Posted by Gary Press on October 12, 1999 at 20:36:19:
In Reply to: Re: Switching from F to F posted by Joe S. on October 12, 1999 at 19:46:25:
Well said. I might also throw in one other point. It comes in the form of a story, so bear with me.
I had a really nice Mirafone 184 that I acquired for a song. I always liked the 184 sound in quintets I had heard. I was very excited that I had this horn that everyone thought was a real gem. But I allowed that to cloud my vision when deep down, after several months, I had real doubts about whether this horn "fit" me. I had the horn for 3 years and never once felt comfortable on it. It felt like a struggle every step of the way.
One day I came to the realization that I had not used the 184 in months. That I always found some way to get around using it. That's when I realized that it made no sense to stick with this instrument when I really had my heart set on another. So I sold it. and I'm in the process of saving to buy the mid-sized CC I really want.
Moral (if you can call it that): It doesn't matter how great a particular horn is reported to be if it doesn't fit you. Trust your own judgement. Trust your instincts. If the instrument doesn't allow you to say what you want to say with the voice you want to use, then it is doing you and your audience a grave injustice.