Advantages/disadvantages of using the finger ring?

[cbtj51]

[Robert P]

[rhatheway]

[cbtj51]

[Dale Proctor]

[Shifty]

[rhatheway]

Other than cbtj51, has anyone else used this Gapper device and does it really make a difference? Theoretically I can see how the idea of taking up some of the space in the finger loop would give you a tighter fit for your finger, allowing you more fine tuning control when actually kicking out the slide with your finger to adjust intonation, but is that really an issue for most players? Maybe for professionals in a recording situation, sure, but for the rest of us? When I use the third valve tuning slide, my finger already presses up against the far side of the loop, so I don't see that this is an issue (at least for me, but then again, I'm not a professional).

Seems to me like I could do basically the same thing with a piece of tape around the finger loop, which would also be easier to adjust exactly to my requirements, if I decided I really needed that tight a fit for my finger.

Is this really a solution to a real problem, or just a gimmick?
_________________
Richard H
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Working on getting my chops back...

“Without music, life would be a mistake” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

1958 Conn Director 14A
1968 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1977 Reynolds Medalist CR-58

[Croquethed]

Re the Gapper

I use one on an X-13 with a third valve slide that is a little out of alignment..might have been damaged in shipping. Not enough to truly bother me, but the extra leverage helps. And my hands are smaller than average, so that may play a role. I prefer that to tape because it pops in and out of place easily, no cosmetic distractions.

All my other horns are slick as snot and no need for the extra leverage.

[Shifty]

[cbtj51]

[rhatheway]

Got it! Thanks for the clarification.

As I've mentioned, I've only come back to my horn in the last year and so many things have changed, and there are so many new things to learn about, that it is amazing. This is another example of something I had never known or heard about, so thanks all for bringing that to my attention. I don't need one right now, but who knows what may change in the future, so it's good to know about.

I suspect that even if something like this was available back in the day, it would have had a limited market back in the pre-Internet days.
_________________
Richard H
------------------------------------------
Working on getting my chops back...

“Without music, life would be a mistake” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

1958 Conn Director 14A
1968 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1977 Reynolds Medalist CR-58

[Shaft]

Rex has it free to roam during the Green Hornet passages.

https://youtu.be/5ttiUIC7A20?si=6XObI-ni--v6swqG

[Andy Cooper]

I was taught to use the little finger hook only for page turns. The rest of the time the little finger is "glued" to my third finger to give a little more strength and speed.
My teacher actually taped my fingers together.
(For me it's faster but then I have arthritis which makes it more difficult to move the third finger in isolation. About twice as fast with the little finger moving with the third.)

I spent a dozen years as a church musician playing from choral music - the constant page turning required me to pretty much play one handed most of the time. To make it easier, I had all of my little finger hooks replaced with rings. Fingering speed was seldom an issue so it worked out.

[OldSchoolEuph]

I spent most of my life as a 4-in-line player, so for my finger to be constrained does not feel right. I rarely use the hook/ring, unless other logistics, such as slide throws, require it.
_________________
Ron Berndt
www.trumpet-history.com

2017 Austin Winds Stage 466
1962 Mt. Vernon Bach 43
1954 Holton 49 Stratodyne
1927 Conn 22B
1957 Holton 27 cornet
1985 Yamaha YEP-621
1975 Yamaha YEP-321 Custom
1965 Besson Baritone
1975 Olds Recording R-20

[Bill_Bumps]