I've now gotten about 16 songs that I've run through on the clarinet. It all gets played with a jazz swing. It's all syncopated, nothing on the downbeat. Lots of lead-ins, short rests, accidentals. Great for sight-reading.
The Musical Instrument Thread
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Last night was the one and only rehearsal. I can summarize by comparing it to giving someone the keys to a tractor trailer in the middle of a city, and saying "have at it".
Even taking the tenor out of its case was an adventure. Putting it together, picking out a reed, getting it all adjusted for tuning. Getting the neck strap adjusted so I can actually reach the instrument. By then, the others are setup and waiting. So I don't even get a chance to blow a note first.
I have the 16 songs in a binder with me. But no, they're going to pick songs from the master list. There are 2 binders for tenor in a sack. Each one has about 75 songs in it, A - K, and L - Z. They pick one and start.
The mouthpiece on a tenor is about 5 times the size of a clarinet, and my entire lung capacity is good for about 4 notes. I'm trying to figure out the fingering, look at the key of the music (which sometimes changes on every other line), and scope out all the repeats, 1st and 2nd endings, D. S. al-Codas, etc. You'd think they'd give me a bit of a break, but this is their only rehearsal too, so they launch into the fastest, most complex songs at full tempo. I get derailed several times during the songs, but mostly manage to hook-up about two-thirds in.
Also, it's in the 80's inside this guy's house, with like 1000% humidity. I'm drinking water and salivating heavily into the instrument. Over the course of the night, I improved greatly, but they kept throwing me stuff to sight-read, so it's not like I eventually fit in 100%, not even 80%. They said I did well, but their voices went high when they said "You did good".
Now I have a few days (nights) to get all adjusted and good with playing the instrument. And I'll go back through all the songs we did in rehearsal. I think I can handle that.
Even taking the tenor out of its case was an adventure. Putting it together, picking out a reed, getting it all adjusted for tuning. Getting the neck strap adjusted so I can actually reach the instrument. By then, the others are setup and waiting. So I don't even get a chance to blow a note first.
I have the 16 songs in a binder with me. But no, they're going to pick songs from the master list. There are 2 binders for tenor in a sack. Each one has about 75 songs in it, A - K, and L - Z. They pick one and start.
The mouthpiece on a tenor is about 5 times the size of a clarinet, and my entire lung capacity is good for about 4 notes. I'm trying to figure out the fingering, look at the key of the music (which sometimes changes on every other line), and scope out all the repeats, 1st and 2nd endings, D. S. al-Codas, etc. You'd think they'd give me a bit of a break, but this is their only rehearsal too, so they launch into the fastest, most complex songs at full tempo. I get derailed several times during the songs, but mostly manage to hook-up about two-thirds in.
Also, it's in the 80's inside this guy's house, with like 1000% humidity. I'm drinking water and salivating heavily into the instrument. Over the course of the night, I improved greatly, but they kept throwing me stuff to sight-read, so it's not like I eventually fit in 100%, not even 80%. They said I did well, but their voices went high when they said "You did good".
Now I have a few days (nights) to get all adjusted and good with playing the instrument. And I'll go back through all the songs we did in rehearsal. I think I can handle that.
I did a live audition with a band back in the 80's. The drummer ran the band, sang, and called out instructions on the fly.
I knew some of the songs, had hoped to improvise on some once I knew the key. There was no sheet music, and I couldn't have read it anyway.
There were several occasions that he looked over and yelled out "don't play if you don't know the chords!" After the set, he said that we could come back for another round, he thought that we'd pick it up pretty quickly. But it sure felt like a "You did good" kind of a thing.......
Maybe you could just dance like the one guy from Frankie Goes to Hollywood. He didn't play.
I knew some of the songs, had hoped to improvise on some once I knew the key. There was no sheet music, and I couldn't have read it anyway.
There were several occasions that he looked over and yelled out "don't play if you don't know the chords!" After the set, he said that we could come back for another round, he thought that we'd pick it up pretty quickly. But it sure felt like a "You did good" kind of a thing.......
Maybe you could just dance like the one guy from Frankie Goes to Hollywood. He didn't play.
So last night, I had an epiphany. After 10 minutes of practicing with a chamois in the bell, and then 45 minutes of flipping through the A - G binder, I found that some of the songs just had very complex rhythmic structures or difficult intonation.
Then I realized something: without me, there's no performance. F*k their 50 song music list. I'm gonna go through all the songs, and the ones that I can more reasonably play are the ones we're gonna choose from. People are showing up for pizza and beer, and to raise money for the band. Nobody cares what our set list is. "What? You're not playing Dry Bones? I'm outta here! I'll be taking my appetite and my money elsewhere."
And if the Sax Pack doesn't like that, they can either be the Sax Trio, or the Silent 3. I bet we could just play Beer Barrel Polka a couple-dozen times, and no one would notice.
Amiright people?
Then I realized something: without me, there's no performance. F*k their 50 song music list. I'm gonna go through all the songs, and the ones that I can more reasonably play are the ones we're gonna choose from. People are showing up for pizza and beer, and to raise money for the band. Nobody cares what our set list is. "What? You're not playing Dry Bones? I'm outta here! I'll be taking my appetite and my money elsewhere."
And if the Sax Pack doesn't like that, they can either be the Sax Trio, or the Silent 3. I bet we could just play Beer Barrel Polka a couple-dozen times, and no one would notice.
Amiright people?
Free form jazz combo. Just shout out a key and start improvising. In fact, the farther away you are from the real key, the more it'll sound like good jazz. And if you wear sunglasses and turn around and smile and nod at the band from time to time, people will think you're a musical genius.
Yeah, I can't improvise. If I can't read it off a page, I'm not making sounds.
No jazz musician can improvise.
Just try to look cool while you do it.
Try smoking a cigarette while you play.
Just try to look cool while you do it.
Try smoking a cigarette while you play.
It was a week where I kept asking myself, "why did I offer to do this?". In order to come up to a presentable level for our public performance, I felt I had to put in the best effort I could. I was joining a group who have been performing together for over a decade. I practiced for 1 to 2 hours each day.
Last night was the event. I felt like I was driving down a mountain road with no brakes. We stood for the whole performance; I hadn't spent any time playing while standing. The group leader would call out a song, we'd find it in our binders, and go. I was the tenor; we had alto, soprano, and bass/baritone. So everyone can hear exactly what's coming out of my horn, because each one of us had a different part. I was sight-reading about half of the songs we played. It was intense.
We started at about 5:20, played until we broke at 6, then played from 6:10 to 6:45. It was a long time, and a lot of songs. I was exhausted, but I think it went pretty well. There weren't any major gaffes, the group members seemed generally favorable, and the crowd was entertained. A few of the regular community concert band members were there, and they were impressed with my effort.
The group indicated that there would probably be another time (like the Christmas season) where I might be asked to repeat. And that's how we left it. I gave the alto player (who plays clarinet next to me in the band) her tenor back, and the soprano player (1st clarinet in the band) all the music back. Knowing I'll regret this, here's a snippet of a song we performed. I'm wearing shorts.
Last night was the event. I felt like I was driving down a mountain road with no brakes. We stood for the whole performance; I hadn't spent any time playing while standing. The group leader would call out a song, we'd find it in our binders, and go. I was the tenor; we had alto, soprano, and bass/baritone. So everyone can hear exactly what's coming out of my horn, because each one of us had a different part. I was sight-reading about half of the songs we played. It was intense.
We started at about 5:20, played until we broke at 6, then played from 6:10 to 6:45. It was a long time, and a lot of songs. I was exhausted, but I think it went pretty well. There weren't any major gaffes, the group members seemed generally favorable, and the crowd was entertained. A few of the regular community concert band members were there, and they were impressed with my effort.
The group indicated that there would probably be another time (like the Christmas season) where I might be asked to repeat. And that's how we left it. I gave the alto player (who plays clarinet next to me in the band) her tenor back, and the soprano player (1st clarinet in the band) all the music back. Knowing I'll regret this, here's a snippet of a song we performed. I'm wearing shorts.
Cool.
You're the best one in your row!
I don't know what you were worried about.
Nice job.
You're the best one in your row!
I don't know what you were worried about.
Nice job.
Notice everyone else is all animated and having fun, while I'm just desperately staring at the music.
Congratulations on helping out those fellas.
Do they ever do an extended space jazz free jam?
Now that my Popeye's elbow bursitis has been drained, and then re-flared, and then subsided, I've been asked to fill-in again for the Sax Pack. This time it's for a holiday parade, where we wear top hats and sit in a clown car (example below).
There's a rehearsal tonight, but the parade is Thanksgiving weekend. Back in the saddle again.
There's a rehearsal tonight, but the parade is Thanksgiving weekend. Back in the saddle again.
Actually, it's the one in my picture. But that's nice too.