Music you don't want to play

[stuartissimo]

Have you ever played/been asked to play a composition or arrangement that was so badly written that you simply didn't want to bother with it? If so, what did you do?

[jkarnes0661]

My approach to this has been to ask for enough money that the headache of playing (whether due to a bad arrangement, bad writing, or travel to the gig) was worth the compensation. Either outcome is acceptable to me at that point.
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Jonathan Karnes
Grand Rapids, MI
jonathankarnes.com

[patdublc]

Turned down the gig. If I'm not enjoying playing, then I do something else. I've also turned down plenty of gigs where I just didn't want to work with certain people. It's not usually worth making a fuss, so I usually just pass on the opportunity.
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Pat Shaner
Play Wedge Mouthpieces by Dr. Dave exclusively.
Experiment with LOTS of horn makes and models.

[kehaulani]

I don't remember ever having played any extremely poorly written music, but if I have to play another Abba medley again . . .
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"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[Shark01]

[Craig Swartz]

Does playing for the music director or conductor count???

[ltkije1966]

I never want to play LeRoy Anderson's Sleigh Ride again in my life! It's not horrible, it's just painful.
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Scott Kuehn

[Bandcity]

Brass band arrangements of Beatles tunes or other familiar pieces that change the rhythm or otherwise try to be cute.
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Tim

[Proteus]

I always remember my teacher at McGill University advising us that "Playing badly something that you don't like...will only make you dislike it more".
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Bach 239 C
Kanstul 700
Getzen Proteus 907S Bb
Bach Strad 37 Bb (70s)
ACB Doubler flugel
Getzen Capri cornet

[Andy Del]

Almost never. Apart from the dude who 'arranged' every big famous orchestral melody you can think of for a 4 choir brass ensemble. His use of terminology was exquisitely ignorant, along with no bar numbers, titles, acknowledgement or even instrument ID on parts.

The ensuing flow of sewage-like noise was astounding. Even more so, when at last one of us worked out what the music was. It helped., but doofus in front didn't.

I just got the dumbest trumpet player I could think of and gave them the gig.

And no one ever got paid - he sold about 15 tickets...
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so many horns, so few good notes...

[stuartissimo]

Interesting. For me, it’s a piece a solliciting conductor will be bringing to their audition for our orchestra. I dread that this will be the kind of music we’ll be playing for the next few years if the guy gets hired.

Frankly, an Abba medley would’ve been preferable.
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1975 Olds Recording trumpet
1997 Getzen 700SP trumpet
1955 Olds Super cornet
1939 Buescher 280 flugelhorn
AR Resonance mouthpieces

[nieuwguyski]

I used to play in a four-horn swing combo (lot of Wolpe charts). The singer bought a bunch of cruise ship charts that were simply awful. When the instrumentalists complained about the arrangements, the singer responded "It doesn't matter -- I can *sell* it!" The band leader wasn't willing to ban the charts and risk losing the singer.

Instead, the band lost the trumpet and trombone players. We quit.
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J. Notso Nieuwguyski

[Zed]

I asked one of my good friends who is a professional jazz pianist about this recently and he said that his rule of thumb is that any gig must have 2 of the three M's (in no particular order)

Money
Music
Mates
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Taylor piranha
Yamaha 6345
Flugel - French Besson

[LaTrompeta]

In college, I played a lot of music I truly did not have the desire to play. There were some pieces that grew on me. I have to admit, when I first encountered the music of Tony Plog, I was not amused. However, I began to see some very unique qualities in that music and I learned to enjoy it.

Most of the time, when we had to do compositions by fellow students, it was rather tedious.
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Please join me as well at:
https://trumpetboards.com

[Man Of Constant Sorrow]

[RandyTX]

I don't want to name names, but there was a concert, not too long ago now, with a guest artist doing a newly composed concerto for their instument with the orchesta I play in regularly.

It had only been premiered once, by a really 'big name' orchestra, which I also won't mention, but I was very, very happy to have drawn the 'short straw' and didn't play on that piece, happily sitting back stage, with earphones in, listening to something else, as it only had two trumpet parts, and we frequently rotate playing duties between the three 'regulars' in the section, especially for a one-off like this.

I won't say I hated the piece, but it sounded a lot more like 50 cats wailing in the same trash dumpster for a scrap of food than music to me, despite the solist's undoubted skill with their instument. There's only so much you can do, no matter how good you are, if the composition isn't really anything people would want to hear.

At any rate, I'll be happy if I never hear that piece of... whatever it was -- certainly not music in my book, ever again.
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"Music is like candy, you throw the (w)rappers away."

[Tivolian]

[Dale Proctor]

Not because of poorly written charts, but I resigned my seat in the local brass band because I was sick of playing show tune medleys, movie and TV show themes, Disney medleys, and other fluff. The NABBA competition pieces were mostly modern compositions that weren’t my cup of tea, either. I began to dread rehearsals and thought to myself, if I don’t enjoy it, why do it?

I’m still on the sub list, and occasionally play with the group, but a little of that stuff goes a long way…
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"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away ." - Sir Thomas Beecham

[Man Of Constant Sorrow]

[Don Ellis]

Any Strauss Waltz.....! And Jr wrote at least 500.