drawing on musical experiences
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 9:26 am
I would like to talk about the topic of how to draw on our musical experiences. I would like to learn how other people did that. I have a lot of different musical experiences to draw on, and I want to find out which ones are going to help me more as I begin to play the tuba. I want to talk about what experiences are directly applicable, and what experiences aren't.
I would like people to talk about their musical experiences, and what they learned from them.
I think this discussion will create a large database of information that many people can draw upon.
I will start:
I began piano at age six. My mother played Suzuki method recordings in the house all the time. She had me audition for a boy choir and I was in it for a while. I played piano until graduation from high school. I had a wonderful teacher in the later years whom I always remember fondly. She died many years ago. In fifth grade I joined the band and chose the flute because I could make the tone and I thought it was beautiful. I got a lot of ribbing from the boys because of that. The girls used to tickle me. I had crushes on some of them. I couldn't play high as well as some of the girls, but by junior high I was able to get to first chair in our small town high school. By then a baritone player said why don't I play a man's instrument, and I got so angry that I decided to switch to trombone. My friend sold me his trombone for 75 bucks, and I started. I hated it at first. It was stuffy and honked liked a semi truck. I started playing the band music. Later I became first chair because I could play in tune. I played in the marching band. In college I took some lessons from Elwood Williams, who had studied with Emory Remington, but I couldn't keep up with the other players because I couldn't master the high register, and my endurance was not great. I played third trombone in the trombone ensemble and in jazz band. I heard the college orchestra play Mahler once, and I was hooked. I was able to join the orchestra senior year. We went on a tour of Eastern Europe. I was moved by the experience of playing for audiences there, who really listened. One man wept during Shostakovich 5. During college I decided to become a jazz musician because I loved to improvise. I thought about going to the New School after meeting Reggie Workman at a jazz workshop. He took me to clubs one night and let me play his bass, too. We saw Clifford Jordan, but he was ailing. I bought an electric bass and took a few lessons from a jazz bassist in San Francisco. Later, I decided to go to professional school. I picked up the tuba once for an Easter service gig and liked it. I took some double bass lessons from a local symphony conductor/bassist before beginning professional school. I didn't play for many years. Bought a tenor saxophone but didn't follow through. Dabbled with the guitar recently, but it's not really me. Would like to play a little bass guitar though. A week ago I played chamber music in a play-in at a music school on the trombone and the melodica. I decided that I wanted to be able to fill bass role and wanted a reed instrument easier to play than the flute. I bought an electronic wind instrument (loved Michael Brecker's first album when I was in college). I decided to play the tuba, which I had admired in orchestra and brass ensembles. So I consulted you guys and bought a tuba, and here I am.
I find there is a lot of similarity between tuba teachings and trombone teachings. I had the Rochut etudes, Borgdoni stuff, the Remington exercises, flexibility training, scales, and the Bach Cello Suites in college, thanks to Mr. Williams, who was a bass trombonist. He could sing super low, and I loved his bass trombone playing, but never thought I could play the bass trombone. I took some trombone lessons from Jeff Cressman, a jazz trombone player in San Francisco with a really cool sound: it's direct and full, but also full of color. He has a wonderful concept, great guy.
So now I want to play the tuba, and I want to play many interesting gigs. I want to play the traditional band stuff but I really love the orchestral stuff. I want to play jazz but not quite sure how yet. That will come later. Just get out there first.
I would like people to talk about their musical experiences, and what they learned from them.
I think this discussion will create a large database of information that many people can draw upon.
I will start:
I began piano at age six. My mother played Suzuki method recordings in the house all the time. She had me audition for a boy choir and I was in it for a while. I played piano until graduation from high school. I had a wonderful teacher in the later years whom I always remember fondly. She died many years ago. In fifth grade I joined the band and chose the flute because I could make the tone and I thought it was beautiful. I got a lot of ribbing from the boys because of that. The girls used to tickle me. I had crushes on some of them. I couldn't play high as well as some of the girls, but by junior high I was able to get to first chair in our small town high school. By then a baritone player said why don't I play a man's instrument, and I got so angry that I decided to switch to trombone. My friend sold me his trombone for 75 bucks, and I started. I hated it at first. It was stuffy and honked liked a semi truck. I started playing the band music. Later I became first chair because I could play in tune. I played in the marching band. In college I took some lessons from Elwood Williams, who had studied with Emory Remington, but I couldn't keep up with the other players because I couldn't master the high register, and my endurance was not great. I played third trombone in the trombone ensemble and in jazz band. I heard the college orchestra play Mahler once, and I was hooked. I was able to join the orchestra senior year. We went on a tour of Eastern Europe. I was moved by the experience of playing for audiences there, who really listened. One man wept during Shostakovich 5. During college I decided to become a jazz musician because I loved to improvise. I thought about going to the New School after meeting Reggie Workman at a jazz workshop. He took me to clubs one night and let me play his bass, too. We saw Clifford Jordan, but he was ailing. I bought an electric bass and took a few lessons from a jazz bassist in San Francisco. Later, I decided to go to professional school. I picked up the tuba once for an Easter service gig and liked it. I took some double bass lessons from a local symphony conductor/bassist before beginning professional school. I didn't play for many years. Bought a tenor saxophone but didn't follow through. Dabbled with the guitar recently, but it's not really me. Would like to play a little bass guitar though. A week ago I played chamber music in a play-in at a music school on the trombone and the melodica. I decided that I wanted to be able to fill bass role and wanted a reed instrument easier to play than the flute. I bought an electronic wind instrument (loved Michael Brecker's first album when I was in college). I decided to play the tuba, which I had admired in orchestra and brass ensembles. So I consulted you guys and bought a tuba, and here I am.
I find there is a lot of similarity between tuba teachings and trombone teachings. I had the Rochut etudes, Borgdoni stuff, the Remington exercises, flexibility training, scales, and the Bach Cello Suites in college, thanks to Mr. Williams, who was a bass trombonist. He could sing super low, and I loved his bass trombone playing, but never thought I could play the bass trombone. I took some trombone lessons from Jeff Cressman, a jazz trombone player in San Francisco with a really cool sound: it's direct and full, but also full of color. He has a wonderful concept, great guy.
So now I want to play the tuba, and I want to play many interesting gigs. I want to play the traditional band stuff but I really love the orchestral stuff. I want to play jazz but not quite sure how yet. That will come later. Just get out there first.