Steve H offered Never be afraid to experiment with safe, reversible improvements on a horn. Here is what I would try.
If you have a hot glue gun and a smooth shoelace (perhaps a sneaker lace), form a small loop of shoelace of length that can be hot glued to the valve button and will let your thumb actuate the valve while sliding alongside the valve body. Experiment a little and see if you can find some length and position that is comfortable. If this works, I wouldn't leave it this way indefinitely, because actuating the piston with an off-center force might eventually cause uneven and rapid wear to the valve. So if the modification works, then try to hot glue some pegs near the top of the valve casing such that the lace will pull correctly along the axis of the valve. I haven't tested, but I expect that the temperature of a hot glue gun is low enough not to harm lacquer. YMMV. A little more hot glue on the shoelace loop might keep it open and in position for quick insertion of your thumb. My horn has a rawhide shoelace appropriated from long-forgotten boots that connects fro my leadpipe spit valve to a strut near the thumb valve. My thumb can exercise it instantaneously, and it gives security when facing an important solo line and I want to make sure [blup blup blup blup blup]. I think when I first met Cabbage more than 40 years ago he used to play one of these piston thumb Schmidts, and his hands are no bigger than his sense of humor. Perhaps he will have a suggestion. ******* Steve is absolutely correct about my hands and my sense of humor, as well as my old Schmidt-model York. However, the last forty years have only intensified his bizarre fixation on shoelaces and hot glue guns. In one opera we played together (I think it was Falstaff), he applied liberal amounts of hot-glue to my shoes while I was playing a long, impressive solo, making it impossible to remove them. I would have been really upset at him, but the producer announced before the third act that Nixon had resigned! Wow, was that good news!! But I still resent not being able to celebrate barefoot. Ah, the memories! Gotta go, Cabbage _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
