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Re: Oh, the embarrassment....

Author: vboboe
Date: 2008-05-03 21:14

... speaking from 'way 'way back behind the master class-ites, for the benefit of neophytes, i still find it most embarrassing to be unable to play a cold read of new material in community band with any sense of anything, even if it's dead easy white notes and quarter notes, maybe sprinkled with a few eighths and ... dreaded sixteenths -- for some reason, my mind goes completely numb and my fingers spazz solid when trying to play and read at the same time along with the group (also muddling along) -- but on my own i can figure it out quite nicely, get the feel of it, mind you with plenty of allarg in between ...

The next most embarrassing thing is, next week, usually have worked out the sense of it, i discover the director's speed is twice as fast as i thought it was and my fingers just aren't up to it, fumble mumble mutter ...

The 'best' embarrassment of all, about a month later, having got my part very well practised by then, is to miscount lead-in rests by one bar or so ahead or behind, take my pick }:-] and enter, cheerfully playing along, very nicely too, only to realise with a thunk that i'm totally outa gear

Joined a community orchestra recently, i'm playing Ob2 there. My very first day there, no Ob1 present. Six brand new pieces, very cold reads, even though two were quite familiar to listen to, definitely not the same as cold read & play Ob2 parts. Conductor prompts Only Oboe Present on one particular piece "Enter Oboe Solo here, play aloud, don't be shy," and my abbreviated Ob2 part has 36 blank rest bars, nary a single cue note ...

my embarassed fingers just gotta love those ...
accidentals that revert to key sig notes very next bar, especially in my C-Bb-B natural-ly confused zone (previous T-plate player converted to conservatory)
stepped thirds alternating with stepped fifths in flat accidentals with sharp key signature
and
gotta love that stressed-out embarrased nervous newbie OB2 post-intermission's G# that almost lips up to tuning A440, don't ask me why pinkie's collapsed in fright on the silly key ...

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