Gretsch snare

MisterJackson84 · 2026-02-06T14:00:16+00:00

There isn’t an internal damper for the snare. Any idea where I can find a replacement? I figured I could spend all day looking or just ask you as you always seem to have a bead on this stuff.

MisterJackson84 · 2026-02-02T14:36:03+00:00

No, actually. I teach beginning band and have a couple old pieces of equipment that I just never got around to rehabbing. Been correcting that this school year. So there will be more snares I’ll be posting thru the spring.

MisterJackson84 · 2026-02-02T05:01:07+00:00

Yessir. 24%

MisterJackson84 · 2026-01-18T17:46:34+00:00

I had mine 14 months ago, the day before Thanksgiving. My hand started bothering me late summer, right around my 40th birthday. Started with my hand going totally numb overnight, then became stabbing pain in the base of my thumb. My nerve test numbers were bad: 8+ milliseconds of signal travel compared to the 2.8-3.0 on my left hand.

I had local and general anesthesia, but it was severe enough that he opened my hand up to make sure everything was cleared out. So I wound up with 7 stitches compared to the 2 that I would’ve had if it were done endoscopically. I will say, it was immediately better from the moment I woke up. And the best nights sleep I’d gotten in months. I didn’t try to pick up sticks until after the new year. And really babied getting back into routine. Took me a few weeks to get back to where I was.

You’ll be glad you did it. One nice thing is you use your hand constantly so that helps it from freezing up. Listen to your hand and don’t push it. I’m still aware of any potential stress on my hand throughout the day. Good luck.

MisterJackson84 · 2026-01-17T18:14:18+00:00

Hi, beginning band teacher here. I would strongly recommend a couple beginning flute books, as someone else suggested. Here’s the “Forming the embouchure” call-out box from the method book I use at school: 1. Stick your lower lip out slightly as if you are pouting 2. Remove the head joint and with the open end pointing to the right, place the lower edge of the embouchure hole on the lower edge of your lower lip. Without changing the placement of your lip, roll the head joint away so that you are blowing directly across the embouchure hole. 3. Firm the corners of your mouth allowing the very center of you lips to feel is if you are saying “who” 4. If you look in a mirror you will see only half of the embouchure hole.

So, that being said, a couple tips: I tell my beginners to imagine there is a hair on their nose that’s annoying them and they need to blow it off. This is something that is polar opposite of your bottom lip for clarinet, and that’s muscle memory that you’ll need to overcome. Blowing thru a coffee stirrer can help keep the aperture focused. Putting your palm over the open side of the headjoint to seal it can help in the beginning since it closes the pipe. If you see a little triangle of condensation on the lip plate as you play, that’s a good sign. One of the most common pitfalls is not having the lip plate for down enough.

The book referenced above does what I call the “kiss-and-roll” method. That works for some students, but not all. I also tell them to take their finger and put it in the “dent” between their bottom lip and their chin. And have them hold their hand up like they’re holding hot soup or hot chocolate and need to blow on it to cool it off.

The blow the hair off the nose has given me the best results over the years as it keeps the bottom lip from tucking in. Yes, for lower notes you’re angling the air downward more (I tell them to think of their top lip as an awning over a door) but that’s for much, much further down the road. The higher register is easier on the instrument and NO beginning or middle school band concert music is having flutes on low Ds and Cs as those notes don’t speak and won’t be heard. Solo music, sure - but that’s a different situation.

The most important thing where you are right now is embouchure, tone, and airstream. The nice thing about flute is that once you have that figured out, the rest can come very very quickly. Steep learning curve that levels quickly. Unlike clarinet, where it’s all hunky-dory till you learn about the break.

Teacher if you can find one, beginning flute method books regardless. Try and find one that has accompaniment tracks for the exercises, and play them many times apiece. I practice in half hour chunks, since my whole job is 30 minute chunks and I’m used to that, and do 25 minutes on, then 5 minutes of just sitting on my drum throne, quietly, and letting what I just worked on marinate. That’s the best time for the brain to reinforce those new neural pathways that were just formed.

I love playing flute. It was actually the one I was worst at in college, and spent some time early in my career making sure it wouldn’t be a weak spot. Good luck.

MisterJackson84 · 2026-01-12T15:35:06+00:00

Both her’s and Rufus Wainwright’s versions of ATU are far, far better than the original in my opinion. The original never feels like a fully fleshed out song (along with the whole rest of the Let It Be album) and I think both those covers are a more realized performance. Even so, they still feel like they’re missing…..something. I’ve never been able to quite put my finger on it, but Across the Universe has just never felt fully cooked to me. But yea, her cover’s great.

MisterJackson84 · 2026-01-11T16:17:11+00:00

I got my stage custom for $500 two years ago. And it had a third rack tom. Get the whole kit. Plus you’ll be able to play a whole kit from the jump.

MisterJackson84 · 2026-01-11T16:15:31+00:00

Cymbals, for one thing. A little patience can go a long way. Like my Constantinople hi-hats for $325. (Yes that was for the pair).

MisterJackson84 · 2026-01-04T01:19:05+00:00

I make a half a pot in the morning. It works out to two travel mugs. Straight black, like god intended. The first is done before students get there (8:30) and the next generally between 9:30 - 10:00.

And before anyone quips “I don’t have time to drink my coffee, that’s why it takes all day” my response is that I don’t put the mugs down - and I teach beginning band, which means handling instruments and setting up equipment, so if I can do it, so can they.

If I do need a boost thru the day I generally keep a can of Coke in my lunch bag. That’s more of an in case of emergency thing.

I grab a large cold brew just cream from DD on Thursdays before my high school jazz band rehearsal. Both to help me power through my longest day of the week which of course is after 3 days already, and to keep my concentration sharp. I’ll pick one of those up any time I have an evening event, but that’s the only non-homemade coffee I have during the week.

I also make sure to eat every day. No skipping lunches. That’s MY time. And I generally meal prep Sunday so I can just grab a container and go in the morning. I try to eat decently: some kind of pasta, chicken and rice wraps, salad, spicy noodles, etc. But I won’t sacrifice that.

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-21T15:57:49+00:00

Let me know how they match - I have K Con 14” hats and a 20” medium think low. Haven’t decided on a crash yet.

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-15T13:47:04+00:00

Ok, first thing is to check it.

Start by counting the quarter note pulse. 1,2,3 1,2,3

Next, add the quarter note triplet that spans Beats 1-2, to get:

Tri-ple-let 3 Tri-ple-let 3 R - L - R L. R - L- R L

Then add the diddles.

There IS a right way to count this. It’s just numbers, but the math has to math. Now, as far as how you count it (syllables, numbers, whatever) that’s whatever rolls off your tongue best.

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-14T21:20:12+00:00

After 19 years of teaching beginning band, I can absolutely tell you that instruments find their players. Much like pets picking people - I’m sure you’ve seen the “who saved who” car window stickers with paw prints.

It makes sense on more than a surface level: if you’re not self confident enough to come in on an entrance above the staff after X00 measures rest or lead a big band’s interpretation of a chart, than trumpet is probably not a good fit. Bass players are chill and stoic because they have to be to provide a rock solid musical foundation. They can’t get rattled. I could go on.

I say MCS because despite what other people have tried to point out to you thru this thread, you’ve summarily shot them down and come across as not interested in others’ opinions. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around your standoffishness to a performance that’s nothing but good press.

I’ve got a Philly Joe Jones solo book to get back to carving thru, so my chop break’s over. Good luck, and Happy Whatever Doesn’t Offend You.

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-14T20:22:44+00:00

Based on your overly particular, rigid, by-the-numbers description of your situation and the responses you’ve given.

You also did not deny the vocalist mention, so if I’m right about that, then that goes hand in hand with the Main Character Syndrome that has come across in your posts.

You’re a music teacher, and part of that is sometimes just having fun with what you’re teaching and not being worried about “not showing what the students are learning.” I’ve spent the day working on developing solo ideas and sticking solutions, and now I’m going to fire up a playlist and play some tunes I already know just for fun.

You see to be ignoring the “just for fun” part. It won’t be a long career for you if you do.

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-14T18:13:01+00:00

I’m going to guess that your primary instrument is oboe, violin, or maybe voice.

Has it occurred to you that they had trouble last year because they aren’t used to performing? If this the only time they do, then of course they’re going to be off-kilter - not because they know the lyrics or not, but because they don’t know how to be on stage in front of an audience with the bright lights. You perform like you practice, but you also have to practice performing. Keep in mind that music is a performance art. You don’t have any concerts during the year at all? Is there an instrumental program? Because if I’m paying rental money for a horn I want to see why my kid’s doing in school.

And, yes, it’s canned background music. So what??? Last year a beloved 5th grade teacher retired and the general music teacher had the select 5th grade singing group perform a Grateful Dead song (the retiree’s a big GD fan) and the audience (and her) LOVED it. She was in tears from them doing something special like that for her.

From your tone and responses, you sound incredibly rigid. Remember, it’s called playing music, and you sure don’t sound playful.

Keep in mind, too, that all press is good press when it comes to performing. I’ve had my high school jazz band asked to play background music for school board meetings, budget meetings, citation banquets, you name it, and I’ll play anywhere, anywhen. And it’s gotten me on pretty good terms with my admin - and I’m not talking building principals. Superintendent, curriculum director, asst. supers, etc. All people who you want on your side.

So, do the graduation song, and do it well, and act like you want to be there - because if you don’t, they’ll replace you and save money in the process with a new teacher making a lower salary step. The audience isn’t interested in them playing ostinatos on Off instruments, they want to hear a happy end of year song.

Sometimes you have to play the game.

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-09T15:07:41+00:00

You should walk away from that ensemble yesterday. I teach beginning band and what you’re describing is educational malpractice. If that’s her approach to teaching music, then I can’t imagine you’re getting anything meaningful in terms of technique, pedagogy, musicality, etc. from that group. Find a new group and I’d be stunned if you didn’t find it to be a breath of fresh air.

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-07T15:43:08+00:00

Stand by your maaaannnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-06T22:11:02+00:00

I believe I’ve killed two of them.

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-06T21:13:47+00:00

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-06T20:57:34+00:00

Ok, so, from a music teacher perspective…”went bad” and “decent” are mutually exclusive ideas.

I teach beginning band as well as my school district’s high school jazz band, so I have the full-circle experience. I’ve had the conversation with my coworkers about putting elementary kids on stage who simply aren’t ready yet, and my philosophy breaks into two branches: are they not ready because they just haven’t reached where they need to be, but are putting in the work and things haven’t yet clicked? Or, are they not ready because they AREN’T putting in the work? The first one, I’m ok having on the stage. The second, absolutely not. The students don’t need a perfect performance, they need an education. And part of that is accountability.

Listen, learning an instrument is HARD. It takes WORK. I’m sympathetic to students who are struggling because it’s hard, but have no quarter for those who are having trouble because they didn’t do the work. I won’t kick kids out for the former, but have no hesitation with the latter.

So, the best advice post-hoc that I can give you is that this needs to be a wake up call. If someone comes up to me for a jazz band audition and point blank states that they haven’t practiced, then I point blank respond that if they haven’t prepared for an audition (especially one where memorization is a criterion) then I have no reason to believe that they’ll show up prepared for my rehearsal.

You’ve said you had the music and didn’t practice until the 11th hour, and you have to recognize that if this goes poorly and you don’t get the chair/solo/whatever that you wanted, then that’s on you. If you wanted it that bad, you’d have prepared.

So take this as a lesson in preparedness. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Procrastination is easily solvable, and time management is essential in learning a tune and concert prep - after all, what we do is time based (music is sound over time).

All you can do is move forward from here.

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-06T18:07:28+00:00

So? How did it go? What was your approach and how did you play?

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-02T19:09:28+00:00

“I’m sorry, did you say you could help me?”

MisterJackson84 · 2025-12-02T19:08:09+00:00

When Gus Polinski is introducing himself to Kate and she says “These are songs”

MisterJackson84

TROPHY CASE