Forming A Brass Quintet

valvepimp · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2003 7:46 am Post subject:

How would you go about forming a brass quintet comprised solely of comeback players? I am in New York, a location that would seem to have enough brass players to accomplish this with relative ease. But does it? I mean practically speaking, our rehearsals would have to be on weekends or evenings assuming we all have day jobs, and those of us who have wives and families would have to be able to get away for a few hours that would normally be spent as family time.

I would be completely open to the idea of also having non CB players in this quintet, or, if they would have me, I'd be willing to be the sole CB member. But that also calls into question one's level of expertise. I'd probably have to play with high school players at the moment, which I wouldn't mind, but I am not sure if they'd want a player of my vintage among them. So, ideally, if all five of us were CB players, we'd be able to better understand each others' reasons for wanting to be in such a quintet in the first place, and would possibly be more forgiving of missed notes. Come to think of it, that might be a BAD thing! Yeah - we must all be each others' harshest critics - that's the ticket! How else are we gonna improve? But seriously, what would be the best way to organize such a group? Is there such a thing as a comeback horn player or trombone player? One would think that once one was done with such wretched instruments, that'd be the end of it!

(just kidding)
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_swthiel · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2003 1:49 pm Post subject:

I've been wondering the same thing ... I desparately need to get into some kind of a regular performance groove. I was thinking about trying to connect with the conductor for one of the local community orchestras, on the theory that there might be some comebackers, or at least serious amateurs, in those groups. Let us know what else you think of.

Steve
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Steve Thiel

Matthew 25:31-46

pitchlevel · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2003 1:58 pm Post subject:

hey pimp, back when i was a student i used to play gigs like the doctors orchestra, the new amsterdam symphony, the greenwich village symphony etc. they are community groups made up mostly of comebackers or weekend warrior types (but they always need ringers). those would be great places to look.
OT-did you see that dillons is auctioning off all of Mel´s horns?

roynj · Heavyweight Member Joined: 19 Oct 2002 Posts: 2065

I would suggest getting the word out to local colleges (trumpet principals) or perhaps even high school band directors. Also talk to several private trumpet teachers in your area as they may have some leads. In addition, there may be a community band in your area that you could approach with the opportunity.

valvepimp · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2003 2:39 pm Post subject:

_PhilPicc · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2003 3:54 pm Post subject:

I organized my quintet from members of the community band I play in. We still have problems with scheduling practice sessons. There is also the problem of dedication among
the participants. This is our second year and there are still issues to be resolved.

As far as music, There are some sites where you can get free charts but I will have to get more information on those. I have gotten charts off of ebay but not at any great savings.

The Canadian Brass site has charts at various levels of playing.

http://www.canbrass.com/index_cb.html

HTH,
Phil
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Philip Satterthwaite

We cannot expect you to be with us all the time, but perhaps you could be good enough to keep in touch now and again."
- Sir Thomas Beecham to a musician during a rehearsal

trombapaul2 · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2003 4:24 pm Post subject:

My group was formed from players in the Oakland Univ. Wind Ensemble. The
conductor basically shot himself in the foot. He asked the top 5 players to
play a quintet chart on a wind chamber program. We performed the "Canadian
Brass Rag" and enjoyed it so much, we left the band at the end of the season.
We've been rehearsing on Wednesday nights ever since (13 years).

Sometimes, the scheduling of rehearsals becomes a juggling match but we
manage. Our biggest challenges have come when 2 players had to leave the
group due to job relocations. Of course, it had to be the 2 hardest to replace,
horn and tuba. Again, we've managed and continue to meet and play. We do
this whether we have jobs coming up or not. Personally, I do it to maintain
my sanity!!

Paul

trumplyr · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 7:46 am Post subject:

Phil,

Scheduling & dedication.....you've hit the nail on the head. I booked a christmas gig recently for one of the quintets I play in. We haven't played together for about 6 / 7 months. Wanted two rehearsals for the gig. Could only get one agreed upon date between six people (using perc. for this job). Tuba player didn't answer emails or phone messages and was a no show for the rehearsal. Other trumpet player walks in and says " let's get going, I can't stay long". Procedes to clam more notes then I could count. I'm so afraid we're going to be embarrassed on this gig. I'm about ready to throw in the towel.

Kind of envious of trombapaul2's group. Great players and dedicated also. DAMN.

trombapaul2 · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 7:54 am Post subject:

Marty,

Holiday gigs are the hardest. If it's any consolation, my group is NOT playing Christmas
day. Too many individual conflicts between family functions, one guy traditionally plays
with another group (has been since before he came on board with us), a strong desire
NOT to play midnight services, etc. All of these "conflicts" need to be respected and
dealt with. We are playing all sorts of events around the holidays...just not on the holidays.

Speaking of holidays, I hope everyone here has a terrific Thanksgiving. Thank God
the Lions play at home on Thanksgiving. They MAY actually win.

Paul

trumplyr · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 2:51 pm Post subject:

Paul,

I know & I understand about the holiday's. I play with a totally different group on Easter & Christmas, but the gig I was talking about is Dec. 1st., I should have made that clear. Anyway...................

I second Paul's wishes for everyone to have a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday.

About the Lions.............GO WINGS !!!!!!

Marty

[ This Message was edited by: trumplyr on 2003-11-23 17:56 ]

_PhilPicc · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 3:27 pm Post subject:

Paul & Marty, Maybe we can switch players.

Let's think about a trumpetfest in our area.

Happy Holidays to all,
Phil
_________________
Philip Satterthwaite

We cannot expect you to be with us all the time, but perhaps you could be good enough to keep in touch now and again."
- Sir Thomas Beecham to a musician during a rehearsal

nyc_lurker · Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2003 7:42 am Post subject:

Valvepimp,

Try the link below and make a posting on what you're looking for band-wise. This being NY I'm sure there are plenty of adults who play at high-school level (or lower, such as myself). I'd imagine many NY'ers decide to pick up an instrument as adults partly due to the dismal/non-existent music programs within NYC public schools.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/muc/

Regards,

[edit: fixed link]

[ This Message was edited by: nyc_lurker on 2003-11-24 11:57 ]

Skaket03 · New Member Joined: 20 Nov 2003 Posts: 9

Hi Valvepimp,

Once I begin my comeback, I was hoping to join or form a small group such as a quintet because I truly enjoyed that music the most back in high school. It's been 22 years for me, so I need to first buy a horn and then do lots of practice. Hopefully next year I will be ready. Northern NJ here, so I will use some of the tips here to find or join a quintet in the area. Thank you all for posting the recommendations. ---Skaket
_________________
Comeback Player after 22 years.

valvepimp · Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 5:23 pm Post subject:

Hi Skaket. welcome to TH and to the Comeback Forum. I can't imagine what that must be like, to know you'd like to begin your comeback and to not have a trumpet at the moment. All throughout my dormancy I still had most of my best horns, and even though I only tooted on them occasionally, it felt right that they were still there. To have severed the relationship between yourself and trumpet to the point of not even owning one would have felt very foreign to me. I hope you find a nice one quickly.
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freaklip · Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2003 2:52 am Post subject:

Dear Valvepimp:
I was also a comeback player, about 4 years ago. Once I got back in shape, I wanted to play in a big band, so I put one together. Some of the musicians are co-workers. To find others, I emailed every community band in the area. Some bands webpages list the individual musicians' email addresses, which made it easy. I did the same thing for school districts in the area. I went to the districts's webpages, and tried to find email addresses for the music teachers, and emailed them. A couple of musicians in the band were overflow from established big bands in the area. Those bands have lists of people waiting for spots to open up, so I asked them to forward their overflow to me. I also found a couple of players by advertising on musician websites. The band has been up and running for about 18 months now. I hope this gives you some ideas.

WxJeff · Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2003 1:29 pm Post subject:

(sigh) Try throwing the fact that I'm a shift worker (2:00 p. m - 10:00 p. m.) into the mix. I bought some ensemble music off eBay and was trying to set up some ensemble rehearsals with the horn, trombone and baritone players from the church orchestra. (Oh, yeah, the trombone player travels a lot in his job!) We actually do well to get a quorum for orchestra rehearsal on Wednesday nights, to say nothing of trying to get four or five of us brass players together.

Don't you hate it when work gets in the way of what you really want to do?

Someday.... someday... someday....
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Jupiter SCR-520

UsedBits · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 5:48 pm Post subject:

I saw a tuba in the back seat of a colleague. When I told him I played trumpet, he said he knew another trumpeter and a horn player. They both knew of a trombone player, all in the same company, mind you, and the Occasional Brass Ensemble was born. That was 6 years ago.

Since then we've played several church services, a couple of weddings, and for the Governor (Arkansas is a small state!).

Now get this - the tuba player is world class. The other trumpeter has a Master's from North Texas State. The trombone player has a gig with the Pine Bluff Symphony, and the horn player is with the Conway Symphony. And they let me play 1st trumpet!

Pretty remarkable talent pool for a small town in a small state all gathered into a company employing computer types.
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valvepimp · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 5:56 pm Post subject:

UsedBits · Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2003 3:28 pm Post subject:

The North Texas guy is a better technical player (better attacks and slurs, better sight transposer, better knowledge of the literature, etc.), but I have more endurance and range. I have difficulty playing low, he doesn't last very long when playing high. It works out very well for both of us.

The point of my post is that we have a remarkable set of players living in a small Arkansas town. And we now all attend the same church - much to the delight of the music director!
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UsedBits · Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 5:23 pm Post subject:

ValvePimp,

What is "the Malcolm Arnold "?
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