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Aug 7 08 3:09 AM
Sev is correct about Mayn's arthritis being what dictated his grip. Sometimes he couldn't use his ring finger (right hand) so he would play his trumpet with just two fingers (index and middle). You'd think something like that would hold him back but then again, we are talking about Maynard. No matter how many fingers he had at his disposal, his solo were always the same, great. Sometimes, just to mess with us (I am assuming because he'd look over to see if we paying attention to his shinanigans haha) he'd play his solos with just one finger. Obviously the solos were more simple (you aint playing Cherokee with one finger lol) but they never lacked musicality. Pinky was always engaged as pressure was Mayn't friend and he used to his advantage.
Personally I have two grips. My usual grip is with the pinky and ring finger under the 3rd valve slide, middle finger in the 3rd valve ring (the ring digs in between the 1st and 2nd knuckle) and my index finger is on straight, on the side of the bell with the thumb securly wrapped around the first valve slide (I had to take off the first valve thumb ring to accomodate my big ol' thumb). My right pinky is securly in the octave key cuz there aint nothing wrong with that. Besides balancing the weight of the the horn on your face properly, it helps distribute the pressure evenly accross your face. Furthermore, if you have a quick page turn, the only way to play and still turn the page is with that pinky engaged. The only time that pinky comes out is when there is a fast passage that requires a little extra dexterity. I haven't come accross anything in the real world that requires that yet. My alternate grip is used for more subtle, soft playing. That grip is a traditional grip with the middle finger of the left hand in the 3rd valve ring (same ring placement as the other grip) and index finger wrapped around the third valve. The first grip I got from watching Piro Rodriguez playing (he's got big hands too). I tried it and it felt so comfortable that I neve looked back. Also, that grip allows me to angle the horn higher with my wrist as opposed to my shoulder, another comfort issue solved. As I play louder and higher my apperture dialates as a result of my lower jaw jutting out more which is why this grip is my main grip. My previous grip was Mayn's pistol grip of old which I learned from watching him playing on a video my friend copied off of the BET channel when we were freshmen H.S. The second grip points the horn lower (perpendicular to slightly lower than perpendicular to my teeth) which allows for more support of my lower lip by pinning it down to my lower left front tooth and keeps more lower lip in the MP as a result. Makes fast slurs and delicate passages a lot easier. Also double and triple tonguing is much easier this way as softer volumes.
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Aug 8 08 11:54 AM
JazzLatinScrmnTrpt wrote: Sev, I am pretty sure that given Mayn's medical condition, he probably was not taking to many if any meds for the arthritis. I know he took other stuff but I never heard mention of pain killers. Besides, those stronger med for that stuff are murder on your liver and kidneys so I think he might not have been able to take the stuff. Manthey would know for sure because he was taking care of Mayn. Maynard's boyish attitude is one of the things that made the gig so great. No matter how !#$%^#$%&^ you day was, you could always count on him being in the best disposition and just so eager to get out there and put on a good show for the people. If you let it, it was highly contagious and I wanted to be on that trip so bad that I let him take me away every time.
We were very concious about what went into his body, both in food and in medications. When I say 'we' I mean Maynard, Me, Ed, the family was very active in his helth care, the Doctor in Ojai was great and a wonderful person to get to know. There were some vitamins and mineral supplements, a few herbal heath type things, I can't remember exactly although I do have a list here somewhere. "PAIN KILLERS"??? Nope! Regarding the left hand and arthritis issues. Yea, Mayn would at times put on a show for us band members. Mostly for us I think, the crowd would never be able to catch some of that stuff, unless it was a very close setting like Washington D.C. and N.Y.C. I can't count the number of times Maynard talked about the fingers of his left hand. He'd hold the hand up and comment about having broken fingers playing ball as a kid, and thought that was the cause of it in his older years. Another thing ... where playing musical instruments were concerned he was ambidextrous. A few times we even talked about getting a 'pinky ring' on the bell to make playing a little more comfortable, but that presented problems holding the horn with the right hand. I suggesed he have a 'reverse horn' made ...
Aug 8 08 12:09 PM
Trptking wrote: I am sure that this has come up before. Can some of you tell us what you have discovered about the different ways to hold the Trumpet. There was a video a while back of Carl Fischer playing a solo when he was with Maynard. In the middle of the solo, he changes his grip to go into the upper register. What are your experiences and did Maynard use different grips throughout his career ?? Thanks, A
This may have already been mentioned but if you go to the 'preservation thread' there's pictures of Maynard though out his career holding the horn various different ways. I had Tony Scodwell turn my third valve slide upside down. My whole left hand is under the valve slides, thumb under the first valve slide - three finders under the third valve slide - I use my middle finger to move the third valve slide - left index finger resting on the top of the third valve slide.
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