Posted by Doc on November 03, 2003 at 11:58:10:
In Reply to: On the cheap posted by David on November 02, 2003 at 04:07:12:
David,
When I was attending UH, I played regularly all over the Houston area. When I was not playing a union gig, I played polka music and country(bass guitar) gigs. I also taught lessons five days a week, not to mention attending school, playing in the wind ensemble, UH orchestra, as well as Galveston Symphony and Civic Symphony. I played every opportunity I was given. I owned three tubas (with custom work by Curt Wood) and many accessories, plus bass guitar, amp, speaker, and a string bass. I did not concern myself with the cost, because I could justify having it all, and it made my experiences much more enjoyable. I could pay for it, too. My problem was that I was burning the candle at both ends and in the middle. As time went on, music began to be a real chore and I ceased to get a lot of enjoyment from it. Years later, I now have a real job and a family. The only paid playing I do is polka music and dixieland. Any other music I play is anything I personally want to work on. The only horn I have is a Conn 20J. If I had the money, I would own another CC and an F for the enjoyment they can bring. I'm starting to have more playing opportunities now, but the Conn is not the best horn for some of them. I want to get another horn. I wouldn't spare any expense unless I had to. With a wife and children, there's not much to spare in the first place. I have reached an understanding that I need to be able to enjoy music, not make it laborious. Playing solos in church on the Conn is somewhat laborious. If I had the $$$, I would get the horns and accessories I wanted or needed. You wouldn't be cheap with a treasured friend, and, for many of us, our horns are just that. Spending $5-10K on a horn and getting a $25 mouthpiece for it is like buying a new Cadillac and putting $2.00 floormats in it. It may work okay, but you're just plain cheap. If you can afford a good horn, you can afford good accessories. There's my flu-induced rambling. I'm going back to bed.
Doc