Hi!

Welcome to my new site!  I hope you like what you see so far.  This whole website thing is pretty new to me, and I’d like to thank my fiance Danielle for pushing me to finally make all my talk a reality.  She’s actually the person building and managing the site, so thanks to her for all the great work.  I’ve been wanting to create a website for some years, but never had the discipline to sit down and figure it out.  Another reason it took me so long is that with the wealth of trombone pages already in existance, I didn’t feel that another trombone site was warranted.  However, I know that I have had unique experiences and can relate them in a unique way, so I finally stopped being bashful and got out there on the web.

This website is not intended to be an encyclopedia of trombone information, and I’m not interested in posting slide position charts or “How To” blogs about how I think you should play high, low, fast, loud, soft, etc.   I’d be more than happy to entertain emails if you want to discuss those aspects of playing. More than anything else, this site features aspects of trombone and my life in music that I care most about.

One of the things I look forward to developing the most on this site will be a section dealing with Bell’s Palsy.  (For those of you who have not heard of this affliction, I can summarize it briefly: Bell’s Palsy is a viral infection of the main nerve in your face, which results in a temporary paralysis of the facial muscles.)  I could write a few pages about Bell’s, but you’d be better off visiting http://www.bellspalsy.ws/ for the real scoop. I hope to feature short articles contributed by professional brass players who have had Bell’s Palsy and battled through it.  Why?  Because I had Bell’s Palsy myself when I was in college, and I knew of no resources to turn to for information or support, nor did I realize that many professionals that I would soon be joining the ranks of have dealt with it as well.  You would be surprised by some of the folks who have dealt with it, but naturally, I must get permission from them to share their stories.  Hopefully many of them will be willing to share, not only to demystify this condition, but also inspire.

The other section I am particularly enthusiastic about is the Community News and Events page.  Buffalo and Western New York has a lot going on trombone-wise, and hopefully will continue to grow, but the way the information is related from trombonist to trombonist (or trombonist to audience) is not often efficient or timely.  It is my hope that this section will become the ‘Go to’ place for anyone interested in what’s happening trombone-wise in WNY.  The only way this can happen is if YOU let me know what’s going on out there!

By now you’ve probably realized that I am long-winded, but I strive for utter thoroughness — fault me if you’d like.  Certainly, I can’t include everything I’m thinking about on this site, so my personal challenge will be to stay concise.  Please browse some of the sections, and I apologize for the ones not up and running yet.   Return often!

Best wishes,

Tim Smith