What did you play today?

[1 Ton Tommy]

@Dopy, What a great idea. If I lived in a city I would pursue something like that. It can be cold enough here that I might need a portable tuba heater if there is such a thing. But in Seattle, Washington where I lived many years it would be great.

[gocsick]

I made a mess of trying to play through all 5 parts of Wade's arrangement of Heat Miser. I was working through the horn part on the marching mellophone when my wife told me to stop strangling the cat.

[humBell]

Trial by Jury.

[bloke]

Yahtzee... WITH A Y !!!!

[humBell]

Trial by Jury.

Oh yeah. On a King.

[the elephant]

I played a bunch of scales, Cichowicz air flow studies, a book of vocalises, and then our dress rehearsal for Symphonie Fantastique.

[bloke]

I really haven't been practicing much at all. I sat down last night, played just a little bit and just couldn't get into it.
I have a bunch of emailed Christmas PDFs (from the church where we played all that loud quintet stuff with organ and timpani on Reformation Sunday. Having been emailed the PDFs is nice, because otherwise it would be about two hour round trip to pick up the music at the front desk). This time, it's an orchestra, so I guess I'll probably open those and look over them. There's always something that needs to be looked at when there's a big stack of tunes. Knowing them, there's probably also at least one rock and soul tune that would sound better on F cimbasso.
Tuesday, I have a rehearsal for what was explained to me as a jazz Christmas job... probably half and half (E-flat) tuba and bass. I haven't been rehearsing with these folks for the other gigs I've played with them, though they do short rehearsals before some of their gigs which are a bit different. Truth be told, I didn't even know they had been rehearsing. (They didn't think I'd want to drive over an hour to where they all live, but I told them I was willing.) They won't be sending me any PDFs ahead of time, even though they have all their stuff on lead sheets. I'll find out what we're doing at the little rehearsal we're going to do next Tuesday. Since I'm just getting my bass guitar chops back together (thankfully it's happening pretty fast; I've already weaned of myself off of staring at the neck), I think it's really a good idea to rehearse with them... Particularly if there are some pop Christmas tunes from the '80s or 90s or whatever that I've only heard on the radio and never actually played. It's a three-hour job - and they typically only play a single tune for about three and a half minutes, so it's going to be quite a few tunes - probably 45 or 50. I can do pretty well (whether or not I've ever played it) if I've heard a tune before, but I can do better if I run through it at least once before playing it in public, obviously. As just a typical example, the last gig I did with them for a bunch of ballroom dancers, the leader (mostly a trumpet and keyboard player who also plays other instruments, but not in his band) pulled up the old Mangione hit tune "Feel's So Good". Several decades ago - when that tune was hitting the top of the charts, of course it inundated my ears over and over, so I was actually able to play it without even looking at the lead sheet - even though I'd never played it on a gig. There's a hook in the middle of it where the bass plays those typical disco octave things (walking up the beginning of a minor scale in octaves and then doing the same thing on a major scale a half step higher), and that was easy to catch. I actually did a good job on that one, but I would have felt just a little bit more relaxed had I run through it at a rehearsal.

It's time to go work on some sort of high-end trombones that belong to a university... The new chairman is a good trombonist and pulled all the good stuff away from marching band use. One of the instruments is an Abilene era 110H Larry Minick-influenced single rotor Conn bass trombone. It was playable, but sort of wrenched all around due to having been marched with for so many years. I spent a ton of time yesterday on the bell section. Actually the slide (lightweight, with Minick style bracing) really isn't that bad other than minor alignment issues and crunches in the playing slide bow. (I will be completely taking the slide apart.) I sort of suspect that the trombone-playing department chairman (who owns a Shires bass trombone... as I have played a few gigs with him) played a few notes through that instrument, was really intrigued with the sound, and would like to possibly use it himself. He's (justifiably) picky, but when someone's picky about an instrument that's been taken outside and marched with for four decades, that's a little bit of a challenge. ' nothing like pressure.

[prairieboy1]

Today was spent rehearsing all of the Christmas music for our "Lessons and Carols" Service that will be held on December 11th at 7:30 pm at Grace-Westminster Church here in Saskatoon. We will be performing at least two numbers with the very good church choir as well. The list of music is long and comprehensive. Several really beautiful solos to be done by the very talented euphonium and flugelhorn players as well. The two pieces that stand out to me are "The Huron Carol" and "O Holy Night". Both are chestnuts, however when played well, they are terrific. Two more rehearsals with this group and then it is showtime!

[gocsick]

Just about 5 minutes of long pedal tones. Wanted to run down some things but didn't have time... figured I might as well do some breath work if I can't really practice.

[Dopey]

@Dopy, What a great idea. If I lived in a city I would pursue something like that. It can be cold enough here that I might need a portable tuba heater if there is such a thing. But in Seattle, Washington where I lived many years it would be great.

Thanks! The charity is named Musikhjälpen which translates to Music Aid. I had heard about each year after living here, my swedish partner listens to it each year. One year I had the idea why not try to play music to raise funds for the charity, it's literally in the name. That year I went out the very final day, no planning, and raised next to nothing. The following year I played each day during the event, and it's been a tradition each year since. I think this is my 4th year doing it.

Here is an english wiki on it; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musikhj%C3%A4lpen

The event itself has a theme each year that the donations are for. This year is every child deserves to go to school.

Starting Monday evening 2000 local time, some swedish celebs will be 'locked' in a glass cage placed in one of our cities. They'll stay in there until the following Sunday when they are released. During the week it's streamed live with various guests, one can request songs, etc.

In additional anyone can create an 'insamlingsbössa' -- 'Collection Box'. Then people can donate directly to the event, but it's collected/shown under your collection box. We have a common method to send money to/from called Swish (I think a bit like venmo, but much older). So practically people can scan a QR code with their phones, swish a donation and it appears in your collection. These collections really can be anything. From someones' cat, to a company, to someone doing gym exercises for every $ donated on a live stream, etc. The one I created I call 'Random Acts of Tuba' and I go around to places in the city each day while the guests are locked up and play carols. It's also the one week a year I install social media apps, and post on social media to encourage the fund raising.

Last year I was interviewed via a video call on the show, and played frosty the snowman as they brought me on. Likely the largest audience i'll ever play for in my life :D.

Some years it's been -10 or colder so it can be a legitimate challenge to play longer than a few minutes. This year seems to be above freezing, so staying dry will be the main challenge.

This was a couple years ago;



So this weekend has been the final preparation for the event. I've got over 60 pieces prepared in a binder that I feel sound 'good enough' when I attempt them on Tuba.

[Mary Ann]

Every day now I'm spending time on the cello. 45 minutes of scales, then read through all the Suzuki up to where I'm at. I find that zeroing in on a technique does not work nearly as well for me as just doing it carefully enough to get it right, multiple times but not all at once. I wish I had figured this out younger.
I put lipstick on the pig I have via a $500 set of strings. It did make a substantial difference.

[prairieboy1]

See my above post re: rehearsing Christmas music. I am done for today and will spend tomorrow diving back in to my Blazhevich and Tyrell method books.

[prodigal]

Every day now I'm spending time on the cello. 45 minutes of scales, then read through all the Suzuki up to where I'm at. I find that zeroing in on a technique does not work nearly as well for me as just doing it carefully enough to get it right, multiple times but not all at once. I wish I had figured this out younger.
I put lipstick on the pig I have via a $500 set of strings. It did make a substantial difference.

What strings did you put on?

[Mary Ann]

Larson Original A and D and Spirocore Tungsten on G and C.

[bort2.0]

Christmas music at orchestra rehearsal.

Which by the way...

This is my first time playing the orchestral version of A Christmas Festival by Leroy Anderson (I've played the band version a bunch of times, since my very first year of playing tuba). One thing that really sticks out to me -- during (I think!) Hark the Herald Angels Sing, literally the entire orchestra is playing, at a pretty full forte (somewhat of a high point for the entire piece)... and the tuba has rests. I'm the only person in the whole room who isn't playing. Also, on the whole, the tuba part seems pretty watered down from the band part (yes, I know the orchestra part came first, but still... not a lot going on).

Who was the tuba in the Boston Pops when this premiered in the 1950s, and what did they do to piss off Leroy? :)

[graybach]

Christmas music at orchestra rehearsal.

Which by the way...

This is my first time playing the orchestral version of A Christmas Festival by Leroy Anderson (I've played the band version a bunch of times, since my very first year of playing tuba). One thing that really sticks out to me -- during (I think!) Hark the Herald Angels Sing, literally the entire orchestra is playing, at a pretty full forte (somewhat of a high point for the entire piece)... and the tuba has rests. I'm the only person in the whole room who isn't playing. Also, on the whole, the tuba part seems pretty watered down from the band part (yes, I know the orchestra part came first, but still... not a lot going on).

Who was the tuba in the Boston Pops when this premiered in the 1950s, and what did they do to piss off Leroy? :)

Not sure about the second question, but, as far as the first question, according to this article,

https://www.yeodoug.com/articles/Yeo_TU ... s_1987.pdf

Kilton Vinal Smith played with the Boston Symphony from 1935-1966, first on trombone, then on tuba from 1947 until his retirement. He would have been the tuba player for
the premiere in 1950.
The article did say that his tenure was notable in that he only played F tuba. Maybe Leroy Anderson didn’t like F tuba.

[bort2.0]

^Thanks for that! I found myself down the same rabbit hole when posting this.... But then got confused about whether the Boston Pops and Boston Symphony staff were the same, or whatever..

Maybe not quite Dvorak-level spite by Leroy Anderson, but the orchestration does seem a bit lacking there, if I dare say so.

My only thought was that this was somehow to maintain some originality to the tune...which I believe was composed by Mendelssohn** and would have been pre-tuba. But then, most of the pieces in the medley were written before the tuba existed, so why just this one? Probably just a dumb thought that makes no sense. But I already typed it out, so...


**Or, if you want to sound like a snooty classical music historian, Mendelssohn Bartholdy

[MikeS]

This is my first time playing the orchestral version of A Christmas Festival by Leroy Anderson (I've played the band version a bunch of times, since my very first year of playing tuba). One thing that really sticks out to me -- during (I think!) Hark the Herald Angels Sing, literally the entire orchestra is playing, at a pretty full forte (somewhat of a high point for the entire piece)... and the tuba has rests. I'm the only person in the whole room who isn't playing. Also, on the whole, the tuba part seems pretty watered down from the band part (yes, I know the orchestra part came first, but still... not a lot going on).

I played in a performance of the Janacek “Sinfonietta” once; massive string section, twelve trumpets, two bass trumpets, four horns, two euphoniums, four trombones, and tuba. There was somewhere in the neighborhood of 105 of us on stage. After a rehearsal, a friend of mine who was playing fourth horn took me up to look at the score. She had noticed, and the score confirmed it, that at one point she was the only person in the orchestra who was not playing for about sixteen measures. I have wondered ever since what must have been going through Janacek’s mind. “Well, I have 100+ people here playing at FF, but if I added the fourth horn it would be just a little too much.”

[arpthark]

I don't think Vinal Smith played with the Pops, but looking back at historic program notes for the 1950 season, they don't list any personnel, so who knows.

====

Here's what I play these days:

Monday: euphonium lesson with a middle schooler
Tuesday: try to practice (or at least play) a little bit
Wednesday: band (tuba)
Thursday: trombone lesson with a middle schooler
Friday-Sunday: recuperate from my intense performance schedule

[humBell]

If i didn't mention it before, the band is doing Russian Christmas music.

I like it.