Brian Wilson said he used to listen to Rhapsody in Blue when he was a kid, and it was actually the inspiration for the harmonies for which eventually the Beach Boys became famous.
Yeah, I know its thread drift, but the topic WAS Rhapsody, and with me being a drummer, I march to the beat of...ah, never mind.
Well, it looks like I am at the end of a successful journey on this topic. Thanks to the many suggestions, not only am I virus free, but the computer had its files cleaned up and now it runs super fast!
I attribute the success mostly to Avast, CC Cleaner and Malwarebytes. I had to run Avast several times and it found viruses each time, the last (successful) time through it picked up nine.
The only confounding variable now is I bragged to my wife that I finally got rid of the virus which was having trouble with Goggle, and she said "oh yeah, Google has been off all week on my iPhone, but it works fine now." Great, thanks honey, for telling me.
In any case, a big thank you to everybody who made suggestions, I think I used them all.
I used to own a trumpet player! (pictured in my avatar) I can guide you, my friend.
First of all, congratulations on having a daughter with some musical ability. There are a LOT of studies showing the correlation between playing music and intelligence. The skills required to play music develops all parts of the brain.
Buy Used: No matter how responsible your daughter is, accidents happen. This first trumpet will be dropped, dinged and dented, and there is not much you can do about it. Six to nine hundred is not a bad price for a decent used trumpet, I would not go under $200 unless there is some kind of special deal.
Buy a brand name: I would suggest Bach or Yamaha. Parts are readily available, nearly any music store can fix them. My son had a used Bach TR-200 I purchased for about $600 off Ebay. Because Bach holds its value when he moved to a better horn I sold it for $800. Don't be afraid to put some money into the horn, because the brand names hold their value at resale time. Other good names are King, Getzen. There are others, let me know if you have specific questions.
Buy a Student Model: To be more specific, don't buy a high-end professional model. The pro models like the Yamaha Xeno is thinner for a more brilliant sound, but it dents easier. The student models are heavier and the sound is just a bit darker. The Bach TR-200 has a more robust build (extra bracing and thicker metal), but it is virtually the same design as the high-end Bach Stradivarius aka "Bach Strad."
Silver plated vs Lacquer (gold or yellow looking): Either is fine. The silver plated horns usually cost a bit more, but the differences in the sound (dark=lacquer vs bright) is so subtle and will make no difference whatsoever from now until high school. We bought a silver plated Bach because my son thought it looked "cool." Do not rule out the "cool" factor when a 6th grader is figuring out what they like.
Do NOT buy a Chinese trumpet from Ebay: These are pure junk, they play out of tune, and after buying one, it will fall apart, no one can get parts to fix them. After you throw it away you will still have to buy a trumpet for your daughter. These include ANY trumpet with color, red, purple, etc, Don't be deceived by the names "pro" or "band approved."
Buy a gig bag: Save the good factory case, the nice case will add to the re-sale value when the time comes. It will also be better for the trumpet to have your daughter carry a heavily padded case with a shoulder strap. She will be bringing the horn home from school every day and on weekends so she can practice every day for 30-45 minutes.
Mouthpiece size: Most band directors will start beginners out with a 7-C. This has a small bore and makes it easier to play. If your daughter can handle it, start her out with a 3-C. It is a medium bore with a rim that is wide and comfortable, and it is considered a more advanced MP. My son used a 3-C immediately because he liked it more than the 7-C, and he used it through HS without ever having to learn on two MP's. The 3-C needs more air to go through it, but the sound is fatter and more symphonic like. A 1-C is very large and would never be used by a beginner.
Mouthpiece type: There are two kinds, silver plated and gold plated.
Both are fine, it's personal preference. The gold plated has a different "feel" on the lip to the player, and is almost always preferred. I would suggest buying new, since girls don't like having something that was in someone else's mouth.
The terms "3-C, 7-C" are Bach's designations and are almost universally used by others. If you come across another brand's model number, there is a chart that will cross-over that company's name to the size in Bach. Bach is the #1 standard, also good are Yamaha and premium would be Schilke.
The Ultimate Trumpet Mouthpiece Comparison Chart
The US Army Band has fantastic musical training videos, and your band director can get the original CD for free by asking the Army for it.
Here is the video on You Tube. It should be required viewing for any student, AND band parent.
My 99% chance of canceling the deal just went to 100% due to what you said. I am undoing the deal, and I'll take care of it right away.
Part of the problem is not them, part of it is me, for being cheap and trying to save a few bucks. There is an old expression which I'm sure I won't quote correctly, but it's along the lines of "the cheap becomes expensive." It's worth a few more dollars to KNOW what I'm getting instead of screwing around for weeks trying to undo a deal I should have undone to begin with.
Thanks for your feedback, everybody.
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