proff) was talking about my maybe playing with the wind ensemble or doing some piano duet stuff my senior year. Blessings!
Hey, I spoke to an actual Marine Corps helicopter pilot who recently returned from the country where Jon is serving and got the answer to the question about the "light show." Greg was right, it's the dust particles hitting the blades of the chopper. He said it could be quite a bit on windy, sandy nights.
Sheryl
Dad: Yes, well, the band would have to agree... actually, my idea is to play the 2nd trumpet parts on the tuba (just two octaves or so lower, of course) where the 2nd trumpet takes the melody, but the band didn't like my idea, and didn't think it would work (I think they are too worried about offending the composer--who is decomposing, anyway).
Semper Fi, Jon G.
Lina: a couple pieces, "O Sacred Head Now Wounded," "Break Forth O Glorious Light," and a few others, arrenged by one guy, I'll look it up. Little secret: anyone that can play the trumpet can also play: the coronet, the baritone, and the tuba. The fingerings are all the same. The tricky part is that the mouthpieces are all different sizes, they do not necessarily all play in the same key, and although there are parts written in treble clef for the baritone (parts also written in bass clef), bass clef is a must for the tuba. Playing in an ensemble is fun stuff, it would be great if that works out for you!
Semper Fi, Jon G.
Sheryl: Cool, I'm glad you got an answer on that, especially as it's from an actual Marine chopper pilot. It could have been anybody who knew the right answer, but somehow seems more authoritative coming from a Marine who flies Marine choppers similar to the one on which the phenomena was observed.
Semper Fi, Jon G.
Post a Comment
<< Home