What we're doing

[stewbones43]

About to do Bruckner 4 this coming Saturday with the local amateur/community orchestra here in Taunton, Somerset UK. Long symphony (1 hour +) but the orchestra are also doing Beethoven 4 and Delius "First cuckoo of spring" so not required in those 2.
Cheers
Stewbones

[Posaunus]

About to do Bruckner 4 this coming Saturday with the local amateur/community orchestra here in Taunton, Somerset UK. Long symphony (1 hour +) but the orchestra are also doing Beethoven 4 and Delius "First cuckoo of spring" so not required in those 2.
Cheers
Stewbones

Quite an undertaking for a community orchestra!

Best wishes!

[Bloo]

Just had district solo and ensemble...
Played trumpet with two different jazz combos. Also played a classical trombone solo and jazz trombone solo.
All four events made it to state.

Next week, I have 2 solos, a combo, and a full band to play at Shawano Jazz Competition. Wycliffe Gordon will be the judge there. Heck,

[Posaunus]

Just had district solo and ensemble...
Next week, I have 2 solos, a combo, and a full band to play at Shawano Jazz Competition. Wycliffe Gordon will be the judge there.

Please edit. Thanks.

[Bloo]

Just had district solo and ensemble...
Next week, I have 2 solos, a combo, and a full band to play at Shawano Jazz Competition. Wycliffe Gordon will be the judge there. F***

No reason for the "F**" on this forum. Please edit. Thanks.

heck

[stewbones43]

About to do Bruckner 4 this coming Saturday with the local amateur/community orchestra here in Taunton, Somerset UK. Long symphony (1 hour +) but the orchestra are also doing Beethoven 4 and Delius "First cuckoo of spring" so not required in those 2.
Cheers
Stewbones

Pleased to report that the gig went very well, especially as the bass trombone and tuba players had never played with this group before. Success and relief.

Cheers

Stewbones

[Mikebmiller]

I played 4 shows last week with an Elvis show in NC. We sold out on a Weds afternoon in March to a room full of retired people. It was great. Unfortunately, the parts aren't that exciting to play. Lots of whole notes and repeated stuff. But it is cool to be on stage with a good band playing to an enthusiastic crowd.

In 2 weeks, I am playing Arthur Pryor's "Love's Enchantment" with my local community band. It is a bit of an adventure as the band hasn't really figured out the accompaniment yet and there is only one more rehearsal. This is followed up by 3 weeks of church gigs and then a 2 week run of Sister Act at the local community theater.

Nice to be busy!

[stewbones43]

Following the Bruckner 4 mentioned above, I have 2 exciting gigs coming up.

The Community/Rehearsal orchestra I conduct have got our end of term play-through when the programme is Sibelius 2 and the finale of Sibelius 5 with Gustav Holst's ballet music from "The Perfect Fool". This is a super work for trombones (Holst was a trombonist) but it is difficult because there is a large section in 7/8 time with awkward syncopation. Before you ask, I am the idiot who chose the music! The date is April 1st-All Fools Day!

I also play with the Mike Westbrook Uncommon Orchestra (21st Century Big Band!) and we have been invited to play at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London (the premier jazz venue in the UK) on April 29th with an appropriately titled concert called "On Duke's Birthday"-April 29th being Duke Ellington's birth date. The gig is already sold out and we have yet to see the music as it is all written/arranged by Mike and can be fiendishly difficult. The stage at the club will just about accommodate a 10 piece group and we have 23+ 2 guests! Cosy.

Cheers

Stewbones

[StevenC]

The Community/Rehearsal orchestra I conduct have got our end of term play-through when the programme is Sibelius 2 and the finale of Sibelius 5 with Gustav Holst's ballet music from "The Perfect Fool". This is a super work for trombones (Holst was a trombonist) but it is difficult because there is a large section in 7/8 time with awkward syncopation. Before you ask, I am the idiot who chose the music! The date is April 1st-All Fools Day!

Being a "rehearsal orchestra", how much will you get to rehearse between now and April 1?

[StevenC]

Nice to be busy!

It does sound like you've got lots of good stuff going on. Anytime I think I should find additional opportunities, I remember how much work is kicking my ass lately.

[stewbones43]

The Community/Rehearsal orchestra I conduct have got our end of term play-through when the programme is Sibelius 2 and the finale of Sibelius 5 with Gustav Holst's ballet music from "The Perfect Fool". This is a super work for trombones (Holst was a trombonist) but it is difficult because there is a large section in 7/8 time with awkward syncopation. Before you ask, I am the idiot who chose the music! The date is April 1st-All Fools Day!

Being a "rehearsal orchestra", how much will you get to rehearse between now and April 1?

We work school terms so we are talking about 11 weeks of rehearsal plus a play through at the end. As a rehearsal orchestra, we don't do public concerts but we invite family and friends to the end of term play through just to prove to them that we haven't spent Wednesday evenings drinking in the nearest bar. We don't sell tickets so nobody can ask for their money back if we don't get it right.
The repertoire in the winter and summer terms is generally standard symphonic; last term we did Verdi's "Nabucco" overture, Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No.2" and a little, lightweight "Simon and Garfunkel" medley. Next term we are doing Mendelssohn's "Hebrides" overture, Faure's "Pavane" and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 7". Note that we are giving the heavy brass a rest for a term. It opens up more repertoire for the orchestra. The choice of music for the spring term is deliberately choosing music which is too hard for them, the Holst we are working on, Ravel's "Bolero, Saint-Saens "Organ Symphony etc. It gives them an opportunity to play music that they would not normally get to play.
Hard work but rewarding for everyone.

Cheers

Stewbones

[BflatBass]

Well just about everything has shut down. The local junior college night concert band and the senior center where our community band rehearses at have pulled the blanket over their heads until it's safe to come out. The dance band I'm in performs at the same senior center so I'm guessing our manager will put a hold on rehearsals for a while.

I'm just playing quarantunes at home now

Hope everyone is doing well
Robert

[RoscoTrombone]

I was supposed to be playing Morning Noon & Night in Vienna & Schumann's 1st symphony at the end of the month and was really looking forward to it.

Hopefully I'll get the chance this time next year as they've rebooked the music.

Ross

[Posaunus]

You know your life is on hold (while in lock-down at home) when you keep checking TromboneChat to see if there are any posts or news about something other than Corona Virus!

I guess it's time to walk away from the computer, pick up a trombone, and play some "quarantunes."

[Tetraphosphate]

I had my first ever pit orchestra rehesrsal today, it was really fun and I'm looking forward to the next one. Unfortunately, most of my other music events have been shut down and I'm suspecting this one will be too.....
I suppose one of the only good things about the coronavirus and everything getting cancelled is we get to stay home and practice more!

[ArbanRubank]

Post a little something, maybe on a weekly or even daily basis, about what you're doing trombone-wise or musically. I know some of you are on YouTube regularly so that might seem a little redundant. But for the rest of us I think it would be interesting to find out where you all are in your "progression" as a trombonist, what you double on, what else you dabble in or concentrate on musically, etc.. If you're working on a particular piece of music, either solo or in a group/band/orchestra, maybe take a quick pic of your music and post it. Talk about troublesome areas in what your working on or how great you sounded last night. Whatever....
Cheers,
Robert

I think I have all of the Hal Leonard Fake Books that are currently for sale. I'm going through them one-at-a-time, searching YouTube for performances by notable vocalists. I am finding a huge number of very pretty and interesting ballads from the 20's - 60's that I can adapt for single-trigger bass trombone. Some are so obscure that I have never heard of them, so to me they are new. And since a lot of them are so obscure, they haven't been worked to death by various artists, bands, etc - at least that I have ever been exposed to.

The ones I avoid are the ones written by jazz musicians as instrumentals. I am only interested in vocal ballads.

I am using them to expand my performance song book. The challenge is to take the music - as written in the Fake Books - and make it sound like Ella or Nat or Billy could sing it. It's a bit of a challenge on some of them. I have to wonder if composers of that period wrote out a ballad thinking, "Here Ella! Let's see if you can make sense of this one!". Lol!

At any rate, at the very least, I'm educating myself on period ballads!

[stewbones43]

How to prevent getting bored during the Covid19 lockdown!

I am involved with 2 amateur orchestras here in Somerset UK. The better one is the one where I organise the heavy brass section and the other on is purely a rehearsal orchestra which I conduct. Both have a full complement of trombones and tubas.
One of the tenor players in the better orchestra has challenged me to a concerto play off! I am retired and he is a house-husband so we have the time to do this. On his suggestion we are working on the Gordon Jacob Trombone Concerto to informally play to each other when the world gets back to normal. I last played this piece 50 years ago as part of my Finals Recital. He did the same but is half my age!
I then went to 2 of the players from my orchestra and invited them to do the same suggesting easier repertoire for them to chose from; the tenor player can either do the slow movement from the Rimsky-Korsakov or the first movement from the Ferdinand David Concertino and the bass trombone player has the choice of the first movement of the Patrick McCarty Sonata or the Bass Trombone version of the David (First movement). The pieces have been chosen from the repertoire lists of the Graded Examinations and the Diploma Examinations for the Trinity College of Music, London.
These should keep us all out of mischief for the rest of the summer!
Just hope my lip lasts out.

Cheers and stay safe

Stewbones43

[Mikebmiller]

I am messing around with learning how to do overdub multi track recordings in Audacity and hope to figure out the split screen video thing soon. 'Cause Jim Nova needs some competition from rank amateurs.

[MrHCinDE]

I just took delivery of a load of second-hand music, mostly improvisation study books with a couple of extras (Rochut I + II and the Telemann 12 Fantasien transcribed by Alan Raph for unaccompanied trombone).

I never really had many trombone lessons, probably 20 or so maximum, so the Rochut are new to me. I’ve built one Rochut study a day into my practice routine and only move on to the next one when I’m completely happy with the one I’m working on. With hindsight I should probably have been working on these or something similar long before now...

So far I’m still working on the first Fantasie in the Telemann book, the one in A minor. After some digging I found the equivalent in the original set for flute is No 10 in F sharp minor. Thank goodness Mr Raph chose to put it into A minor! Anyone want to recommend which one to try next?

Stay safe

[BflatBass]

I am messing around with learning how to do overdub multi track recordings in Audacity and hope to figure out the split screen video thing soon. 'Cause Jim Nova needs some competition from rank amateurs.

Ha! "rank amateur". That's me for sure! But we're always learning so hopefully by next year I'll be a little better at this.


Cheers,
Robert

[Mikebmiller]

I am messing around with learning how to do overdub multi track recordings in Audacity and hope to figure out the split screen video thing soon. 'Cause Jim Nova needs some competition from rank amateurs.

Ha! "rank amateur". That's me for sure! But we're always learning so hopefully by next year I'll be a little better at this.


Cheers,
Robert

Jim was nice enough to listen to my 1st attempt at an overdub and offer some good advice. That’s kind of like having Tom Brady give you pointers on your forward pass.

[DonH]

You must be getting a lot of reading done. Not much to play in that opera, although when you do play it's pretty exposed.

You can't read in a pro opera pit...... but you might sleep...

Chris

But never, ever, think of having to pee!

[ronnies]

Rehearsals restarting on the 1st September with Beethoven 5.

Ronnie

[BflatBass]

I haven't visited TC or posted on this thread in 'forever' because a lot of crap has happened in my life over the last year and I don't want to talk about nothing but crap.
But I've been so sedentary lately that I decided to start playing my trombone again just for something to do.

I wanted so much for so long to believe that rehearsals and performances would start again and they did last June. I felt so renewed. One time after a rehearsal my brother asked me "how was rehearsal last night?" I just replied, "playing in band is my happy place". Then they decided to stop again last September because of the pandemic. I got so depressed I haven't picked up the horn since.

When I decided to play again two days ago I realized something. I've found religion.

I know this because I'm playing my horn based strictly on faith. Faith that someday I'll be playing in a live ensemble again and will have found my 'happy place' again.
I try not to base my faith on facts. I just practice blindly and don't try to be hopeful because if I do I'll just repeat myself and stop again.
I also don't practice to try and be a better trombonist. I play to entertain myself. It's funner that way.

[ArbanRubank]

Play to entertain yourself. You need no one's approval. Wail! Jump! Jive! Do whatever you want to do. Just keep the music alive.

[hyperbolica]

I haven't visited TC or posted on this thread in 'forever' because a lot of crap has happened in my life over the last year and I don't want to talk about nothing but crap.
But I've been so sedentary lately that I decided to start playing my trombone again just for something to do.

I wanted so much for so long to believe that rehearsals and performances would start again and they did last June. I felt so renewed. One time after a rehearsal my brother asked me "how was rehearsal last night?" I just replied, "playing in band is my happy place". Then they decided to stop again last September because of the pandemic. I got so depressed I haven't picked up the horn since.

When I decided to play again two days ago I realized something. I've found religion.

I know this because I'm playing my horn based strictly on faith. Faith that someday I'll be playing in a live ensemble again and will have found my 'happy place' again.
I try not to base my faith on facts. I just practice blindly and don't try to be hopeful because if I do I'll just repeat myself and stop again.
I also don't practice to try and be a better trombonist. I play to entertain myself. It's funner that way.

I know exactly where you're coming from. I played for myself for a while, but that just gets kind of boring and there's only so much you can do with that. Plus, you can't exactly go around saying "playing with myself is my happy place", I mean, that will get you some funny looks and a few giggles.

I got together a group of people that I trusted, and we played trios or quartets, depending on who showed up. We played in a large space with filtered air to decrease the risk, or even outside when we could manage it. At some point your mental health has to be at least as important as your physical health. None of us got covid, there were some colds that went around, but we were all responsible and stayed out of the covid pool. That's how I kept my sanity through this. We were careful who we trusted, we made sure each other was vaxxed, and we played glorious music. Not for anyone else, but definitely for ourselves.

[ArbanRubank]

To each their own and I certainly wish the best for everyone!

For me, it's going on four years now of strictly independent playing, with no sign of approaching boredom! I still look forward to my twice a day play time!

My current inspiration is the entire discography of Diana Krall. Thanks to a wonderfully diverse database I was able to download, many of her old standards are there for me to convert to bass clef and set the key to where the tunes are pitched nicely for me on my single-trigger bass. I currently have nearly 600 old standards and pop tunes in my personal database, from which I can call up on demand any given song, with it's own Band-in-a-Box accompaniment. Every time I play through a song, it comes out of my horn differently, because another inspiration is a beautiful jazz station I stream through Alexa at various times of the day and evening. I can hear the treatment accomplished artists give old standards. They are amazing, sometimes. I don't really see an end in site for this endeavor of mine.

And yet, at present, I am confined to a 2-bedroom apartment - having cashed in on the real estate market boom by selling my house of 20 years. I bought a Rajano practice mute from Schmidt Music. It took me a while to get used to it, but I find I can play - as I put it - under the physics of the horn & mute, to where it doesn't really sound like I am muted. That requires me to play exceedingly low on the bass scale and very softly. No one can hear me playing. Not even my wife in the next room with the door to my play room open. I have a steel pedestal that holds a large-ish, square monitor to which I can cast my music charts. Going electronic enables me to have great on-the-spot versatility of the charts. My laptop with the Band-in-a-Box accompaniments is behind me, playing very, very softly. I could set up and play at 2 in the morning if I so desired, with no consequences, although I would probably use headphones from my laptop, for my own piece of mind.

This is what works for me. I sincerely hope everyone who needs a live group can find a way to participate safely. I may also at some point. But I'm having too much fun now to look for one.

[MrHCinDE]

Just finished an afternoon of trombone sectionals and tutti rehearsal. I was sceptical about going since we have a lot of new COVID cases here at the moment. On the other hand we have all had at least two vaccines, mostly three and regardless of vaccine status everyone tested before going. The poor strings wore masks the whole time, others just when not playing.

It was so uplifting to play in an ensemble again, I‘d got bored of just playing at home. I realise I‘m fortunate to be able to play outside of home again and wish others are all able to soon.

[imsevimse]

Corona? Is it finally over?
A new series of concerts at the Olympia theatre started tonight 7/2 with the band I play in - "The Johan Stengård Jazz Big Band". Audience was limited this concert but all Corona-restrictions will be gone 9/2 so It can be a full house next monday. I'm starved myself of culture so I rushed and bought tickets to an upcoming concert with trombonesoliist Håkan Björkman 18/2 and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. It is the premier for a new trombone concerto by the Swedish conposer Sven David Sandström. Everything is coming back fast now.

/Tom

[imsevimse]

Got infected on Christmas eve even though we all did Corona tests before we were allowed to come visit my elderly parents, now my dad (88 years) , mum (85 years) and me are infected probably from my sister and her son who had it the week before. None of us were positive when we took the test and we took the test the same day, just before we went there.
I have had four doses so I guess it will be mild for me. I've managed to practice every day although I'm coughing a lot when I start to play and have difficulties to breathe in fast. After about half an hour the coughing decreases and yesterday I could play a complete minus one record without coughing accidents. It seems blowing a wind instrument helps moving gunk in the lungs and makes me feel better. To stay in bed on the other hand does not help, then the coughing just continues. I guess if I had a more severe infection the playing wouldn't be such a good idea but now in my case I see it as part of treatment. I know I will cough a lot to day again when I start my practice but hopefully it will go away again in half an hour and it might even be a perfect normal practice session that takes on after that. Not very happy to be sick on vaccation and also frustrating I have to cancel all plans for this years New Years Eve.

/Tom

[LeTromboniste]

Got infected on Christmas eve even though we all did Corona tests before we were allowed to come visit my elderly parents, now my dad (88 years) , mum (85 years) and me are infected probably from my sister and her son who had it the week before. None of us were positive when we took the test and we took the test the same day, just before we went there.
I have had four doses so I guess it will be mild for me. I've managed to practice every day although I'm coughing a lot when I start to play and have difficulties to breathe in fast. After about half an hour the coughing decreases and yesterday I could play a complete minus one record without coughing accidents. It seems blowing a wind instrument helps moving gunk in the lungs and makes me feel better. To stay in bed on the other hand does not help, then the coughing just continues. I guess if I had a more severe infection the playing wouldn't be such a good idea but now in my case I see it as part of treatment. I know I will cough a lot to day again when I start my practice but hopefully it will go away again in half an hour and it might even be a perfect normal practice session that takes on after that. Not very happy to be sick on vaccation and also frustrating I have to cancel all plans for this years New Years Eve.

/Tom

That sucks! Hope you get better quickly. I've had it (at least once, possibly twice) and I had no coughing but it still did affect my ability to play and my lung capacity, and it took a while for me to feel properly in control of air support again, especially on bass.

[imsevimse]

That sucks! Hope you get better quickly. I've had it (at least once, possibly twice) and I had no coughing but it still did affect my ability to play and my lung capacity, and it took a whole for me to feel properly in control of air support again, especially on bass.

Thanks, yes I was a bit short on air today on the tenor. Hope I will be fully recovered because I'm sometimes short on air on the bass as it is

/Tom

[TrryReynolds]

Purchased an LT42bofg late December- playing daily and working towards a return to some semblance of being in shape. Thought it a good idea to get three vaccines in one day last Thursday (shingles 2, prevnar, bivalent booster)- have now been off the horn for the past five days.

[deanmccarty]

Playing my first concert tonight since having open heart surgery… Dvorak Cello Concerto, Schumann 4, and Lightspeed by Day. It’s great to be back!

[CalgaryTbone]

Playing my first concert tonight since having open heart surgery… Dvorak Cello Concerto, Schumann 4, and Lightspeed by Day. It’s great to be back!

Congrats! Glad to hear you're back and healthy! Hope that alto is working out!

Jim Scott

[deanmccarty]

Congrats! Glad to hear you're back and healthy! Hope that alto is working out!

Thanks! The alto is great… and you’re right it is tuned high. Kerstin Voigt is getting an appropriate slide to me asap.

[CalgaryTbone]

I was able to get it to work for me, but some of my horns have shot tuning slides to get up to pitch. Glad that it's working for you!

[TrryReynolds]

Playing my first concert tonight since having open heart surgery… Dvorak Cello Concerto, Schumann 4, and Lightspeed by Day. It’s great to be back!

Congratulations! I didn’t know there was any “minor” open heart surgery.

[michaelpilley]

I just started a trombone choir on the south east coast of England - we had 19 trombonists turn up to the first rehearsal! And more are signing up!
Anyone work for a printing company that would like to sponsor us?

[MStarke]

I have had a lot of ups and downs regarding playing opportunities in the last months.

One very large orchestral project that I did back in 2018 (Alpine Symphony) and 2019 (Ring Ohne Worte) that will be doing Heldenleben this year doesn't work for me - as it would require for me to be away from home for too long this year.
Another more or less interesting orchestral project also didn't work out.
I am struggling quite a bit with my brass quintet to find a good working mode and a good way ahead.

On the other hand I am organizing a brass tentet concert for the summer (still trying to find good people for all positions) which I am looking forward to.
Together with friends we are slowly starting to prepare a trombone ensemble project to take place in Sep/Oct. Finally going to play Blue Topaz with the ensemble.
Potentially playing euphonium again this year with a really good local wind orchestra.
I have been asked to temporarily join some smaller projects as a sub.
I also hope to maybe get some bigband opportunities this year.

Also I am trying to get lessons from time to time. It's great to be able to reach out to so many trombonists around the world for their inputs and ideas!