Re: I envy all of you


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Posted by Joe Baker on February 06, 2003 at 18:29:30:

In Reply to: I envy all of you posted by JIm on February 05, 2003 at 21:43:53:

Jim,
First let me welcome you to the party, and offer my sincere condolences for your hearing loss. I don't hear all that great, but profound deafness is the stuff of nightmares for me. I am glad, though, that you can be consoled somewhat by memories of a 30-year pro career.

Second, I would like to offer a slightly different perspective on the 'horn snob' issue. Towit, let ask you a question: why did you choose a Miraphone? I will go out on a limb -- though, I think, not very FAR out on a limb -- and guess that the reason is that the instrument had good intonation and a sound that met with your approval. You didn't play on a 3-valve student horn, though it would have been cheaper. Why not? Because you had a certain standard that you wanted to meet with your sound, and you needed intonation to be close enough to lip into tune (and once it was close enough, you COULD lip it into tune, so tuning ceased to be an issue). You also had other standards to meet in your musicianship that had nothing to do with the sound of the horn. Now, it may be that others (I am speaking here of pros, of which I - it is to laugh - am not one) - just as capable and no more snobbish than yourself - place a bit more emphasis on the sound, perhaps a bit less emphasis on the other aspects of musicianship. Same TOTAL commitment and ability, just very slightly different emphases. Maybe they are less naturally gifted in PRODUCING the sound they wanted, and need the extra help. The point is, just as you got the instrument that was "good enough" for you, they are pursuing the insrument that is "good enough" for them. They are really no different than you were, they have just drawn the line in a slightly different location.

I must say that it DOES seem to me that many very inexperienced players have some very expensive notions of the kind of instruments they 'need'. I am of the opinion that the Miraphone you used would do quite fine for 95% of college players and 100% of high school players, and for these players to be pursuing instruments that cost 3 times as much seems hopelessly extravagant. But for the pros, who have moved from honing their skills to the pursuit of perfection (and paychecks!), it seems completely reasonable to hunt down and kill every obstacle. If a more expensive instrument moves them a TINY bit closer, it's worth it.

Note that it is one thing to completely satisfy everyone once you GET into the orchestra; it is another thing entirely to get there in the first place. I think any of the pros that post here could absolutely satisfy their audiences, and probably satisfy their conductors and their section-mates with a Miraphone. But in the very competitive world that (I hear) auditions are, do you blame them for wanting any tiny edge? I don't.

BTW, my instrument is that 3-top-valve student horn I described above. When my kids get out of college, I'll be trading up -- hopefully to a BBb Miraphone 186.

Joe Baker, who, from the bottom, can see that one man's egalitarian is another man's snob, and vice-versa.


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