Today while waitng for the paint to dry on another project, I pulled the valves on an old old (1914) Martin valve set with slides, that some nice folks on this site sent me post paid - thank you very much. I found the guides to have been soldered in place but on one valve there was the ghost of a ...

@bloke, you mentioned not having thousands worth of machine tools... Be on the lookout for an automotive machine shop closing up. You might be able to pick up a pin fitter. Oberloh has one. He seemed put out when I told him I'd spend many, many hours standing in front of one fitting piston pins ...

I double on trumpet and have used a Mirafone C3 for many years on my 5/8 bore Martin. The modern catalogue number is TU21. I also use this piece on my 3/4 bore Willson but with a bigger shank. That said, I've begun using the Martin 33 that came with the Mammoth on it as the intonation is better from ...

This evening my wife and I dug out the DVD of the 1951 Kelly/Caron musical, turned up the stereo, and immersed ourselves in Hollywood's version of 1950 Paris. I know it was 1950 because there is a 1950 Mercury used as a taxi. But I digress... This was made during the post-war exuberance that lasted ...

Does anyone know if it was the MGM studio orchestra that played the movie and if it was the original Gershwin Score or which revision? My last comment assumes it was a revision.

I suppose that, ultimately, the arbiter of a performance is the audience, who spent their money to hear us play. In my case there are many grey-heads who also follow dance and will have seen the 1951 movie, though not in 1951 of course. Shall we take them down memory lane to that dance performance ...

I have a copy of the original Kelly/Caron musical and I haven't watched it in a long time. I think I will, just for fun. Seems it might be instructive as to how to play the part.

Any idea if theses 3-48 screws would fit my 1918 Martin? I'd like to do the same on the Mammoth but don't know the size there either. I'd rather not bugger up a screw getting it out without a replacement. I normally work on much bigger stuff with a bore of like 4-1/4," soI may be a little ham-handed ...

It's times like these, when we do arrangements that have vanishingly few passages of interest for tuba but some of the best trumpet solos ever, that I really regret giving up my seat in the trumpet section because we needed a bass voice. Other times, I'm happy as can be to be the foundation of the ...

Could someone please post a link to this solo.
I am in rehearsal of American in Paris Suite -- arr. John Whitney; with one week and the dress to go.
There may be remanents of the tuba solo of which you are speaking. I'm not generally a fan of our conductor/music director's choice of "arrangements ...

This may be the greatest thread
That for me I've ever read
I've driven there in my Chevrolet
and hope to do it another day

Burma Shave

Muting a tuba is especially a problem and I haven't figured it out yet. Last rehearsal, the Conductor wanted the trombone, who sits next to me, muted in deference to the chorus. Trombonist hadn't brought his mute as we are into the manyith rehearsal and conductor never requested a mute before. I ...

Gas out west here has gotten really expensive (pushing $6/gal.) so with the road salt gone, I've brought the old Mercedes diesel out of hybrination early this year. It uses 1/3 as much fuel at my Suburban. Last evening I was able to load the Mammoth in its gig bag, with stand, in the trunk and the ...

Are European orchestras in such dire straits as orchestras in the US? Is their cost structure more favorable?

I suspect most European venues are long since paid for while the municipal bonds floated for Seattle's Fine Arts infrastructure still pay me a nice dividend -- tax free. I do know that ...

I've noticed that on the Martin Mammoth. It has very tight valves and they will hold a vacuum over night. I haven't noticed it during a playing session though. I warm up playing scales and arpeggios that use all the valves. For our upcoming concert I'll have long periods of not playing so I'll be on ...

Thank you all for the information.

The intonation on my Willson 3400S is good enough that I can set the slides for a particular piece and forget it. I make a note in pencil at the top indicating 4th out or 1st out and if need be for a subsequent piece in the performance, I'll mark 4th in or 1st in ...

So far as I know none of my three tubas has vented valves. If one did, what would I look for? From what I've read here on the forums, holes are drilled in some part of the valve but where?

What is the playing advantage? What problems does this cure? Why don't manufacturers do this when the ...

This discussion reminds me of what I've read about the demise of the British motorcycle industry:
Post WWII, management refused to make any investment in the companies including even maintaining the machine tools. Workers made valiant attempts at compensating for wide variations in tolerances but I ...

The back problem issue mentioned it something to consider. I thought being a large man I'd be immune to such things. But no.

I pinched a nerve in my back (L-5 I think) sometime over the past year and picking up the 24lb Willson from the side of my chair repeatedly during rehearsal has made the pain ...

Amazon gives me a pain! But given where we live on-line shopping is our only alternative for much besides groceries. I failed to de-check the Amazon Prime button on an order and poof! I'm a Prime member. So I ordered bunch of really heavy stuff from them. That went on for several months until their ...