Took some pics of the Bravura on Saturday as it was sunny outside…

Have just taken delivery of my new Bravura on Friday. Not much time to blow it, but 2 gigs later & I really like it.  The spec is LP1, Bell6, medium round slide with medium (1/2″) caps, amado keys & brushed raw brass.

I play mainly bigband lead stuff, with some jazz as well, so need a versatile horn that can change character quite quickly. First thing is that feedback from behind the horn is less than a ‘normal’ one, this is pretty much in line with most heavy horns & to be expected. What has been said previously about not overblowing goes double for the Bravura I feel. The sound doesn’t break up or sound ‘blatty’, but it definitely doesn’t sound it’s best when overblown (does any trumpet?).

For very high lead stuff, I use a Bobby Shew lead with a permanently attached Denis Wick booster. This piece really does scream on the Bravura. First song of the first gig I did with it on Saturday, we played Blue Birdland. I played the cleanest double A on it on the last chord, so much so, that I was very surprised that with a bit more air on the double A, a very clear, audible triple A came out (highest note I’ve ever played in public).

The only slight issue I have with using the Shew lead all the time is that when I start getting a bit tired on it, the sound becomes slightly brittle. (again- me getting carried away & overblowing) I also use a Monette MFIII for lead, which has a far richer sound, but isn’t quite as bright as the Shew. The MFIII is a good match for the Bravura, and the horn balances perfectly in the hand as well.

For Jazz, I’ve been using a standard 3C. With this, the horn takes a different character & sounds very much like the medium weight Monettes. There’s a lot of body to the sound & an extra richness that I haven’t heard from other horns barring Monette. Once you start to push some air through the 3C, it keeps taking it, the sound becomes slightly edgier (brighter) & the sheer volume & tone just takes over the room (middle C made my ears ring in a large ballroom).

The valves, after a good clean are really nice, although one thing I noticed is that the vertical alignment is off due to the felts. I contacted Jason about this & he said that the felts need some time to ‘bed’ in. I’m an impatient guy, so I’m getting these switched over today to a harder felt with an option of rubber by a great tech over here. (Bryce Fergusonwww.brassandwoodwind.co.uk). The valve springs I find are nice and firm, with a very positive feedback.

Intonation with all 3 mouthpieces is excellent, very little compensation required as long as you blow down the centre of the horn. It’s one of those horns that really rewards relaxed, non-tensioned playing with a huge, rich sound. As soon as tension creeps into your playing (as it sometimes does with mine), the horn seems to tense up along with it. It’s a good marker as to how your physical approach is working throughout a gig.

Got another gig tonight with it on the new felts/rubbers, but I’m looking forward to getting into the practice room with it as well to really get to know it. Build quality/workmanship is fantastic – no solder splats etc., & very cleanly finished. Yes it’s been a long wait, but as my very good friend says. “Good, fast or cheap – it can only ever be any two of these at any one time”.

Trying out a new (old) mouthpiece – a Yamaha Bobby Shew Lead with a Denis Wick Booster permanently attached to it – nice & bright for lead work – I like it!!

Well – it’s now on UK soil all finished! Just need to wait on HMRC doing their stuff.

Got an email from Paul@Harrelson trumpets this evening with 2 pics of my new trumpet being built. It’s been a really long wait, nearly 7 months, with innumerable hold-ups due to Jason moving shop & upgrading his equipment. I really hope it’s going to be a great horn.

Been having some chop issues recently & have been going through the usual hit head off wall with frustration syndrome. Nick Drozdoff posted a great blog article on his site in relation to this.
In addition to this I cannot stress the importance of a good, gentle warm-up.

I can’t stress how important it is to warm-up. A good warm-up I find gives me uber-chops all night. I can easily do lead & solo pad on a demanding big band for 3 hours & still have more.

So – Brass Impact rehearsal last night was a bit funny. For the first half of the rehearsal – I felt like I was really, struggling – even simple stuff was hard – no sound, no volume, no colour. Stopped for a break & I went into the back room to reset the chops. Second half of the rehearsal – I switched back to my Bobby Shew Lead mpiece. Nicer sound. Then all of a sudden I realised – “shit Ewan – you’re not breathing!!” Couple of large complete breaths later – & it’s all there – power, volume, sound, sweetness. Bit of a shame that I’d really pushed it too far in the first half on my chops to really be of benefit for the second. Don’t know if it was psychological, but I felt that switching back to my Shew Lead really helped as well.

I think the upshot is that that I NEED to stop using the silentbrass mute to practice. It just too stifling & I’m not getting a good workout in terms of my apparatus – breathing etc., I guess it was a lesson hard-learned. Don’t always assume that issues such as sound, tone, colour & volume are chop-related. On the hunt for a place to practise that’s close to home now.

Ordered a Harrelson Bravura in November. Just had an update to say it should deliver sometime in the next 3 months as they’re just installed a new vertical milling machine, hence the delay. I can’t wait!

Had a great hang with Ryan Quigley last night at his studio. Played some duets, drank coffee ( – you sure about those extra shots Ryan?) & talked trumpet. Has my arse handed to me on a plate when we did some jazz stuff tho! Great feedback from him tho & lots of stuff to do. Much work ahead I fear…
Ryan’s site