End of Marching band, iPhone, and Drum Corps

Well last weekend was the end of high school Marching Band. Green Hope Marching Band travelled to indianapolis to compete in the Bands of America Grand Nationals. Performing in Lucas Oil Stadium is truly an amazing experience. I was awe struck when we first came out of the tunnel and I got to see the stadium from field level. We had the best run of our season (I'll post a video in the comments once I get home) and it was an awesome way to end the season. We also got to watch the top 12 groups in the finals competition. Congratulations to Broken Arrow especially for their first place finish. All of the finals groups were simply amazing.

This week I also got an iPhone 4S. I absolutely love this phone. In fact, I'm posting from it right now. Hopefully this means you'll be seeing posts from me more often!

This coming weekend is the first audition camp for the 2012 Phantom Regiment. I'll be attending and hopefully receiving a callback. I will definitely give an update on Sunday when I have all the waiting time at the airport!

Hope everyone is doing well and has a great holiday season!

Hiatus

Hey everyone,

I am sincerely very sorry for this break in posting. I have been wanting to write a post for a long time and simply haven't had the time. Between school, marching band, and college apps I have very little time to do things I enjoy doing and choose to do. Luckily for the blog, almost all my college apps are in and marching band only has about 4 more weeks left. That means that I should be able to get back to regular posts soon. I am still out looking for products to review and have definitely not forgotten about this blog. I hope you stick with me as I am planning on picking up the posting again soon! Thanks to all my readers, I hope to be posting more soon!

Sincerely,
David Clancy

OcToBrass Review

Recently I received a complimentary OcToBrass from Chason's music for a review. Right now, my camera is malfunctioning so I cannot add any of my pictures, however I will add them soon. Specifically i received a Trombone/Euphonium LS OcToBrass kit. It came with a polycarbonate OcToBrass, leather case, fingering chart, DVD, clip on tuner, key ring flashlight, and a green 5G Kelly Mouthpiece. This invention is marketed as the ultimate buzzing tool. Do I agree with this? Lets dive into it a bit.

Design - This tool is essentially an ocarina with a large shank mouthpiece receiver on it. The ocarina itself is a product of Mountain Ocarinas (polycarbonate, key of G). For those of you that don't know, an ocarina is a flute like instrument with 8 tone holes on the top and 2 tone holes on the bottom. There is also a resistance valve on the mouthpiece receiver that allows you to adjust the resistance to match your horn's. There is also a cord which allows you to make a fashion statement and wear your OcToBrass around town. It is also very light. All in all, the design of this tool is not bad. Simple, yet effective.

Design rating - 4/5

Ease of Use - From here on out my review is rather split between using this as a buzzing tool and using it as an ocarina. I'll first go with the review as an ocarina. This instrument is very cool. The tone is very pure without being too shrill. However, it is very loud. Do not expect to use the ocarina in places where quiet is needed. I have enjoyed using the ocarina function of the OcToBrass. It is cool to do as a brass player. When one starts buzzing on this though it gets a little iffy. It takes quite awhile to adjust to playing with it. The tone of the ocarina and buzzing loses the purity of the ocarina alone as well as buzzing alone. I'm not sure if this is due to the octave difference or what. Buzzing alone on the OcToBrass is fairly useful because it can be used to match the resistance of the horn. Then again, I like to use buzzing as a breathing exercise and breath control exercise.

Ease of Use - 3/5

Functionality - I'm really not sure what to think of this device yet as a buzzing tool while I can see the benefits (the video demonstration looks awesome) i just can't seem to produce the same results. I guess its just a matter of practice on the ocarina side of things. The quiet buzzing mode is nice. However, the tone is distorted when only buzzing due to the air escaping the tone holes. Personally, my ear is better at pitch accuracy with the normal buzzing tone as opposed to through the OcToBrass. The functionality as solely an ocarina is great though. Personally though I'm not fully convinced of the actual effectiveness of the tool. Is it cool? Yes. But, on trips I think I would rather only bring a mouthpiece. For me, a mouthpiece is all I need to keep in shape and I feel as if the OcToBrass tries to do be a sort of "Jack of all trades but master of none."

Functionality rating - 2/5

Accessories - Ironically, I personally find the accessories of the kit more exciting than the actual OcToBrass. It comes with a lexan Kelly Mouthpiece (either 51D or 5G). I've already done a review of these mouthpieces, and really like them. These mouthpieces are light, cool, and don't suffer much at all in tone. Oh, and they're very durable. The kit also comes with a clip on tuner. This tuner is really cool and accurate. It is perfect for checking your pitch while playing in a group setting and can't play alone. Or checking tuning on that one sustain note in a phrase that just doesn't sound right. Very useful, small, and accurate. I love this tuner.  The keyring flashlight is totally unrelated, yet very functional. Overall, the accessories of this kit are very useful and very nice.

Accessories rating - 5/5

Price:
OcToBrass kit - $99
Clip on Tuner - $19.95
Kelly Mouthpiece - $26
Mountain Ocarina - $24.95

Overall - This is an interesting tool. It is a very nice ocarina which is very fun to play. However, combining it with buzzing makes it difficult to learn and gives it a sub-par tone in my opinion. This is a really cool idea and I really did want to like this product. However, it simply took me a long time to learn and offered less than stellar performance. Perhaps over time it will grow on me, but right now I can't say that I enjoy buzzing in my OcToBrass. If this were up to me and I had to buy products I would rather buy the mountain ocarina for about 25% of the cost since the ocarina is what I find to be the most useful and fun about the OcToBrass. However, I would highly recommend getting the tuner as well. It is definitely worth the $19.95 and functions flawlessly.

Overall rating - 2/5

Afternote - The owner of Chason's music is a great guy. It has been a joy communicating with him and I can really tell he loves what he does. The products he develops seem to be very innovative and very cool.

pBone

**12/22/11** If you are looking for a review of the pBone it can be found here: http://euphbone.blogspot.com/2011/12/pbone-review.html

Well, today is a short update. I've been busy lately with music stuff and my recent interest into changing my physical lifestyle (go to http://ironbuick.blogspot.com if you are interested in hearing about it). I finally got around today to asking around for dealers that will have the pBone in stock. I've been getting search hits from this for awhile and been very interested in these instruments ever since I found out about them. These don't come available until September 2011 in the US but I'm really hoping I can get one of these in the first shipment. They appear to run at $150 per instrument and I think thats fair, even though it is higher than the original UK price point. So be expecting a full review of a pBone once I can get my hands on one (hopefully September!).

*Update: Andrew's Music is supplying me with a pBone to review! Many thanks to them!

Lignum-Tech Mouthpiece Review

Mouthpieces are metal right? Not always. In addition to brass and stainless steel, other materials are being used. Awhile ago I did a review of a lexan mouthpiece from Kelly. Now, I'm pleased to announce this review is of a wooden mouthpiece from Lignum-Tech in Ingersheim, Germany! I received a 5 AL mouthpiece (large shank) in Madagascar Ebony. Lignum-Tech only recently came out with their trombone and euphonium line so its still a little limited size wise but it has very popular sizes that should work for most tenor trombone and euphonium players.

Shipping - I was very impressed with the shipping of this mouthpiece. The box that it came with was very secure. The whole box was almost completely covered in tape which is a very good thing when shipping something like a mouthpiece. Inside the outer box was a smaller, black formal box that fit snuggly in the outer box. And finally, inside this black box was the mouthpiece inside of a soft mouthpiece bag. The whole packaging system was very well thought out and very secure. I find it highly unlikely that the mouthpiece could ever be damaged with his packing system. Also, the shipping was very speedy for coming such a long way.

Shipping rating - 5/5

Design/Comfort - The feel of wood on your chops can be daunting to think about. After all, could you imagine putting one of those woodworking projects you've done on your embouchure and buzzing? Well put those doubts aside, this is the most comfortable mouthpiece I've played on. The wood itself is covered with a high-performance coating from Heyday's (organic anorganic hybrid polymer). The surface is slick, more so than my gold plated mouthpieces. So if you like being able to move your lips around easily, this will be very beneficial for you. The piece is made from a single section of wood and it is all wood. This means that even the shank is wood so I would be more careful than usual inserting and removing the mouthpiece. The material also means that the piece is lightweight and good for extreme temperatures as there wood is less conductive than metal. The Heyday's surface also means that you do not need to do the annual oiling like older wooden mouthpieces do. The mouthpiece itself seems to be very close to the Schilke 52 and Dennis Wick 5AL it is compared to on the website so you can trust all of the comparisons. This is definitely one of my favorite mouthpieces I've played from a  feel and comfort standpoint.


Design/Comfort - 5/5


Tone - Tone and sound are always the most important factor in a mouthpiece because, lets be honest, that is what the audience hears and we are performing to please the audience. As always when you alter the material of a mouthpiece, the sound is also altered. The Lignum-Tech mouthpiece produces a warm, mellow tone. The higher harmonics (overtones) are dampened so do not expect this piece to have a piercing sound. I would definitely use this in most situations for wind bands and especially in small ensembles. Don't expect a powerhouse out of this mouthpiece but do expect a quality, warm tone which is useful for a lot of ensemble playing.


Tone - 4.5/5


Pros

• Warm, mellow sound
• Comfortable in both hot and cold temperatures
• No annual oiling 
• Unique
• Slick feel (some could find this as a con but personally, its a pro)

Cons

• Rather expensive
• Not suitable for when a piercing sound is needed.

Price - 159 Euros (about $230 at the time of writing but this also includes 20% VAT). You can ask for a quote or order here.

Overall - I am very impressed with this Lignum-Tech mouthpiece. It is a very comfortable piece to play on and produces a warm, rich tone. It is simply a beautiful sounding and looking mouthpiece. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a versatile ensemble piece. Lignum-Tech is currently the only wooden mouthpiece manufacturer to my knowledge and quite honestly, I would not want to compete with a product of their caliber. Very well done Lignum-Tech!

Overall - 5/5

Photos

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Tips For Buying Your First Trombone

Chances are that if you've opened this article, you (or your child) are someone who is interested in learning to play trombone. If so, congratulations! You have chosen an amazing instrument, capable of playing everything from jazz to ska. You have also probably entered into the unknown territory of purchasing an instrument. Fear not, I will do everything I can to steer you in the right direction!

First of all, you've probably seen brands such as Tristar and Cecilio on eBay. These prices have insanely low prices. My advice is stay away! You may get a decent horn from these guys, but you also may get a horn that is unplayable. The truth is that there is no concept of quality control with these brands and the instrument wont last. You're better off with going for brands which I'll go more in-depth into later in the article.

Terminology

You have probably been exposed to many different terms which you are unfamiliar with in your search for a beginner trombone. I'll try to explain what each one is and what it does.

Bore Size - The bore size of a trombone is the diameter of the tubing of the instrument, measured in the handslide. Basically larger bores will produce a darker, warmer tone. However, they also require much more air to play. In general, your first trombone should be a small bore (.500" or.509"). If you are an adult beginner, you may want to look into a medium bore (.525") however, I would still recommend a small bore instrument for your first trombone.

Bell Size - Bell size is usually directly related to bore size. It is is exactly what the name implies, how wide the bell's diameter is. A beginner horn should have a bell size of 8" unless you are using a medium bore where it may have a size of 8.5"

Shank - Shank refers to the size of the opening of the leadpipe. This determines whether the instrument will take large shank or small shank mouthpieces. Your first trombone should have a small shank as all small and medium bore horns have a small shank receiver.

Material - Trombones generally are made of two materials: Yellow brass and Red brass. Yellow brass is the material used in many trombones, including almost all student trombones. Yellow brass produces a strong fundamental sound which keeps its tone well at all dynamic levels. Red brass produces a warmer sound and is more flexible in the colors of every dynamic. Generally, yellow brass is what you'd want for your first trombone.

Key - Tenor trombones should be in the key of Bb. This means that the fundamental note, in first position is a Bb. If you get a trombone with a rotary valve, it should be in the key of Bb/F. Trombone is a non-transposing instrument even though its fundamental pitch is a Bb. This means that when a trombonist plays a written C, a C is sounded.

F - Attachment - This is the part of a trombone which is most easily identified as "the extra tubing around the tuning slide." With this option, you have a trigger which essentially turns first position into sixth and second into seventh. I would recommend not getting an F - Attachment on your first trombone. A straight trombone is much more free blowing, plus you truly learn the last two positions with a straight trombone.

Which Trombone is Right for Me?

Assuming you are a beginner I would recommend a straight, small shank, yellow brass,.500" bore, 8" bell trombone. This trombone will be the most durable and will be the easiest to produce a good sound on. Here are some models I would suggest.

These are new trombones, price is something to be noted. Generally with instruments you get what you pay for.

YSL-354 - This is the Yamaha student model. This was my first trombone. It is very durable, has good build quality, good tone, and great reliability. In my opinion Yamaha makes the best student model on the market, however it is more expensive than other models.

YSL-350C - This is an interesting Yamaha model. This is nicknamed "The Short Bone" in the trombone community. It has a trigger which puts the instrument into C eliminating the need for sixth and seventh positions. This is ideal for a young musician who can't reach or someone who needs a smaller instrument to travel with.

Getzen 351 - This is a great option for a student model instrument. Very nice student horn, and cheaper than the Yamaha.

Blessing BTB-1280 - This is another great model. Not quite as good as the previous options but still a very viable option and cheaper than the other three.

Giardinelli GTB 512 - I have not heard much about this horn. However, everything I've heard is that it's a great horn for the price. The cheapest option of all my recommendations.

Used horns

Used horns are a great option for beginners. They are much cheaper than new horns and often play just as well. Also, they will hold their value well unless you do major damage to them.

Any of the above are good used. Also, you can probably find pretty good deals on older instruments such as: Conns, Olds (any straight horn), and Kings.

If you'd like to talk to me about your trombone purchase, please feel free to contact me through the website below. I'll be glad to help you with anything trombone related!

Good luck in your first trombone purchase and in your pursuit of playing this great instrument!

Schiller Elite Compensating Euphonium... Price Cut?

So in my review of the Schiller Elite Compensating Euphonium, I listed price as one of the best features of the horn. However, recently I have come across the same horn, bought from the same manufacturer, at an even lower price! Al at Big Bottom Music NW is selling the same horn at $700. Thats $185 lower than what Jim Laabs sells their horn for! If you're looking to buy a Schiller, I'd suggest going through Big Bottom Music NW to get the same horn at an even better price!