Resonant bell tones / slide

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posaunebone
Posts: 90
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2019 1:38 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

Resonant bell tones / slide

Post by posaunebone »

About 95% done with a major 42 build project (which I will post here when complete).

It was originally a straight 42 which has now had an open wrap instrument innovations valve section built and used an open gooseneck and shortened main tuning slide for pitch correction. Slide is completely rebuilt using M/K inners and M/K nickel outers (w/oversleeves) and a M/K yellow brass crook with brassark MV42 seamed copper leadpipe. Original corp brace/cork barrels retained.

Anyway... In the time I've spent play testing along the way while the build has been completed, we've come across some resonance that wasn't there before the slide rebuild. When I use a different 42 slide it doesn't happen at all.

When I take the horn home I'll record it in a larger area to see if the vibrations I feel in my hand are amounting to any complimentary tones or if it's something negatively impact in the sound. There is a significant amount of feedback/resonance/vibrations with the new slide and I have no idea what it's doing to the sound yet which is my main concern. For example, playing something loud I'll feel the horn vibrate in my hand for 1-2 seconds after that note

The bell section is very lightly braced, just one custom edge brace but nothing touching the bell. The slide plays incredibly well (kudos to M/K and brassark pipe). Just wondering if this becomes too much or too distracting what can be done to sort of dull the vibrations if I decide they interfere too much. I have an initial thought of leather grips or a Sauer brace but I'm not sure if these would help my potential problem
hyperbolica
Posts: 2849
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 7:31 am

Re: Resonant bell tones / slide

Post by hyperbolica »

Some people wrap tape or a wrist wrap around the bell about half way between tuning slide and flare. A lot of horns just vibrate. My 88h vibrates at about F#.
RoscoTrombone
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Location: Bonnyrigg (near Edinburgh) Scotland

Re: Resonant bell tones / slide

Post by RoscoTrombone »

I have a B&S MeisterSinger bass and it has a resonance on F# 5th position,just that one note. I've learned to ignore it & I don't think it has any impact in sound or anything. FWIW my old Rath did the same.

When I had a lesson with blast a couple of years ago I mentioned it to him so he flicked the edge of the bell...guess what pitch it rings at?

Ross
shider
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Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2018 8:31 am
Location: Southern Germany

Re: Resonant bell tones / slide

Post by shider »

I had a resonance phenomenon on my bass trombone (Kühnl&Hoyer ".563") on the note a natural in second position, on the top of the staff.
RoscoTrombone wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2019 6:43 am I have a B&S MeisterSinger bass and it has a resonance on F# 5th position,just that one note. I've learned to ignore it & I don't think it has any impact in sound or anything.
Contrary to Ross I found it highly distracting, because the instrument would kind of lash out on that note and become very difficult to control. But: i never recorded that, so I'm not sure if it was audible in front of the bell.. I knew it was there, but I didn't really go after fixing that problem. Now, about 2 years after i noticed it I changed to a different mouthpiece, changed the F-valve cap to a heavy one and changed lever paddles to wooden ones.. The resonance on that one note is gone :idk: don't know if that came by the changes I did to the horn or i myself changed it

But the idea of checking the bells own resonance frequence is a great idea! I'll try that if something like that comes up again :biggrin:

Jürgen
posaunebone
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Location: Chicago, IL

Re: Resonant bell tones / slide

Post by posaunebone »

Did some recording and had some friends listen. The bell rings on a Bb! How convenient! It's a satisfying ring to feel in my hands and hear behind the bell and doesn't impact the sound at all in front of the bell. Some final tweaks to the slide alignment and bell receiver involving some final soldering may have dulled it just enough to the point of being exactly what I want. Love this trombone, I'm going to post a full write up at some point. It plays incredibly well.
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trompanner
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Re: Resonant bell tones / slide

Post by trompanner »

posaunebone wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 10:03 pm Did some recording and had some friends listen. The bell rings on a Bb! How convenient! It's a satisfying ring to feel in my hands and hear behind the bell and doesn't impact the sound at all in front of the bell. Some final tweaks to the slide alignment and bell receiver involving some final soldering may have dulled it just enough to the point of being exactly what I want. Love this trombone, I'm going to post a full write up at some point. It plays incredibly well.
I have an stock 42b that resonates an A on the standard weight yellow brass 42 slide and a 42LT slide. When I flick the bell, sure enough it resonates an A! Having said all that, maybe in the process of the build and fitting of the valve section to your original straight horn, it “woke up” or uncovered some natural resonance in the bell. Also, maybe the M&K rebuilt slide being fitted to the bell section contributed to a more direct distribution of vibration from the mouthpiece to the bell. Just theories really.

I’m pondering investing in one of the Instrument Innovations rotors for my tenor trombone. Wondering what your impressions are after having played on it for a while. Personally, I would love to see pictures of your finished horn. Sounds like a winner!
posaunebone
Posts: 90
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2019 1:38 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

Re: Resonant bell tones / slide

Post by posaunebone »

Pictures coming probably on Saturday with a write-up of the 5 years in the making build details.

The MK drawing parts have some sort of magic juju in them. Doesn't hurt to have a tech who does a hell of a rebuild too.
Everyone I've heard of who grabs a crook or leadpipe or something from MK seems to love their stuff. I can't speak highly enough of how great this slide plays using their inners, outers, and crook. If I didn't love the seamed copper brassark leadpipe I have I'd be ordering one of their leadpipes too. I have one of their nickel George roberts leadpipes in my recent shires q series bass purchase and it feels amazing.
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Tooloud
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Re: Resonant bell tones / slide

Post by Tooloud »

I could never get over a ringing bell on my former Bach 50 B 2. It was annoying.
Before I threw it out of the window, the dealer took it back, after several attempts to get rid of that ringing had failed. Since then I never used any Bach again.
The ringing always detracted attention from the music, so that I was wrong on several occasions - it was embarrassing.
I would try every mean to repair that, because over time it will be enerving!
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