I often hear trumpet players ask one another, "how is the response on that horn?" when discussing equipment. I've asked thousands of musicians what this question means to them, and the responses are quite varied. In my experience working with clients, vocabulary used to describe the playability and sound of brass instruments is fairly limited and often vague. A term that one player defines as clean, articulate, and crisp, another will player will describe as sharp, abrupt, and crass. It seems we spend a lot of time saying things that we have not taken the time to fully define and understand. The word response is one of the most misunderstood terms used by brass players. One of the most common types of phrases I've heard is, "I can't play heavy horns because they are not responsive". Another, "that lightweight horn is unbelievably responsive." Technically speaking from a physics standpoint, both of these statements cannot be true when using the true definition of the word response or responsive. In fact, the opposite is true in both statements. So why do trumpet players so often say these kinds of things? The answer is primarily found in their first-hand experience behind the bell of the trumpet, rather than from the perspective of the listener on the other side of the bell. Many trumpet players have worked very hard to achieve results on a relatively difficult instrument, which tends to make them believe they are experts at their craft. But being great at playing an instrument does not necessarily mean you understand how it works or what is happening in terms of projection, tone quality, and overall results at the back of the club, hall, or auditorium. Listening on a higher level requires more than hearing what is happening behind the bell. Your audience is not sitting next to you, they are in front of you. And the instrument was specifically designed to project your creative sounds in their direction, not yours. To save your eyes reading on a computer screen, I've explored the words response and projection in this video while explaining how our B.R.A.S.S. components help achieve the results demanding trumpet playing requires.
0 Comments
I have good news and something fun to keep you entertained this weekend. The good news is that pre-orders for our new Rumors & Dreams trumpets will be released next Wednesday morning. Even better news, you can get one for as low as $2800 if you're one of the first five customers to place your order. You can read more about how this will work here. I usually write a lot in my blog, but today I had too much to discuss on the origins of Rumors & Dreams. That's why I filmed a video to give you my personal history, research, and more on how our latest line of trumpets was named and designed. Don't miss the debut of this in-depth look at what could be your favorite trumpet, or pair of trumpets, of all time. And as always, feel free to leave your comments and questions below. I'm also available Monday and Tuesday to answer your questions before the pre-order launch, so you know exactly what you want to order before it happens. Jason I have made the decision to push back the release of Rumors & Dreams by at least two more weeks. This is in response to hopeful clients expressing concerns that they need more time to be financially ready to take advantage of release day pre-order discounts. And I plan to record the official release video using the new SpectraTone Red mouthpiece, which I am finishing next week. I personally believe the Rumors trumpet variation designed for lead and commercial playing, will sound best with the new SpectraTone Red mouthpiece.
Unrelated to R&D, September is the last month you can order a custom 3rd generation VPS Summit trumpet. If you love the smooth or crosshatch style crooks, this will be your last opportunity to place an order. We have a limited selection of these components remaining before they are retired forever. Laser welding techniques which produce the very smooth surface finishes will be replaced with two different processes, laser sintering and a screw array assembly system. Please email me with your intent to purchase a custom VPS Summit before the end of the month, so we can reserve the crook style of your choice. And finally, I want to mention the upcoming release of SpectraTone Red, which will be exclusive to a new crowdfunding platform known as Backerkit. Much like Kickstarter, the Backerkit platform will allow you to choose the exact size of your SpectraTone Red mouthpiece and place a pre-order with delivery expected within 60 days. To test this new system, we will launch our Dichroic Glass Mod Kits in the coming days. This will be a short campaign as we have limited inventory of this new Mod Kit designed to improve efficiency and overall playability. As always, feel free to contact me with your questions, or leave a comment here. Jason I have been innovating the 5MM Modular Mouthpiece System for well over a decade. The SpectraTone series is a direct descendant of the 5MM, and 100% compatible, so we use the terms interchangeably. Today, I'm introducing the next step in the evolution of modular mouthpieces. This innovation solves some challenges with cornet and flugel mouthpiece designs, and simplifies options. The new design integrates the Cup and Throat to be one piece, which simplifies assembly, and removes some options. You can still order the separate pieces we've offered in the past, if you already own the original version.
What does this mean to you? Well, now you can order a Modular Cornet or Flugel mouthpiece in the predetermined configurations I personally recommend. Since the Cup and Throat are integrated, the options are more straightforward and easy to order. You can see the new listing options here. Please know that I am making these new variations right now, so they will head to plating in approximately a week. This means your order today will likely be delivered within 30 days. - Jason I've polled both existing and prospective customers two years in a row with this question, "What price point would convince you to buy a Harrelson Trumpet?" Answers ranged from $7 to $12,500, and as you can imagine, the higher answers were submitted by current Harrelson owners. The average ideal price given by existing Harrelson clients was $5300 while the prospective owners' average was around $2760 when throwing out a few silly responses. It's interesting to note that trumpet players relying on Harrelson instruments on a daily basis offered a number nearly twice as high as those who have not yet experienced the advantages of higher efficiency, maximum bell resonance, and our exclusive variable performance system.
I did offer a $2500 trumpet for many years, which was known as the Bravura model. This instrument was my second model produced in any numbers, estimated around 300 instruments. The price started at $2500 back in 2005 or so, and crept up to $3995 several years later just before it was retired. Designed to balance efficiency and resonance, the Bravura model was a home run in terms of design, performance, and price. The Summit model replaced the Bravura, which has been our best selling model of all time with over 1,000 made to date. It was released in 2008 at $3995 and today it is priced in the $7000-8000 range thanks to a long list of improvements. These include the venturi gap receiver (VGR), which gives the player control over air flow, impedance, flexibility, and slotting with every setting possible in seconds. And the third generation fully machined leadpipe is available in 10 tapers that exhibit maximum efficiency. The SWE tuning slide optimizes impedance values, making the instrument very predictable in all registers. This means almost all of your effort remains in the standing wave until it resonates the bell while allowing every note to feel natural and comfortable. The VPS Summit, which includes our "variable performance system" upgrades is the current variation offered today. And it will be retired at the end of September. This will mark the end of an incredible era in trumpet design and manufacturing. The Summit was the first trumpet to feature a fully CNC machined tuning slide that is both laser welded and silver soldered to guarantee both maximum efficiency and optimum impedance ratios. The only other model to offer these advantages is the Muse. So what's my point? Well, many of you are asking for a $2500 trumpet, while the average reported price point that makes sense to own a Harrelson is $2760. So, I'm going to give you exactly what you're asking for, but there's a catch. I can only do it for a relatively small number of you. The new Rumors & Dreams limited edition series will be priced in the $4000-5000 range. But the first 5 customers who buy either model, can own one for as little as $2800. Consider this announcement as your one and only early warning to get your financial affairs in order asap. Like I said, only five people will get in on this opportunity. My team and I cannot afford to sell trumpets at a loss, so this is really one of those publicity stunts you see around the holidays. I'm doing this to get your attention, and because I know you'll tell your friends, colleagues, and students. I'm offering a $1200 opening day discount just to get everyone talking! But before you jump in with both feet, credit card in hand, ready to pull the trigger... You want to know about Rumors & Dreams, right? Rumors and Dreams are two similar, but different trumpets. Rumors is a commercial, lead, big band instrument, and Dreams is an all-around performer that works in every situation. Both have an attractive hex-milled feature on a number of B.R.A.S.S. components that are both functional and tie the theme together. That BRASS acronym you just read will be explained on the release date, but in a few words, BRASS components noticeably improve the playability of any brass instrument. The new Rumors & Dreams line is my answer to the modern day Bravura, which was so very successful in years past. The goal is to offer a horn that feels like home to each and every player. This is only possible with the VGR system, or by manually modifying the mouthpiece gap for each player. And that's exactly what I'm offering. When you choose the optional VGR upgrade, you'll have the world's most advanced fully adjustable impedance system ever designed, right at your finger tips. If you're on a strict budget, choose the included Zero Gap Receiver, and get ready to file down the end of your mouthpiece to optimize your setup. Either way, I will show you exactly how to make your new R&D trumpet fit like a glove in every register, on every note, at every dynamic level. I've studied brass acoustics since 1992, and I'm here to help you achieve success like you've never known. Along with this R&D launch, you'll have the opportunity to choose a bell that suits your projection and tonal color preferences. And you can get into our SpectraTone mouthpiece system at a discounted price. But the best part is our 0% financing payment plans for those of you who need a few months, or up to two years, to pay off your new custom trumpet. If you're not in the, "l'm ready to pay the balance on day one" club, then maybe you would rather make a $300 deposit with monthly payments in the $100-200 range. Yes, this will be an option! There are two things you need to remember. First, this new line of trumpets will likely be reserved very quickly upon release sometime in the coming days. And two, there will only be 31 Rumors and 36 Dreams trumpets available, ever. Watch for details in the coming days and feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts. Jason Regardless if they would work well for you personally, what do you think of these finger rings? Aesthetically, are they interesting? If you're answer is a resounding no, then I respect your opinion. And if you love them, that's perfectly acceptable as well. Ironically, I made this set of finger rings in 2010 in Minneapolis on my first industrial CNC milling machine. In 2010, I asked the public the exact same question. Almost everyone hated not just the finger rings, but much of my work in general. The consensus at the time was that I was messing with something that was already perfect, and that artistic embellishments were completely unacceptable. At the time, I was introducing one unique design after another, stretching what was possible for me to create in terms of machining difficulty, design intent, artistic freedom, and personal preference. Around the same time, I built the very first Satchmo Summerfest trumpet, which was auctioned off with all proceeds benefiting the non-profit that hosts the event. The first Satchmo trumpet incorporated the opening line of A Kiss to Build a Dream On played by Louis Armstrong on the leadpipe. And it also garnered a similar level of hatred from the online community with people claiming it was too extravagant, heavy, artistic, etc. This did not discourage me in any way as, I've understood since I was very young that, people are very slow to catch on. For instance, when I was around 10 years old I designed and built a Christmas ornament for my mother that used one AA battery to power a motor and an array of LED lights. Everything was handmade and soldered in my bedroom. My Mom thought this was amazing, or at least told me so, and she believed people would buy ornaments like this at the store. A few years later, I had evolved my skills to animating and lighting up decorations for Halloween. It was another 25 years before I saw anything similar for sale in the store, and these types of decorations are now overly popular, in my opinion. The truth is that I wasn't crazy about decorating for holidays. I simply enjoyed the exercise and challenge of making the animated designs. The funny thing about these Flames finger rings is that not only do people judge with their preconceived notions and eyes, but they also miss out on what is beneath. They miss the advantages resulting from 30+ years of researching SWE (standing wave efficiency) Technology, Maximum Bell Resonance, the Variable Performance System, and so much more. I haven't been focused on making cool looking horns all these years. I've been innovating the instrument we love to be easier and more rewarding to play every day. The artistic side has really just been a way to tie the aesthetics together with the technology to create playable art.
Full disclosure, I never have liked the look of the Flames finger rings. I simply made them to see if it was possible. When machinists visit my shop, they sometimes pick out one of these rings and tell me it must have been very difficult to make. Well, in 2010 my skills were not what they are today, and yes, they were very difficult to machine. That's exactly why I designed and made them. Jason I just finished giving another shop tour. This was probably my 7th tour this month as we've had a lot of visitors this Summer. And on the tours, we discuss the future of Harrelson Trumpets along with our thirty-one year history. Tracing three decades of Harrelson research and innovation is a lot of fun. And we have numerous artifacts to show along the way, from the very first trumpet I ever built to instrument designs in progress that will be released in 2024. Shop tours are a constant reminder for Jen, Christine, and I to process where we've been, where we are today, and where we're headed. There's a robot arm waiting to be installed on the VMC along with a pneumatic vise to automate the production of bracing, tuning slides, and bell crooks. And there's a table covered with laser sintered metal parts showcasing the possibilities of modern 3D printing technology. Some of these parts fit our trumpets and are made in a wide array of materials including; aluminum, titanium, inconel, stainless steel, and nylon. All of these example parts are lighter, stronger, and better than their counterparts machined in brass. You will soon see entirely new generations of trumpets and mouthpieces made by combining laser sintering and CNC machining technologies. Where does that put us today? While I'm not 100% certain of the future, I do plan to push forward utilizing the latest Aerospace lightweighting software, laser sintering, and CNC machining to essentially enter a new era of trumpet design. This means that our current offerings of laser welded and silver soldered tuning slides and bell crooks will no longer be in production. In fact, the last production run using these techniques was in January. And with these innovations, our third generation of VPS Summit trumpets will also come to an end on September 30th. This is important for two reasons. One, the next generation of VPS Summit trumpets (G4) will debut this Autumn, at a higher price point. And two, our best selling trumpet design to date, the 3rd generation Summit will be retired ending the production run after 8 years. This means the Summit trumpets you see on our website are literally a few of only a handful of examples available this Summer. And this brings me to some really interesting and fun announcements. First, the Summit Illusion series was just released, which is a limited series of four variations. Two of these were designed for Jazz combo, one for Lead, and the last for versatility. We sold the first of this set a few days ago, and based on feedback from visitors, we expect the remaining three to sell this month. You can see the Summit Illusion here along with several YouTube video reviews. And through this Friday, you will receive a SpectraTone Blue mouthpiece, ProTec case, and worldwide shipping at no charge when you purchase an Illusion series trumpet. The next big announcement, I will be finishing several unique and rare builds in the Summit line featuring variations in bracing, engraving, inlays, and finishes. You may want to read every message I send through the end of the Summer just to see photos of these instruments. There's one exception to everything mentioned above. Those of you on my build list for a Summit G3 series trumpet may take delivery of your instrument based on your original order agreement. And if you're considering a new Summit in the current edition, you still have six weeks to place your order and set up a payment plan for up to 24 months. Every current or new Summit order is placed in our order cabinet WITH the required parts pulled from inventory. We are out of some style tuning slides and bell crooks permanently, and I see we only have 3 sets of style R remaining. Once these are sold or reserved, they are gone forever. I'm honored to have been chosen to build custom trumpets for well over two thousand individual trumpet performers, and look forward to exploring the future of brass playing with our Harrelson family. Jen, Christine, and I often discuss how our company is really the culmination of the shared vision and support of our entire clientele. Thank you all for this unbelievably rewarding opportunity. Jason
When it comes to bottom caps, I've pretty much heard it all. Before the internet was popular, the few people I knew who had any experience with trumpet equipment outside of traditional designs were skeptical about added weight except for one person. My college trumpet professor was the principal of the Minnesota Opera, and a great musician who happened to be obsessed with modifying trumpets. He encouraged me to experiment on brass instruments, which was something I was already consuming much of my time. Weighted bottom caps (and adding mass to every other component) were a topic of conversation in every lesson. The late 80's and early 90's were an interesting time in terms of trumpet design and performance. Most players were very traditional in their approach to pedagogy, equipment, education, and so on. Yet, new names like Monette got everyone talking, for better or worse. I began making custom bottom caps in 1992 after playing a trumpet with a set of heavy bottom caps. Having worked on cars with my mechanic father for years, I understood how and why mass would benefit a brass instrument, but had never thought to do it myself. Ironically, everyone I met seemed confused about how adding mass to a trumpet could change anything. I found myself in a position of disbelief trying to understand how all of my friends passed physics without understanding simple concepts like energy transfer. In the automobile industry, bracing, dampening, and light-weighting techniques were a prerequisite. Mounting a motor incorrectly could very easily cause excessive vibration at specific frequencies present in ranges of speed and/or rpm. As I continued modifying trumpets throughout college, my friends and I started producing blind studies to see if we could guess which trumpet, mouthpiece, bottom cap, or other variable was present in the excerpts we played for one another. I loved this game, and became skilled in hearing nuances in attack, sustain, release, tone color, projection, accuracy, etc. I was far from discovering MBR (maximum bell resonance) or VPS (variable performance system), but I was definitely on track to discover SWE (standing wave efficiency) principles. At the time, our group of trumpet players used the terms tight, open, locked in, slotting, and other words to describe what we were hearing and experiencing both from the perspective of the listener and performer. This was the beginning of my career, though I didn't recognize this fact for another decade. One common theme when adding weight to trumpets in the form of modified bottom caps, and sometimes top caps, was the perception of tone quality changes. We were convinced that heavy caps made trumpets darker. But the more I listened, the less I believed this to be true. And the heavy bottom cap myth was born between my friends and I. Since I was the only one who believed tone quality didn't change, I was basically considered a relatively poor listener among my peers. Then came the day I started my independent studies in brass acoustics as part of my education, which was halfway through my third year in college. My professor was an acoustics scientist employed by Yamaha to redesign a new line of guitars with the goal of making them sound and feel like a competing brand, but at a lower price. Such is the Yamaha template, which will likely never change. In my brass acoustics studies, I learned how to measure everything related to musical instruments from anti-nodal high pressure zones to understanding a complete spectrum analysis. Only a few days into my lab work, I started testing heavy bottom caps. And guess what I discovered! Heavy bottom caps do not, and cannot, change the tone of a trumpet. I do need to qualify that statement with the following. The trumpet being tested must be mechanically sound, free of air leaks, and be of a relatively good working design. So why do so many trumpet players insist that heavy bottom caps make their trumpets sound dark? I've heard a thousand arguments on this topic, many of which point directly to recordings where you can supposedly hear the difference. Well, the answer to this question is why I'm writing this article. I've covered this topic hundreds of times in clinics, lessons, and videos, yet it seems the vast majority of players still believe this myth. And here's why... We are not good listeners. Yeah, I said it. Most trumpet players are blinded by their personal feelings and experiences to the point of communicating with a very limited vocabulary on the very passion they preach, trumpet playing! To better understand what is happening when we compare a trumpet with standard bottom caps and one with heavy bottom caps, let's first define a few words. What does the word dark mean to you? What about bright? What is an attack and how can it vary? What is the sustain? And what is the release of a note? Have you ever stopped to define any of these basic words within the musician's vocabulary? I'll save you the reading, and let you look them up on your own, but owning these words is the key to discovering a world of new possibilities when it comes to brass playing. Heavy bottom caps added to any trumpet will increase the inertia of the bottom of the valve casings. Inertia is another word you need to look up right now, otherwise you're missing the point of this conversation. I reference inertia every day as this defines how much energy is required to set a musical instrument component into motion (vibration). Let's back up. When you play the fundamental (lowest pitch) on a trumpet, which is pedal C, your sound wave is defined by two nodes and one antinode. Imagine these as a long jump rope held by a person's hand on each end of the rope. When a third person skips over the rope, they are positioned equidistant from both people holding the ends, which is in the middle where the rope height is the highest. This high point exists in a standing wave inside a trumpet, and even looks similar, with the highest pressure in the middle. The ends of the standing wave, the nodes, are at the ends of the instrument. One end is inside your mouth wherever you have stopped the wave from traveling, which could be at the back of your mouth, or your tongue, or some other place depending on how you position your tongue and palettes. The other end of the wave is usually reflecting somewhere within the last few inches of the bell, or outside the bell up to a few inches depending on the pitch/partial sounded. Now that we've illustrated the fundamental, let's continue on with the first partial. By exciting the air column at the next highest resonant frequency, which is an octave higher, we will produce one more node and one more anti-node. This would be your low C below the staff on trumpet. If the fundamental produced an antinode in the middle of the instrument, where are the two antinodes on the first partial located? And what happens when you play the next highest partial, which is a fifth above the low C? How many partials can you add? Can you imagine where they would be mapped on your trumpet? If you've made it this far, give yourself a pat on the back. I have illustrated all of this in many YouTube videos, so you can always visit my channel and search for SWE Technology to get the visual. I know the science side can be a lot to digest, but playing the trumpet is literally a super cool science experiment that has been revised countless times over hundreds of years. And everything I do at Harrelson is in some way related to the science of the instrument and the science of our minds and bodies to become a seamless form of musical expression. Now I'll tell you why inertia and antinodes destroy the heavy bottom cap myth related to making trumpets sound dark. When we play any note with the exception of just a few, there is significant anti-nodal high pressure being confined within any brass instrument near the middle of the tubing. On trumpets and cornets, this is usually near the valveset. The louder you play, the higher the amplitude of the wave, and the more high pressure is exerted on the walls of the instruments, specifically at the anti-nodes. Depending on the design of your trumpet, there may not be sufficient inertia within your valveset (where the pistons are located) to prevent energy transfer from the sound wave into vibration of the confining body. All Bach, Yamaha, Schilke, Getzen, Kanstul, and hundreds of other trumpet models lack the inertia necessary to prevent energy transfer at the valveset. To take that one step further, only a few makers have ever addressed this problem, and even fewer have explored solving inertia deficiencies in the leadpipe, tuning slide, and other components. This means that when you play almost any note on almost any trumpet there is a transfer of sound wave energy into motion of the tubing and/or valveset. And this is not a small problem. The resulting sound wave degradation from inertia inefficiencies is huge. When you add a heavy bottom cap to any of the valves, you are increasing the inertia in that zone, which in turn prevents the energy transfer from anti-nodal high pressure within the tubing. Essentially, the standing wave will have less energy loss and more integrity making it sound closer to its potential. This added inertia improves the attack and sustain of any note with anti-nodes in that general location. It will not improve a note that does not have anti-nodes present in that location, which means not all notes are improved. Now let me ask you, does a note with more sound wave integrity sound darker or brighter? In reality, improving sound wave integrity improves all overtones by increasing amplitude on each with some exceptions. I'm really over-simplifying everything in terms of acoustics to make this digestible, but in general this is true. Technically, this means the note becomes both brighter and darker in terms of tone. But more importantly, less energy is required to produce the attack and hold the sustain as a result of higher standing wave integrity, which means the note is more stable. And that is the word we've been looking for all these years. Stability is increased. Why do we describe increased stability of a note with words describing tone color? Maybe because our musical community is obsessed with words describing tone? Or maybe because we haven't explored as deeply as we could, learning that the physics of the instrument truly affect very real challenges like attacking a note softly. Did you know that the greatest obstacle to attacking notes softly is inertia deficiencies within the design of the instrument? In fact, this and resonance are so closely tied to one another that the inertia design intent of some brands are the main reason they are superior to their competitors. Steinway and Bosendorfer discovered this fact before your grandparents were born. Unfortunately for trumpet players, the manufacturing techniques to apply this design approach were unavailable or not profitable until the last 50+ years. Even more disappointing, most of the instrument designers versed in physics were no longer employed by brass instrument manufacturers. Today, nearly the entire trumpet industry is focused on renaming the same designs with newly endorsed artists to sell you the same instrument they made generations ago with little or no design intent focused on inertia, sound wave integrity, resonance, etc. Adding heavy bottom caps is one way to preserve some of the sound wave integrity, but it is really the cheapest and least effective approach to a much bigger problem. In reality, the zones exhibiting the least inertia are the mouthpiece, tuning slide, leadpipe, and bell crook. You can't add heavy bottom caps to these areas because it's mechanically impossible. And this is why I have devoted the last 31 years to solving these challenges by designing the trumpet from the ground up. But that conversation involves dispelling many more myths! Let me know your thoughts on this conversation, and feel free to ask questions in the comments. Jason One last note. I'm hosting an open house in our Denver showroom and shop this Friday July14th. Stop by for a free clinic on understanding mouthpiece Rim variations, get a tour of our machine shop, and check out the grand opening of our music room where you can purchase vintage, rare, and new sheet music, cds, and vinyl. Please let us know you're coming by registering here... As Father's Day is approaching, I'm reminded of how important male role models can be in our world. Not just in the formative early years, but throughout life, fathers have countless opportunities to offer guidance, support, love, and encouragement. This is a sincere thank you, and pat on the back to all of you fathers who have given again and again. Thanks to you, our world is a much better place.
I'm not a father, but I have wanted to have children for many years. In many ways, it is probably good that I don't have children simply because I would have invested so much time and energy into cultivating their minds, being there when they need me, and hopefully creating amazing memories. I'm certain that most of my innovations would have either come later in life, or not at all, had I been raising kids for the past decades. Despite my reality, I do believe I would love being a Dad. To say thank you to all of the fathers in the world (at least the trumpet playing fathers), I'm offering a free private lesson to every father who purchases a trumpet in June. You can either come to Denver, and I'll pay your travel expenses (up to 10% of the purchase price), or we can meet on Zoom for your lesson. I don't normally offer many trumpet lessons as my schedule is typically filled with R&D, designing, machining, working with clients, etc. But I'm making an exception this month to give you the opportunity to experience a breakthrough in your playing. Remember, this Saturday is our open house where you can get a shop tour, play test trumpets, and attend my masterclass "Physics-based Trumpet Design". You can register here, or make plans to visit during our July open house (Friday the 14th). If you find yourself in the Denver area this Summer, be sure to call ahead for a tour and/or private play testing session. Happy early Father's Day, Jason It was eleven years ago today that I woke up confused. I didn't understand what was happening, yet I was not alarmed, but quite content to lay in my tiny bed hidden within a secret studio where I slept inside my machine shop.
I had given up my apartment to focus on my work, which could be considered an obsession at the time. My studio "apartment" contained a bed, a wardrobe, microwave, hot plate, bean bag, space heater, and a video monitor cycling through cameras inside each CNC machine and the entire shop. Oscar, my 5-pound dog, slept with me every night to stay warm since Minnesota winters could get down to sixty below zero. On some nights, the temperature in my studio was below 40 degrees fahrenheit. Laying there in confusion, I began to notice I was slipping away mentally. My perception of what was happening was from a completely different perspective than a normal person. I could feel my mind drifting into a new world of carefree solitude. Then I realized that I need to let Oscar down from the bed, which I had built over a storage space approximately four feet high. If I died, he wouldn't be able to get down. Who would find him? And would he survive until someone noticed I was missing? Oscar became my focus despite most of my mind wanting to drift away. My arm didn't move. My leg didn't move. I began asking my arm and leg to move, but nothing happened. They seemed invisible in that moment. Then I remembered having very bad chest pains the night before. So bad that I had violently sat up in bed in the middle of the night in terrible pain. Why won't my mind recognize the left side of my body? How will I save Oscar. It was clear to me I was not going to survive more than a few minutes. All I could think of was Oscar. That's when I realized that my right arm was working! I grabbed Oscar and tossed him over my body and onto the floor. I hope he is alright. To this day, he has been suffering hip and knee issues, maybe from May 11, 2012. This is when I realized that Oscar was still in trouble. The false wall that was actually my studio bedroom door was very heavy. I designed it with a magnetic spring lock system that required much more force than Oscar could exert. I needed to get on the floor and open that door for him, so he would be found and not starve to death in my room. We all learn from our mistakes, and as a designer, I have learned my fair share of lessons. On this morning, I discovered a major design flaw in the bed frame I had built. I had cut a piece of plywood to fit the length of the bed from a 48" x 96" stock sheet. I left the original stock 48" width and made that the height of my bed out of convenience to save extra cutting. My actual mattress sat down approximately 6" below that external frame, which now acted like a wall holding me in the bed. With only my right side working, and the only exit from my enclosed bed also on my right side, I was having major issues getting over that 6" design flaw. Without the use of my left leg, it seemed impossible to push myself over the edge. Shapes of objects were becoming less important, and I felt like giving into the freedom of not thinking about it anymore. Then I noticed Oscar. He was whining in a way that made me very concerned. While laying flat, and looking straight up to the ceiling, I used my right arm and leg to pull myself over the edge, back first. I fell onto the step stool I regularly used to get in and out of bed. Oscar ran up to me and licked me incessantly. As I laid on the floor, I realized I could not save Oscar. My phone had fallen out of bed with me, and I held it in my right hand for awhile wondering what it was. A strange glassy black object that is thin, but relatively heavy. It was a wonder. A light on the phone blinked. I said out loud, "Oh, this is a phone! I can use it to call for help." But what I heard made no sense at all. I could no longer speak. How can I call for help if I can't talk? And who will find me here behind a false wall in a machine shop? All the doors to the shop were locked, and each was more than 100 feet away from my hidden location. I attempted to send a text message to Jen asking her to find Oscar and help him, but I didn't realize at the time that she was on vacation with her boyfriend many hours away. She sent a text message back, and I realized I couldn't read it. In fact, I couldn't read my own message to her. What is wrong with my phone? Maybe they aren't used for words? I should just go to sleep. I awoke to Oscar licking me and whining. He seemed so upset, so I made an attempt to open the massive false wall door, which was easily 6 feet wide and 7 feet high. I crawled to the door and pushed. It opened easily, but Oscar wouldn't leave. I thought, If I could get to the front door, I could let him outside. The floor was like sand. Moving in the correct direction was an impossible task. All of my effort moved me just a few inches. "Why am I so weak?" My speech was garbled. I have no idea how long had passed from when I awoke until I made it over 100 feet to the door, but I got there only to realize the door lock was too high to reach. After numerous attempts, I stood up on one leg and leaned into the door, unlocked it and got outside. My Tahoe was right there! I could get help by driving to the hospital. Oscar would be okay. There was originally a 4-foot high loading dock at this door, as this was an industrial building originally used to manufacture the monitor displays for NASA Apollo missions in the 1960s. Back then, components were heavy, and those monitors were small, but thick and heavy, so I guess they made a lot of them and loaded them into trucks on this dock. I've seen the original Apollo and other NASA monitors and devices made here, as the owner of the building has a small repair shop where they still service them today in the building next door. The good news is that there was a railing along the edge of the original dock, and the dock had been filled in with dirt years ago to form a ramp so we could use a forklift to load our CNC machines into the shop space. That railing is barely reachable from the front door, and my Tahoe was parked on the ramp. I stumbled with one leg and one arm to the driver side door and found the key in my pocket. For some reason, I had gone to bed in my clothes with my keys, wallet, and phone in my pockets. Maybe I wasn't feeling well the night before? I don't recall. Once in my vehicle, I thought I would drive to the hospital. After some serious difficulty trying to enter "hospital" into my phone GPS, I started driving. The GPS showed an arrow to make the next turn. Now does that arrow mean go left or right? What is left? What is right? What is an arrow? It was too late. I had lost all ability to read or interpret simple symbols like arrows. The concept of one way or the other was no longer part of my reality. I drove and drove and drove until I found a red cross symbol on a sign. I believe it was the red color that made me believe it would be helpful. Today, I know firsthand why hospitals around the globe use that recognizable red cross symbol. Eleven years ago, it was the only symbol that meant anything to me. I had taken an exit following the sign, but could not find the hospital. What is a hospital? Why am I going there? Who am I? I continued driving around and saw another red cross symbol on the top of a building. I was so tired. Maybe I should close my eyes. Are all of my limbs missing? Or just some of them? Confusion was my reality, and I was slipping away. I drove directly towards the red cross sign. Later, I learned that I had driven over medians, bushes, grass, parking blocks, and anything in my way to get directly to the door of the building with the red cross symbol. I crawled to the door and it opened automatically. I asked for help. A nurse ran to me and helped me get into a chair. She asked for my insurance. "What is insurance?" The nurse realized I could not talk. I closed my eyes. I believe Oscar saved my life on this day, eleven years ago. And today, he's laying right here next to me at my desk, sleeping contently with sore knees and hips. I am forever grateful for so many blessings in life, one of them being my best friend on four legs. He'll be thirteen years old in July, and I'm starting to see him show his age. I celebrate May 11th every year. And I always imagine today is "Oscar Day" since he is very likely the reason I didn't slip away that morning. There's obviously much more to this story, and yes, it is all true. I was born with a large hole between my left and right atrium that caused dozens of strokes and heart attacks throughout my lifetime. This particular stroke followed a heart attack the night before, and resulted in me losing all of my memories from before that event. My life as I know it began that morning at 37 years of age. I was also born with only one carotid artery, which was a contributing factor, and explains why all of my strokes were left side only. Why did I share this nearly tragic event with you today? To remind you to take care of yourself and be aware of the risk factors of cardiovascular events like stroke, heart attack, and pulmonary embolism. I've suffered all of these many times, and was lucky enough to survive. But I am the exception. Please take a few minutes today to reflect on your health and the health of those you love. Ask yourself how you can prevent a stroke or heart attack. Do you know how to respond in either situation? How can you get training that could potentially save a life? Your doctor should be your primary resource for your personal health, but you can also learn a lot very quickly from organizations like the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. Please remember my story and share it with others. We all need to feel comfortable discussing health concerns, so that we can be aware, and consciously make good decisions. Learning to recognize the risks and signs of heart disease can save lives every day of the week. I cannot imagine life without me here today. That sounds funny, but I have literally worked with thousands of trumpet players since May 11, 2012. And all of those people have helped shape who I am today. Maybe I had some impact on them as well. Since I had my first stroke as a child, I knew there was a good chance I would not live much longer, and that reality encouraged me to live up to my potential so that I could experience and share as much as possible. Today, I'm 48 years old, and I cannot believe that I've lived so long, learned so much, and experienced so many amazing people, places, and events. Let's all find ways to improve our physical and mental health. And let's do it together by sharing our experiences. Discussing these challenges in a positive way can be the first step to creating a better reality. Happy Oscar Day! Jason |
Jason Harrelson
Inventor, Musician, Educator and Founder of Harrelson Trumpets, Trumpet Momentum and Harrelson Momentum. Archives
October 2023
|