TromboneChat

I discovered late yesterday afternoon that the call was a half hour earlier than usual, 6:30 instead of 7:00, for last night’s concert, likely out of a desire to spend a bit of extra time rehearsing with the soloist performing Schumann’s cello concerto.

I left at 5:00, in a bit of a rush, expecting a few traffic problems due to a Vaisakhi parade and a 7:30 soccer game.
Made it on time. I didn’t play in the opening number, a brief bit of fluff, or the Schumann, or in the first three movements of Brahms 4. We did play in the fourth movement of the Brahms, all 10 or so minutes of it.

Coming home, the tunnel under the river was one lane southbound due to maintenance and traffic was backed up. I got home at 11:30 pm.

So, six and a half hours, for 10 minutes of music.

Were you paid? If so, your note value was quite high. If you were playing a band concert, your note value would have been very low.

Seriously, though, I also wonder sometimes. The hours practicing and rehearsing, the performances that are acceptable but not great (or even exceptional), the commute, and sometimes the colleagues…

Had a run-out concert about 2 months ago. Spend 5-6 hours each day during a weekend playing a concert with an orchestra and a choir. Long commute, long break, lots of downtime. I enjoyed it—we played Russian Easter and I played second. Both shows went well, and the conductor forgot to acknowledge me both times! Several orchestra members were griping about the time commitment. I get it.

And then… there’s a moment where things fall into place. Maybe it’s teaching a lesson and the student achieves something. Maybe it’s a chord in rehearsal that’s played in tune, or a passage that is played well by the group. It can seem like magic at times, but we all know it’s about paying attention (mindfulness) and appreciating each moment for what it is.

Yeah what did you get paid for your 6 hours? If it was for charity, good on you!

Almost all my rehearsals and gigs require getting in the car and driving some distance to arrive early and set up before I play, and hang around while whatever happens happens. Plenty of time involved there. Sometimes (as in orchestra gigs) I play very few notes and count (or occasionally miscount) a lot of rests. Sometimes the music is great, but sometimes it's ... pedestrian. Sometimes the brass (or even the trombones) are featured, but often the trombones are afterthoughts or just a small part of the mix. Sometimes I get paid, but mostly I volunteer my time (and talents).

So I spend lots of time going and coming, actually play my trombone only some of the ensemble time, playing music that often is not particularly challenging and is often a rehash of stuff I've played before, for little if any financial compensation. Sounds terrible, doesn't it. Why do I keep doing this? Because I like making music! Playing the trombone is the only way I know how to do this.

How about you?

I was playing in an orchestra with a very disorganized conductor who would say things like "Start at P. No, start 4 bars before P. No, go back to N. ..."

I came to a rehearsal, warmed up, played the tuning note, and didn't play another note the entire rehearsal. I wondered why I was there.

There have been some wonderful moments in the last few years. Symphonie Fantastique, Shostakovich 5, Rhenish (on alto), Vaughn Williams London Symphony and Brahms 1 all come to mind. On a few occasions, I’ve invited old friends, which have turned the concerts into very special evenings.

But the driving and the traffic - most services involve navigating an old tunnel, an old bridge, and then a long drive across town- is wearing thin. And, to be honest, the stress of concerts is becoming harder to deal with for me.

To Bruce’s point, I have been fortunate in that all of the conductors over the past numbers of years have been very considerate not to waste the low brass’ time.

Wow, Bruce. That blows. Most conductors I've played for make it a point to not keep us sitting around doing nothing if they can. Sorry that happened to you.

5G, I tend not to look at these things in terms of time, traffic, or money. I always get there way early anyway, and that's on me. My metric is whether I'm having fun playing the music. If yes, then it's worth it. If no, then it's not. Sounds like this one was a "no" for you. Since it was a concert and not a rehearsal, it's unfortunate that they kept you sitting around for the opening number and the Schumann before getting to the Brahms, but that's the way those things go. Bummer they changed the call time for you for a piece you don't play on.

What you complain about is also what I ruminate about for my symphony work. But, you know, if that 10 minutes of music is awesome, it's worth it!

This is why I started playing more chamber music. Everything is relevant. We pick the music. We pick the people we play with. We pick the gigs we play or don't play. We decide if we play for money or for free. We run the rehearsals. It's much more fun than playing Karelia Suite for the 15th time and the cellos still can't get it right. I love orchestral music, but community orchestra is not where that happens.