Required viewing for "performance" majors:

[MartyNeilan]

I posted this buried elsewhere, but I thought it might be appropriate here...
I can just picture the commercial now for performance majors:

THIS IS YOUR HOUSE:

THIS IS YOUR HOUSE AS AN INSTRUMENT REPAIRMAN:

ANY QUESTIONS?

[windshieldbug]

You're exactly right. Been there, done that, got the tshirt, sold it to get $$$ until the next gig, served the guy I sold it to...

[Art Hovey]

I was hoping to see a comment from Bloke here.
-Art "what this world needs is a good piccolo mute" Hovey-

[Rick Denney]

Ummmmm..... can I get some of that money???

Lol

Here's the secret: Spend less than you make. In this case, it's more like spend MUCH less than you make. For a long, long time. Then this formula works.

Rick "suggesting this is true no matter how much you make" Denney

[sloan]

Ummmmm..... can I get some of that money???

Lol

Here's the secret: Spend less than you make. In this case, it's more like spend MUCH less than you make. For a long, long time. Then this formula works.

Rick "suggesting this is true no matter how much you make" Denney

This works only when you make enough to satisfy basic needs. People with income far above the subsistence level are accustomed to being in control of what they spend and how they spend it. They forget that there is an inelastic pedestal at the base of their (very elastic) budget.

The irony, of course, is that it's often those with highly elastic budgets who spend more than they make!

[Rick Denney]

This works only when you make enough to satisfy basic needs. People with income far above the subsistence level are accustomed to being in control of what they spend and how they spend it. They forget that there is an inelastic pedestal at the base of their (very elastic) budget.

Perhaps, but I'll bet that is not the issue with most music majors, at least at first.

And there's a lot of presumed inelasticity for those who grow up with expectations of luxury. So, they continue to spend when cash is tight just out of momentum or habit more than anything.

Don't ask me how I know.

The owner of the house in question is not known for expectations of luxury. He is known for counseling against those expectations, and we both know that he lives by his own advice.

Rick "not talking about the truly poor, but about the majority who make themselves poor" Denney

[ArnoldGottlieb]

I find it ironic (or sad) that this thread which began as somebody complaining about no gigs for performance majors, is running concurrently with a thread about people who are too lazy to do their own transcription work, and another where people don't want to read other clefs. I'm trying to remember when I had a tuba or bass teacher who told me that this would be an easy life or who forced me into this.
I'm somewhat sad to report that the "Bloke's", "Doc's", and others on this board are making me seriously reconsider my liberal politics. The only reason I have time today on my off day to even read this board is a terrible cold that's keeping me out of the gym and practice mind (and no, it didn't keep me out of work last week), but man, what job does anybody hope to get without the skills demanded by that job? Enough from me. May even too much.
Peace.
ASG

[Lew]

I posted this buried elsewhere, but I thought it might be appropriate here...
I can just picture the commercial now for performance majors:

THIS IS YOUR HOUSE:

THIS IS YOUR HOUSE AS AN INSTRUMENT REPAIRMAN:

ANY QUESTIONS?

I would have thought that an instrument repairman's house, other than a select few, would be more like this:



This home is currently on the market in New Jersey for $330,000.

[RyanSchultz]

I am reminded of Dr. Jerry Young's article in the TUBA Journal in the late 90s. He wrote something to the effect of: we should not be in the business of killing dreams but we should temper them with knowledge of realities. . .

Anyway, many of us performance degree types own houses/property; but it is definitely a difficult path.

By the way, nice looking house.

[Eric Fritz]

Marty, I have read several of your posts over the years and it is obvious that you are bitter that you didn´t land that big tuba gig. I am truly sorry that things have not worked out for you like you had dreamed of when I met you in the spring of 1989 in NYC for the Juilliard, Manhattan and Mannes auditions. You were a VERY motivated and confident 17 or 18 year old. You also could do MANY things on the tuba at that age that I couldn´t do.

Life is about decisions and maybe you should stop and think about the decisions that you have made and most importantly; learn from them. I am sure you have made good ones and by the sound of things, you have bad ones. You have one life and one life only. Live it to the fullest and stop bitching that everything´s F______ up and see what creative and productive thing you can do in this world. It sounds that you have a beautiful family which in and of itself, is a HUGE accomplishment. You live in the GREATEST country in the world for opportunity and I am sorry to say that you are NOT taking adavantage of all the opportunities around you. The tuba hasn´t worked out but don´t sat around and blame everybody else.

Marty, I feel VERY lucky for the personal and professional life I have though it´s not perfect and I would like to change many things. Well, a few years ago I made the decision to make those changes and I am seeing results. I am not perfect and this post is only meant to lift you up and help you see that you do have options but YOU have to create them.

I wish you the very best my tuba brother. Eric

[MartyNeilan]

Marty, I have read several of your posts over the years and it is obvious that you are bitter that you didn´t land that big tuba gig.

This thread was intended as primarily a JOKE. I am very proiud of our resident "grumpy old man" who was able to purchase a homestead that dwarfs what most so-called performers can ever hope to aspire to.
Yes, I was very bitter about recently losing my music ed position, yes, after spending a lifetime aspiring to that and almost four years of hard work with a wife and two kids to do it. Wrong school, wrong time, whatever. After I made an *** of myself publicly and got told by some including Scooby, I straightened up and started on a more productive path.

HOWEVER, I have never seriously wanted that "big tuba gig". I was doing quite well at MSM when I voluntarily left after a couple of semesters. Why? because I knew that the odds of making it were stacked against me no matter how good I was. I had buddies on other instruments that had Master's degrees from Juilliard that were waiting tables and ushering in theaters. So I took a different route I made a VERY comfortable living in the computer field for ten years, starting in my late teens.

The dot-com crash kept me out of work for a while, and I decided to do what I had always wanted to do - teach music. I went to a school that was known for producing good teachers instead of a perfomance mill and that had the kind of atmosphere I was looking for. I had the time of my life for three and a half years and got to play all over the country and even on the other side of the world. Although my ed degree proved near useless for a while, I don't regret a day I spent doing it.

I am now in the process of getting a job where I get to do music and have much more freedom than I could in a school system. More on that when it is 100% definite.

My sense of Humor is often very sacrastic or witty; don't take everything I say too literally. If you met me in person you would understand better - ask my old buddy Frank Ortega.

As much as I admire the oft talked about prodigy CJ, I honestly would not want to go back and be in her shoes, if the magic tuba fairy waved the heavyweight wand and let me. I love my family and have gotten to "be there and do that" in many situations that would not have been feasible otherwise.

Depending on where I ultimately wind up, I may try to do some regional orchestra playing. I have never tried to pursue any of the "big gigs" that came along and never intend to - that's just not my thing. I decided that when I left MSM at 18 and I still believe that now.

You also could do MANY things on the tuba at that age that I couldn´t do.

Who says I still can't? I can still hang with all but the biggest boys in the biz when I want to.

Have a good one, and don't get too worked up.

[MartyNeilan]

I find it ironic (or sad) that this thread which began as somebody complaining about no gigs for performance majors, is running concurrently with a thread about people who are too lazy to do their own transcription work, and another where people don't want to read other clefs.

I have thought about adding something earlier to the transposition thread, but hung back. Since the finger seems to be pointing at me now, I have done some rather creative transcriptions, including my favorite - Bach Brandenburg #2, trupet gospel solos, horn and cello works, a trumpet virtuoso piece Concertpiece (Curnow) first performed by Phil Smith at my school, and the requisite Stars and Stripes pic solo when I was 16. In my MIDI alter-ego, I have done everything and anything under the sun, often live and not sequenced, as creatively as possible. The key to all this? I NEVER WROTE ANYTHING DOWN.
My take on transcribing is know clefs, transpositions, etc. Know how to read trumpet music fluently on BBb, CC, and F tuba (and Eb if that's what ya got). Even if your tenor and alto clef may be a hair rusty (no more), make absolute best friends with treble clef despite being a tuba player - no excuses. Know Bb and Eb transpositions, as there is a lot of clarinet, trumpet, and sax stuff out there you may want to devour. Be able to play every piece you have on every horn you have, no matter how high or low, fast or slow.
The majority of solo stuff I have played over the years was never written for tuba, but noone ever complained when I played it. Make your own solos.
End sermon.

[Eric Fritz]

Marty, I wasn´t "worked up". I simply have interpreted several of your posts as being pretty negative. Joke or not. I also wanted to (in my way) offer something useful. Now looking at this another way, many people and numerous insitutions could be offended by your pics. Either way, you do your thing and I´ll do mine. Regards, E

[MartyNeilan]

Marty, I wasn´t "worked up". I simply have interpreted several of your posts as being pretty negative. Joke or not. Now looking at this another way, many people and numerous insitutions could be offended by your pics.

Submitted for your approval:
Podunk U cranks out X number of tuba players every year. Podunk U fills their heads with false aspirations. Podunk U tells them to be perfomance majors instead of perfomance minors, and ed majors, communications majors, business majors, math majors, pre-med majors, etc. X number of students graduate Podunk U with stars in their eyes. WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM NOW??????

I even had a few well-meaning profs try to do this to me at my last school. (yet, not the ones who have actually "been there and done it".) I have been around enough to know that my playing abilities (by themselves) will not get me much more than that disappearing $6-$10K job, if I am lucky to find that one. Then what?

As a God-fearing man, I cannot and will not send X amount of kids out in the real world with their heads filled with half-truths. Yes, there are the few truly talented ones. Encourage them, and put a boot up their rear when they need to practice more. Do not give false hope to the rest of them that know the fingering chart in the back of the book as you are only depriving them of the truth. Sometimes the real truth hurts. Better now than $40-$140,000 and 4 (or 5 or 6) years later. Way back when, kids went to school to be prepared to make a living.

I also wanted to (in my way) offer something useful.

So do I, hence the nature of most of my posts. Although my mouthpiece might be a little heavy, I usually know what I am talking about when it comes to tuba stuff. Perhaps even this thread

If I stepped on someone's toes, that happens. We all just have to agree that its OK to disagree - The bearded blackhooded guys with AK-47's haven't picked me up yet. I have had my toes stepped on plenty, and I am grateful for what much of that stepping has done for me. I also think a lot of the middle school and high school "wonders" who frequent this board could use a little toe stepping - and I am not afraid to put on my steel toed boots. I am not naming names or schools, therefore noone should be taking any personal offense. Unless, of course, in their heart they know they have preached these same half-truths to students and led them down the wrong path.

Marty "pleasantly agreeing to disagree with you about this singular issue" Neilan

[ArnoldGottlieb]

I find it ironic (or sad) that this thread which began as somebody complaining about no gigs for performance majors, is running concurrently with a thread about people who are too lazy to do their own transcription work, and another where people don't want to read other clefs.

I have thought about adding something earlier to the transposition thread, but hung back. Since the finger seems to be pointing at me now, I have done some rather creative transcriptions, including my favorite - Bach Brandenburg #2, trupet gospel solos, horn and cello works, a trumpet virtuoso piece Concertpiece (Curnow) first performed by Phil Smith at my school, and the requisite Stars and Stripes pic solo when I was 16. In my MIDI alter-ego, I have done everything and anything under the sun, often live and not sequenced, as creatively as possible. The key to all this? I NEVER WROTE ANYTHING DOWN.
My take on transcribing is know clefs, transpositions, etc. Know how to read trumpet music fluently on BBb, CC, and F tuba (and Eb if that's what ya got). Even if your tenor and alto clef may be a hair rusty (no more), make absolute best friends with treble clef despite being a tuba player - no excuses. Know Bb and Eb transpositions, as there is a lot of clarinet, trumpet, and sax stuff out there you may want to devour. Be able to play every piece you have on every horn you have, no matter how high or low, fast or slow.
The majority of solo stuff I have played over the years was never written for tuba, but noone ever complained when I played it. Make your own solos.
End sermon.

Hey Marty,
If the finger is pointing at you as far as the other threads, I'm not pointing it. I'm sure you can transpose better than I can on tuba, I just keep on trying to keep up while having a career as a bass player who's lucky enough to sometimes play the tuba. I was simply pointing out some paralells and wondering who's spending time on tubenet and complaining about not having time to do their practice, transcription, whatever, and then adjusting the mirror so it wasn't pointing at me.
Blokebaby,
I won't discuss p------s on this thread with you as it's not the right use of this board as we both know, I will however send you a PM when I can think a bit more clearly, I mean, I've told you in private that I'm a S, or perhaps just an I, but let's talk privately sometime about what you think all of the R stuff is.
I will however always say "Peace"
Peace.
ASG

[MartyNeilan]

I will however always say "Peace"
Peace.
ASG

I have a great deal of respect for competent bass players such as yourself, of which I am am not. You guys are the backbone of contemporary music. I played keys (tried to) in a band last weekend and I had to teach the bass player what a flat 7 (bVII for you college theory geeks) chord was and explain how it is a full step below the tonic and not a half step, like he insisted. Wait until I blow his mind with the oft overused bVI bVII I progression!

Peace out, buddy, and keep laying them funky lines down!

[ArnoldGottlieb]

Wait,
TWO FRET'S DOWN!!!! right? I knew it!
Peace.
ASG

[iiipopes]

I wish I could be there to see his reaction when you also try to explain that I bVII bVI V is also a descending melodic minor, compared to V VI VII I, which is ascending melodic in both major and minor, and V bVI VII I is harmonic minor!

THEN -- explaining to him that for harmonic variety there are such things called -- you guessed it -- INVERSIONS!!!

bII6 V6/V V7 vi ii6 viio6 I64 V87 I4---3

[windshieldbug]

If you ever see a King Super 20 trumpet
in silverplate serial no. 330XXX,
please let me know!

Considering that could be a thousand horns, what would you do about it? Didn't you keep the actual number!?

[iiipopes]

I have the serial number written down. I keep the last three digits hidden so I can weed out the chaff. Think about it. If I say, "What is the serial number," to a would-be reward claimant, he has nothing to lose and all to gain by telling me the number. If he knows the number in advance, it's almost a sure-fire way to get taken for a ride.

Also, to my knowledge, and after much research, all Super-20's, with the exception of the sterling silver bell or some dual-bore models (which were called symphony models), all came in lacquer. When I had mine redone in 1979, I had it bright silverplated. So to my knowledge, which of course excepts out possibly only a very few other instruments also custom done, mine is the only one. Another reason I post as I do.