I went ahead and purchased a new Jupiter 846RL flugelhorn. I've had it now for two days. Check out my updated equipment page for pictures and more information.

I recall reading/hearing that some people find cornets to be easier to play, in part because the bell is closer and you can hear yourself more clearly. I never gave it much thought, though, until now. My flugelhorn is only a few inches shorter than my trumpet, but perhaps due to the larger bell, I feel more connected to the sound. My playing seems more centered and precise.

This precision was most noticeable in a jam session I had tonight, with Chuck Mangione; or more precisely, with his recording of "Feels So Good" (oh come on… I bet you did the same thing when you got your first flugelhorn!).

I've never tried playing along to the recording, but when I put it on tonight, I was really close in accuracy. I even managed to punch out some of the higher notes (no, not the high D). And you know what? It felt so good... ;-)

Update: If you're considering this horn, you may want to read Flugelhorn - gone for repairs and Flugelhorn - it's back!.

Updated 12/5/05: It's gone...

If you've been following along with my trumpet trial (pt1, pt2), you can probably already guess the result: I'm sticking with my Bach.

The primary reason for staying with my Bach is the fact that none of these new horns really stood out me. None of them made me say "wow, this sounds great!" Instead I kept thinking to myself how comfortable I am with my Bach. I know I'd get used to these other horns over time, but none of them made that challenge worthwhile.

I'd like to thank everyone for the helpful comments. It was great to hear from some old and new visitors!

The final horn in my trumpet trial arrived yesterday. Following are first impressions and a recording:

CONN VINTAGE ONE (1BR)

As you may be able to tell from the picture above, this is the "rose brass" model. It's a nice looking horn, but without sufficient lighting it can be a bit hard to tell the difference between the regular brass and the rose brass bell color.

Like the Getzen, this horn will take some getting used to due to its physical characteristics. The ring on the first valve slide interferes with my normal grip. If I do end up with this horn, I'll have to have it removed. Also, since the valves are nearly flush with the casing when depressed, it's difficult for me to play flat fingered --something which I do fairly often. I know... it's a bad habit!

The valves started out VERY stiff, even worse than the Getzen. After a lot of oil and movement, they have improved a little. They're still stiff enough that I have to pound them down while playing fast passages, causing undesired horn movement. I do have hope, though, that they will get better during the next week. The Getzen valves, for instance, have already begun to loosen up nicely.

PLAY TESTS

For your convenience, all recordings are listed below. The Conn recording is the only new one...

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - Conn Vintage One (1BR)

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - My current Bach trumpet

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - New Getzen Eterna 900S

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - New Yamaha Xeno 8335

I ordered these trumpets from music123.com. They have a 45-day return policy, so hopefully that will give me plenty of time to decide which, if either of these two, will become my new trumpet. I'm not even sure that I'll buy a new trumpet, but since my horn is pretty beaten up (slow valves, dents, airy sound -leaks?), and since I've never played another quality horn, I figured it was worth trying something new.

I've only had the horns for 2 full days, and I'm learning that this isn't nearly long enough to make a qualified decision (my mind changes each time I play). So, this post simply details my first impressions of these two horns.

GETZEN ETERNA 900S

When I first picked up this horn, it felt small. As soon as I tried my normal trumpet grip, the reason was obvious. The bell is about 1/4" lower on this horn than on my Bach. As a result, the space between the 3rd valve slide and the bell is smaller. It's big enough to accommodate my normal grip, but my fingers feel a bit cramped.

I recall reading that Getzen valves are supposed to be really good. Unfortunately, the valves on this horn are sluggish and tight feeling. It's kind of hard to press down. Well, not truly *hard*, but it definitely takes more pressure than both my Bach and the new Yamaha. Even after a lot of oiling, I have to say the valves are disappointing... They are reason enough for me not to consider this horn. Hopefully, they'll improve over the next week or two.

YAMAHA XENO 8335

In contrast to the Getzen, the Yamaha's valves are pretty speedy. After a single oiling, they moved nicely.

The Getzen wins out, however, in the spit valve category. The spit valves (are they Amado's?) on the Getzen are awesome. I remember seeing this type of spit valve for the first time while in high school several (13) years ago. I went to school near Lawler's old workshop in Florida and a few of the students had Lawler modify their Bachs with these spit valves. Honestly, I don't understand why anyone uses the old-fashioned style spit valves anymore...

Update 3/25/04: The final trumpet of my trumpet trial arrived. Click here to read about the Conn Vintage One.

Update 10/17/05: My flugelhorn also has the amado-style spit valves. I now know that unless oiled/moved regularly, they can get stuck in the open position. So, I suppose the requirement of having to oil your spit valves might be reason enough to favor the old-fashioned variety.

PLAY TESTS

I recorded a few bars from a Chet Baker solo on each horn to compare the tones. I don't want to influence your opinion, so these clips are comment-free.

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - My current Bach trumpet

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - New Getzen Eterna 900S

iwasdoingallright - audio clip - New Yamaha Xeno 8335

I almost forgot. There's actually one more horn on the way... a Conn Vintage One. Stay tuned!

Welcome to my jazz trumpet blog! I've still got quite a bit of work to do before this site is truly complete, but I figured it's probably best to add new things over time.

Things I'll be adding in the coming months:

- Audio clips of my practice routine, ear training, and improvisation. I'd like to continually record myself so I can monitor my progress over time.

- Lots of new blog posts with details about my trumpet playing history, embouchure problems, performance experiences, etc.

- Ear training tools: I want to make a randomizer that will display the name of a tune at random, along with a starting note/key. The tool will be available for everyone to use when playing simple songs by ear. It may even allow people to build their own song lists and save them on my site. I'd also like to make a random interval tool. I'll have to give that one some more thought, though.

UPDATE: The ear trainer is now online!

- Fill up the LINKS page

- Add a recommended jazz recording list to the About Me section.

- Add more stuff to this list...

Let me know if you have any ideas (please use the Comment link to post)