stage deportment

[Mark]

****shorts, flip-flops, and sleeveless T's for an evening event where the ensemble is wearing black tie?

If it's an evening event, shouldn't the ensemble be wearing white tie and tails?

[sloan]

****shorts, flip-flops, and sleeveless T's for an evening event where the ensemble is wearing black tie?

If it's an evening event, shouldn't the ensemble be wearing white tie and tails?

Not for an audience wearing white Tees and thongs.

[sloan]

Pet peeve #69: thread hi-jacking

[ken k]

One that I've seen more and more...

Percussionists dropping stuff.

I recognize that there's a lot going on back there... but come on...

I sense an opportunity here for the über-modern composer: Concerto for Clumsy Percussion.

Already done....PDQ bach's Grand Serenade for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion. In one of the movements the percussion section is supposed to knock over half of thier equipment....typical PDQ Bach...

[imperialbari]

PDQ bach's Grand Serenade for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion. In one of the movements the percussion section is supposed to knock over half of thier equipment....typical PDQ Bach...

I guess one revered TN-moderator would love to volunteer as auxiliary percussionist in a performance of that piece. And preparing with the right mix of Mexican spices and some Sauerkraut he also could help out with an Awful Lot of Wind.

K

[tubatom91]

woodwinds blowing the moisture from under their pads during rehearsal and concerts, that ridiculous foot stomping business that happens when somebody does something "good," and of course when the principal Violist turns his head and illustrates the bowing during a rehearsal to thier section because of course they've already attempted to memorize everything they would screw up when learning with an ensemble........our P violist did this and I shot him a hell of a glare, it's not his job to teach, just to lead.

[Arbeegee]

...And yet we are all perfectly happy to blow saliva onto the floor. Or has there been new technology introduced to eliminate this since I last played, like a cloth?

RBG

[averagejoe]

...And yet we are all perfectly happy to blow saliva onto the floor. Or has there been new technology introduced to eliminate this since I last played, like a cloth?

RBG

Most of the water that collects in the horn is condensation. It is still kind of gross to dump it on the floor, but people don't seem to mind as much when they realize that we aren't dumping a pint of spit on the floor every rehearsal.
I do use a towel when playing on a nice finished wood stage, like at my church. But I really don't like hauling around a moist, dirty towel.

[gwwilk]

I do use a towel when playing on a nice finished wood stage, like at my church. But I really don't like hauling around a moist, dirty towel.

A problem that's easily solved by regularly remembering to include your towel in your laundry, which you're already doing anyway, right? My towels travel in my accessory case along with my playing rest and K&M stand, so they're unloaded and air dried as soon as I arrive home. I hate mildew. My practice area at home is carpeted, so I always use towels there too. Once you acquire the habit, it's hard to break. If your towels stink, you're likely using them for something other than collecting condensation or not drying them properly.

Back nearer the topic, one of my biggest pet peeves is someone near me talking so I can't hear what the conductor is saying.

[Rick Denney]

Most of the water that collects in the horn is condensation.

Condensed what?

I do use a towel when playing on a nice finished wood stage, like at my church. But I really don't like hauling around a moist, dirty towel.

Especially when what makes it moist is saliva.

Rick "thinking that vapor came from somewhere" Denney

[Rick Denney]

Talking during rehearsal annoys me terribly. Percussionists seem to be the worst--they claim to have all that equipment to discuss before they knock it over.

Foot-tapping is also annoying. Tapping sounds should come from the percussion section, once they pick up their equipment after knocking it over.

Counting out loud is definitely not something the percussion section will do. Nor will they count to themselves, apparently.

I have seen people wear the required formal garb, and then play the concert with their dinner jacket draped over the chair. Huh?

My mute may look like it was made from screen-door parts, but it's hard to knock over.

A big pet peeve of mine is when the flute players complain about not having enough space, resulting in the rows being squeezed to the back of the band, leaving me no room to put my tuba down. This is particularly annoying in concerts where I'm using two instruments.

Another pet peeve is being caught between the horns and the percussion. It requires profound commitment to play in time when the beats and afterbeats are arriving at my head at the same instant, with sufficient acoustic energy to keep my eyes from focusing on the conductor.

Why is it that trumpet players need their cases behind their chairs during rehearsal, just where I need to put my feet, stand, and instrument? Don't they know that the tiered rehearsal space provides no adjustment room? Can't they invest in a stand they can place under their music stand, like professionals use, if they are going to use two instruments?

What is it about musicians who seem incapable of avoiding the edge of my bell when walking around on stage in places where they do not need to be?

And when non-religious musicians accept a church gig, can't they at least pretend to be interested when sitting in front of the congregation? Do they really need to scowl, roll their eyes, sleep, and otherwise proclaim their disdain for the proceedings?

And speaking of disdain, is there ever a time when musicians should reveal their disdain for the audience, however much they feel provoked? (I attended a couple of concerts during my visit to London a couple of years ago. Many there were quite informally dressed, which surprised me. But they were there, and seemed to be there because they loved music. I'll take that over sartorial sense any day.)

Can Sloan actually not know that the word "thong" now brings images to mind unrelated to what are now called flip-flops?

Can Bloke ever look comfortable in white tie? I've seen him in a black suit. Can you say "Blues Brothers"?

If musicians move around dramatically during performance but not during rehearsal, it seems to me they have exposed their motivation for moving around.

And for conductors, isn't there a reasonable balance between floor-door-window-ceiling time-beating and amorphous waving that provides no definite beat? (I'm spoiled by my current conductor--one of the few who understands that balance. But I'll take time-beating over telepathy as a means of communication any day.)

Rick "enough for now" Denney

[Mark]

Why is it that some string players, those with an apparent death wish, think that my tuba case makes a good seat during breaks?

[The Big Ben]

My, Rick, you certainly are in a mood... Maybe you need some All-Bran and hot prune juice.

Jeff "just offering a suggestion" Benedict

[sloan]

Talking during rehearsal annoys me terribly. Percussionists seem to be the worst--they claim to have all that equipment to discuss before they knock it over.

No - the trumpets are the worst. At the dress rehearsal they still feel the need to discuss "who's on first?"

Why is it that trumpet players need their cases behind their chairs during rehearsal, just where I need to put my feet, stand, and instrument? Don't they know that the tiered rehearsal space provides no adjustment room? Can't they invest in a stand they can place under their music stand, like professionals use, if they are going to use two instruments?

What is it about musicians who seem incapable of avoiding the edge of my bell when walking around on stage in places where they do not need to be?

And, why, precisely, do the trumpets think that the low brass section is the exit aisle?

Can Sloan actually not know that the word "thong" now brings images to mind unrelated to what are now called flip-flops?

Did Denney actually think I was referring to flip-flops? His imagination is smarter than he is.

And for conductors, isn't there a reasonable balance between floor-door-window-ceiling time-beating and amorphous waving that provides no definite beat? (I'm spoiled by my current conductor--one of the few who understands that balance. But I'll take time-beating over telepathy as a means of communication any day.)

Pet conductor peeve: following a fermata, the next measure has 4 beats. The first beat is a rest. The brass has a mass entrance on beat two. On what beat does the conductor make his very first motion? Who is more confused by this: the brass, or the woodwinds that enter on beat one of the following measure?

[roughrider]

Would it be possible to have an aisle created so that the tuba section could actually get to the back of the rehearsal space without knocking over every single damn instrument on the way? It is an obstacle course to say the least. As well, find a place to put the extra stands that seem to get pushed into our corner and cause a major disruption in our seating pattern. Could the players who cannot seem to stop talking please do so? I am not interested in your business, just listenening to the conductor when he announces the next piece. Finally, to the pinhead baritone saxophone player who turns around every time he thinks we've made a mistake, "Face the front or a bell front tuba will be meeting the top of your head". Rant over

[Ben]

I have a couple of issues with the groups I currently play with, but things are much better now than they have been in the past.

The biggest complaint is to those who enter rehearsal late. Who then take it upon themselves to walk in front of the entire sections WHILE we are actively rehearsing. Or even continue to stand for up to minutes trying to locate their stand/partner/music/seat... . There are two regular offenders in the viola section of this particular "social" orchestra.

Chatting - it is hard enough in the back row to hear the conductor... talk on your own time please.

In the past I had played with a community band that practiced in a room that was entirely too small for the ensemble. Not only was intonation often suspect, but the sheer volume was terrible. I started wearing -20dB earplugs and my ears would still ring afterward.

Oh yeah, pretty much everything else that has been said

end rant

[bort]

The out-loud counting drives me crazy:
-- when it's accompanied by some sort of quasi-conducting hand movement.
-- when it's WRONG
-- when it's "additive" (e.g., there is a a series of six 5 bar rests, and you hear "21 two three four, 22 two three four..."

And Ben, you're right on about the latecomers... the more they try to not get in the way, the more they get in the way!

[Rick Denney]

My, Rick, you certainly are in a mood... Maybe you need some All-Bran and hot prune juice.

Jeff "just offering a suggestion" Benedict

Hey, this is a pet-peeve thread. It's supposed to be negative. Or are you talking about my artiste-block-moaning over in the LFPF?

Rick "the watch says yabadabadoo! time" Denney

[Rick Denney]

Did Denney actually think I was referring to flip-flops? His imagination is smarter than he is.

The visual associated with that has done permanent psychological harm.

Rick "who will send you the therapy bills" Denney

[sloan]

Did Denney actually think I was referring to flip-flops? His imagination is smarter than he is.

The visual associated with that has done permanent psychological harm.

Rick "who will send you the therapy bills" Denney

"Stay between the lines" - TubaRay