Howard wrote: "I don't want to cut the bell on my N series 8D because the bell rings forever. I suspect cutting it would destroy that. I remember one day up in Boonsboro Walter Lawson was telling me how their bells ring better than others. He whacked my N series 8D's bell with his finger, and it probably still hasn't quit ringing. He was visibly shaken, and immediately stopped telling me about that aspect of his bells' superiority!"
I have always had enormous respect for Walter and his work, but this is one thing I could never understand. What does a ringing bell flare mean? What does the old "thunk test" prove? You could whack a steel mixing bowl and it work ring for a week. But would that bowl make a good horn bell? And, all other things being relatively equal, what would it tell you about a flare that rung and rung versus one that seemed dead when you whacked it? You don't whack a horn to get the sound out. You vibrate the air column. If a bell just kept ringing and ringing, would that not actually interfere with attacks, or with notes speaking, when playing runs? And if not, why not? I'm sure that a certain amount of "ringing" is probably good for a bell flare to have, but isn't possible to have too much of a good thing? I still haven't puzzled this out, and I sure would appreciate some enlightenment. No one I've talked with about this can give me a satisfactory explanation, and I'd love to have one. -- *Regards, Dave Weiner Brass Arts Unlimited* _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
