Jack E
Well-Known Member
Just bought a John Packer 132.R tenor trombone, and started playing with it today. It came with a JP.610 mouthpiece and it was only when I put that down next to the mouthpiece from my baritone that I realised it was a large shank mouthpiece - and there was me thinking that all tenor trombones were small shank!
(I just checked on their website, and the 610 is described as a 4AL euph mouthpiece - hmmmm . . . )
First thought that crossed my mind - "Have I accidentally bought a bass 'bone?"
Second thought - "Will I have to learn bass clef??" ? "And, if it is a bass, what key is it in?"
Checked back on the invoice. Nope, it's definitely a tenor, and in Bb, but it is a large bore; 8.5" bell, 0.547" bore. The mouthpiece is noticeably larger than a Wick 6BS, with a fairly narrow rim, but nicely rounded, and feels very comfortable. I've been experimenting with buzzing it, just to get the feel of it, and I must say that, so far, I like it a lot. Buzzing the lower notes in particular feels very easy, getting a really clean buzz, and I suspect it will give a really rich sound when played on the 'bone - especially as it appears to be intended for euph players.
Another learning point; I was browsing through the TromboneChat forum, and came across some advice which makes perfect sense, but which was never pointed out to me before when I was playing trombone a few years back. I quote:-
From SwissTbone: "I have my first position always out a little. How can you fine-tune your first position notes otherwise?"
What he's driving at is that he sets his tuning slide so that, to play a written C (concert Bb) in 1st position, his main slide is a fraction of an inch away from the bumper. When I had my Selmer 'bone, I noticed it particularly on one position (I think it was 5th, but not sure), that if I played a series of notes on 5th - Eb, Ab, C, high Eb - that to get one of them in tune, I had to slightly tweak the slide position. Thinking about it further, I was watching James Morrison a few nights ago on YouTube, and I noticed that when he was playing certain notes on 2nd position, he was slightly adjusting the slide position for some of them. Even though my tutor in the band pointed out to me the need to adjust the slide in 5th when playing certain notes, the need to be able to do that in 1st as well was never mentioned. ?
Moving right along . . . brief back story; I was born left-handed, but like many children in that era (before we learnt how to make fire) I was forced to use my right hand instead, and that was before I was even old enough to sit up in my cot - so I had no idea about it until my mum told me when I was 15. At about the age of 20/21, I tried to learn to play guitar - on a right-handed guitar. After 2 years fighting it and getting nowhere, I gave up. Fast forward to last year; after 6 months of the band being shut down, no horse riding, and living almost in solitary confinement, I was about climbing the walls. I found playing my baritone in isolation didn't cut it for me - one note at a time, instead of a number of instruments playing in multi-part harmony was just way too boring.
So I looked round for something I could do, which would sound complete in itself - and I plumped for banjo, played in old time Appalachian style, rather than the frenetic Earl Scruggs / Foggy Mountain Breakdown / Deliverance way (musical machine guns). And, as I was doing a bit of research before buying, I came across the argument on a banjo forum - "If you were born left-handed, should you go for a left-hand banjo, or just learn to play a right-hand version, which are much easier to find, and to sell on later?" Especially on this side of the Pond, banjos are thin on the ground, and left-hand banjos even more so.
Well, people argued both ways, with some left-handers saying they'd learnt on an RH banjo, no problem - but other southpaws saying they'd tried a RH, and could not make any progress at all, but took to a LH banjo like a duck to water. One thoughtful comment suggested that handedness in people is not a simple black / white distinction, but a spectrum - varying from extreme handedness (right or left) through moderate handedness to ambidextrous in the middle. Made sense. I noticed when I was a radio mechanic in the RAF that some right-handed blokes could use a soldering hand with their left hand if working in an awkward spot (not easily, but they could), whilst others couldn't do it left-handed to save their lives. So, while I was chewing this over, I was doodling around one day with an electric bass, and tried swapping it over to left-handed - it felt like swapping my shoes over from the wrong feet to the right feet! What a revelation! No wonder I got nowhere with a RH guitar . . .
After some searching, I found a little firm in Faversham which builds banjos from scratch, and will build you pretty much whatever you want, and I bought a left-hand banjo - and got on with it very well. It was my banjo teacher who found it confusing, as she said watching me play is like looking in a mirror, rather than watching another player! ?
You're wondering where this is going, aren't you? Patience, dear heart. Just when I was thinking about buying another trombone, I came across another thread on the TromboneChat forum where several left-handed people said that they had assembled their trombones to play them left-handed! With a straight Bb 'bone, it's easy-peasy - though they did point out that, with the exception of one make (I think some Bach models), you couldn't do it with trombones fitted with triggers.
So, tonight I put the Packer together for the first time, and thought "I'll try it left-handed, and see how it feels." Result? It feels as normal and natural as playing my banjo left-handed, and far more comfortable than when I was playing my old Selmer trombone right-handed ? I dare say it will look a bit weird to other people - but I can live with that ?
Further bulletins will be issued as and when the situation develops - watch this space!
And best regards,
Jack
(I just checked on their website, and the 610 is described as a 4AL euph mouthpiece - hmmmm . . . )
First thought that crossed my mind - "Have I accidentally bought a bass 'bone?"
Second thought - "Will I have to learn bass clef??" ? "And, if it is a bass, what key is it in?"Checked back on the invoice. Nope, it's definitely a tenor, and in Bb, but it is a large bore; 8.5" bell, 0.547" bore. The mouthpiece is noticeably larger than a Wick 6BS, with a fairly narrow rim, but nicely rounded, and feels very comfortable. I've been experimenting with buzzing it, just to get the feel of it, and I must say that, so far, I like it a lot. Buzzing the lower notes in particular feels very easy, getting a really clean buzz, and I suspect it will give a really rich sound when played on the 'bone - especially as it appears to be intended for euph players.
Another learning point; I was browsing through the TromboneChat forum, and came across some advice which makes perfect sense, but which was never pointed out to me before when I was playing trombone a few years back. I quote:-
From SwissTbone: "I have my first position always out a little. How can you fine-tune your first position notes otherwise?"
What he's driving at is that he sets his tuning slide so that, to play a written C (concert Bb) in 1st position, his main slide is a fraction of an inch away from the bumper. When I had my Selmer 'bone, I noticed it particularly on one position (I think it was 5th, but not sure), that if I played a series of notes on 5th - Eb, Ab, C, high Eb - that to get one of them in tune, I had to slightly tweak the slide position. Thinking about it further, I was watching James Morrison a few nights ago on YouTube, and I noticed that when he was playing certain notes on 2nd position, he was slightly adjusting the slide position for some of them. Even though my tutor in the band pointed out to me the need to adjust the slide in 5th when playing certain notes, the need to be able to do that in 1st as well was never mentioned. ?
Moving right along . . . brief back story; I was born left-handed, but like many children in that era (before we learnt how to make fire) I was forced to use my right hand instead, and that was before I was even old enough to sit up in my cot - so I had no idea about it until my mum told me when I was 15. At about the age of 20/21, I tried to learn to play guitar - on a right-handed guitar. After 2 years fighting it and getting nowhere, I gave up. Fast forward to last year; after 6 months of the band being shut down, no horse riding, and living almost in solitary confinement, I was about climbing the walls. I found playing my baritone in isolation didn't cut it for me - one note at a time, instead of a number of instruments playing in multi-part harmony was just way too boring.
So I looked round for something I could do, which would sound complete in itself - and I plumped for banjo, played in old time Appalachian style, rather than the frenetic Earl Scruggs / Foggy Mountain Breakdown / Deliverance way (musical machine guns). And, as I was doing a bit of research before buying, I came across the argument on a banjo forum - "If you were born left-handed, should you go for a left-hand banjo, or just learn to play a right-hand version, which are much easier to find, and to sell on later?" Especially on this side of the Pond, banjos are thin on the ground, and left-hand banjos even more so.
Well, people argued both ways, with some left-handers saying they'd learnt on an RH banjo, no problem - but other southpaws saying they'd tried a RH, and could not make any progress at all, but took to a LH banjo like a duck to water. One thoughtful comment suggested that handedness in people is not a simple black / white distinction, but a spectrum - varying from extreme handedness (right or left) through moderate handedness to ambidextrous in the middle. Made sense. I noticed when I was a radio mechanic in the RAF that some right-handed blokes could use a soldering hand with their left hand if working in an awkward spot (not easily, but they could), whilst others couldn't do it left-handed to save their lives. So, while I was chewing this over, I was doodling around one day with an electric bass, and tried swapping it over to left-handed - it felt like swapping my shoes over from the wrong feet to the right feet! What a revelation! No wonder I got nowhere with a RH guitar . . .
After some searching, I found a little firm in Faversham which builds banjos from scratch, and will build you pretty much whatever you want, and I bought a left-hand banjo - and got on with it very well. It was my banjo teacher who found it confusing, as she said watching me play is like looking in a mirror, rather than watching another player! ?
You're wondering where this is going, aren't you? Patience, dear heart. Just when I was thinking about buying another trombone, I came across another thread on the TromboneChat forum where several left-handed people said that they had assembled their trombones to play them left-handed! With a straight Bb 'bone, it's easy-peasy - though they did point out that, with the exception of one make (I think some Bach models), you couldn't do it with trombones fitted with triggers.
So, tonight I put the Packer together for the first time, and thought "I'll try it left-handed, and see how it feels." Result? It feels as normal and natural as playing my banjo left-handed, and far more comfortable than when I was playing my old Selmer trombone right-handed ? I dare say it will look a bit weird to other people - but I can live with that ?
Further bulletins will be issued as and when the situation develops - watch this space!
And best regards,
Jack
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