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Advice for a beginning community orchestral bass player

Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-06-08 04:52

OK, so I have been accepted into our community orchestra as the bass clarinet player on a trial basis. I will be picking up the music Thursday probably and we have 3 weeks until our July 3rd concert "Booms and Blooms". The concert pieces:

Orpheus in the Underworld.........Offenbach-Binder ( from Moulin Rouge) this has the "can-can" theme in it.
The American Frontier..................arr. Custer
La Gazza Ladra Overture.............Rossini
The Star Spangled Banner
Ceremony of Allegiance...............Gillis
The Stars and Stripes Forever....Sousa
Chorale and Prelude/God of our Fathers.....C.T. Smith
Armed Forces Salute.......................Lowden
Selections from Porgy and Bess....Gershwin
The Empire Strikes Back Medley........Williams

Now, I am in high school (will be a senior next year) and am primarily a Bb soprano player. I play bass sometimes in our HS orchestra and have felt that I have been pretty successful with bass. The community orchestra director is hesistant because I am in HS, and he'll be gone for the next 2 rehearsals, and so that's part of why I'm on a trial basis. Also that they don't have a perminant bass player right now, so he doesn't know if he wants another person in. None of the current clarinet players have offered to play the bass except the Principle player will play it when there is a bass solo that needs to be heard. But, he's the Principle and should be in his position instead of on bass and I've talked to him and he would like to have someone on bass along with others from the clarinet section. So I'd be strictly the bass player, no Bb soprano.

Honestly, right now, I'm scared. I found out that one of the pieces he just handed out has a bass solo-kinda just plunging in head first! I don't want to emberrass myself or the orchestra and just want to get a great experience. Also, it's under the agreement that if I feel that I can't handle it, then I'll just go and tell the director and they will just cut me out of the concert. I really don't want this to happen, but I also understand.

Any advice? I would VERY MUCH APPRECIATE ANY advice or help! I'm just so scared and really want this to be successful.

Thank you SO MUCH!!!!!!!! : )

Post Edited (2005-06-08 04:53)

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