Johnny One-Note

Poststructural Pub
21

I’m stepping a bit outside the parameters here, but I thought I’d share this video. It tells the story of “Frankie Five Notes” and pokes fun at the culture of one-upmanship in the trumpet community. Of course, the ITM community is much more civilized. :slight_smile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-V04R1h1hk&feature=channel

I think the video is even funnier when you know that the guy on the right plays for the Philadelphia Orchestra and the guy on the left is the trumpet professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

The I.T.G. referenced is the International Trumpet Guild. Every gathering of brass players seems to include a room where instrument manufacturers and distributors have their wares available for tryouts. When the fellow two tables over is playing the octave leaps from “Also Sprach Zarathustra” it can be hard to resist trying to play them louder and better. Multiply this by a dozen or so and it is a sonic experience no ITM session can match (thankfully).

Black Jack mouthpieces are a product of Jim Curnow’s imagination.

22

Cool! I’ll make note of that…
and pass the link on to my trumpet-playing sister-in-law.

23

Q. What do you call the pretty woman on the trumpet player’s arm?
A. A Tattoo.

24

While I’m sure it must just be a part of the ‘act’ that’s lost on me (anyone care to explain?), I found the perpetual lighting of fresh cigarettes incredibly unfunny and offputting in a video I was otherwise enjoying…

25

I love the Hang drum. I recently made the next best thing,
a “Hank drum” out of an empty propane tank, like this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpMS15kJyOY

It’s surprisingly pretty sounding. If my floors are ever done,
I will need to try recording some whistle-hank drum duets.