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Actual conversation from this week's community band rehearsal.

Music Director: Tympani, you came in early on your entrance!

Tympani Player: Sorry.

Music Director: Tympani, you came in late on your entrance this time!

Tympani Player: Sorry. Are you conducting this section in 4/4 or 2/4?

Tuba Player to Tympani Player: He's conducting in 3/4!

You can't make this stuff up.

Director: "Euphonium section — please don't breathe between meas 44 and 45".

89 y.o. euphonium player: "At my age I'll breathe anywhere I need to".

Director: 2nd trombone, that's supposed to be an E natural! That's waaaay flat, almost an Eb. Pull that slide in!

Trombone: If I pull any farther in, I'll almost be in 2nd position.

No joke.

bort wrote:Director: 2nd trombone, that's supposed to be an E natural! That's waaaay flat, almost an Eb. Pull that slide in!

Trombone: If I pull any farther in, I'll almost be in 2nd position.

No joke.

I've heard some interesting intonation adventures coming from community bands, so I found this to be hilarious!

Back in the day, when I was a member of the 5th U.S. Army Band, we played a job for the medical grads. This usually meant that an NCO was sent to lead the job(usually an E-6 or E-7). On this particular occasion, I had the rare treat of having the conductor conduct the Star Spangled Banner in four. This meant I had to play all the way through, while surpressing the urge to laugh out loud.

(This may have been the occasion where LOL came into being. I am not certain.)

In Britain there has always been a certain rivalry between trombonists and French horn players. When I was having a trombone lesson a few decades ago, I was told to play a cantabile passage in the mid register. My trombone teacher said "I want this to sound just like a French horn, except in tune".

Please don't take offence anyone, I love the French horn as well as the trombone!

TubaRay wrote:Back in the day, when I was a member of the 5th U.S. Army Band, we played a job for the medical grads. This usually meant that an NCO was sent to lead the job(usually an E-6 or E-7). On this particular occasion, I had the rare treat of having the conductor conduct the Star Spangled Banner in four. This meant I had to play all the way through, while surpressing the urge to laugh out loud.

(This may have been the occasion where LOL came into being. I am not certain.)

Just curious -- did the band play beat-for-beat what the conductor was conducting, or did it go the Shakespeare route ("measure for measure", i.e. 3-against-4)?

Kevin Hendrick wrote:

TubaRay wrote:Back in the day, when I was a member of the 5th U.S. Army Band, we played a job for the medical grads. This usually meant that an NCO was sent to lead the job(usually an E-6 or E-7). On this particular occasion, I had the rare treat of having the conductor conduct the Star Spangled Banner in four. This meant I had to play all the way through, while surpressing the urge to laugh out loud.

(This may have been the occasion where LOL came into being. I am not certain.)

Just curious -- did the band play beat-for-beat what the conductor was conducting, or did it go the Shakespeare route ("measure for measure", i.e. 3-against-4)?

Since this is a "Community Band" thread ... why would you expect anyone to be watching the conductor?

Just curious -- did the band play beat-for-beat what the conductor was conducting, or did it go the Shakespeare route ("measure for measure", i.e. 3-against-4)?

It all comes back together every 4 measures........just in time for the pickup into the next phrase. Why worry about the unimportant stuff along the way. They all finished together and all was right with the world.

Kevin Hendrick wrote:

TubaRay wrote:Back in the day, when I was a member of the 5th U.S. Army Band, we played a job for the medical grads. This usually meant that an NCO was sent to lead the job(usually an E-6 or E-7). On this particular occasion, I had the rare treat of having the conductor conduct the Star Spangled Banner in four. This meant I had to play all the way through, while surpressing the urge to laugh out loud.

(This may have been the occasion where LOL came into being. I am not certain.)

Just curious -- did the band play beat-for-beat what the conductor was conducting, or did it go the Shakespeare route ("measure for measure", i.e. 3-against-4)?

Having conducted the anthem a few times myself, I sympathize with that conductor--it is not that easy to conduct, not matter what tempo you take (singing it is no picnic either...there are only a precious few vocalists around who can sing it well). The best arrangement of the anthem, imo, was the one Whitney Houston performed at Super Bowl 25...it was done in four and I wish we adopt that version is the "official" arrangement.

JJ

TUBAD83 wrote: The best arrangement of the anthem, imo, was the one Whitney Houston performed at Super Bowl 25...it was done in four and I wish we adopt that version is the "official" arrangement.

My favorite band arrangement is the one done by Marvin Branson back in the early 1970's for the Long Beach State Big Brown Music Machine marching band. They used have the announcer say to the crowd "you are invited to stand and listen to a special setting of our National Anthem." BTW, it ends in four!

The Long Beach State BBMM Alumni Band in 2010 playing the SSB

I'll try to find a better recording, but for a group that only plays together once a year, this one sounds pretty good.

Answer to the earlier question: We played the ink, and we did the best we could with his conducting of the fermatas.