What the heck?

Carl H. said:
I'm pretty fortunate. I relocated to a town of 18,000 and it has an orchestra and a community band. Both have pretty decent numbers and the orchestra's conductor is a gentleman and a diplomat.


I've found that hitting one of their performances before joining can be helpful. I find out what they do not have in their instrumentation and show up at the next rehearsal with said missing instrument. After establishing myself as a competent musician who is pretty easy to get along with I chat up the section I'd prefer to be sitting in.

This gives you the chance to find out who the insecure individuals are and make sure you don't threaten their position within the ensemble. I started within the orchestra on timpani and am now principal clarinet - the chair I wanted.

In the band I showed up with my tenor sax. I was asked to play timpani after the first concert with them and moved for the rest of the season. (Some of the brass players who also played in the orchestra snitched that I was a timpanist :emoji_rolling_eyes:) That summer we started up a big band from scratch. I was asked to play lead tenor, but quickly found out that a serious monster tenor player had been playing trumpet in the concert band. I am now 2nd tenor (My improv skills aren't even good enough to laugh at, generally speaking) - for the moment (may move to alto). Meanwhile I got a gig as the tenor player for a local show and when I came to the first rehearsal and had all the instruments called for in the book and then played all the parts at a fairly high level a few shocked looks came my way. They generally used 3 players if there were 3 instruments in a book.

Cut to the chase - 3 years later I am the stage manager and solo/1st clarinet in the concert band. Not the chair I wanted in the beginning, but the 1st alto is very territorial (and weak) so I am not interested in disturbing her. As it turns out the clarinet book is far more interesting and challenging.

It has been an interesting ride so far.:)
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That's the problem with being known for playing multiple instruments.
It's hard to say no sometimes.
 
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Merlin said:
Tough to do in a town of 30,000.
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Hmm. There are villages of ~5000 here with >150 community groups (from bunny breeders over kombat knitters down to harmonica harmonies) with one or even two bands. Shouldn't be too hard to - depending what type of person you are (I'd be too shy I guess) - find a handful of other players with similar experience with that specific group.

Hmm. We could do with a bari player... ;-)
 
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Am I missing something here? Is not a community band not supposed to give members of the community a chance to play their instruments?

Years ago, when I was in high school, I played in a number of community bands, and we had everything from high caliber players that could have been or were pros, to those that were barely capable of playing the most basic pieces, and spent most of the songs blowing no air through their horns. Some years we had too many saxes, not enough trumpets. Other years too many trombones not enough clarinets. Whatever...The point was, it was a community band. It did parades. It did concerts. It represented the community. The players ranged in age from 14 to 75. It represented the community.

Yes, it would have been nice to have more of this, or more of that, and less of this and less of that. Yes it would have nice to be more professional. But we were a freakin' community band!

When did the standard of "community band" change? Maybe it's just me, but I don't get it. :confused:
 
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Merlin said:
Like that, only less polite.
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C'mon, at least they were honest and did it overtly and upfront. Better than being mobbed about that dropped semiquaver in measure 312. (I don't mean to defend those knuckleheads, mind you)

...

We still need a bari player...
 
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Had an interesting encounter in church this past Sunday.

Ended up sitting in the same pew with a guy who looked vaguely familiar. Turned out he was at the band rehearsal the previous week, and recognized me from there.

He asked if I'd be there again this week - at which point I related my tale.

He was appalled. His wife joined the conversation, and I found out she was in the trumpet section, right behind me. She was of the same mind as her husband.

At least I have someone on my side in the band now...
 
It's good to have someone to talk to when you finally get to show up. Is the area that you moved to on the smaller side?
 
Ed Svoboda said:
It's good to have someone to talk to when you finally get to show up. Is the area that you moved to on the smaller side?
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Pop. 31,000.

Toronto, where I used to live is about 2.5 million, with about 5 million in the Greater Toronto Area - about a 40 drive west, north or east of the actual city.
 
You see that attitude sometimes in smaller towns. You'll also find some really nice people like the ones you met at church.
 
Sad but true I think. Sigourney Iowa (my dad was a Presbyterian minister there) is a lot different from Des Moines on many levels. But once you figure out who the good people are you have friends forever unlike most people in the desensitized big cities.

Merlin, I suspect your tale will get even more interesting now. Maybe some people will invest time in recruiting a professional musician no matter how threatened the small-time players fret. You have an open invitation to join the Woodinville Community Band. :cool:
 
Gandalfe said:
Sad but true I think. Sigourney Iowa (my dad was a Presbyterian minister there) is a lot different from Des Moines on many levels. But once you figure out who the good people are you have friends forever unlike most people in the desensitized big cities.

Merlin, I suspect your tale will get even more interesting now. Maybe some people will invest time in recruiting a professional musician no matter how threatened the small-time players fret. You have an open invitation to join the Woodinville Community Band. :cool:
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Bit of a commute, unfortunately.

I'm kinda miffed that the town band here is not within easy walking distance with a horn. I might try it on my bike, if I ever go back.
 
So I finally played with the band last nite. Sight read an entire park concert on bassoon.

It's a loud band.

The funniest thing was that the bass clarinetist recognized me from a band we played in about 24 years ago, when I was in college, and she was still in high school.

I'm still trying to place her...
 
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