What Happened to Being a Musician?

[Water Music]

Well, I know how to read Treble, I just don't want to have to transcribe the whole solo down a 4th the whole time. So I can arrange it myself in Bass Clef in concert pitch, but it will take about a day to do that, so I was just wondering if I could spend $10 just to buy a transcribed part. I was just wondering, because I'm not really wanting this piece to play for real as in using it for a reason, I just want it to play as a little warm up piece because I love the melodic lines throughout.

It is time consuming to transcribe a piece that takes longer than 10 minutes to play.

[Chuck(G)]

Anent that, I heard a very respected flute teacher say that without an exception, the really good students she's had could sing and dance--and the very best ones could act.

Watdyall think of that?

A friend once told me that Mr. Jacobs told him that if he could mandate a single course to study it'd be drama.

[ZACH336]

Have we really become that lazy?

I don't know about the rest of y'all's but I personaly have become "That" lazy.

[Donn]

Are you aspiring to be a professional musician or are you a hobbiest?

J.S. Bach obtained his tremendous musical skills (improvisational-on-the-fly and compositional) primarily by painstakingly copying the scores of the works of other composers.

I truly believe, as just one other example of something similar, that the age of the great mathematicians is in our past - as mathematicians now punch buttons, rather than putting pen to paper...and (as just one more example) how many hi skool and kollij gadjits nowudaze noze hau 2 spel?

I dont no. BTW, what's a hobbiest?

[Water Music]

Well, I'm only in high school, so I'm having enough time wasted on work for other classes then spending time to transcribe music, as well as practicing which I would rather do then transcribe.

[Chuck(G)]

dont no. BTW, what's a hobbiest?

Bloke's one of the hobbiest folks that I know.

I'm somewhere between hobby and hobbier.

[Donn]

Bloke's one of the hobbiest folks that I know.

I'm somewhere between hobby and hobbier.

Well, we're all hobbiest doin what we love.

[prototypedenNIS]

I dont no. BTW, what's a hobbiest?

hobbiest
hob bee ist: one who is an expert in the lives and culture of the fictional characters created by author J.R.R. Tolkien known as "Hobbits."
The Hobbiest is usually relatively short, with curly hair, big hairy feet, clean shaven so well that you'd assume that he had not yet reached puberty, and will wear an ugly hood all the time as well as having a ring which he never actually wears.

A hobbiest is most often found in his natural habitats, in small ugly bars, or at Bi Monthly Science Fiction Conventions (BiMonSciFiCon's) where they attempt to explain that Frodo could soo kick Luke Skywalker's ***!

[imperialbari]

When playing music in other notations, clef- and keywise, than one is used to, why not just learn to transpose/re-set-the-clef on the fly?

If the parts weren’t too difficult I could do that at sight aged 16. And my teacher had been the most common human feature: laziness!

I started transcribing a part. After very few bars I got the idea, and stopped writing. I could “moveâ€

[TubaRay]

Well, I'm only in high school, so I'm having enough time wasted on work for other classes then spending time to transcribe music, as well as practicing which I would rather do then transcribe.

Let's hope that time is not actually being wasted. As much as I am into music, I recognize I/we need to know a lot more than just music.

[TubaRay]

Students couldn't spell their way out of a paper bag, even the average college kid. They write like they talk. I guess they never knew that Hooked On Phonics bore no resemblance to the real words people expect you to know.

One needs only to read many of the posts on TubeNet to see how true this is.

[windshieldbug]

It seems that whenever I log into this board someone is either asking for a transposition or a transcription of a part.

Whenever I do a Balinese gamelon piece, I NEED a transcription. I'm good, but not that good...

[Dan Schultz]

Another of my posts with a rhetorical question.

The subject line and your first question leads to lots more questions. I'm wondering what your definition of 'musician' is.

Can't I consider myself a musician without spending my time doing transpositions? Do I have to know all of the major, minor, and whatever scales and practice them daily to consider myself a musician? ..... or can I simply enjoy playing music?

I preside over a rather successful community band. The Board of Directors doesn't even begin to define what the term 'to play' means. Is there really a positive definition? I'ld like to hear your definition.

[windshieldbug]

I'm wondering what your definition of 'musician' is.

To paraphrase the "funniest joke ever told":
Der ver two peanuts valking down de strasse.
Eins vas a musician.
Die oder von didn't have any money, eider.

[sloan]

I truly believe, as just one other example of something similar, that the age of the great mathematicians is in our past - as mathematicians now punch buttons, rather than putting pen to paper...and (as just one more example) how many hi skool and kollij gadjits nowudaze noze hau 2 spel?

How many mathematicians do you know, Bloke?

What is your Erdos number?

[sloan]

I do my own transcription when I really want the piece. Real men do their own.

I think that is offensive, why not say "real men boff the flute player and get her to do it"?

naah...RealMen boff the flute player, wait 12 years, buy the kid Sibelius, and let HIM do it.

[tubeast]

I once transcribed the first movement of Bach Sonate II off of Walter Hilgers´ Tubadour CD because I was too lazy to go out and buy it (bought the piece later on anyways ´cause I wasn´t able to come up with the piano part as well, and had promised to perform it on a wedding)

What strikes me is how constantly history keeps repeating itself, in that one generation claims it was better in the old days and the current youngsters were a wonderful example of decadence. Just accept it as a symptom of human aging process and be a living example of what YOU believe is good for society, but don´t make a big deal of it.

I cherish memories of grown-ups I met as a kid and who impressed me and had positive effects on me, one way or other.
I´m sure I still turned out my own way.

[anonymous4]

Of course not every single young person is a slothful idiot, but the trend in poor spelling, lack of common sense, heightened laziness, etc. can not be disputed. TV, video games, computers, MTV, pop music, etc. are certainly factors.

Actually, it has been disputed:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/157322 ... e&n=283155

[Dan Schultz]

I don't expect Dan to learn all his scales, but there's no doubt he's a professional musician. ... Doc

I appreciate your comment, Doc... but... the word in dispute is 'musician'... not 'professional'. I know professionals who don't know their a**es from a hole in the ground. I also know musicians who couldn't pour pi** out of a boot if the directions were on the heel. Each term has a million definitions. Am I a music professional simply because I try to make a living beating little Johnny's horn back into shape? Am I a professional musician just because I often make a little money playing music?
Maybe how good a musician you are ... or how good a professional you are is based on how much money you make rather than how much you know. or vise versa

[pulseczar]

Back to the original point (I hope):
Being a musician is separate from being a tuba player. The instrument is only the mechanism by which we express our musical ideas and messages. The tuba is not an end unto itself (ok, we'd all like to think it was), it is but a medium of expression, and A DAMNED FINE ONE AT THAT! The tuba, however, isn't what makes you the musician. Ability, talent, training, intuition (ok, listening/awareness), etc. go into making the musician. Thoughts?

Doc

I like this quote. It's my own definition of musicianship. I've played alot of instruments and the learning curve for each instruments has been drastically shorter than other people because of my musicianship. I transpose and find other neat ways to overcome the new clef or key.

I've also done a few gigs where my musicianship really helped me through a tight spot. Many times somebody calls me last minute to play bass guitar in their band. In this situation my ears as well as knowledge of scales helps me get down the songs faster than them taking the time to write down scale sheets and timings and rhythms etc etc.

In turn, developing these skills have helped me become a better tuba because I understand the different aspects of other parts of music. Ie, how the melody corresponds to the bass line and the different ways you can respond to the melody.

I've totally lost my focus, but in conclusion, I believe musicianship can be transferred from one instrument from another.