 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-05-12 02:33
Hi Everyone,
In the past two months I have worked 4 different shows in the pit and have observed some interesting behavior among the musicians. There have been a mix of pros, semi-pros, adult players, and a variety of students in each pit.
In several of these shows, students, many who were working split books, were texting, reading, and even drawing pictures. The conductors in all cases were their current or former HS Band directors and did not seem to object.
I'm always busy with multiple doubles, don't text, and am a lousy artist. Do I need to get someone to help me to be more technologically adept and to take up art?
HRL
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2009-05-12 02:57
Even though I get frequently called, the only time I now play high school shows is when the school decides to hire a pit made up entirely of local pros.
Students, who often are trying hard to manage the reading out of the books, are usually far below the ability needed to even do a passable job. Over the years I have played many shows, and very few students (I can probably count less than 5) were able to double adequately on a second instrument. Many students, unfortunately are musical liabilities, seemingly only placed in the pit to appease the local administration, rather than to try and gain musical experience.
Texting, cell phone chatter, coming late to rehearsals, missing rehearsals, poor preparation, doing homework during rehearsals, and lack of basic reading and rhythmic skills have made playing in the pits, for me, more of a chore than the meager amount of money which is offered.
I am all for helping local school districts by offering my services, but the high school directors first have to learn to control their own student's social and musical behavior, if not only out of respect for the pros who have been asked to play.
...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: allencole
Date: 2009-05-12 03:07
I've been doing local-yokel pit work for almost 30 years, and it's not unusual to see musicians reading between numbers. On one of the first pit jobs I ever played, two of the reed players had a game of Battleship running.
I've never seen MD's have a problem with this as long as the musicians are on the ball, and not visible to a seated audience. (a lot of my pits are backstage, understage, etc.)
The biggest concern that I'd see about texting is that some of those cellphones light up pretty brightly and might distract a stage actor.
I'm currently subbing in a production of "Annie" where the stage is extended over the pit with several openings that an actor could fall through if distracted. They are very concerned about light sources, and we are also warned not to make eye contact with the dog who's playing Sandy.
Personally, I've been doing fewer shows that would give you time to read. More and more are like revues and you have to pay close attention at all times.
Allen Cole
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-05-12 03:13
GBK,
You have hit the nail on the head exactly. While I always enjoy the playing, it is the social behavior that is really getting in the way.
One of the students was also playing the Reed II clarinet parts on soprano sax. The voicing was all wrong but she did not seem to be bothered.
HRL
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dileep Gangolli
Date: 2009-05-12 04:19
It is not uncommon even in the pros to see musicians reading between numbers. But that is when they know the show and can play the book on "auto pilot".
Based on the mistakes I have made in this regard and lost opportunities due to succumbing to bad habits such as reading, I would not recommend doing these types of activities.
If you are a developing player, develop good habits including concentrating on the task at hand.
If you are a professional player you have to make sure that you are covering the book with no mistakes before engaging in risky behavior.
Most likely best to not do anything that detracts from your professional appearance.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: allencole
Date: 2009-05-12 04:21
And some "pro" players are just as bad. I had a guy show up to sub for me on one show where he did soprano sax instead of clarinet (and was LOUD) without warning me.
The same player on another show called to let me know that he was leaving his other gig early to play my show--which made me wonder if he'd live my show early to play yet another gig!
But I'm with you guys where the students are concerned. I've been a strong advocate of kids playing pit for their own shows, but many seem to develop way too much ego for much too little performance, and some have a definition of 'doubling' that you guys and I would definitely not concur with...
BTW, in regards to my other post, I was speaking of actual local theatres. In the schools, I don't think the directors should allow any inattentive activities at all. Most school musicals don't run more than three shows--that's just not enough time to be thinking about anything but your entrance.
Allen Cole
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mrn
Date: 2009-05-12 04:26
Hank,
You're at least the second person I've seen on here (or the Klarinet list) who plays for pit orchestras as an adult but is not a full-time pro musician (other guy I'm thinking of is, like me, a lawyer). How do you get into doing that sort of thing and find shows to play in? (Through the Musicians' Union, perhaps?) Also, do you just do high school shows or do you play for other productions?
I'm just kind of curious, because I haven't played in a pit since I was in high school, and I thought it might be fun to do a show or two.
(Although I'm addressing Hank, anyone else reading this should feel free to chime in.)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: D
Date: 2009-05-12 05:37
I have friends who do doubling, typically private lesson teachers, and once they knew I was interested it went from there. It's a fairly small community and once the local MDs know you and think you are the standard they require you're pretty much in. Not sure what would happen if you turned a gig down though - probably only forgivable if you had another gig overlapping that run. And obviously the sourcing of the paid gigs is a slightly different pool of people than the unpaid, with some overlaps.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ryder
Date: 2009-05-12 05:45
I was just in an orchestra rehearsal today where one of the bassists (i think that's it) was TALKING on his cell phone while the director was explaining something. He's lucky the director didn't notice, or he'd probably be on the floor with a baton stuck in his head.
When I'm rehearsing or performing, I'm there to do just THAT. No cell phone, no reading, no battleship and no unnecessary talking.
____________________
Ryder Naymik
San Antonio, Texas
"We pracice the way we want to perform, that way when we perform it's just like we practiced"
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Wes
Date: 2009-05-12 06:17
Hi Hank!
Yes, you have seen a lot in those pits.
I recall that, about ten years ago in a show, a very competent percussionist had a television set up in front of his drum set so that he could watch a certain sports performance. I was kind of astounded but the director either did not see it or did not care.
There is also a woodwind player that I occasionally see who is late to everything. For a rehearsal, it could be 20 minutes or so. He was even an hour late to a $100 gig as a fourth tenor sax. It has been said that this is a symptom of suppressed anger. He can be very charming and affable.
Conductors give up on trying to train him.
Thank you for the note! I'll email a reply soon.
Good Wishes!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-05-12 07:03
From the nosebleeds, I once saw someone playing gameboy with his left hand and timpani with his right. He was spot on, had probably done the show hundreds of times.
Playing a gig where I'm doing stuff most of the time is one thing, but if I have 40 minutes of tacet, I'll probably bring something else to do.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bassie
Date: 2009-05-12 07:57
I've played with a guy who would read a page of a novel between every number. Dunno about the music, but I just can't read books like that! :-)
I say, if the audience have to turn off their phones, so should we.
As for getting into it as a non-pro adult, I count myself very fortunate to have met the right people. There are lots of great players out there and I know I'm not going to be the first choice for every gig, so it's always a bit of a privilege - another reason to keep one's eye on the ball. It's great fun, though typically the band first meets two days before the show, which keeps one on one's toes, dontcha know! (That reminds me: time for extra scale practice in remote keys...)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-05-12 15:19
Hi MRN,
Actually I have been getting paid for about 55 years (degree in music ed., HS and collegiate band director, plenty of private teaching, as well as jazz, big band, wind ensemble playing on all woodwinds) but never entirely full-time. My day gig is as a university professor who is trying to retire but keeps flunking. I have had a total of 46 years of teaching experience in everything from elementary general music to university doctoral student mentoring.
But the reason I work so much (the 4 shows in the last two months plus several wind ensemble concerts) is I know a lot of people in the music community. They know me to be a competent player on all doubles who works hard and always has the book ready. I'm never late, friendly to my colleagues, tolerant of students, and pretty easy to get along with. But I do expect others to do the same.
I have really been fortunate with the musical gift I was given and the opportunities that have come my way. I know there are others that can play specific instruments better than I but pound-for-pound (I have too many BTW) I'm a good value. I can pretty much play all styles, sight-read very well, and have, as one of my stand-mates in one band calls, "fingers of fire."
It is very seldom I turn a job down as I know I can always learn something new and better yet met some new musical friends. Interestingly, I have been in the pit with several of my former HS students who are now parents/grand-parents, play great, and are fun to be with at each show.
HRL
PS MRN, I work with several local professional theater groups, occasionally with the local symphony pops and pro jazz orchestra, and with some really good collegiate/community wind ensembles. Now you know a lawyer and a professor doing this kind of stuff.
Post Edited (2009-05-13 02:36)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: grifffinity
Date: 2009-05-12 23:08
I just arrived home from a National Tour that considered itself a "Professional Produciton". Myself, the other reed player, and the percussionist were the only people in the pit (8 total) NOT texting during the show. Everyone else was - including the MD and the AMD.
Personally, I hate it - and I leave my phone off during shows. I know a few people who sub on Broadway and have texted me from the pit or updated their Facebook during a show. It even happens at the highest professional level.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-05-13 02:32
Griffinity,
Somehow, I am glad to be in the minority.
There was a terrific quote about the annual Ohio Youth-Celebrity Spring Turkey Hunt of all things in today's Toledo Blade. Steve Pollick is the Blade's Outdoor editor and these few paragraphs really hit home. Here's teh link but I have pulled a few sentences from the article.
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090512/COLUMNIST22/905120391
"Sometimes an offhand remark distills the essence of an issue or event, or even an entire tradition, better than a book. So give Gov. Ted Strickland credit for saying a mouthful in a one-liner during his recent second annual youth-celebrity spring turkey hunt (when he said) "It's all about goin', not gettin'."
We all need to write that down, memorize it, repeat to our young hunters and anglers - not to mention to ourselves in the mirror every morning before heading to field or stream. It is that important.
We live in an overamped age where the getting has become tantamount to success or enjoyment, and the experience, the going, is mere window dressing."
IMHO, Pollick's words seem to resonate with me and clearly relate to the pit conduct comments that have been opined by myself and others. The "goin'" is what seems to have been overlooked. Students have a great opportunity to work with some really good players when they are in the pit with pros. It's "goin.'" What a great chance to learn.
HRL
Post Edited (2009-05-13 11:09)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: sinkdraiN
Date: 2009-05-13 18:03
I play lots of shows...both high school and amateur stuff. I take my doubling very serious and find pit work to be rewarding. There's something about having all my horns in front of me that's great fun.
My biggest pet peeve is when kids and pros spend a large amount of time "warming up." Many of these guys act like they picked up their horn for the first time in a year and they just realised how fun it is to play. I hate the noodling before a show. I prepare my reed and play a quick passage once to make sure all is good and I sit. It's a great time to talk with the guys around you...instead of spending the whole time with a horn stuck to yourself.
I'm in the middle of playing Urinetown right now...what a fun show! All pros in the pit...a no-nonsense pit, well directed...great fun...excellent sax and klesmer clarinet parts. A total different story from the show 2 weeks ago where the pit basically played and made noise until the downbeat of the show...texting you name it was going on.
I make a point to really set an example in those cases...understanding that these are kids who need to see how to act in a pit.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mrn
Date: 2009-05-13 18:30
Hank wrote:
<<Actually I have been getting paid for about 55 years (degree in music ed., HS and collegiate band director, plenty of private teaching, as well as jazz, big band, wind ensemble playing on all woodwinds) but never entirely full-time. My day gig is as a university professor who is trying to retire but keeps flunking. I have had a total of 46 years of teaching experience in everything from elementary general music to university doctoral student mentoring.>>
Wow! You're a real jack-of-all-trades (or you're a doubler of more than just woodwinds. ). I knew you were a flight instructor and a professor from reading your posts, but I didn't realize you had been a band director and private teacher as well.
When I was in high school, I played in the pit for several of our school musicals, although one year I sang on stage instead. I used to really enjoy performing in/for the musical every year.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Michelle
Date: 2009-05-13 18:38
I started playing in shows through a co-worker. When that person moved out of the area I started contacting the same groups personally to let them know I'd still like to play in their groups. You could start looking at the Performing Arts center nearest you. Watch their calendar, see which groups are booking the stage for shows and contact them. It usually only takes a few shows before your name is out there.
Regarding pit behavior, I think it's each person's responsibility to conduct themselves in a professional and appropriate manner, but it's the Music Director's job to lay out the expectations at the first rehearsal. We usually have a brief meeting at the first rehearsal laying out the schedule, the pay, the expectations for rehearsals and for the facility we'll be using, etc. Behavioral and performance expectations could written into the contract if it's been a big problem in the past.
Michelle
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-05-13 21:24
mrn,
LOL. A "doubler on more than just woodwinds" is really great.
Yeah, several decades on private teaching while I was HS band director. Close to 20 years of music teaching in Ohio with lots of marching band and jazz band direction rolled into one. I needed the extra money but enjoyed the work.
Life moves in strange ways. But music has been a part of the entire gig. I am very fortunate (but I hated piano lessons and felt reborn when I got a sax in my hands in 1951). It was never the same after finishing Ben Vereeken's Foundations of Saxophone Playing in about 6 weeks.
HRL
PS But Don Berger has me topped by many, many moons.
Post Edited (2009-05-13 22:15)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chetclarinet
Date: 2009-05-14 19:18
I have, for the past thirty plus years, had the distinct priviledge of playing profesional Broadway touring shows and local regional theatre shows here in the Houston, Tx. area as a woodwind doubler. I am hired often to play piccolo, flute, clarinet--all sizes and saxophone, all sizes. I have never observed another professional musican arriving late to the job, and actually have never seen anyone arrive late except for extremely unusual circumstances. I do read in the pit, quietly, between numbers , with the permission of the conductor. However, some difficult shows including Wicked, West Side Story, etc. require the constant attention of the player and reading is not a good idea. The pit orchestra with whom, I do the majority of my work, is extremely well disciplined, plays on an extremely high level and is well respected nationally.
Post Edited (2009-05-14 19:22)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: oliver sudden
Date: 2009-05-15 12:54
There's a lovely story of an Italian opera orchestra most of whom had a radio in one ear during a performance which just happened to coincide with an important football match... and the audience were very surprised to hear them let out an involuntary cheer at the decisive goal.
(Actually I suspect the audience might have appreciated the update.)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-05-15 13:04
GBK wrote,
>>I am all for helping local school districts by offering my services, but the high school directors first have to learn to control their own student's social and musical behavior, if not only out of respect for the pros who have been asked to play.
>>
Amen. I mean, holy cow -- texting in the pit? Guess I'm waaaay behind the times if significant numbers of conductors allow this sort of thing now. I haven't played pit since high school musicals in the 1960s, but I vividly remember that director just about stuffing a flute up someone's nose when he caught her working a crossword during a long rest -- at the dress rehearsal. None of us would have dared do anything like that during the performance. If the pit is visible to the audience, then aside from the distraction of texting (or doing anything else except silently sitting still), musicians risk encouraging the audience to text, phone, read, whatever during the performance. (Not that the audience needs much encouragement these days, but....)
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-05-15 21:54
I work with one MD that will not even tolerate erasing your pencil marks during the last performance. And he makes a big announcement about it as well. And he also insists that you only use one of the erasers he supplies.
I'll bet each eraser is secretly marked and he takes a count as well.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2009-05-15 22:04
Hank Lehrer wrote:
> I work with one MD that will not even tolerate erasing your
> pencil marks during the last performance. And he makes a big
> announcement about it as well. And he also insists that you
> only use one of the erasers he supplies.
>
> I'll bet each eraser is secretly marked and he takes a count as
> well.
The solution is to only use Post-It™ notes to mark your part.
I cut them into various sizes to indicate cuts, block out extra measures, endings, intros, etc...
At the end of the show, just pull off all the Post-It™ notes, and viola...the book just the way you found it.
I only use my pencil to work the crossword puzzles that I bring
...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-05-15 23:09
GBK,
LOL.
I use Post-its as well (in various sizes) but there are always a few cuts and notes that I always seem to have to do the "old-fashioned" way.
HRL
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
