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So one of my local symphonies had an emergency need for a fourth percussionist for their Flag Day pops concert and I volunteered. (I have played guitar with them before, and my wife is a violinist with them.) I got to bang on the bass drum, beat the triangle, got to do three cymbal styles, crashes and long suspended mallet splashes. Disney, J Williams, and patriotic things. The hardest part was counting a bagillian measures and then coming in on time. The other three guys were great helping me out, and I had a BLAST. I was very nervous in a live perf, missed a few cues, and the section leader said "Relax, we all screw up once in a while here and there." The bass drum in Williams' "Jaws" was especially fun. I would do it again in a heartbeat. One of the most fun musical experiences I've ever had. Those orchestral percussion folks are in a different world. The section leader brought a few things he built himself out of household parts.
Last edited by Woody Sound; 06-12-2022 at 10:09 PM.
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06-12-2022 09:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Woody Sound
A couple years later I was asked by the conductor (a different family friend) to play cymbals in a piece for orchestra and chorus that only needed one crash. The first rehearsal he fell off his stool when I crashed them too hard; thereafter, and at the next rehearsal, I was a little more gentle. At the performance, dressed in a tie and jacket, at the critical moment I pushed those two cymbals together, and my tie got right between them. This produced a very different sound than the conductor was expecting.
But it sounds like your experience was much more successful and rewarding. Congratulations!
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Originally Posted by Ukena
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Originally Posted by Woody Sound
I just got called for a show called "Dogfight" You ever play it? Anything i should look out for?
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Originally Posted by sgcim
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Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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Very cool story! Fun is good!
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Originally Posted by Ukena
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Originally Posted by Ukena
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Originally Posted by dot75
Marinero
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Originally Posted by Litterick
He told all his students that he used tranquilizers for every performance, and advised them to do the same.
I didn't know anything tranquilizers back then, so I don't know if they had beta blockers , but that's become the standard classical musician drug.
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[QUOTE=sgcim;1218244]It is a nerve wracking job. When I was an undergrad music major, the percussion teacher there was the percussionist for the NY Metropolitan Opera.
He told all his students that he used tranquilizers for every performance, and advised them to do the same.
I didn't know anything tranquilizers back then, so I don't know if they had beta blockers , but that's become the standard classical musician drug.[/QUOTE
Hi, S,
I never heard that from any of my Classical friends. Do you/anyone know what drugs they used? When I was playing nightclubs/bars as a horn player, I always had a Scotch on the rocks before we played our first set. Later in life, playing CG solo, I never drank until the gig was over. I believe the more you play, the greater your confidence becomes although I do know some players that suffered terribly from stage fright.
Marinero
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