orchestra photographer concert promo shot for Facebook

[bloke]

It is a western/cowboy-themed pops concert, but I just brought the hat in as a joke. This was our first rehearsal.
The instrument looks huge, because her camera was so close to the bell.

The orchestra is sounding great, and these charts aren't just a "read"... I actually had to look at them. I'm using this thing on only two tunes, and using the big tuba on everything else.

That's Dr. Ed Morse on bass bone, and - to the right - FatBastard stands at the ready

[Ace]

Nice jeans you have there, Joe. Right out of your repair shop? Ha. BTW, those instruments look pretty impressive. Is the cimbasso an airhog?

Ace

[bloke]

Nice jeans you have there, Joe. Right out of your repair shop? Ha. BTW, those instruments look pretty impressive. Is the cimbasso an airhog?

Ace

Those jeans are clean and new condition, but they catch the light in a way that makes them look dirty, don't they? They are a real strong yet soft model of Levi jeans, they were marked down stupid low, and they fit.

I do have one pair of Wranglers that I wear in the shop every single day and they get washed by themselves and re-worn in the shop the next day. I don't see any reason to screw up more than one pair of jeans. When they finally wear out, the shop jeans get thrown in the trash and I find another pair at the thrift store.

It's a wonderfully easy instrument to play, and the new mouthpiece (shallow and small throat) I developed for it makes it even easier to play. The receiver I used is bass trombone size, and the mouthpipe bore starts out at not even quite half an inch. The rotors are only about the same bore sizes a King tuba.

I never touch the first valve slide. I throw the second valve slide trigger for 2-4 and for 5-2-3-4 (A-flat), and I play A and A-flat at the top of the staff with 1-2 and 2-3. Otherwise, I just mash buttons and blow, it's tons of fun, and plays beautifully in tune...OK...I can bury the orchestra if there's a need, but those times are few and far between. If I actually spend some time practicing, I can manage to get a really clean/resonant D-natural out of it which is above so-called "double high" B-flat. It seems like when I try to play E-flat or above that ( towards the top of the treble clef) it starts sounding a little bit squeally. Acoustically/physically, the lowest note that it's capable of playing (with all the valves down) is the F-sharp below the bottom A-natural on a piano keyboard - just as with most F tubas.

Stage appearance-wise, I like having the bell down at that angle, which matches the bell angle of the other trombones.
Bringing it down the shoulder height reduces the number of patron questions, because it's not as individually noticeable.

Again, it looks gigantic in the picture because of camera lens perspective, but the bell is only ten inches in diameter.

[York-aholic]

Nice engraving!

[arpthark]

I'd love to see pics of the whole instrument.

[bloke]

I'd love to see pics of the whole instrument.

I posted an outdoor picture of it more than once...

It has two floor pegs, and that skinny little vertical stick you see down low is a super long water key lever, so I don't have to bend over to empty the water, and - being small and loud it makes a lot. There's a second slide trigger right where my left thumb wants to be anyway. Other than that, there's not much to see.

[bloke]

I only used that thing on two or three Clint Eastwood movie main titles and the guest country music singer's tunes... except for "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and the John Cash / June Carter Cash tune, "Jackson", which were written and sounded better played on the tuba...all my discretion.
(Tuba doesn't seem to go with Clint Eastwood, any more than it goes with James Bond.)

I used the huge B-flat on everything else on the concert.
At least from our corner of the orchestra, renditions of the main titles to John Williams "The Cowboys" and Elmer Bernstein's "Magnificent Seven" sounded really nice (exciting/musical/energetic), along with that Robert Russell Bennett "Oklahoma" medley - that's written so well.

We have a floating second chair in the trombones. In other words, no one has been officially hired to play the chair since the previous person left. This he's actually really fun, because there are quite a few good players around, and this time we had three doctors on board.. doctors of music. Bruce Faske of Arkansas State, Micah Everett of Ole Miss, and Ed Morse of Mississippi Valley State. Ed's the regular bass trombone player, but our regular principal is in France visiting his son who's going to school there.l

tangent topic: instruments...
So many bass trombone players are all buying these boutique model instruments that cost c. the price of a entry level professional-grade tuba. Ed has an old previously-distressed Elkhart Conn 72H that I fixed up for him, and a rare (though I've seen them before) German Miraphone-made copy of a 72H made in the 1970s, I believe. In one of the repair threads, I grabbed the two independent rotors system off of one of those Jinbao bass 'bone bell sections, and very hurriedly installed that on the Miraphone bass for him (which works better on pops concerts - such as the one discussed in this post. Ed is a fabulous bass trombone player, though he really only started playing bass in this orchestra. (I've dealt with a lot lower grade bass trombone playing with folks using a lot fancier bass trombones.)

This music director takes pops concerts really seriously, as far as phrasing, time, everything.. just about as if it were Mahler.

[matt g]

This music director takes pops concerts really seriously, as far as phrasing, time, everything.. just about as if it were Mahler.

Probably a good idea since:

1. The average patron will detect good/bad execution on those pieces much easier.

2. Those pieces likely pay more of the bills.

[MikeS]

Nice engraving!

The visible part of the name in the photo makes me remember the instruments marketed on eBay under the “Selman” name. Their listings always encouraged you to make sure you were getting the real Selman instead of an imitation. Used Selman trombones go for around $250. Joe, if you ever want to sell I’ll double that to get the extra “l.”

[bloke]

I also remember some early early Chinese saxophones that were engraved "Belmar", with additional engraving that boasted having been designed by French technicians.

Also @MikeS ,
There's a little joke built into that which no one gets. It is the fact that the star pattern around my name - though it may appear as if it's somewhat like the B&S thing - is actually the Clinton Foundation logo. (Google it.) I just figured that - since I keep scum out of my valve sections by drenching them in lamp oil before I play each time - I could afford to have a little bit on the bell.

[BopEuph]

LOL! And immediately after I posted my previous question, here's the thread about it!

[BopEuph]

The visible part of the name in the photo makes me remember the instruments marketed on eBay under the “Selman” name. Their listings always encouraged you to make sure you were getting the real Selman instead of an imitation.

I remember those! "This is a real Selman instrument. Not a cheap imitation!"

Still floored those lasted on the site as long as they did.

[Three Valves]

and

[Mary Ann]

I might find an excuse to visit you just so I can play that thing.