Trumps of Doom − 10 November, 2005
On this date, I decided to learn to play trumpet. I bought a Yamaha YTR200AD, a fine student instrument, and began practicing that very night.
Now, you have to understand a bit about my background. All this will eventually make it to Dandelife, but for now, I'm going to have to summarize. I started out playing guitar; this led to the blues. Blues led to jazz, and jazz led to bass. Bass led to keyboards and Latin music. Latin music led to conga drums.
See why I called my first solo album evolution?
Unfortunately, in evolution, sometimes species die. Such was the case with trumpet. I was actually getting pretty good at it -- I could reach some low pedal tones, and a few high ones. I was developing articulation and phrasing.
I've always liked trumpet; one of my favorite jazz musicians was Chet Baker.
Unfortunately, unlike Chet Baker (who had other problems), my problem is my lungs. I'm almost always hacking and coughing, because I'm a middle school science teacher, which is a bit like being exposed to the Black Plague every week.
The trumpet didn't help. Blowing into it, well, no polite way to say this -- it seemed to blow the snot right up into my ears. I would up with ear infections, chronic chowder cough, all the miseries I'd left behind 30 years before when they'd taken out my tonsils.
No wind, no play. Like I said, it was evolution.
Now, you have to understand a bit about my background. All this will eventually make it to Dandelife, but for now, I'm going to have to summarize. I started out playing guitar; this led to the blues. Blues led to jazz, and jazz led to bass. Bass led to keyboards and Latin music. Latin music led to conga drums.
See why I called my first solo album evolution?
Unfortunately, in evolution, sometimes species die. Such was the case with trumpet. I was actually getting pretty good at it -- I could reach some low pedal tones, and a few high ones. I was developing articulation and phrasing.
I've always liked trumpet; one of my favorite jazz musicians was Chet Baker.
Unfortunately, unlike Chet Baker (who had other problems), my problem is my lungs. I'm almost always hacking and coughing, because I'm a middle school science teacher, which is a bit like being exposed to the Black Plague every week.
The trumpet didn't help. Blowing into it, well, no polite way to say this -- it seemed to blow the snot right up into my ears. I would up with ear infections, chronic chowder cough, all the miseries I'd left behind 30 years before when they'd taken out my tonsils.
No wind, no play. Like I said, it was evolution.
