Band/Conductors

[mycrabface]

Hello!

I'm from a symphonic band! 

What about you?

I love band!

Me too!

Is anyone a conductor here? Is anyone else from band? How's your conductor like? (lol don't take this the wrong way. Conductor as in Howard Shore, not some cheap piece of metal)

My conductor is scary. She likes to test people individually. They'd have to play the piece in front of the whole band. She always gets angry with me because sometimes the conductor scores aren't on the stand. They like, just evaporated off or something. But I swear it was there! She scolds me for not preparing her conductor stuff. I'm like santa's little elf. Then it turns out that the other conductor took it away. -_-''

But she's really talented. She can pinpoint any instrument that is flat -5. And she can play all the instruments in the band. I know all conductors do that, but well, she's experienced. 

But sometimes she's unfair. She favours one of the clarinetists just because she knows her cousin. Then she put her in 1st clarinet. I'm seriously better than her! So I stayed in 2nd. Boo Hoo. Then one day the other conductor was testing us, we had to play individually too, and when I played, he said that my intonation was good, so he put me in 1st (finally!).

Okay I dont know where I;m going with this but I just feel like writing it out. No don't tell me to start a blog because I'm Not Blogging! I hate blogs(no offense). They're for the world to see all your offensive comments and all your gossip about your own friends. Why the heck do people gossip anyway? Its so irritating when people get the wrong impression of you. Like there was this time when someone the I trusted and looked up to started spreading rumours about me to like dunno how many people! Sickening! And the thing is, if the rumours are true, I wouldn't mind that much because they're the truth. They were lies! Arrgh! ARRGH!  The angry face looks cute.

[arensky]

Hello!

I'm from a symphonic band! 

What about you?

I love band!

Me too!

I was in both of my high school bands, the Symphonic Band    and the Concert Band  I played 1st clarinet in the concert band, 2nd clarinet in the symphonic band and Baritone Horn in the Marching Band  . I also played trombone in the concert band for awhile, but he put  me back on the baritone horn, I never quite got the hang of the slide.

Is anyone a conductor here? Is anyone else from band? How's your conductor like? (lol don't take this the wrong way. Conductor as in Howard Shore, not some cheap piece of metal)

I have conducted pit orchestras for musicals. That's fun but I don't have any desire to conduct without dramatic action going on onstage. Teachers always told me I should conduct because I "have the mind for it"    but I 've always found it to be a troublesome chore. When the musicians are difficult I have no patience with them, I just yell at them and wish I had my cousin's electric cattle prod... 

My conductor is scary. She likes to test people individually. They'd have to play the piece in front of the whole band. She always gets angry with me because sometimes the conductor scores aren't on the stand. They like, just evaporated off or something. But I swear it was there! She scolds me for not preparing her conductor stuff. I'm like santa's little elf. Then it turns out that the other conductor took it away. -_-''

No, you are like satan's little elf    You can borrow my cousin's electric cattle prod and use it on the other conductor who takes the music off the stand, OK? 

But she's really talented. She can pinpoint any instrument that is flat -5. And she can play all the instruments in the band. I know all conductors do that, but well, she's experienced. 

But sometimes she's unfair. She favours one of the clarinetists just because she knows her cousin. Then she put her in 1st clarinet. I'm seriously better than her!

Nepotism, ain't it swell?   

So I stayed in 2nd. Boo Hoo. Then one day the other conductor was testing us, we had to play individually too, and when I played, he said that my intonation was good, so he put me in 1st (finally!).

Wait; use my cousin's cattle prod on your conductor, wrap a sack over her head, knock her unconcious and  dump her in the Johore Strait. 

Then the new conductor will give you all the solos! 


I told you I didn't like conducting....

Okay I dont know where I;m going with this but I just feel like writing it out. No don't tell me to start a blog because I'm Not Blogging! I hate blogs(no offense). They're for the world to see all your offensive comments and all your gossip about your own friends. Why the heck do people gossip anyway? Its so irritating when people get the wrong impression of you. Like there was this time when someone the I trusted and looked up to started spreading rumours about me to like dunno how many people! Sickening! And the thing is, if the rumours are true, I wouldn't mind that much because they're the truth. They were lies! Arrgh! ARRGH!  The angry face looks cute.

People suck. Sad but true... 

I like the cool face 

S/He's cool

 

[mycrabface]

I was in both of my high school bands, the Symphonic Band    and the Concert Band  I played 1st clarinet in the concert band, 2nd clarinet in the symphonic band and Baritone Horn in the Marching Band  . I also played trombone in the concert band for awhile, but he put  me back on the baritone horn, I never quite got the hang of the slide.

I have conducted pit orchestras for musicals. That's fun but I don't have any desire to conduct without dramatic action going on onstage. Teachers always told me I should conduct because I "have the mind for it"    but I 've always found it to be a troublesome chore. When the musicians are difficult I have no patience with them, I just yell at them and wish I had my cousin's electric cattle prod... 

No, you are like satan's little elf    You can borrow my cousin's electric cattle prod and use it on the other conductor who takes the music off the stand, OK? 

Nepotism, ain't it swell?   

Wait; use my cousin's cattle prod on your conductor, wrap a sack over her head, knock her unconcious and  dump her in the Johore Strait. 

Then the new conductor will give you all the solos! 


I told you I didn't like conducting....

People suck. Sad but true... 

I like the cool face 

S/He's cool

 

LMAO!! I have to say this, it gets irritating when the conductors get irritated with us because we're not playing according to what he/she wants us to. Take one of our competition pieces for example. Our conductors brought in a few other helpers who can conduct the band for them when they're away so we can have more practices. So each of these other conductors say different things about the piece, like in this section, the brass has to die down so the woodwinds can be heard better (running notes) and another conductor says that in that same section, clarinets have to play softer so the f horn can come out as it has the melody. Its confusing! And sometimes this conductor says that woodwinds are too soft and asks us to play louder, that conductor says that woodwinds are too loud and are drowning out the brass. So at the end of the day, the band dosen't really improve. We're getting nowhere! I would like to let them know, but I'm afraid I'll get stripped of my leadership positions. Then I won't have anymore power.   

I like the tbone. It can make car sounds and can sound sleazy. Lol.

Do you why I chose to join the clarinet section? Because the first time i saw the clarinet was when I was very young. I thought it looked cool because it was black and shiny. Haha..

[arensky]

LMAO!! I have to say this, it gets irritating when the conductors get irritated with us because we're not playing according to what he/she wants us to. Take one of our competition pieces for example. Our conductors brought in a few other helpers who can conduct the band for them when they're away so we can have more practices. So each of these other conductors say different things about the piece, like in this section, the brass has to die down so the woodwinds can be heard better (running notes) and another conductor says that in that same section, clarinets have to play softer so the f horn can come out as it has the melody. Its confusing! And sometimes this conductor says that woodwinds are too soft and asks us to play louder, that conductor says that woodwinds are too loud and are drowning out the brass. So at the end of the day, the band dosen't really improve. We're getting nowhere! I would like to let them know, but I'm afraid I'll get stripped of my leadership positions. Then I won't have anymore power.   

Too many cooks spoil the pot. 

Can a group of you talk to them about this problem? That way it won't look like you're the only upstart... but talking to conductors is often as productive as talking to walls...

I like the tbone. It can make car sounds and can sound sleazy. Lol.

It is sleazy, like the people who play it. 

Do you why I chose to join the clarinet section? Because the first time i saw the clarinet was when I was very young. I thought it looked cool because it was black and shiny. Haha..

I liked my father's Benny Goodman records. It was my first instrument, for some reason I had lessons on it before the piano. But the most fun was the Baritone Horn; it's kind of a dumb instrument but it's really fun to play!

Not so long ago I was the keyboardist in an orchestra, they were doing Brahms' 4th Symphony and they conned me into playing the triangle part in the 3rd mvt. THAT was scary; the triangle is the loudest instrument in the orchestra; screw that up and you've ruined everything! Fortunately everything went fine. Those little supplemental percussion instruments are tricky....

I like playing the celesta in the "Nutcracker". You get to watch the whole first act. Funny thing though, the really hard part isn't the "Sugar Plum Fairy" it's in the first music in Act 2, all that snow music in E major. I've played at least 40 performances of the "Nutcracker" over the years, it's fun...

Now I direct a college jazz band; not really conducting, though. What pieces are you doing in band?

[mycrabface]

Too many cooks spoil the pot. 

Can a group of you talk to them about this problem? That way it won't look like you're the only upstart... but talking to conductors is often as productive as talking to walls...

It is sleazy, like the people who play it. 

I liked my father's Benny Goodman records. It was my first instrument, for some reason I had lessons on it before the piano. But the most fun was the Baritone Horn; it's kind of a dumb instrument but it's really fun to play!

Not so long ago I was the keyboardist in an orchestra, they were doing Brahms' 4th Symphony and they conned me into playing the triangle part in the 3rd mvt. THAT was scary; the triangle is the loudest instrument in the orchestra; screw that up and you've ruined everything! Fortunately everything went fine. Those little supplemental percussion instruments are tricky....

I like playing the celesta in the "Nutcracker". You get to watch the whole first act. Funny thing though, the really hard part isn't the "Sugar Plum Fairy" it's in the first music in Act 2, all that snow music in E major. I've played at least 40 performances of the "Nutcracker" over the years, it's fun...

Now I direct a college jazz band; not really conducting, though. What pieces are you doing in band?

Uhh... Alvamar, folklore, fantasy on the old hundredth (hate that), el camino real (I wanna learn persis!), typewriter, um whats that song called? mars, the bringer of war, yeah... venus, the bringer of peace (hate that), armenian dances, some marches.. including the stars and stripes! Amazing grace variations, variations on a korean folksong
Our conductor loves anchors aweigh so he always makes us play it. and we'll be like Noooooooo!!
Hah.. and some pop-ish songs like pirates of the carribean, hot latin (eww), all that jazz, batman!

What do your bands play?

[arensky]

Uhh... Alvamar, folklore, fantasy on the old hundredth (hate that), el camino real (I wanna learn persis!), typewriter, um whats that song called? mars, the bringer of war, yeah... venus, the bringer of peace (hate that), armenian dances, some marches.. including the stars and stripes! Amazing grace variations, variations on a korean folksong
Our conductor loves anchors aweigh so he always makes us play it. and we'll be like Noooooooo!!
Hah.. and some pop-ish songs like pirates of the carribean, hot latin (eww), all that jazz, batman!

What do your bands play?

They play jazz pieces from 1945 to the present. I never know what the instrumentation will be from semester to semester ( some people don't stay in, some have been in the band for two years now) so I either adapt arrangements or we make up our own.

Lol when I worked in cruise ships we always played anchors away at the "meet your captain" thing for the passengers. One day the cruise director asked me " can't we play something Norwegian, the captain's Norwegian how about the Grieg Piano Concerto".  The captain looked like Dracula  so the effect of this would have been even more hilarious than it normally would have been. Anyway the cruise director kept after me about this (I was bandleader) so I arranged Grieg's Norwegian Dance op.35 #2 "alla marcia" and we used this for awhile, until the captain asked the cruise director "why are they playing that girly music before I adress the passengers!? Put back the American navy song!!" 

Seems this is a folksong about a teenage girl extolling the manly virtues of her burly boyfriend... 

Ah wuz lucky not to be keelhauled