Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: A Christmas wish for Holton . . .


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Posted by Jay Bertolet on December 27, 2002 at 09:22:03:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: A Christmas wish for Holton . . . posted by Rick Denney on December 26, 2002 at 23:04:31:

Another bullseye Rick.

Everybody is well acquainted with Arnold Jacobs' system of mostly using one horn and plugging in different mouthpieces for different sound colors. The fact that he could make that approach work is amazing to me. I truly am in awe of the prowess required to do such a thing. For me, every mouthpiece I stick in a given horn yields a new set of intonation quirks and pitch centering issues. That's why I've taken the track of having very specific instruments, each matched with an effective mouthpiece, to achieve the different sound colors I'm after. I still have to spend considerable time in the woodshed learning each setup and becoming proficient at dealing with whatever shortcomings inherent to the combination. Once I'm there the challenge is to shift gears quickly, something that becomes easier with repetition.

Like Rick asserts, I think that amateurs and pros are looking for the same things in their instruments. If there is a difference, it is that the pro will consider more instruments that do specific things at a cost. These types of instruments will have some specific strength but have issues elsewhere that the pro will deal with to get the strength. My Rudy is a perfect example. But let's be fair here, I bought my Rudy back when I was a freshman in college.

Having a horn that is efficient, sounds great, plays in tune, and is comfortable to hold and play seems to be a universal goal with all players, regardless of proficiency. Why not?

My opinion for what it's worth...


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