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… this morning at a church.

One of them booked the gig, and the performance is on a not-particularly special day, so they were all available.

‘ funny how easy a gig becomes, when everyone is doing everything right. I don’t have to figure out the best pitch level at which to set a pitch - so that a chord sounds as good as it can, I don’t have to worry about who to follow, and there are no surprises or distractions. When I naturally phrase a set of pitches or measures, others are doing it with me.

In various ways, I am often reminded of the reflexive axiom in geometry often.
today:
easy = easy

I'm always amazed at how I tend to play at the level of those in the ensemble. If it's a great group, I manage to exceed my own expectations. If it's not a great group, my playing disappoints.

Would that it were not so...

I once did a masterclass and a shared recital (yes, I detest playing recitals, but sharing one was actually fun for me), and at the end, the hosting professor (a boner) brought out two of his top kids to play the "Hansel & Gretel" Humperdink horn thingie for low brass quartet. It was a nice arrangement.

At the conclusion of our quartet rehearsal I heard the bass boner say to my friend, "Man, you were right! It's so easy to put stuff together when you're working with good players!"

When I am having a mediocre rehearsal I think of that kid and suddenly I sit up straight and play much better.

Some here know that I prefer to bring a big tuba and a euphonium, when there is a mix of tuba and bass/2nd trombone parts (genuinely trombone parts – that reach up to E-flat or even on up to A-flat or so), rather than peeping out that range of pitches with an F tuba. It’s not a matter of security, so much as it is a matter of sonority.

At this particular church, I often sit on the opposite side of the choir loft to give the brass more space - as this place is cathedral style with the upstairs choir loft and organ in the back…
(I don’t mind being isolated over on that other side, because being over there allows my front-action contrabass tuba bell to be pointed out into the cathedral/sanctuary.)

… but for this event – which they apparently call “rally Sunday“ - the choir loft will be packed, and they need to complete open access to one staircase – the one on the other side…

… so I’m sitting almost on top of the last step of the other staircase (this time: with all the rest of the brass) - The staircase being circular and completely plaster and concrete…

… I did just recently pick up a compensating euphonium with a little bit better low range than the one I had before, but that staircase’s reverb and amplification effects really give me a boost…

FatBastard:
His bell is too close to a wrought iron railing on the front of the choir loft (not unlike a porch railing), so - tomorrow - I’m taking Shorty Holton, instead. It’s kind of cool to have “just the right thing“ available.

...so I just looked up "Rally Day".

Apparently, several denominations (and individual churches) do this - special service, morning breakfast, activities on the church campus after church, etc...

...to welcome everyone back for the fall who didn't attend all that much during the summer - due to vacations and such.

oh well...

bloke wrote: ↑Sat Aug 20, 2022 9:23 pm ...so I just looked up "Rally Day".

Apparently, several denominations (and individual churches) do this - special service, morning breakfast, activities on the church campus after church, etc...

...to welcome everyone back for the fall who didn't attend all that much during the summer - due to vacations and such.

oh well...

My wife is Catholic (I'm not religious at all) and we used to attend Mass semi-regularly when we were younger. I absolutely refused to go on Christmas or Easter, because of exactly this. She called them "C&E" Catholics. No parking, the place was packed, and we couldn't sit where we wanted. Just miserable. Maybe if the church had brought in a quintet I might have reconsidered.

bloke wrote: ↑Sat Aug 20, 2022 12:42 pm … this morning at a church.

One of them booked the gig, and the performance is on a not-particularly special day, so they were all available.

‘ funny how easy a gig becomes, when everyone is doing everything right. I don’t have to figure out the best pitch level at which to set a pitch - so that a chord sounds as good as it can, I don’t have to worry about who to follow, and there are no surprises or distractions. When I naturally phrase a set of pitches or measures, others are doing it with me.

In various ways, I am often reminded of the reflexive axiom in geometry often.
today:
easy = easy

Ah, yes!

When I don't have to concentrate on "any TECHNICAL aspect in particular" - in order to help offer things up "as good as they can be", I can then (simply) concentrate on phrasing (ie. "music").

bloke "Even though one of those people isn't far behind me, I'm now - often, and - in this case - 'the old guy'...YET, I still have some (and much of it brown) hair...I do like my Sunday brunch jazz gigs - whereby i'm still 'the young guy' - and in spades. ".