ATW 2020

[cigmar]

Was unable to attend this year. Any takeaways you'd like to share; equipment, lectures, performances.

[timothy42b]

Equipment: I played the Butler .500 trombone. Light as a feather, slick slide, really well made. No way to judge tone in a room that loud. I played all the altos (see my thread on hand pain.) They're all nose heavy. (I realized later why - they're a 3/4 size horn, so the slide should have .75 as 7 positions, or 5.25 positions, and we want them to have 7 to play that E.) I found one I could push easily into tenor timbre - the Thein! Like I could afford that.

Lots of good stuff from master classes and lectures, and some awesome playing. The kids especially are so talented and skilled at such a young age.

David Taylor and John Kenny - wow!

Most moving performance I thought was Brad Edwards on the homeless piece.

[LeTromboniste]

Slide positions on an alto are shorter than on a tenor (just like the distance between 1 and 2 is shorter than between 6 and 7, and why F attachment positions are longer), so an alto doesn't need to be out of proportion to have 7 position.

Many altos are indeed out of proportion compared to tenors but usually that comes from having to redistribute length to accommodate the crooks (which usually aren't as narrow as they "should" be) and the tuning slide (which is longer than it "should").

Also altos typically have less weight behind the balance point (often fewer braces, generally no counterweight) and the crook is not as far back (proportionally) but have proportionally just as much or more weight in front of the balance point (I.e. The bell is usually bigger proportional to the length of the instrument than on a tenor), which accounts for the nose-heaviness.

[timothy42b]

Slide positions on an alto are shorter than on a tenor (just like the distance between 1 and 2 is shorter than between 6 and 7, and why F attachment positions are longer), so an alto doesn't need to be out of proportion to have 7 position.

Yes. My eyes fooled me into thinking the proportions are much different. And if you really scaled down a tenor exactly, the slide might be too narrow for your neck.

They certainly are nose heavy though.

[DCIsky]

I'm late to this post (as well as rejoining the forum), but I took notes of the Music Business discussion forum hosted by Jeremy Wilson, Frank Gulino, Christopher Bill, and Brad Edwards. These were broad questions, followed with answers from the board members.

How do you get started?
Wilson: know your audience and who you're trying to reach, such as students' private teachers if you're a college teacher
Gulino: start building trust within the community, trust in your product and your person
Bill: take yourself professionally (seriously, but not too uptight); have your professionalism match your output
Edwards: know what you have offer. Ask yourself why hasn't anyone done this? Someone should do it, maybe me? Let someone else decide the quality of your product AFTER you do it, and don't be afraid to have someone say no to you. Don't be afraid to ask!

Bill: social media is used to sell SOMETHING. Make sure that what you're trying to sell is worth it
(Bill's software: Ableton live, Adobe premier, Shure SM57, focus right interface)

Most effective ways to use social media as a young musician?
Gulino: least effective way is quantity over quality; don't put out a product that isn't your best quality, even if it increases your visibility
Edwards: on the other hand, if you preface the video with what it really is (practicing), it can be useful on its own

Composing: how do you make your ideas become reality?
Gulino: intellectual property is difficult to control or protect. Know how to protect yourself. Publish with companies with catalogues that sound like your music.
Bill: know what you're trying to convey and have creative solutions to any problems you've seen. How do you want it to be perceived?
Edwards: you need to be performing on a legal copy of the music. Support the businesses that put stuff out.
Edwards: it's exciting to get it out there as soon as possible, but be super critical of everything and give yourself time to produce the best product.

Management: words of advice for getting a group out there?
Wilson: have a serious discussion with the group to define roles/delegate jobs for everything, be clear about expectations, and plan for the worst when doing tours
Bill: have a unique image for yourself. It's easier to book fewer people, but if you're the tour everything it can be stressful

Promoting yourself as a player versus a teacher? What do you focus on?
Wilson: figure out what part of the player vs teacher equation fits you more. Be honest with your advertisements, and don't put on a facade.
Edwards: people are best at teaching something that they've struggled with most.

How do you make money off of previously copyrighted material?
Bill: you need a sync license; acknowledge your percentage of the rights and split the ad money
Gulino: these sync licenses are completely negotiable, so YouTube acts as the middle man and you get to chill

How do you appeal to older people versus younger people?
Bill: know which platforms are geared towards which demographics, use them to speak to that demographic. Professional for older people, personable for younger people
Wilson: permanent videos are more professional, live videos are more personable