Calling all Trombone Players 2

BLESSING trombones are in my opinion good balanced trombones.  I would liken these trombones to bach trombones.  They do whatever is required of them.  I have a Blessing silver B-78 trombone that I am currently trying to sell, but it lasted me through the beginning years of college and through most of high school.  I was able to blend well with any group that I played with including our college jazz band, quintet and show choir band.  It won't give you a big symphony sound cause of the medium bore, but will definitely work for anything that a beginner up to an advanced player will have needs for.

ACCENT trombones.  There are professionals out there that use Accent trombones and other brass instrunments, but my personal experience with them has led me to never, ever, ever try one again.  The sound of them is just so.......average.  The overtones that are produced by the instrument just don't add anything to any of the notes.  The instrument simply plays.   Thats it.  The partials on the trombone I tried also were not easy at all to navigate through.  It took some real air to switch between partials.  Its almost as if the instrument made you lock into one partial.  It was very aggravating and unnecessary.  My advice for this brand is to stay far away.  It might of just been the horn I was playing, but as of right now I have a negative view of this brand.

YAMAHA tromobnes have come a long way.  The new Xeno line of trombones and instruments they have is pretty amazing.  I was actually considering buying their Xeno trombone, but due to a reference from a former band director I decided on a Conn.  The Xeno trombone has great partials and has a great high range.  The low range would probably of been better for me if I had used a 5G mouthpiece instead of a 6 1/2 AL.  But all  in all I was very impressed with this horn.  The only downside for me is it didn't have a hagmann valve which I absolutely love to have on any trombone.

This has been another post about trombone brands and I will continue to post about various brands that I have had the opportunity to evaluate.  Be on the lookout for more posts.

Rock Music for Everyone

Now when the average person hears the term rock music they usually think of the usual bands such as Metallica, Sting, Led Zeppelin, etc.  While they were popular to some people everyone didn't take to the style of music that they played.  But what a lot of people don't realize is that rock music comes in lots of different forms and I would venture to say that anybody could find a form of rock music that suited their own taste.  Me personally I like pretty much anything that has sound.  But as of right now, my favorite group is Coheed and Cambria.  I really like the fact that their music is affiliated with a comic series that goes along side the music.  But maybe that it isn't something that interest you.  Maybe you are looking for a rock group that does a little rapping in between verses.  The older music of linkin park can be an example of this.  I don't particularly like the way their latest music has sounded.  They have went mainstream instead of sticking to what they are known for.  Or maybe you prefer classic rock like the Beatles or the Rolling Stones.  Whatever intrigues your interest, there is a sub genre of rock music that can facilitate your musical taste.  Leave some feedback on what you like to listen to.  I also challenge you to listen to something outside of your usual listening preference also.  You may come to realize that you like the sound of another type of rock music.

The Death of Hip Hop

For some odd reason hip hop evolved into a new form of music called rap sometime back in the late 1990s.  This is about the time period when I started listening to rap.  I actually enjoyed listening to it because it was very intuitive and interactive.  You had to really listen to what the person was saying to understand the full picture.  So  that is also when I decided to start listening to older rappers/ people who were part of the hip hop era.  Tupac was of course my first choice to listen to.  He was the face of hip hop for a good reason.  He was and to my opinion still is the all time great at relaying a message over rhymes.  I also listened to Notorious B.I.G. of course and realized that these two new something that these modern day rappers don't understand.  I mean sure recent rappers like Drake and Lil Wayne can spit out punch lines at any moment when they rap, but it is all just a random mess of rhymes put together with no purpose or meaning.  And if the song does have any kind of meaning to it, it usually has something to do with money, women, or street affairs. Today there are only a few rappers that I know of that can still really and truly rap.  A few of them are Lupe Fiasco, Common, MF Doom, Immortal Technique, etc.  I am glad to see that there is a community known as "The Underground" that doesn't adhere to mainstream influences.  This is where I usually choose to listen to rappers cause they tend to have a message to send in there rhymes.  I would like comments from other people about this so hit me up.  What is your view on the recent rappers of my generation?

Calling all Trombone Players

The trombone is one of the most versatile instruments out there.  There are so many different brands though and sometimes it is difficult to know which is better than another.  Here is my personal opinion of a few major and not so well known brands.

First and foremost is the major brand of all.  BACH.  This is the standard trombone for pretty much any trombone player.  These trombones aren't special in any way in my honest opinion.  They simply do the task that the player wants.  Sound wise they have a nice balance of overtones.  The sound of these trombones is flexible enough to be used for multiple playing situations.  This brand should always be an option when considering another trombone to purchase.

The next brand I will discuss is the brand that I suggest and play.  CONN.  This brand of trombones is great for orchestral and similar playing situations.  I play on the Conn 88HSCL.  This trombone is not very versatile and can be very difficult to get a nice strong fundamental trombone sound.  From most Conn trombones I have heard, they tend to produce a dark sound.  The overtones are particularly strong in the lower register of these trombones.  If playing in an orchestra, symphony, or group of similar playing, I would highly recommend this brand.

This post will be continued as I am having to leave my computer temporarily.  Until next time.