I've been playing Trombone for a while and I'm Principal Trombone in my Symphony and I had to play Euphonium for a song and absolutely love it. Euphonium is such a versitile instrument.
I saw you at the conference and wasn't sure why you were filming literally everything 😂 I accidentally got into your shot around the 8 minute mark with that Martin from the 1920s
Thanks for posting this detailed review. I played euphonium while in high school and now that I'm retired I was going to upgrade my old Yamaha and was initially thinking of a Besson because that's what I used in the 1960s. After reviewing your videos and Dave Werden's as well as Mauro Martins', I have decided to get an Adams E2. I will remain an amateur but want a horn whose sound I really like. My dad played tuba etc. in the US Coast Guard Band with Dave, and candidly I have a better ear for quality than I do a talent for playing, but after listening to all of the aforementioned videos, I can definitely hear a difference.
I bought an E2 with heavy valve caps in 2017. I asked Miel to cut it down about a half step. For whatever reason, I play close to a half step flat on the Sterling Virtuoso and the E1 and E2 Adams models. I'm 67, so it could be age related. At any rate, the boys at the Adams factory cut down my E2 and they nailed it, pitch wise. The funny thing is, they cut it down all the way around such that I can't get the 1st valve out of the casing unless I unscrew the valve button. That's no problem, of course. This horn is a joy to play.
The backgroud music is quite annoying. It would have been great to be able to focus more on what you are saying, rather than the music, which is supposed to be in the background. I appreciate your videos, and I want them to be as good as possible.
I love your videos, Matonizz, and your work putting instructional videos online has helped to inspire me to pick up the euphonium again after seventeen years of "hiatus" during which I mostly composed electronic music, but tried in parallel to learn saxophones, trumpets, guitars, and anything else I could get my hands on. It has been an incredible journey, but as the wise men say, "Once a euphonium player, always a euphonium player." So, I just snagged a Brua Keefer euphonium built way back in 1933 just outside my home town in Pennsylvania. It's a work horse of a horn because it's so old, but it definitely has enough juice left to get me started again on the path of righteousness. Thanks very much for your excellent videos and hard work. I wish you all the success in the world! -Scott Newbury
Hey Scott! Thanks for such a kind words, I really appreciate it! Glad these videos are getting some positive feedback from people. Let me know if there is anything else you'd like to hear or see a video on. Also, where about in PA are you from? I live in Pittsburgh. Best of luck my friend!
Hi i would be thankful if you could inform me about E1 vintage model. I'm interested to buy it for my son for his final examination on euphonium. I have seen that it's cheaper than the other models. It is not so good??? Thanks!
I was wondering if it was possible to do a review on the Geneva Symphony euphonium. I new Glenn Van Looy played on this so I assumed it was good but I had the opportunity to play one and loved it! I would like to see your review on it. And it also has a trigger. And one interesting thing I saw is that Geneva can use a copper plating on euphoniums
If I ever get my hands on one I will definitely review it. I only tried Geneva once, which was actually Glenn's instrument but that was when he was not even officially playing it so I don't know how much it changed since then :)
Ah, an E2 Heavy with a trigger -- my dream horn. Now all I have to do is win the lottery. Wait -- Alabama doesn't have a lottery. Oh well . . . I have a question -- the length of visible valve stem on the E2 looked shorter than on the others. Is that because the top valve caps are thicker? I would assume that the length of valve action is the same as on any other "normal" euphonium.
Which Adams model would be generally recommended as a good compromise between band playing and solo playing for an (optimistically speaking ) intermediate musician?
Freshman year of high school I could barely play the E above the staff (Bass Clef) and easy middle school music. 2 years later I somehow make All-District with a perfect solo but with the worst sight-reading grade out of all the auditions. Now as a junior I am able to play the 3rd B flat above the staff, all 3 types of minor scales full range, advanced solos, and duets but still suffer from sight reading and playing in the lower-mid to pedal note range. I practice a minimum of 4 hours each day on sight reading outside of school each day. I still feel like I am getting better from how I was 2 years ago despite the thousands of hours put into sight-reading factory. I am starting get worried that I won't be good enough to play in a good ensemble later on in life because of my inability to sight read. I want to be good enough to make it into the finest bands in the country later in life but I know it can't happen. I could barely keep up with everyone else at All-District because of my poor sight-reading so I really don't feel like I will ever be good enough to make a living off of playing.
Hey man, keep your nose up. Nothing happens over night. Sight reading is indeed very important but it get's better over time, you'll just have to trust on the fact that if you work hard enough you will get better at it. This is how everyone does it, no secret path to get good at it. However, couple things that helped my sight reading a lot was making sure that my scales are on and I mean really on: crab scales in major, minor, harmonic minor, whole tone scales with additional groupings of threes and fours, same with major, minor, augmented, diminished arpeggios. Also, sometimes it's not the fingers that mess with your head. Learn how to count. Learn it by playing pieces with imaginary instrument. You don't have any issues if you're not good enough, you will never be as good as you want to, that's the journey my friend. You have issue if you're not getting better. From what you said it seems that you are making progress so just stick to pushing your practice and focusing on journey rather than short term goals. I've been playing for 18 years now and I am pushing myself every day, it never ends and nor it should. That's the whole fun, always discovering something new, learning some cool stuff you couldn't play before. Don't take your flaws as a negative, taking as a challenge to motivate yourself. Most importantly, be honest with yourself, that's what helped me to make the biggest progress. Again, keep your nose up and smell the roses once in a while, you work hard and good things will come. Best, A
pixel skies - Hi, what I found has helped improve my sight reading is to use a pencil to draw lines to break the bar into beats. You can further subdivide within those beats but be careful of making it too messy to read easily. It's pattern recognition so treat the beat divisions as Lego blocks and learn each individually then string them together. As you improve it becomes easier and you can focus more on phrasing etc. Well that's what I'm doing. Good luck!! 😊
I’m a bit “partial” to mine... (pun intended)... I love my custom E3 custom with the sterling silver bell, sterling silver lead pipe, trigger, and heavy caps. Will you be in DC for the workshop again this year?
Well that was an epic fail :D My apologies :) I wasn't planning on being but I might just look into it since you've mentioned it :) How are you doing by the way? Hope the weather is better in DC than Pittsburgh :)
Thanks man, could not say that is the best, due to the fact that I have never used it in the band. I only had an opportunity to test it at the expo, that's why I said "from all the euphonium I played at the expo" it was the one I was impressed the most with. It definitely got MUCH better in comparison to where Adams used to be and it would for sure now be suitable for brass band playing. Is it the best? With all honesty I could not tell you until I've played it for a while. Is it good euph for brass band playing? I think so
My preference is still Sterling. Adams has some nice qualities as well but I only had so much time testing it. I had Sterling Virtuoso for quite a while now to be 100% confident recommending it + it's slightly cheaper. You can get one with 10% now as well which is a reasonable amount of money. However, you will not go wrong with either horn. The only thing is that Adams has so many different models that I would definitely recommend testing E3 Selected, E3 heavy valve caps, E2 selected, E2 heavy valve caps to find what you want since they could differ a lot model to model. It's just my preference based on the type of job a have (brass band + solos). Hope that helps. If you have any questions let me know brother! Best, Algirdas
Did you adjust the mouthpiece gap on each horn in order to find your "Sweet Spot"? It's a crucial part of the instrument and can make or break a player.
I've played around with it a little bit, I guess I would have to spend slightly more time to comment on it's effectiveness with 100% confidence. My main observation that you can pretty much control resistance with it. Less resistance = brighter sound, open and darker sound = more resistance. At least that was my main take away point from it. Again, I think I would not be 100% confident to comment on it. What do you think about it?
Matonizz I thought they were great as well and spent about 3-4 hours on three E1s, an hour or so on an E3, and about thirty-minutes on an E2 while at TMEA. I also spent some time talking with Miel Adams at TMEA and came to a lot of the similar conclusions that you did. I also liked the E3 as well as the E1. Unfortunately, there was only one E2 to try and it had a sterling silver bell, which I find is harder to vibrate because it's a more dense metals. So for me I couldn't get a good enough perspective on the E2 to really enjoy it. Also, the convention was extremely loud and so it was hard to distinguish certain aspects of playing besides the feel of the horns.
Agree with you, you can't get intricate details unless you play it for a while and definitely not around 100 people testing stuff around. Miel seemed like a nice guy as well as far as I remember
I am so glad you did this one. I think more of these as well of mouthpiece reviews would be awesome. Especially for those of us in the market for new equipment or were curious on what else is out there.
Matonizz for sure! I'd love to see a video on your top favorite models and mouthpieces. Along with which combo works together. In my opinion it's the holy trifecta between player, mouthpiece, and horn. Everyone is different so results would vary but I think as a general idea, what combo might be a great buy for each setting or as an overall jack of all trade combos.
No I haven't unfortunatelly. I have tried two other models and one of them is the other instrument I really liked at the expo. Yamaha review is the next one buddy. I will do one on Besson 2051, 2052 and Sovereign soon as well so you will get a detailed opinion on those horns soon as well.
julian gomez in my experience the 842 is a pretty nice model. Real close to the 642/642s or the neo series. Down here in south Louisiana Yamaha anything is popular. I feel besson is more open and warm where as Yamaha has an overal "bite" to its tone. Upper range besson to me does it to but not as rough and still mostly smooth. Also to me it's a heavier horn. But I unfortunately don't have but a few experiences with the prestige series. It does however beat the sovereign series in tuning especially. Great choices overall.
I play a Besson 2051, used to play a 2052 (both of the prestige models) and I love them. Every time I play any Yamaha instrument I find it to be limiting in characteristic tone, and volume output.
Get where you're coming from. I find quite a bit of difference between 2051 and 2052 but most Yamaha models certainly don't match up, at least in my opinion :)
Hey, I am an 8th grade euphonium player and I am (not trying to boast) one of the best players. I'm going into highschool next year in their second top band. What euphonium and mouth piece do you recommend I use
Hey buddy! Congrats on making to the top band! From what it sounds like you're taking the playing thing pretty serious. In my opinion Parker makes the most well rounded mouthpieces that are out on the market. I played on DW4AL, DWSM4, DWSMU4, SCHILKE 51D for multiple years each up until 2014. Parker is a bit more expensive but if you're looking to go serious with music it is definitely a worthy investment. If you ever decide to get one I could help you out pick a correct combo and perhaps as Michael Parker (the owner) to give you a little discount. Otherwise DW is not a bad choice either, not a huge fan of Schilke or Bach but some people like it. Hope that helps my friend! Best, Algirdas
Matonizz I will be starting to actually buy the instrument in about a month so I will make sure to ask you for help. Btw I love your sound when you play
I do not havebmuch info about It but seems that Fred Marzan made some tubas and euphoniums with some different tubing configurations. I think he is from Arnold Jacobs era. Their instruments where developed by many companys in europe but then Willson owned the patent of the front compensating euphonium and offered as their 2975 Willson model. Just google Willson Marzan or Willson Euphonium and you will see some cool stuff also some very interesting but cool tuba models. Hope you can get nuch info than me and then tell us a little bit. Thank you!
@@Matonizz I have always been primarily a tubist and only picked up euphonium as I got older and didn't want to carry a heavy instrument around for things like outdoor summer band concerts. My primary instrument is a Marzan CC rotary (string linkage) tuba (still in absolutely perfect condition) which I bought brand new when I was a performance major at Crane School of Music in 1973 (I still have the receipt: $1,283 including shipping). Our tuba/euphonium professor, Peter Popeil, was a big Marzan fan and most of the serious players of both tuba and euph bought Marzans. Both had very innovative features and yes, Marzan offered a beautiful four valve, straight up euphonium, which I believe was actually manufactured by Wilson. I still have the original black and white printed brochure: Marzan offered eccentric options such as a solid copper model. Sadly, Marzan stopped making either tubas or euphoniums (I think) in the 80's. I wish there were a similar instrument made today. As I only started doubling on euphonium in my 50's, I didn't want to complicate my life with learning to press the fourth valve with my left hand, so I got a used Yamaha 321, which is fine for what I use it for (outdoor summer band, Klezmer and jazz). I did eventually buy a Stauffer valve which doesn't exactly turn it into a compensating horn, but it does make it possible to play a low B natural and other problem notes. Not having to learn how to use the fourth valve with one's left hand would make like much simpler for tubists who double on euph.
@@douglasweber2401 I think Wessex offers a compensated euphonium that’s either based off of or very similar to the Willson/Marzan front action compensator.
do you have any tips for playing third octave notes such as F and G above the staff? I can hit those notes if I tongue but I can't slur up to them and they kill my lips pretty quickly
Long term answer = build up muscle strengh, control and airflow which will allow you to not push the mouthpiece to the face too much while maintaining centering. However, if you're trying to slur up, make sure that the upper lip is not getting too much pressure from mouthpiece. A little bit of pressure on bottom lip is ok but definitelly not the upper. We usully get unresponsive notes and fatigue when blood leaves upper lip. I would need to hear you play a bit to give a very targeted answer but that's generally the case with a lot of players. Hope that makes some sence my friend!
Hey Zeru! It's called N.S.O. and I will be premiering it on March in Texas during SCRTEC conference. As soon as I finish record the cd I will publish the music for it :)
Sorry if it got a little distracting, I've been getting quite a few of these complains, the newer videos have the background music issue fixed. Thanks for feedback btw. Best, A
