 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
Tuesday July 15, 2003
The history:
In high school, my dad bought me a Bach 16M LT. I played that horn from about 1980 through 1985.
In college, I purchased a 1960s Earl Williams model 6. I played that trombone from approximately 1985 through 1995.
Then I switched to a Bach 36 - played that from 1995 through 2001.
So to summarize, for the first 20 years of my career I essentially stuck to a given setup for farily long periods of time. I have always felt that while I can get used to playing a horn in a week or so, I have enjoyed further benefits by staying with it for the longer periods of time.
Since 2001, I switched back to the Earl for a year, played a King 3B for a couple of months in early 2002, played a 1949 Bach 12 LT from June 2002 through March 2003, played a King 2B Jiggs Whigham from March to about a week ago, and have recently begun playing an Earl Williams model 4.
Now, why would I do that, especially since I ranted on in my recent article about finding the right equipment and sticking with it? (by the way, I
still recommend medium-term sticking with given equipment choices for the student and young professional player.) Well, until very recently it was because I have finally reached a level of maturity in my playing wherein I can really qualitatively assess horns.
And by "assess" I don't mean the immediate feel of it. I mean a deep assessment of what the direction the horn is supposed to move me in; the intent of the maker/designer. I pick up a Shires and I don't judge it for how it feels, because how it feels is as much a function of what I've been playing as it is the Shires. I judge it based on my experience of where I feel the horn wanting to take me, and I feel like it has taken me almost 30 years of playing to earn this level of judgment.
But just in the last few days, a new realization has begun to hit me: it's not just that the horn has an "intent", it's that different horns are "teachers"!
With each switch I've made in the last two years, the horns have taught me something new.
Switching back to the Williams 6 in 2001 and making live recordings of the Note retaught me how important the scale of my airstream is in getting a sound that not only sounds good on stage, but sounds good in the audience from an ensemble standpoint.
The Bach 12LT loved to do double-tongued arpeggios, and at the time I was listening to a lot of Rosolino, and that experience allowed me to re-integrate that kind of energy into my repertiore. The 12 also had an incredible high "F" slot, which led me to use the note more - and since then I have had a very reliable high "F".
The special gift of the Jiggs for me is the way the horn articulates so smoothly, and has so much body and projection - it has reinforced in me the aspect of relaxed projection, to physically back my face off from the horn.
And where will my new teacher, the 1952 Williams 4 take me? I have no idea, other than my earliest impression is that it tends to integrate a lot of what the Williams 6, Bach 12 and Jiggs have taught. Another early impression is that the horn has a very solid high "G" slot - perhaps this is the next lesson for me?
©2003, Joe Jackson. All rights reserved.