a beating like a tank

Hello again. It seems like too long since I checked in here. We've been very busy, as usual. We have had a pretty steady stream of visitors coming from around the globe. This is so much fun for us here at Harrelson Trumpets. Some of my recent favorites were from Australia. But they come from all over the world. These past few weeks we've been following through on a long time goal of creating a fun and interactive trumpet community on youtube through weekly Trumpet Challenges. If you haven't seen any of the videos coming in you should really check them out. This is a link to the current challenge: www.whyharrelson.com/weekly-trumpet-challenge Jason's been having a lot of fun with the videos. I was impressed with how well this one came together.

I wanted to remind everyone that we'll be having a week long  Showroom Event here March 26th - 31st. Stay tuned for more information... but we are going to host a lot of fun events including clinics on the 5MM Mouthpiece, machining demos, a sidewalk sale on trim and mouthpieces and hopefully even a fun BBQ. March isn't far away... so if you're thinking of attending please let us know if you need recommendations on lodging etc. 

There is always a steady flow of beautiful horns marching out the door here... but this one is my most recent favorite:

We've been re-branding our youtube channel and it's starting to really take shape. We are now doing regular mouthpiece and trumpet reviews. Those, along with the weekly Trumpet Challenge can all be found on our youtube channel. We have over 400 videos... so if you want to binge watch trumpet related videos... we've got the channel for you!

​www.youtube.com/channel/UC73UmUfNcl5y1sqZHWCW_UA?view_as=subscriber
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Last, but definitely not least... I wanted to share a story that came in a couple of days ago from one of our clients... it made me laugh... so I thought it might brighten your day too:

"I am one of the performers at the Feast of Fantasy at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Our show starts with the Court Revelers (vocal group) welcoming our patrons in front of Bad Manor. Towards the end of their song, the brass quartet (2 trumpets, 2 trombones) appear on the balcony about 15 feet above them. I usually empty my spit valve, giving the illusion that I am dumping water on them . At one of our last shows in September, I had my 5mm mouthpiece in my Schilke trumpet (the Summit One is not going out there anytime soon). It was a chilly morning, but the sun was out and things were starting to warm up. I shook my trumpet with the water key open as I have been doing for at least the last 5 seasons. Suddenly, my 5mm fell out of my trumpet and landed with a thud on the deck below me. A couple of the Revelers turned to see what had happened. I was pointing down at my mouthpiece, which I was sure must have landed on the rim. One of the Revelers picked up the mouthpiece and tossed it up to me, but his toss was a little short and my 5mm again fell to the deck. 

Another Reveler picked up my mouthpiece and tossed it up. I got my hands on it this time, but because it was cold, it slipped through my fingers and again fell down to the deck.The patrons were laughing. I guess they thought this was part of the show. Since the show must go on, the other three brass players started the opening fanfare without me. A Reveler picked up my mouthpiece and tossed it up again. This time it landed at my feet. Whew! As I bent over to pick it up, it rolled off the balcony and into a flower pot that was hanging from the balcony. Nooooooooooooo! Several Revelers grabbed the flower pot and started digging through it like dogs looking for a buried bone as they were trying to find my mouthpiece. They found it and handed it up to me just in time for me to play the last 3 notes of the fanfare. 

We have a few minutes between the opening fanfare and the next time we need to play. I looked at the mouthpiece and to my surprise, it looked like it was ok - no dents, not gouges, no scratches! I couldn't believe it! It wasn't until the next day that I found a tiny scratch on the body of the mouthpiece. The rim and the shank were fine. After that, the mouthpiece stays in my pocket while I empty the water key at the start of the show.

Not only does the 5mm play great, it took a beating like a tank and came through virtually unscathed. 

Thanks again for making such awesome mouthpieces and trumpets! 

Best regards, 
Doug Bradley" ​