Bettoman

Male

Pittsburgh, PA

United States

Profile Information:

Favorite website

http://www.facebook.com/hipbopper

Favorite blog

http://jazzburgher.ning.com/

Pittsburgh Connection

Born in Carnegie, PA

Favorite Pittsburgh musicians/performers

Everyone I play with.

Favorite Jazz Radio or media station

WDUQ, WRCT, WYEP

Favorite Pittsburgh Jazz Venue

The Crawford Grill #2

About Me:

The trombetto is known as the horniest little horn in existence? It is a one-of-a-kind brass instrument custom-made for me from several components and spare parts in 1990 I named this instrument “The Trombetto from the Ghetto” and it is well on its way to becoming the most famous horn in the world.

Its journey began in December, 1980, in the window of Gelman Loan Company in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty area on Frankstown Avenue at Lincoln Avenue. During Pittsburgh’s reign as a capital city of jazz music in the 1940s and 50s, some of the best jazz and legendary jam sessions took place within a two-block area of Gelman Loan, the last standing business in the block from that era.

A former trumpet and baritone horn-player-turned-trombonist, I was looking for a gimmick to augment my combo presentations when the horn in the window caught my eye. It turned out to be a pocket cornet made by Amati, equipped with two extension lead pipes and a cornet mouthpiece. The sound had a tin-horn timbre that would not be taken seriously in musical circles. The second time I removed it from its case the breakthrough discovery occurred. I wondered if my trombone mouthpiece would fit the lead pipe where the extension tubes go. It worked. Not only was it in tune but the timbre was velvety-rich like a French horn/fluglehorn combination. The sound was delightful and I knew I had discovered much more than a gimmick. It rapidly garnered attention at gigs and jam sessions everywhere I went.

There was a slight problem, however. In using the trombone mouthpiece I was only able to play about two octaves in chromatic sequence upwards from E concert in the bass clef. The horn, on the other hand, could be played higher than the normal range for the mouthpiece. However, the horn could not play the complete lower register where the mouthpiece was better suited to play.

In 1990 I consulted Ted Weir,* master brass technician of the Brass & Woodwind Shop in Carnegie, PA. I commissioned him to add a fourth valve and additional tubing for the purpose of completing the horn’s lower registry capability. The rest of the His genius accomplished the task with some carefully selected spare parts that he hand-crafted to solve the problem.

The result is the trombetto, a name I chose in 1980. It has been a delight to play and it has many yet to be discovered possibilities. Exploring those possibilities has been both a challenge and enjoyment. Having the bell only fourteen inches from my ear makes me want to cuddle it when I play. The fourth valve allows me to fill the chromatic gaps in the lower octaves very similarly to the way an F-attachment on a bass trombone works. In the middle octaves the fourth valve lets me trill on any note since it barely changes the pitch at all. It also allows me to simplify the most difficult trill of all for a trumpet – concert A ~ B - below the treble staff. In the highest registers the valves are not so important. Using the same mouthpiece on the trombetto as I do on the trombone has kept me from having to build an entirely new embouchure in order to switch easily from one to another while strengthening my trombone chops. The diaphragmatic strength needed to play the trombone is an aid in playing the trombetto. I have now succeeded in being able to play chromatically from the lowest C to the highest C on the acoustic piano.

What started out as a search for a gimmick has resulted in the creation of a serious instrument that is also a curiosity. It blends well in harmony with other horns and it adapts well to the application of mutes and plungers for expressive effects. Electrified or played into a microphone it can produce an amazing range of color and dynamics.

* Note: Ted Weir presently works in the instrument repair department of Volkwein’s Music in Pittsburgh, PA.

Website:

http://www.myspace.com/hipbopper

Artist or Fan

artist, fan, industry professional, student, media

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