Another oldie from the previous blog...

Why I play Yamaha instruments
Some folks just have preferences for a horn that plays a certain way. Some prefer a horn that sounds a certain way. Everybody's different.

As I've gotten older, I've come to realize that, for the majority of my playing, I don't need a horn that'll handle the loudest volume without getting too bright, because I simply don't play in groups that require that. Brightness and lightness are subjective, of course, but even here, many first trombonists are moving to smaller gear, Ralph Sauer comes to mind. Many players love the huge dark sound that players like Alessi and Friedman get, but fail to take into account that their equipment choices are based to a large degree on how loud they have to play in their particular halls. (NY's Fisher Hall is notorious for it's design problems, and Chicago's hall makes the low brass sound softer at the podium than out in the hall.) I'll go so far as to make a prediction- When Joe Alessi gets between 55-60, he'll switch to lighter gear.

As for me, I love a nice rich sound, with a good balance of overtones, and I don't like to fight the horn to get it. So, for me it's Yamaha. Maybe it's not for everyone, but that's ok. I've played on quite a few Bachs, Conns, Edwards, and a few Shires. I suspect that if I were to visit Shires to put a horn together, I'd end up with a horn that was pretty close to my Xeno in sound and response.

Irv Karan (Slidebone.com) and I were talking about horns, and I told him that I consider a trombone to be just a tool, not some mystical combination of tubing and voodoo. Just a tool like a hammer or screwgun. As long as the nails go in straight, the foreman doesn't care if you use a 24 oz. wood handled framing hammer or a 18oz. fiberglass roofing hammer. Just as long as the job gets done right.