Suzy, a friend, and I are joining a new community band for the summer while our regular concert band is on hiatus. They really want clarinetists, but also need a second alto sax. So there you have if, we'll provide two clarinet and one sax player. So I was thinking about what makes a good new member in a band.
We used to have people just show up to play but in the concert band we don't have any openings. For example, my sax section has two more players than we actually need with 3 altos, 2 tenors, and one bari. I also have too many subs who can be called upon at a moments notice to come in and play better than any of us!
When we walk in, I will have to force myself to be laid back, quiet and performance oriented. I hope to improve the section sound without any drama. Drama comes by insisting you play the solos because you are better than the regular player. That has happened in a number of band I have sat in with, and I don't want to *ever* be that guy.
I have been in communication with the band about when we start (last day of the other band, first day for us with the new band who has already been meeting). So far they have accepted our offer but don't know how to get us the music (or just won't answer that question). So I guess we'll show up and see what happens. With us oldsters reading three to a stand just doesn't work as we all have different prescriptions.
Oh, and they have custom shirts we'll have to buy. But that's not a problem for us. So here's my query, "What do I do if the saxes are *horribly* out of tune? They are in their recordings and I could help with that. But would that be too presumptuous? I really like helping in that regard, but others have suggested that as the *new* guy I shouldn't get involved in that. You know, the ol' "not my show, not my monkeys" thang.
We used to have people just show up to play but in the concert band we don't have any openings. For example, my sax section has two more players than we actually need with 3 altos, 2 tenors, and one bari. I also have too many subs who can be called upon at a moments notice to come in and play better than any of us!
When we walk in, I will have to force myself to be laid back, quiet and performance oriented. I hope to improve the section sound without any drama. Drama comes by insisting you play the solos because you are better than the regular player. That has happened in a number of band I have sat in with, and I don't want to *ever* be that guy.
I have been in communication with the band about when we start (last day of the other band, first day for us with the new band who has already been meeting). So far they have accepted our offer but don't know how to get us the music (or just won't answer that question). So I guess we'll show up and see what happens. With us oldsters reading three to a stand just doesn't work as we all have different prescriptions.
Oh, and they have custom shirts we'll have to buy. But that's not a problem for us. So here's my query, "What do I do if the saxes are *horribly* out of tune? They are in their recordings and I could help with that. But would that be too presumptuous? I really like helping in that regard, but others have suggested that as the *new* guy I shouldn't get involved in that. You know, the ol' "not my show, not my monkeys" thang.