Count the Instruments this guy Plays...

Gandalfe said:
Still all those embouchure changes can play havoc, especially with the quick changes.
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Yeah. I paced it. The trumpet instruments were difficult if I'd played too much valve trombone, so I organized the tunes accordingly. Switching between saxes and between sax and brass was never a problem. But I never had lead chops on the brass instruments anyway, so that might have helped. Also, if my chops were getting tired, I'd do a vocal or play a tune on piano.

The load-in, setup, teardown, and load-out got to be too much, though. Now I take one brass instrument and two saxes at most.

Playing multiple instruments isn't that much of a challenge once you know the music. But you never get to a master level on any of them because you spread yourself too thin. That's the Wayne Newton syndrome.
 
One down, one to go

I have now heard from Carl but not from Pete. Once again, Pete, email me your mailing address so I can get these two packages mailed off together next week. Please. Pretty please...
 
I now have the two addresses (I don't normally check the Your Notifications; hence my not noticing that they had been sent to me), and the copies are in the mail. I ended up running the copies from the PDFs rather than from the "reference copy" in the library, since I wasn't up to doing the heavy lifting with the library and dead storage boxes in the Music Room.

Putting everything in PDF form is probably the smartest thing that I've done over the years. The "master copy" in the huge boxes in the Music Room was a good idea (you never know when a music box can get lost), but it's in a far more cumbersome form; as we are in hurricane country, it's also exposed to being swept away by the next named storm that comes along.

With the PDFs, it all fits on four DVDs, neatly filed away in the vault here and at the bank. Sure, it would be an ordeal to recreate it all, but it could be done if necessary.

I've also got the original charts squirreled away, but they're not as valuable as they are on the larger paper (all of ours are done on standard 8.5 x 11 paper at 32 pound weight.

And, looking at the parts as I organized them, I can see that anyone who is "up to speed" on jazz rhythm should have no problems with the parts save the lead alto, who has one heck of a solo (both written out and chorded) smack in the middle of the piece.

My two older trombone guys have trouble with the extended, tune-long "off the beat" figures in this pice and in a couple others that we have ("Theme from 'The Naked Gun'" and "I Can't Turn You Loose Opener"). I guess it's an age thing - what are you going to do?
 
Got mine today. I showed the trumpets the parts tonight:emoji_smile:.

Thanks, I look forward to reading it.
 
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Gandalfe said:
What, no oboe? :emoji_rage:
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Actually, the oboe is on a stand, just to the left of the tenor sarrusophone.

Actually, there are quite a few instruments missing -- no tenor or C melody saxes (or bass, or contra, or tubax), no oboe d'amore, no bass oboe, no baritone sarrusophone, no rothophones at all, no trumpet or flugelhorn, no contrabassoon. And I don't pretend to play all of them up to performance standards. You do not want to hear me honking on the ophicleide :emoji_astonished:

Somehow, I managed to leave out the reed contrabass. Don't think I'll be setting them all up again for quite a while, though...

Alphorn, hmmm....
 
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Grant, one thing I can say: you need to take pics for my next calendar and book. Primarily because you need to beat Charles Gray's pic in this year's calendar.

Looks like you have the same Leblanc paperclip contrabass clarinet I played in high school.

I *thought* that was an alto or tenor sarrusophone. Thanks for clearing that up. I was wondering about it.

What kind (pitch) ophicleide is that? Bass?
 
pete said:
Grant, one thing I can say: you need to take pics for my next calendar and book. Primarily because you need to beat Charles Gray's pic in this year's calendar.
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Guess I'll have to pick up a few power tools :rolleyes: BTW, I really enjoy the calendars: this is my second.

Looks like you have the same Leblanc paperclip contrabass clarinet I played in high school.
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I used to have a pre-1950 paperclip that came apart in the middle, and fit into a (much smaller) two-level case. Low D, 2 register keys. Beautiful horn, but the intonation was problematic. I bought the current one when I joined the SJWS, around 10 years ago. Bought it through Woodwind & Brasswind, and had it drop-shipped (along with the stand) directly from Leblanc.

I *thought* that was an alto or tenor sarrusophone. Thanks for clearing that up. I was wondering about it.
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They're often difficult to distinguish, as the alto frequently has a fake U tube extending past the real lower bend, making the alto and tenor pretty much the same size. This one is an Orsi Bb tenor.

What kind (pitch) ophicleide is that? Bass?
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Bb bass, made by Halary himself (the inventor).

Enjoy,

Grant
 
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