I drove out to Georgetown last weekend to pick up this horn from William Sperandei, who is a wonderful trumpet player.  When I saw that he had this horn up for sale, It grabbed my interest, which made it clear that I had to sell my Edwards Gen 3X , which is also a great horn.  I was sad to see it go, but I was not playing it much.

It was great meeting William and hanging with him for a bit while I tried the out the horn.  I have always been impressed with his wonderful tone a great musical ideas.  It was a treat to hear him play, face to face.

I have had this Harrelson Summit Midnight (bell 8 , leadpipe 6) now for a week.  I have really enjoyed getting to know this horn, and I have been very impressed so far.  First of all the build quality is very impressive.  Jason and his team at Harrelson Trumpets design and make amazing instruments.  I was first attracted to the unique design and have not been disappointed now that I have played it.  Joe from Harrelson has been amazing, answering many questions in multiple emails. 

I have practiced on this horn consistently all week, and played it at one rehearsal with Adler-Yarranton.  With it’s VPR system I have settled on a shim with a large gap, which is not common with my Monette mouthpiece, but it works for me and feels very comfortable.  The notes slot well and the flexible feels natural and is not compromised. 

The horn has a full rich tone, on the dark side, which is what I feel comfortable with.  It is true that the horn produces a lot of sound, and you do hear it differently from behind the horn, compared to a traditional trumpet.  It is very efficient, so there is less sound coming off the horn, and more coming out of the bell.  Harrelson cautions new users, not to over blow.  I now understand what is meant by that warning. 

I have been warming up with my consistent long-tone routine, and have been using a tuner to help get accustomed to this horn.   This horn rewards you for playing in center, and is very in tune when you find the center of each pitch.  I really enjoy the physical feedback it gives you when you place notes cleanly in center, which helps me remember the sensation and helps me to aim for and recreate it for each note.  This is not a new concept, but something this horn has helped to remind me of. 

Week one had been a very enjoyable experience.  I find myself losing track of time in the practice studio.  Gotta get back to practicing.