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@MoominDave - yes, but that mob in SAGE are already wittering on about new strains, existing vaccines not being effective against them, and suggesting that some restrictions may NEVER be lifted; and when has the government even questioned what SAGE has told them to do? Call me cynical, but...

When will things 'get back to normal'? I'm beginning to think that they already have; that this is the new 'normal'. Hope to God I'm wrong. Jack E

Hi, Col, I'm glad you're pleased with your purchase. Re. the sound; I suspect that the 'marching trombone' sound may have two causes. One is that the bell on a JP373 is 9.5 inches in diameter, giving it the possibility of a much richer sound than my JP173, with a bell diameter of 8 inches -...

Gendreau - if you enjoy experimenting with different gear, why not? When we're at work, we have to follow orders from the boss - when we're at leisure, we can (and do!) please ourselves :) With best regards, Jack E

I don't think that makes you a gear head, 2nd Tenor - unless both of us are! I don't constantly chop and change from one mouthpiece to another, and I doubt that there is a 'perfect' mouthpiece - but I am pretty certain that the essental thing is that mouthpiece, instrument and player match each...

With you on that, 2nd Tenor - and I'm happy to say that I learnt a great deal of sense and wisdom on this subject from reading a book called 'The Human Zoo', written by a naturalist named Desmond Morris (1960s, I think). He pointed out that, although big cities were commonly referred to as...

@dennis78 - I totally agree with you. I don't understand how anyone can possibly be expected to play any brass or woodwind instrument whilst wearing a face mask - and any kind of cover over the bell is going to play havoc with the sound. I've got a Shhmoot for my baritone, and whilst very...

Welcome to the forum, Gendreauj - as Vegasbound has pointed out, it's a bit of a shadow of its former self at the moment, and the main cause of that is not Covid-19, but lockdown. The band I've been playing with shut down at the end of March, and the way we are getting messed around at the...

Re. the euph getting a bit much to fill; I know how that feels, Col. About two and a half years back, after heart surgery, I got a lung infection which really messed up my breathing, compounding the fact that in my late teens I got exposed to phosgene gas which probably left some permanent...

Thank you, Ken - I very much appreciate that compliment, and I hope that you and Jean are keeping well. With best regards, Jack

Good evening, Col - I've never seen (or, to my knowledge, heard) an Odyssey, so I can't help you directly, and my Packer 173 Baritone is uncompensated; I presume as you're looking at the OBH 1400 that you want a compensated model. What I can say for sure is that, albeit they are made in China...

AlbertR - happy days are here again, eh? 😊

It's very odd that I've never had any problems playing brass right handed - yet with fretted instruments, I immediately notice the difference, and it's a massive difference, too. For all the research and advances we've made in understanding how our minds and brains work, I suspect that - as yet...

I can honestly say that when (please God) my band re-starts, I will carry on with my banjo - it's a long time since I had so much fun!

I think that bringing in fresh material can not only make it more interesting for audiences, but equally create enthusiasm amongst players - particularly for those in bands whose focus is strongly on contesting. But there is a 'but'; unless and until bands can start rehearsing and playing...

There have been no lessons / rehearsals for my junior band since the end of March - and I've no idea when / where / how they will re-start. It's really brought home to me how much I enjoyed playing with other people, even with only another two or three - and how empty it sounds to be playing...

Isn't the complete shut-down of banding a 'banding issue'?

From the 'Daily Telegraph', today, explaining why the mandatory wearing of face masks is expanding relentlessly, when the blunt truth is that almost all those who are critically vulnerable to the disease have already died: "Mr Hancock suggested that making face coverings mandatory in shops and...