me...??
I'm expected to play it in March (NOT easy...NOT particularly easy to count...shhh! I actually have access to the parts. I believe I recognize the handwriting - on the tuba 1 part - of a renowned player where they wrote COUNT !!!...and more than just once).
I'm HOPING that a particular player is available to play the 2nd tuba part (just as hard, if not harder than the 1st part).
That person has subbed for me before...I've not heard them in-person, but (based on their past and present jobs) they must be an accomplished player, and - well - it sure would be nice to have someone really solid to "lean on".
The parts are definitely "bass" and "contrabass"...though the contrabass one soars up as well...The 1st part features some "up there purdy high" G-flats-into-enharmonic F-sharps (within six-to-the-beat arpeggiated and lengthy passages).
Here's a youtube video (the piece ain't particularly sing-songy)...
Here's a peek at part of page 32 (of 155 pages) of the score:
(trombones...?? Well...They have those slippy-slidey things...so that can't play fast, like us push-button folk, right ?)
This month (January) is mostly dark for me (as well as for the orchestra).
February is Broadway/Valentine mess (a bunch of reads...and - likely - mostly oompahs),
so I have time to get this thing (March masterworks) wigged out.
I'm playing through these passages on the big fat Miraphone 98, and - once I've got a few of them in my ear - switching over and running those same passages on the instrument (F tuba) which I'll be using at the performance.
After I get all of the passages wigged out and metronomic, I'm going to try to play along with the youtube video (always tough with "space music" and no conductor), but - if I can do that, I SHOULD be able to play it WITH a conductor, yes?
bloke "Even though this orchestra is in 'the south', I didn't see no banjo parts in the score."
