True story: A Solemn Moment an honored Dead - Or NOT!

[scuba-sass]

Rick,
Thanks very much for showing up and playing in person. I attended the funeral of a family friend a few years ago, who had served our country in WWII and for many years. The best the army could do was send someone in uniform with a tape recording of taps and a flag. The effort was appreciated, but rather pathetic. I'm not positive, but I assume from your post that you did not attend as a member of the military. Had we known that a tape recording was the best the army could offer, we would have hired a bugler for the ceremony.
Take care,
Scuba-sass

 

[Rick Inman]

FWIW, here's a Windows Midea 9 video of me Doing it Right on 911 a couple years ago...

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/30251/cat/500/ppuser/10755

 

[Rick Inman]

Just got off the phone with the Granddaughter. She said, yes, she could tell something went wrong (duh..), but that after the funeral, everyone was saying how he (the deceased) would have appreciated so much that even when things were not working right, I plowed on anyway and successfully completed the version of Taps. They said, that's the kind of guy he was, that when things were going south, he lifted himself up by his bootstraps and continued on.

What a nice, lady.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Rick, Marilyn and I are still laughing. Knowing what a super nice guy you are and that you really care about how people feel... makes your getting the giggles even funnier. Without a sense of humor there is no sense of honor. Glad the granddaughter knew her grandfather well enough to understand that.

 

[GeekDiver]

Rick,

I'm glade to hear that you spoke with the family and they were ok. I am relieved to hear that you were sensitive to the family and were understanding of how I felt about your posting. That shows to me a bit of class and true concern. I'm sorry that I got the wrong impression about you from your post.

Geek

 

[MLE]

First I would like to applaud you on taking the time to attend the funerals and playing taps. I watched the video and you sounded amazing. I have attended my own families military funerals and as a member of the Base Honor Guard I have rendered honors at over two hundred funerals. Many, many unforseen mishaps can occur, what makes us special is the fact that we can find, fix and overcome. The fact that you were able to immediately find the problem, and render taps shows great honor on your part. I have witnessed several minor mishaps from hats falling off during the firing party to, like your case, the first note of taps coming out unforgivingly. In every instance we always speak with the family afterwards and they have always commended us on the ability to carry on with respect. People should remember the most common reaction to embarassment is laughter, it calms the nerves. So just remember that we are all human and mistakes will happen but being able to overcome is what makes us special. Thanks for all you do.

 

[SeanQ]

Rick: I used to play the trumpet and know how hard it can be to keep things together once you make a mistake. Once during a performance I was using a different sized mouth peice than I was used to and my upper lip slipped into the cup. I think you know what kind of sound that makes. It puts the open-spit-valve-honk to shame.

Congratulations for calling and explaining what happened. Not everyone could have done that.

If you feel so strongly about it have a tape recording of a bugler at your next funeral and then if it screws up no one will get hurt.

I read that sentence 3 times and kept reading "burgular" instead of "bugler". The image of a guy dressed in the cliched striped bugulars suit with a loot bag creeping around at a funeral nearly sent me off my chair.

 

[love2godeep]

Rick, thanks for the great story. It was priceless.

Geek, thanks for posting the apology. I think it was quite appropriate.

 

[airsix]

<sigh>
Here we go again. I don't know what it's going to take to get it into you brass player's heads. A trumpet IS NOT DIR!!!!!!! You must get a bugle! A bugle is the ONLY DIR aproved brass instrument! A trumpet has no less than 5 uncessessary potential failure points! There are 3 internal valves, a tuning slide, and as you are so well aware, the vile spit valve. The internal valves require frequent lubrication, and how many lives have been needlessly lost when a valve was inadvertently inserted incorrectly unbeknownst to the player until that fateful moment when the band was 2/3 of the way trough a movement and the player raised his trumpet to his lips only to discover a spun valve! The horor!

You should adopt the DIR way and play with a bugle and wear a spare mouthpiece hung on a bungie necklace.

-Ben

 

[Rick Inman]

<sigh>
Here we go again. I don't know what it's going to take to get it into you brass player's heads. A trumpet IS NOT DIR!!!!!!! You must get a bugle! A bugle is the ONLY DIR aproved brass instrument! A trumpet has no less than 5 uncessessary potential failure points! There are 3 internal valves, a tuning slide, and as you are so well aware, the vile spit valve. The internal valves require frequent lubrication, and how many lives have been needlessly lost when a valve was inadvertently inserted incorrectly unbeknownst to the player until that fateful moment when the band was 2/3 of the way trough a movement and the player raised his trumpet to his lips only to discover a spun valve! The horor!

You should adopt the DIR way and play with a bugle and wear a spare mouthpiece hung on a bungie necklace.

-Ben

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!