Subbing Sucks

Gandalfe

Gandalfe

Striving to play the changes in a melodic way.
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<Hobbyist alert. I'm not a pro but I play one on TV.> :emoji_rolling_eyes:

Subbing has never been one of my favorite things to do. Especially if there's no practice and you just show up and hope the music is there. We had three subs at the last Dissonance gig. We had two 2 hour practices and still the experience at the gig wasn't very satisfying. I think I'll quit taking gigs on Labor Day as my fav guys always head off with their families to parts unknown and we are left with subs.

Suzy subbed for a theater pit crew last year. She was called upon to solo on clarinet and sax. It was a very stressful position to be in. The group loved her, but she refuses to do it anymore.

What do y'all do?
 
I've always looked at subbing as an opportunity and a challenge to perform at my very best. It's a chance to extend your networking system, and you often have to work outside of your comfort zone.

And, push comes to shove, you can always say no...
 
I barely have time to keep my head above water these days. One group is enough. I actually have a half way challenging part on Bari with Rhapsody in Blue for a concert around election time. I'll get the other half of music next week.

I wish I had more time to play with other folks but the other groups I've been asked to sit in with practice on a night when I have other stuff going on.
 
I think I've mentioned this elsewhere, but I'll repost because it's germane to this topic.

When I worked at a church as the assistant to the director, one of my jobs was to play any part that wasn't covered on various saxes or clarinets. This could mean that I'd be covering the bass clarinet part because the bass clarinetist was on vacation or that I'm playing the 3rd trumpet part on a Bb clarinet because he was sick and couldn't make it.

We played for six services a week. Every week.

I also sang bass or tenor in the choir, whichever part was needed (and, memorably, I once sang the soprano 2 part because the sopranos kept b!tching that their part was "too hard". Ain't nothin' like a 6'1" bass singing your part to convince a soprano that you to shut up and try harder).

So, I've subbed often. While I much rather play the part I've practiced and (hopefully) learned, the subbing helps you with your sight-reading chops. It also taught me how to blend insanely well.

Now, admittedly, nothing I've ever had to sub on was that complex -- except for the one time they tried to get me to play keyboard bass; I don't play keyboards that well -- but it was fairly fun. Except for the fact that I had to bring a Bb clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, bari sax, bass clarinet (and, sometimes, bass sax and contrabass clarinet) to the rehearsal. That's a bit to carry ....
 
You have to remember.....you're providing a service.


Think about it like this. They get to go out and skip merrily through freshly mowed fields of clover, tossing daisies hither and yon, and you get to take their place down in a mine, with a shovel, digging coal.

Now, doesn't that make it all better?
 
To get permission to sub on a Union show in South Florida, especially a tough one, the regular player usually has to:

1. Get copies of the music, or at least the hard parts, to the sub ahead of time.

2. Arrange for the sub to sit in the pit and watch a performance before he actually plays the show.

3. The sub must be approved by the contractor. usually, the sub is someone the contractor has used before on a similar gig.

The common courtesy is for the regular player to offer the sub more than clubdate scale (that is, scale for a longer, better paying job, plus something extra for coming in on another night to witness a show.)

So the regular player pays the sub MORE than what the regular player would earn - sometimes considerably more. Why? Because the regular player is probably taking off to do a very high paying gig or something that would significantly enhance his career.

As for the sub, he's getting a decent wage, but not really enough to justify all the time and effort involved in the job as substitute.

So why does anyone sub out a gig or accept a gig as a sub? Usually because the players involved are friends, with mutual respect, and someday the favor will be returned.
Because of my day job, I seldom accept long engagements for shows anymore. But the guys who play the tough shows are my friends, and I can usually fit one or two nights in the pit into my schedule. If they really need me, the contractor knows me, and I'll get them out of trouble. In return, since no one can play every job that's offered, I get to play some wonderful gigs.
 
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Gandalfe said:
What do y'all do?
Click to expand...

Being a sub is tough, because you are always going to be compared to the guy that you are filling in for. That being said, the more you sub, the easier it gets. The more you spend playing out in different genre's, the more you learn what the standards for that genre are. The good thing is that in most cases, bands do not typically transpose songs out of their original keys. This makes it easier to write out charts by listening to records.

Whenever I'm not playing, I like to go to a club that is featuring a band with horns. Then I take a notebook, and jot down the songs that the band is playing. If I catch 2 or 3 bands of a similiar genre playing several of the same songs, I make it a point to learn those songs. Now if I'm called for a rock gig, I'm expecting to play "Pink Houses" or "Moondance". If I'm called for a Reggae gig, I'm expecting to play "Stir It Up" or "Pressure Drop". If I'm called for a jazz gig, I should be ready to play "Afro Blue" or "Freedom Jazz Dance".

Now these are standard songs that are played where I live. I would assume that scenes in other parts of the world are different. Get to know your local scene, and learn the popular music. If you do, subbing becomes much more manageable.
 
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