[AT] OT: Trombones

[Francis Robinson]

    The trumpet (actually a cornet) I played many many many many years ago 
was an Elkhart. A first cousin that once owned a professional orchastra, 
later had a masters degree in music and became a music professor at BSU in 
Muncie IN selected it for me. He said that it was one of the better ones and 
since it was maybe $300 way back in the early 1950's I suspect it was. $300 
would buy you a pretty nice late model used Allis WD tractor back then 
(tractor reference)   ;-)
    Quite a few years after I put it away for good my middle daughter took 
it up and played all the way through school. She was much better at it than 
I was. I still have it down in the other house and it is still in good 
condition. Maybe one of our 12 grandchildren or 6 great grand children. will 
take it up some day...   :-)  All of our 4 children were pretty musical. In 
addition to the daughter mentioned the oldest daughter played the clairinet 
and the youngest daughter played the sax. Son Scott played the drums for 
many years and then switched to guitars. He is still quite good and a couple 
of the guys from one group he used to jam with went on to perform for actual 
cash money.  :-)   Nobody ever paid to hear me...   ;-)   Scott is now 
teaching his new bride how to play her new guitar.
    People really think weird some times. One of her friends heard that they 
had bought her a guitar and asked her why she bought it since she didn't 
know how to play it. How on earth did she think she could learn how to play 
one without having one on hand?   ;-)   ;-)
    At about the 8th grade I was given the task of giving some 5th graders 
beginning instrument lessons including the trombone. The little old lady, 
piano playing, music teacher our small school system hired to teach music 
and art was in waaaay over her head trying to deal with the band and 
beginning students on instruments so she farmed them out to us older band 
members to teach what she couldn't. Funny thing was I was not worth a 
tinker's dam on the trombone but I did know pretty much what it took and the 
one I was starting on it went on to become pretty decent at it. One tuba 
student was also a natural. Some of the others I probably ruined for life... 
:-)



--
"farmer"

When you reach the end of your rope
 tie a knot and hang on...

Francis Robinson
Central Indiana, USA
robinson at svs.net