The Better Part of Valor

[plp]

OK, last night was the first public performance of the community band since I joined. All in all, it went well, but I wimped out on a couple of things and it is bugging me.

We did 'Pas Redouble' at a ridiculous tempo, and the runs, while simple, were more grace notes than actual runs. I have played them in rehersal, or at least attempted them, and was about 60/40 for success/failure. Last night I just laid out to help keep it clean, and it did sound pretty good.

'The Freelander's March' went pretty well, and I did play all of it, rips and all.

They handed out 'National Emblem' and 'SASF' at the last rehersal, standards the group has played many, many times over the past 10 years, as encores. As I was essentially sightreading, even though I have played both in the past, I just hit the high points I knew I could get.

I was trained to play every note of every piece of music to the best of my ability. It grates on me that even though I had practiced everything, I didn't have enough confidence in my ability to attempt the really tough stuff. For the sake of the group, I don't regret not playing on some of it, but from my personal perspective, it has been a bitter pill this morning.

What say you, and how do the rest of 'my people' handle these situations?

[Uberopa]

Hi,

What a wonderful story. You demonstrated "grace under pressure" and kept ego in check for the betterment of the ensemble. Those are signs of maturity not weakness. Could you have done better? Sure. In time you will redevelop the confidence in your ability to play under "battlefield" conditions. There is a large gap between the practice room and the show. What did you handle well? I believe you should celebrate that and the fact you perhaps could not have done as well last year.

Keep your chin up ... just don't lead with it

Cheers,

Brian

[westview1900]

I agree. Look at the glass as half full. Your new to this band, you did the best you could considering you were sightreading and you didn't do anything which detracted from the sound of the band. Good work.

[Don Herman rev2]

First, do no harm... There was a piece or two when I first joined the orchestra that I left out some of the notes (e.g. played the eighth notes of sixteenth runs) and/or left out, or handed off, a passage or two. At times, I played the first part, simply because I could play the high or melody line better than the harmony (is that a third of fifth, up or down, and when should I be matching the horns or the trombones?) There were also quite a few that I simply worked by buns off on to get right by the concert! The principal helped me through some spots, and my teacher even more, so that I could perform well on everything. A few years later, I can handle most any of it, though I find e.g. nailing the timing, style, and intonation of the harmony parts in Mozart harder than the fast runs and technical passages in some of the "harder" stuff!
_________________
"After silence, that which best expresses the inexpressible, is music" - Aldous Huxley

[bilboinsa]

I would say that this shows you are human--how wonderful! We have all done it, and we will all do it again under the right circumstances. On that piece, you willl get better and better, as with all things.
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Doug Walsdorf

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