Chris Stearn (AKA Blast) OK?

[baileyman]

Further up the thread "argument" is mentioned. It seems to me argument is really hard to have in the trombone world. Let me explain.

The horn is pretty obvious, being stuck to our faces, but what is actually going on with it is inchoate. You can't see it, you can't measure it, and often I realize when I try to talk about it, words fail me. I assume these things are true for others (but let me know if anyone is dead certain about what's happening!). If these are true, then the entire idea of having an argument about what's going on is simply invalid.

I would propose that disagreement on the horn is just not helpful.

But it seems to me what is helpful is to state things as well as you can, but recognize the uncertainty, and the difficulty of having your words which may seem perfectly descriptive to you, convey actual meaning to someone else.

In other words, trombone is a humiliating instrument, and talking about it also requires humility.

[timothy42b]

Many went over to Facebook, as that was the platform of the moment...some of us avoid Facebook for various reasons so the trombone community will be forever fractured going forward.
Sad.

Chris

While I try to be forward looking and open to new things..............I'm still upset that we're no longer on the old trombone-l listserv.......................and at work I'm frequently required to sing a song whose lyrics were changed in 1956, and that irritates me no end.

I saw a post from sabutin on FB this morning so he's still around. A little mellower though.

[ArbanRubank]

I have tried all the FB's for trombone and such. There's just something about the format that bothers me so much, I can't be a part of any of it. Maybe it's group size. Maybe there is a "critical mass" size. Below it and - crickets. Above it and posts get lost instantly in the fog. Then there's the superficiality aspect of it. One almost has to be active in real time, or the subject moves on with no rear-view mirror. And I know this might sound awful on my part, but maybe it's too diverse. Maybe too much diversity comes across as chaos to everyone and everything gets lost in the translation. Misunderstanding can breed contempt. I don't know. I tried. Sometimes I think we could use more diversity on this forum, but then maybe there is a "critical mass" on it as well. FB is not for me, I guess. Not much on social media is, except to look and maybe to gather, but not to even try to contribute. I'm doomed.

Anyway, glad brother Blast is okay!

[Kbiggs]

But it seems to me what is helpful is to state things as well as you can, but recognize the uncertainty, and the difficulty of having your words which may seem perfectly descriptive to you, convey actual meaning to someone else.

In other words, trombone is a humiliating instrument, and talking about it also requires humility.

Ain’t that just life, tho’?

[baileyman]

[...
Ain’t that just life, tho’?

I don't think so. Trombone along with things like swimming seem exceptionally fuzzy compared with most everything else one can do. Statements like "The right way to do it" and the description of same seem usually off base or confusing. It seems like a major problem to communicate anything of value about the thing especially when everyone seems to have their own words or their own meanings. The rest of my life is pretty simple. Yours?

[Kbiggs]

Wait... I’m agreeing with you... But no, my life isn’t that simple.

[ArbanRubank]

I work very, very hard every day to keep my playing maintenance-free!