The great thing about Flickr is that I can take a snap with my mobile phone and have it up on the web as it happens.
The problem is that it’s difficult to type any sensible descriptive text to go along with it whilst shaking a bucket full of money:)
I’m just in from a really good rehearsal with the brass ensemble I play 2nd trumpet for and it has been excellent. It’s been a while since I’ve played with the group what with holidays and other commitments getting in the way, but it was definitely worth getting back into the swing of it.
I’ve been a bit disillusioned with Watford Band lately. I think this is mainly to do with my role as chairman of the band. For me the fun has definitely been taken away from the playing as I have to concentrate on trying to ensure that the band has somewhere to play in the future and that we meet all our obligations for the Charity Commission and for the protection of children and so on. These are all very serious matters that any band must consider but it is detracting from the music and this is what I joined the band for, the love of brass band music.
We’ve just released our first CD, it’s not up to Black Dyke standard but it’s our CD and we had a lot of fun making it, this is what I want out of banding, not to be lampooned at the AGM or to feel that I can’t be trusted with direction I’m trying to steer the band in (commercially rather than musically)
I suppose because there are only a few of us with the brass ensemble it’s much easier to manage. There’s no real pressure to raise funds or do loads of concerts, and there’s certainly none of the tripe around contests; all of which have to be considered with a brass band like Watford Band.
I’m finding it very difficult to fit home practise in at the moment and when you’ve been away, even for just a week, it really does show and this just adds to the unhappiness in playing that I’m getting at Watford at the moment.
I think it may be time to rethink my position of chairman of the band. Certainly the newly elected committee have a wealth of experience and ideas now to move the band on and this may free my responsibilities so that I can get back into what I joined the band for in the first place, love of music and of playing. Problem is, I really need to try and get a replacement in place before resigning the position. Whilst there are a few members who are more qualified than I to take on the role, they already have positions on the committee for which they are ideally suited to. It’s a difficult situation without anyone to talk to at the band to resolve it. Perhaps I may seek some solace with my good friends over on the Mouthpiece.
As a result of my accident I am having to claim against my own insurance as it is becoming apparent that the 3rd party was uninsured:(
What is really galling is that my insurance company took well over 2 weeks to authorise the repair to the car (I was expecting to pick it up upon returning from Portugal only to learn that the work hadn’t even started!) and that the police are telling me that the Met aren’t interested in pursuing whether or not the address that’s been got for the 3rd party actually still live there. This latter point comes just as the Government are supposed to be “cracking down” on uninsured drivers. I feel a letter to my MP coming on.
At the end of the day I am going to be footing the bill for an accident that wasn’t my fault and will be paying for it via increased premiums for the next 3 or 4 years.
I’ve had two great rehearsals this week with the bands I’m involved with.
Firstly, the rehearsal on Tuesday with Watford Band was excellent and a lot of fun. Not only did we get a good turn out, but we also worked through some good stuff and had a guest pro with us to rehearse for an upcoming gig. It’s always good to have pros playing around you as they not only make you up your own playing but they can also pass on valuable tips. In this case, Craig Patterson, will be doing The Lazy Trumpeter and he was able to give me some advice on bending notes.
Secondly, I got to play with the brass ensemble I play with. We are currently called City Brass but as we’re moving rehearsal venue and will now be based in Chesham, which is hardly a city, we will need to think up a new name. Anyway, it was the first time in a very long time that I was able to play my trumpet rather than the cornet. I also get to play alongside another pro, Ken Bache, who was also my tutor some time ago. Ken’s really good at letting me have a go on the 1st parts and providing good constructive criticism and advice.
On a final note, we’re in the process of approving the artwork for Watford Band’s CD, so hopefully it will be available within a few weeks. Order yours now via the band’s website and we’ll send you a signed copy, woo-hoo:)
The band has come through a very productive if not hectic summer season. It’s been good as we’ve had a lot of varied jobs to do and the band have been appreciated where ever we’ve been, including getting several bookings for next year.
We’ve even had to turn a number of jobs down because of other bookings. This isn’t normally too traumatic except one job that we had to turn down was a live appearance on Dick N Dom inda Bungalow on CBBC last weekend.
On a sadder note we’re in the process of saying goodbye to a number of players as they move away from the area either for work or retirement, so we’ve a number of vacancies that need filling.
Last night’s rehearsal was great despite having no horn or trombone sections and me being the only solo cornet. Martyn managed it really well by just playing bits where those that were present were all playing. Now that summer’s over we’re starting to knuckle down to Stantonbury Festival which is the 4th section test piece for the Mineworkers Contest that we’ll be competing in next January.
Something else I did over the summer holidays was to have a cornet lesson. Not too exciting really, but this was something I’d been meaning to do for some time with a guy by the name of Roddy Lewis. Rod is from South Wales but happened to be coming by as he was flying in to Stansted from Sweden, so I took the opportunity to have him pop and give me a 5 hour lesson.
The first thing to note about Rod is that he is an extreme high register specialist and is lead trumpet of his own Maynard Ferguson tribute band. Now I didn’t take the lesson because I wanted to play in the extreme high register but I did want to learn how to use my embouchure and air properly to make it easier to play in the registers that I use when playing for the band.
Almost immediately the first thing Rod picked up on was the fact that I wasn’t breathing in properly to start playing, instead of taking a full breath through the mouth I was taking a quick snatch of air through the nose. Changing this and the timing of the breath has made significant improvements in my playing. There’s still a fair amount of work for me to do to correct some other aspects of my playing but I couldn’t believe the difference this small change made. As Rod himself said, small changes on their own may not amount to much but taken together with many other small changes big improvements can be made. Now I’ve just got to find the time to fit his practice routine in.
Any brass players out there considering a lesson with Roddy should definitely do it, you won’t regret it. If you’ve never come across Roddy before he’s worth checking out but don’t be put off by his style, he is a really nice bloke. His lessons may seem expensive but a 5 hour lesson is comparable to 5 weeks of 1 hour lessons with any other teacher.
I am of course talking about Watford Band’s concert on Saturday in aid of the Peace Hospice. The concert was superb in all aspects: The band played well (if a little over exuberantly); the audience were excellent and numerous; the choir was excellent; it was all fantastic!
I really need to work up the stamina again, as I was done in by the middle of the second half!
The programme that we’d played included:
and loads more. Didn’t get to do the Presley medley though, which was unfortunate as I’d mentioned that we were going to be playing that on the radio, oops!
Over on the Trumpet Players International Network (TPIN) mailing list there is a discussion taking place about the demise of the grand cornet solos as so perfectly recorded by Wynton Marsalis on his album Carnaval.
James Klages posed the question and then has this to say on the subject:
Isn’t some of the demise of the cornet solos due to the transformation of the trumpet and cornet. They once had very distinctive sounds, but today, while the sounds are different, they have come much closer together?
To quote the Princes Bride “cornet solos are only “MOSTLY Dead.”
I still write and play them, as do my students. The Salvation army publishes new cornet solos about eight a year.
I see that rapid fall are the result of several factors.
1. Professional concert bands are extremely rare. Sousa is dead. the Goldman band is on hard times now.
2. Following Frederic Fennell, the wind ensemble literature shies away from the type of music that cornet soloists play. Colleges have adopted the programming philosophy of the wind ensemble. They seek to be a “higher level” of culture, not deigning to play transcriptions - or often music that is familiar, beautiful or exiting. The conductors at Eastman were jealous of the place and status of the orchestra and sought to one-up them with the elite - the refused to play down to the audience. In a relatively short time the audience went down from one of standing room only to that where the small wind ensemble out numbered the house. Recent years have somewhat reversed this trend. Sometimes a wind band concert is a pleasant musical
experience now..
3. The Twentieth Century experiment with musical complexity, and the relegation of beautiful melody and harmony to a secondary role undercut the entire function of the cornet in the Wind Band.
*It is now time for players to reclaim the role of composer - writing music that they enjoy to perform and listen (to.)
And Michael Stewart ripostes:
To me, this is the most telling and correct reasoning. And it is also the fault of MOST (certainly not all) of the typical cornet literature. Cornet solos are notoriously corny or “banal” in nature. How freakin’ many times do we have to listen to an inane Theme and Variations cornet solo that goes without any inspiration or musical character or thought - 1/8 note variation, triplet variation, 1/16 note variation, triplet 1/16s, etc….BLAAAAH!
Personally, the music written for wind ensembles mowadays (and throughout the previous century is FAR more entertaining, exciting, and musical than a concert of Sousa marches, cornet solos, and that ilk. As musicians, it’s our responsibility to uphold high levels of literature and to go beyond what is fun for the audience, or even ourselves. If we can decry popular musics (pop, rap, metal, country,etc) for pandering to the masses, then we have to hold ourselves to a similar standard and advance our craft - personally and
communally.
As a cornet player myself I love the grand cornet solos and would love to have the necessary technique to carry them off successfully. One day, who knows, I’ll be able to play Carnival of Venice or Napoli like Wynton. However, my belief is that music is for the purpose of entertaining people and in the concerts that I participate in, and have been to as a member of the audience, it is pieces that are melodic, easy to listen to and fun.
There’s no doubt in my mind that in these grand cornet solos there are some beautiful melodies and there are also some fun aspects to both for the listener and definitely for the player.
The most enjoyable “concert” I ever attended was a dinner/dance by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at the Barbican where the band played swing music. Was it corny? Possibly. Did we enjoy it? You bet!
When we’re out with the band our audience want to hear things like The Floral Dance, or The Lincolnshire Poacher whether the band like it or not and whether or not it’s corny.
All I can say is, let’s make music for people to listen to and enjoy.
On Monday we were supposed to be taking Euan up to his grand parents but he’d decided he didn’t want to go! I suppose he’s feeling maybe a little bit vulnerable now that his little sister has turned up.
Anyway, we all went to Chalfont Fair instead where, coincidentally, the band were playing. It was really odd being at a band engagement without playing and quite frustrating too, especially as the band were really putting in an excellent performance that was going down well with the crowd.
My playing’s taken a dive over the last couple of weeks due to the change in family circumstances, but I’ve now been practicing quite hard in preparation for our big charity concert on Saturday. I’m really looking forward to it, it should be a corker.
Woo-hoo, got my new trumpet last night. It’s a Conn International with a rose brass leadpipe and yellow brass bell. Although it’s only a student model it comes with a first valve saddle and a third valve slide ring.
I collected it at a rehearsal of City Brass, a brass ensemble I play in, and the first thing I needed to do was oil the valves. I duly did this reinserted the valves and tried to play but couldn’t get any air through. It turns out that, unlike the cornet, the valve guides on a trumpet will fit in one of two ways (only one of which is correctly aligned) and of course I’d got all three wrong!
Just need to get a new mouthpiece to match my cornet mouthpiece ( a Bach 3B ) and we’re away.
