 The Doublers BBoard
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Author: Clarinet&Alto15
Date: 2010-09-11 03:13
I made an earlier posting about doing the original version for my high school, but as it turns out, we are doing the revival. The reed book is for piccolo, flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, soprano recorder and kazoo. I will cover everything, except a girl in my school has volunteered to play flute and picc(even though they are used very sparingly throughout the show, and it is overwhelmingly clarinet and saxophone). The few soprano passages are being covered on clarinet or I'm transposing on to the alto. Rehearsals begin this Thursday and I've been working on the main songs. I am writing this post to inform anyone who is interested in knowing or who maybe has suggestions or advice. Any and all comments would be appreciated and welcome. (especially advice on quick clar/sax changes)
Thanks!
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2010-09-11 03:41
Advice: Practice your book like crazy so you know everything--especially the hard parts--BEFORE the first rehearsal. And practice making the quick changes by developing a choreography as to how you're going to put one horn down and pick the other one up in time. You will endear yourself to the director by being prepared, and rehearsals will be that much more fun and comfortable for you. Meanwhile, all the dweebs who didn't practice will be slogging through and stinkin' up the joint while you're smelling like a rose.
Post Edited (2010-09-11 03:44)
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Author: oboeidaho
Date: 2010-09-11 16:26
I agree, practice ahead (and be prepared for them to change EVERYTHING!). Practice the CHANGES - this is what I find the most difficult. Make sure you have decent stands for all the instruments. You probably can just put the recorders/kazoo on a case or the floor. To decide where the stands should go, figure out what you play the most and which have the worst (shortest) change times. With smaller horns it is easier!
The other thing I am really picky about is my book. I use stickies for everything - sometimes I tear them in half so they fit better on the page, and if there are cuts I clip the pages and put big stickies over the parts I don't play. I find it very hard when I'm switching a million times to follow cuts unless I "blank out" the cut. I also put reminders in about wetting reeds for some upcoming part and putting the sax in my lap if I have a quick change coming up - all with stickies of course! I even put accidentals in with tiny pieces of sticky - they come right up on closing night and I just throw the wad away! Quick quick. AND no icky (and noisy) erasing that last night.
Good luck!
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Author: Merlin_Williams
Date: 2010-09-12 00:09
Make sure you get used to playing clarinet with your sax hanging from your neck. I make a lot of fast clarinet/sax changes that way. On the show I'm playing right now, I also prep for fast bass clarinet to flute changes by having the flute in my lap. Mark these changes; you won't remember them in the heat of the moment.
Jupiter Canada Artist/Clinician
Stratford Shakespeare Festival musician
Woodwind Doubling Channel Creator on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/WoodwindDoubling
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Author: Clarinet&Alto15
Date: 2010-09-12 02:47
Thank you all so much for everything that has been said! Jaysne, I just finished a rehearsal this evening by myself and I feel confident about most of the book. There is a lot of altissimo sax playing though, and I'm currently working up some tuning excercises for high e natural and f. oboeidaho-the sticky notes are a great idea! I have been writing accidentals on them and I even made a little Bb-Eb transposition so I can play the soprano sax parts on alto. Merlin-I'm exceedingly glad you mentioned having the sax on the neck after a quick change. That's mostly how I've been rehearsing with rare exception. General comments to everyone: I do have a nice stand that holds my alto, clar, and oboe. (I cover the flute parts on oboe when I play by myself) it's good upper register oboe practice, AND it helps me fit everything in correctly without having to rely on counting rests during the few flute sections.recorder and kazoo passages are few and far in between so those stay at my feet on my case or on my music stand. I really appreciate everyones replies, especially with regard to the choreographing quick changes!
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2010-09-12 18:51
Regarding instrument changes and awkward page turns: DO NOT ever complain about them. This is one of the most tedious things I've had to listen to in 30 years of pit playing. "Can you believe this page turn?" and "I can't believe they didn't give you more time to switch instruments!" Who cares?
Nobody cares about your troubles, least of all the conductor. And the conductor can't do anything about it anyway. It's your job to figure it out and make it work. And by solving these problems, it doesn't mean you should get a medal, either, so don't make a big deal about it.
It's all part of being a musician. You show up knowing your part, you play what you're supposed to play, and you offer help if it's asked for. Otherwise, be quiet and don't get in the way.
Post Edited (2010-09-12 21:10)
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Author: oboeidaho
Date: 2010-09-15 18:39
Jaysne - you are so right!!! I am currently in an opera and the clarinet player (who is wonderful person and player) complains EVERY time we start! It is so exasperating - and I'm sure he just wants to be on the right horn and ready. I know it can almost become a contest of who has the quickest switches, and among the winds you can compare notes but the rest of the pit DOESN'T CARE.
Get er done - without complaining. Make sure you have the space you need but don't do it on everyone else's time, get there early and try to adjust the seats.
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2010-09-16 15:24
My sense of the people who do this is that they want everyone to notice them, feel sorry for them while at the same time admiring them, and then celebrate them when they actually do an instrument change correctly. It's like, "Hey, look at me, I'm special because I have to play all these instruments--not that I want to, mind you, but, because I'm such a superb musician, I am forced to because I am needed--so please go easy on me because I so want to get it right. And I am willing to put up with all this nonsense because it makes me a good person!"
So in essence, their complaining is actually bragging.
I mean, come on, everyone has extra stuff to do in the pit, and multi-instrumentalism is just one facet. Other people have other challenges--for example, on Broadway, just like woodwinds get an extra doubler's fee for playing more than one instrument, the lead trumpet player gets an extra fee, too, because that part is so exposed and important. And just think of all the hassle percussionists and standup bass players go through with their large and bulky instruments. I doubt they go around complaining (bragging) about their trials and tribulations.
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Author: Clarinet&Alto15
Date: 2010-09-18 02:29
This is all very good advice! I have not complained yet, but now I definitely will not. Doublers are not very common in my school, and there is only one reed book, so I guess I do feel sort of "special", but I wouldn't admit it out loud, especially since it's the pit's job not to be noticed. If audience members forget there's a pit, I'll feel like I did my job thanks to everyone for all the insight and advice! It helps a lot.
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