Posted by Dan on September 21, 2000 at 00:02:37:
In Reply to: Miraphone 188 posted by David on September 19, 2000 at 16:35:56:
Joe is right about the intonation; it's really nice to have a horn with so few major quirks.
He's also right about the low range, but that shouldn't slow you down from getting the horn if you are willing to work through the problems. That's a general statement about any horn you try out. No horn will be perfect.
As for my horn, it's the best horn I've ever played on and I love it. I actually won a para-professional gig on the horn as I was finishing college. It's great for playing with ensembles large and small, and the low range can be a real treat if you work through the stiffness down there ("Fountains," anyone?).
One thing that I noticed about the horn though: when I did that winning audition, the panel asked me to re-play several excerpts louder. Naturally I smiled and obliged. They did it again so I lloosened my belt and tried again. After a few reheasals with the group, the trombones (my panel) came up to me and told me I had a great sound, but why didn't I play like that on the audition? I had no idea what they were talking about. It seems to me that the characteristic of the sound in a solo setting prevent it from SEEMING as loud as it is, but at the same time in a group setting helps you carry effortlessly.
The reason I suggest this is that, to the panel, my (iddy biddy) yamaha F sounded like the larger of my two horns, despite the tone difference and obvious difference in size.
Just my two cents.
Dan "Insert Epithet Here" Clouse