Posted by Joe Baker on April 15, 2003 at 13:51:26:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: How to stuff a PT-6 posted by Sean Chisham on April 14, 2003 at 20:16:04:
I chimed in on this a couple months ago, and said:
...your state of mind is a powerful force when you approach a brass instrument. You see bright silver, your mind THINKS bright sound -- you are more likely to MAKE bright sounds. You see dark, complex oxidized brass, your mind THINKS dark, complex sound -- you are more likely to MAKE dark, complex sounds.
I think this IS (as you've said down the line a ways) a mental effect, but isn't music a mental game? We play all sorts of mental tricks, trying to describe a sound with words like 'darker' or 'lighter' or 'brighter', when we don't necessarily agree on what those words mean (let alone 'German'/'American', 'core'/'blanket', etc.) For some of us, this is just one more mental trick to get our brains to make the sound we want.
So I labor under no illusion that my unlacquered (done because lacquer looked horrendous) trombone is better for being unlacquered, but I still like it better that way. It makes me think dark, complex sounds, so I make dark, complex sounds. I think unlacquered horns are the brass equivalent of smoldering brunettes; not necessarily better in any way, just more inspiring to look at (for me ;). A matter of personal preference, to be sure.
Joe Baker, who considers the appearance of tubas AND women, but somewhere after other qualities.