sections that play one brand

JCBone
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sections that play one brand

Post by JCBone »

What trombone sections in major orchestras play exclusively on a singke vrand? Is there a clear advantage to this practice or is it just tradition?
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by BGuttman »

Nowadays it's pretty unusual, or sometimes coincidental.

At one time the Cleveland Orchestra played King trombones, but that was simply because they were in Cleveland and King provided the instruments.

I would guess that Shires or Edwards may predominate in different orchestras.

Does it make a difference? Less than the musicianship and style of the players using the horns. Blend comes from people working together to get the sound they need. Not because of XYZ instruments.
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Gary
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Gary »

As a conductor and Musical Director, I only care about results. If one player needs horn X and another horn Y but get the same resulting sound, that's al I care about. If someone's sticking out in the section, then they need to change. But not to a horn/mpc that matches the solo player in equipment, to equipment that allows that player to match the principle in sound.

Now, I'm not naïve, I realise there will be some who take a hard line on equipment, but I consider that more affectation than taste.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Tbarh »

Chicago Symphony, all Bach.. Boston, all Edwards...
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by chromebone »

Gary wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:14 am As a conductor and Musical Director, I only care about results. If one player needs horn X and another horn Y but get the same resulting sound, that's al I care about. If someone's sticking out in the section, then they need to change. But not to a horn/mpc that matches the solo player in equipment, to equipment that allows that player to match the principle in sound
In most cases, the player’s concept of sound and understanding of their role in the section is what determines whether they stick out or not. No amount of changing equipment will make a difference. I once played principal in an orchestra where the second trombonist played like a principal. I couldn’t get him to change concept, and instead tried going the route of getting him to try 4 different horns, all with the same end result. He wanted to be principal, and that was it.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Elow »

Isn’t new york now all shires?
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by CalgaryTbone »

St. Louis and National Symphony and Vancouver are all Edwards sections. Toronto is all Shires. I think Minnesota is all Bach.

Some other sections started with everyone on the same brand for a while, but trombonists are always looking for the "better mousetrap" - nothing lasts forever. Good players blend with whatever tools they choose.

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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Neo Bri »

The Met is all playing Courtois. But I think most of the time a section plays all the same it's because they are monetarily incentivized to do so by the maker.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by chromebone »

Elow wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:52 am Isn’t new york now all shires?
Dave Finlayson plays a Yamaha.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by chromebone »

Tbarh wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:38 am Chicago Symphony, all Bach.. Boston, all Edwards...
In the previous iteration of the section, Friedman played a Bach, Crisafulli a Holton, and Kleinhammer a Williams/Schilke/Reynolds Frankenbone. Find a better blended section than that.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by fsgazda »

CalgaryTbone wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:55 am St. Louis and National Symphony and Vancouver are all Edwards sections. Toronto is all Shires. I think Minnesota is all Bach.

Some other sections started with everyone on the same brand for a while, but trombonists are always looking for the "better mousetrap" - nothing lasts forever. Good players blend with whatever tools they choose.

Jim Scott
Saw a masterclass at ITF where the Minnesota section played all Bach for some pieces, then switched to all Conn for some pieces.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by stewbones43 »

Neo Bri wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:56 am The Met is all playing Courtois. But I think most of the time a section plays all the same it's because they are monetarily incentivized to do so by the maker.
"Monetarily incentivised" !!!!! Is that the same as being paid? :shuffle:

Sorry, American is not my first language, I am English. :redface:

No offence meant, just couldn't resist it.
Thanks for lightening my day; it hadn't been going so well. I had just played my trombones for the first time in over a week and it showed :weep:
Also the Covid situation means that we are in lockdown here and we haven't seen our kids over Christmas; it isn't easy to hug someone on "Zoom"
And it has been raining all day here.

Cheers and a Happy New Year.

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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Neo Bri »

stewbones43 wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 10:14 am
Neo Bri wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:56 am The Met is all playing Courtois. But I think most of the time a section plays all the same it's because they are monetarily incentivized to do so by the maker.
"Monetarily incentivised" !!!!! Is that the same as being paid? :shuffle:

Sorry, American is not my first language, I am English. :redface:

No offence meant, just couldn't resist it.
Thanks for lightening my day; it hadn't been going so well. I had just played my trombones for the first time in over a week and it showed :weep:
Also the Covid situation means that we are in lockdown here and we haven't seen our kids over Christmas; it isn't easy to hug someone on "Zoom"
And it has been raining all day here.

Cheers and a Happy New Year.

Stewbones
Sorry - I've been accused of being overly-verbose before...

And sorry for your (and many peoples') situation. It must be very hard. This stuff will pass but it doesn't make it easier for now.

Also, about the NSO - weird. When I lived there I remember Matt Guilford playing a Shires (I had a lesson with him before an audition).
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by mahlertwo »

Elow wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:52 am Isn’t new york now all shires?
I think Finlayson's still playing a Xeno.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Tbarh »

chromebone wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 10:03 am
Tbarh wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:38 am Chicago Symphony, all Bach.. Boston, all Edwards...
In the previous iteration of the section, Friedman played a Bach, Crisafulli a Holton, and Kleinhammer a Williams/Schilke/Reynolds Frankenbone. Find a better blended section than that.

Jay Friedman Said in an interview recently that they actually did not sound very similar... Friedman darkish, Crissafulli bright and Kleinhammer very clear... The blend was actually due to Great musician ship, and everyone knowing what their Job was.. Also look at Vienna philharmonic... Never similar instruments always similar sound...
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by jjenkins »

Except taken from an interview with Jay Friedman
Dan Gosling: Right, right. And so I guess one of the questions that I had was the Chicago sound, is that something that you would talk about, or is that something that we on the outside use to just sort of conjure up, to sort of describe this phenomenal thing that was happening? Was it intentional or was it-

Jay Friedman: It was never discussed. I don’t think it was ever discussed at that time. I mean, Herseth played the way he played. Yeah, it’s funny. I’ll tell you a little story.

Dan Gosling: Please do.

Jay Friedman: A little story. We were in London in 19 … Well, actually, we were in England. We were in Edinburgh. Yeah, Edinburgh, at the Edinburgh Festival, 1971, which is the first European tour that we did with Solti. And like I say, we spent a week in Edinburgh at the festival, and the London Symphony happened to be there. And Denis Wick was there. And I had corresponded with him since the ’60s, ’cause he was kind of my hero. I mean, one of my heroes at that time.

And he was there. And he said … so we were doing Mahler Five, which we’d probably played about 200 times, and every time we’d go on tour, everybody would ask for Mahler 5, you got sick of it. Every wanted us to do Mahler 5. So we did Mahler 5 in Edinburgh, and actually, the trombone section at that time was me, Crisafulli, and Mr. Kleinhammer. We had totally different sounds. Yeah, I mean, I had kind of a dark sound. Crisafulli had a very bright sound, even though it was a big sound. And Kleinhammer was just a super clear and alive. They were kind of three different sounds.

Well, when Denis Wick heard us player Mahler 5, he said, “I don’t understand how you do it. You guys have three different sounds, and yet when you play, it sounds like one giant trombone. It’s an amazing sound.”

So yeah, that was it. Somehow it came together. There was a famous disagreement between Mr. Kleinhammer and Mr. Crisafulli and they had a falling out in the early ’50s, and they never spoke to each other after [00:25:00] that. There was such a professional atmosphere then that they really didn’t need to discuss things. I mean, everybody was so conscientious that they played their own part and they had their own standards. And there was a standard there that just never went below a certain level. There was a certain kind of stability, a crazy stability there. Yeah, even though they didn’t get along, they had such high standards that they didn’t need to talk about it. So yeah, it was very strange."

https://www.chopsaver.com/a-conversatio ... -friedman/
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Elow »

I can’t remember who, but i think it was james markey in one of the edwards quartet videos saying that there’s something special about all the horn resonating the same way, maybe someone asked him to say that but he said it so there’s that
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by JCBone »

Elow wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:34 am I can’t remember who, but i think it was james markey in one of the edwards quartet videos saying that there’s something special about all the horn resonating the same way, maybe someone asked him to say that but he said it so there’s that
Well alessi also said tgat he would play edwards for the rest of his life just before he switched. I would take that with a grain of salt.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by sf105 »

I believe the London Symphony is all Yamaha now?
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Elow »

JCBone wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:46 am

Well alessi also said tgat he would play edwards for the rest of his life just before he switched. I would take that with a grain of salt.
Fair point, didn’t he say that like literally a couple months before he switched? Money can do some crazy things
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by JCBone »

The Israel Philharmonic Trumpets and Trombones are all Shires except Micha Davis who insists on playing a 500 year old bach 50b with a single valve.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Kbiggs »

johnjenkins wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:08 am
I mean, everybody was so conscientious that they played their own part and they had their own standards. And there was a standard there that just never went below a certain level. There was a certain kind of stability, a crazy stability there. Yeah, even though they didn’t get along, they had such high standards that they didn’t need to talk about it.

https://www.chopsaver.com/a-conversatio ... -friedman/
That’s it: high standards, or artistic excellence, are MUCH more important that equipment choices. And I like the phrase “a crazy stability.” That says it all.

My personal opinion (which amounts to very little compared to other professionals here on TC and elsewhere):

While it is easier to produce a coherent section sound when people play the same brand or similarly-designed equipment, the sound of the section is much more the result of musicianship than equipment. Yes, it will be easier if everyone plays the same brand or a similarly-designed instrument, e.g., everyone has a horn with a one-piece soldered rim on the bell, or everyone plays with a two-piece red or gold brass unsoldered rim. But it’s the attention to articulations, beginnings and ending of notes, balance, intonation, and other factors, that are more important.

The second thing: While it’s important to get along with each other, it’s not essential. Friedman, via Crisafulli’s and Kleinhammer’s relationship, attests to that, as can other trombone sections. Yes, I’d much rather play in a group or section where I get along with others than in a group where there’s friction between members. But putting aside any personal problems is essential when playing music. The audience doesn’t care whether, say, the trumpet player and tuba player in a brass quintet just had an argument before stepping on stage. The audience is there to listen to music. The quintet’s job is to relay the feeling intended by the composer. Neither the audience nor the composer care about equipment choices. That’s up to the performer. If the equipment choice makes it easier to obtain a satisfying blend, great. If not, the musician must adapt to create the best blend possible.

***
Sorry for the rant, but I see (and hear) so many people emphasize equipment choices over musicianship when discussing section playing that I felt compelled to say something.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Bach5G »

sf105 wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 12:00 pm I believe the London Symphony is all Yamaha now?
No Conns? I’m shocked.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Posaunus »

johnjenkins wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:08 am Except taken from an interview with Jay Friedman
https://www.chopsaver.com/a-conversatio ... -friedman/
John,

Thanks so much for the link to the entire Friedman interview. Long, but fascinating! :good:
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by jjenkins »

You're very welcome! I stumbled upon this interview this past November and was impacted immensely by what I read.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by CalgaryTbone »

John Romero at the Met plays a Shires - the rest play Courtois. I think the Lyric Opera are all Courtois, but that could have changed. The post about the Minnesota section all changing between Bachs and Conns - I remember Ron Barron talking about the BSO section doing that (in the mid/late 70's). Their Bass player did, however, use a Holton rather than a Conn for that purpose. I have a fairly recent recording of some great players who did the same thing with Edwards and Thein.

I absolutely get why sections sometimes try to get everyone on the same page this way, but players tend to migrate to a horn that fits them personally - either makes something easier, or more secure, or maybe gives them more sound options. While playing the same make of horn can enhance the blend, sometimes it can also be helped by having a player find a horn that "fits them" more. Personally, I think matching volume, style, articulation and pitch are what really matters - horn choice is secondary to that.

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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Tbarh »

The thing about blend is that yellow+blue is Just as green as green +green... Besides someobe might need a Bach to get a front of the attack while another might need a Conn to get dark... Use the right tool for You.. Learn Your part, listen to Your collegues, folllow the conductor...
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Doubler »

I'll waive my usual $0.02 fee for the sake of ensuring that you get what you pay for and comment that, to my ear, a section using all the same brand (and even the same model, in some cases) has a clean, cohesive unanimity of sound, whereas a section consisting of mixed brands projects a depth of color and texture that can't be achieved otherwise. If you are not completely satisfied with my preceding comment, I'll cheerfully refund your monetary payment in full.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Neo Bri »

Doubler wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 3:31 pm I'll waive my usual $0.02 fee for the sake of ensuring that you get what you pay for and comment that, to my ear, a section using all the same brand (and even the same model, in some cases) has a clean, cohesive unanimity of sound, whereas a section consisting of mixed brands projects a depth of color and texture that can't be achieved otherwise. If you are not completely satisfied with my preceding comment, I'll cheerfully refund your monetary payment in full.
But then there's also the whole thing of "listening with your eyes." I've had that problem before. Example - when a prominent player (friend of mine) watched me play the Tuba Mirum while preparing for a big audition, I played the Ab in first (I use long positions) he said it was so out of tune and really hated it. I did the same in the auditions and advanced to the final round. It can be one of those things.

(I also play the Ab in the David in 1st and it works great)

The point is that sometimes we see a cohesive section and thus hear one.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by jjenkins »

This trombonist uses 1st for his Ab. I generally avoid it except as an alternate for quick passages (such as the David).

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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Burgerbob »

johnjenkins wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 5:47 pm This trombonist uses 1st for his Ab. I generally avoid it except as an alternate for quick passages (such as the David).

If you use long positions like Neo Bri, it's a real note and not out of tune.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by jjenkins »

I should've mentioned that it doesn't bother me one bit what others do (except for my own students 😁). I was just stating my preference, and I understand/agree with the long position idea.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by gbedinger »

Why do players change instruments? Because a Shires responds differently than an Edwards, than a Conn, so on and so forth.

The concentration needed to make a different horn respond the way you want uses the same mental acuity that keeps a player on his/her best shape. It’s human nature.

As for a section playing the same make? If the section plays well with each other and the orchestra, it will sound wonderful and won’t matter what the make(s) are. I have never seen seen mention in the this forum of this question being asked of any other section....it just doesn’t matter. Maybe trumpet or horn players do(?) but I’d be hard pressed to think that the string players ask themselves these silly questions.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by BGuttman »

String players couldn't possibly all play the same maker. The instruments used in symphony orchestra come from small luthiers who can't mass produce. And some of the instruments are so rare and costly that it would be impossible to make a full section of them

I have seen sections where all the trumpet players used Bach 37's. Never seen a section of all Monettes, though.

Some German orchestral horn sections use only Alexander 103s. Maybe some English orchestras use only Paxmans?

Again, I suspect that most sections where everybody plays the same instrument is mostly coincidental.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Bach5G »

Horns sections made up of Conns? Hiltons?
Last edited by Bach5G on Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Kbiggs »

Bach5G wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:31 pm Horns sections made up of Conns? Hilton’s?
You can hear different horn players in a section if one plays a different style horn, like a Geyer style vs. a Kruspe style, or even a Viennese style horn.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by BGuttman »

Bach5G wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:31 pm Horns sections made up of Conns? Holton’s?
At one time the horn sections tended to have either Conn 8Ds or Holton 179s (the Farkas model). I don't think it's that uniform any more.

The attached picture shows the Boston Symphony Orchestra Brass section of 1921. Note that the trumpets are evenly split between Bb and C models. The trombones are using Holtons in a German style (request of the Conductor). There are 6 horn players and I can see at least 4 different wraps.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by JohnL »

Bach5G wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:31 pm Horns sections made up of Conns? Hiltons?
At one time it was pretty common to find entire sections playing the same make and model. You'd have Conn sections (all on 8D's), Alexander sections (all on 103's), and Geyer sections (AFIK, Carl Geyer didn't use model numbers).
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Savio »

I dont know but I believe with more choices of equipment, the more we hang up in equipment....?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEYftmh4wz0&t=2s

I think these guys had more joy in how to play together? Did they ever have a standard for what instrument to play?

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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Burgerbob »

Let's put it this way... the people here in the forum are worrying a lot more about what sections play than the sections themselves. They're having a great time (well, before March they were) making music together, no matter the combination of instruments, homogeneous or not.

There's plenty of sections that all play the same brand or even same model tenors and don't think about it twice, just as there are some that don't.

Do some players have to change to fit into a new section? Yup. That's what having a job entails.

Paul Radke, the "new" 2nd trombonist at Los Angeles Philharmonic hasn't had to switch off the Shires he plays, though the rest of the section is on Bachs and Conns. But if David asked him to, you bet your butt he would go find a nice Bach.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Finetales »

gbedinger wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:20 pm I have never seen seen mention in the this forum of this question being asked of any other section....it just doesn’t matter. Maybe trumpet or horn players do(?) but I’d be hard pressed to think that the string players ask themselves these silly questions.
We've had this same discussion in horn groups before. (And trumpet players talk about equipment even more than we trombonists do, so I'm sure they have as well.) The swift conclusion was "it doesn't matter, unless you get hired by an orchestra that requires you to play an Alex 103." Many, if not all, of the orchestras with all-103 sections do. That's the only modern example of an orchestra requiring its horns to play certain equipment that I know of, unless Cleveland is still using exclusively 8Ds with their young new principal (I think he does play a Kruspe though, so maybe?). As far as I know Vienna doesn't require a specific brand of Vienna horn...just that it's a Vienna horn.

Nowadays it's mostly Geyers everywhere in the USA except the Hollywood studios. But there are a million different makers of Geyer horns and a section will always have a few of them represented. These days there are many sections made of very different horns (that are arguably more noticeably different than, say, a Bach vs. a Shires) that sound fabulous and uniform together. I like large-throated Kruspes, but I've never had a problem blending with bright Geyers in a section.

At the end of the day, most players just get on with it.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by BGuttman »

Savio wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 7:26 pm I dont know but I believe with more choices of equipment, the more we hang up in equipment....?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEYftmh4wz0&t=2s

I think these guys had more joy in how to play together? Did they ever have a standard for what instrument to play?

Leif
I think at the time of that recording all the trombones were on Holtons. Friedman on a straight (don't know the model), Crisafulli on a 150, and Kleinhammer on a 169. Stilll, the CSO later all played Bachs.

Still, it's the combination of player and horn that needs to match, not necessarily just the horn.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by JCBone »

I think it's pretty common for woodwind sections to play one brand such as crampon or heckel.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by Thrawn22 »

I'd like to have everyone in every section i play lead in (legit or bigband) to play what I'm playing, but economics, personal preference will always have the last word. I haven't had any complaints about me using my Conns in any given group, and that's probably because I'm a competent enough musician to blend with my section mates.

Money does play a part in what a player will use as well. Jeff Reynolds would've used his Getzen exclusively if the L.A. Phil section wasn't getting endorsed by Conn.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by modelerdc »

I believe that on the CSO low brass excerpts recording its Freidman on a 42, Gilbertson on the straight version of the Holton 150, can't remember the model number maybe the 155, Crisafulli on his early production Holton Tr150, and Kleinhammer on a Bach 50B.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by ronnies »

johnjenkins wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:08 am Except taken from an interview with Jay Friedman
We were in London in 19 … Well, actually, we were in England. We were in Edinburgh. Yeah, Edinburgh, at the Edinburgh Festival, 1971, which is the first European tour that we did with Solti.
So he wasn't even in England! :-)

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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by brumpone »

This thread reminded me of a recent episode of Ian Bousfield's podcast, responding to a question about using red brass bells for solo work only, and not for section work.

He mentions that in some orchestras, e.g. one in Switzerland, the first trombone has the right to decide what equipment the section plays on. But in the LSO: "Those instruments were what were required by those individuals at that time to create the sound and the articulation that we all wanted. We all got the same effect by using different equipment."

It's here, starting 23 mins in, with interesting comments on trombone materials and mouthpiece design with Griego:
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dukesboneman
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by dukesboneman »

I find it interesting that the title "Sections that play one brand" automatically went to Orchestral Trombone sections with no mention at all of a Big Band sections.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by BGuttman »

dukesboneman wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 8:12 am I find it interesting that the title "Sections that play one brand" automatically went to Orchestral Trombone sections with no mention at all of a Big Band sections.
The original post specified orchestral sections.

I am aware of several Big Bands of the Swing Era (particularly the Glenn Miller Band) that played only one make.
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Re: sections that play one brand

Post by FOSSIL »

In some sections you join a team, in others, a philosophy.

Chris
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