Can you play an orchestral instrument?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Oh, yes! And in rehearsals, you've just counted 3645 bars when the conductor says, "Back to bar Sixty, please!"

And bar 60 is somewhere in the middle of a long multirest.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

And bar 60 is somewhere in the middle of a long multirest.

Ah! You've been there, too, Alpie!

[ardcarp]

Mangerton

Thanks for directing me to that all-too-brief burst of rauschpfeife! I think I've probably got something of the sort on one of my old David Munrow LPs. Must look it out.

[ardcarp]

And bar 60 is somewhere in the middle of a long multirest.

Warning! If you're doing VW's Serenade to Music anytime soon (I am tomorrow) some of the the rehearsal figures for the trumpets are in DIFFERENT PLACES from everyone else. (Same edition...just a mistake from OUP).

[Suffolkcoastal]

I play the Double Bass, but haven't played it in an orchestra for 7 years, the poor instrument sits in the loft gathering dust these days. I played on and off in local orchestras for over 20 years, but locally a couple of players now hold the monopoly and I haven't been asked to play it since 2005. I also used to sing in choirs (Tenor) regularly till a few years ago, and sing some solos too, my voice was described as being rather like Robert Tear's. I had the top C too but a rare condition prevents my mouth opening too wide on both sides, which means I can't 'drop my jaw' when singing, precluded any chance of further opportunities. I can also play the piano passibly, though I've got rather small hands!

[Dave2002]

Are we maybe eventually aspiring to something like this - http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/04/crowdsourced-yo/

I will own up to having played the flute, and I even played Greensleeves last year at a small party to celebrate St. George's Day, which I think is an excuse to have
food and drink in a field with some friends. I did think of writing some variations on this or similar folk tunes - seemed feasible to me. Maybe I'll do that this year.

I haven't played seriously for years, though I have performed various concertos and done solo recitals and small group work in much younger days, and also played in amateur opera performances.

I struggle with piano, though I do recommend Bartok's Mikrokosmos.

I tend to assume that everyone can read music. I have recently been admiring a work colleague who has plunged into singing Brahms' Requiem to be performed in a month or so. I was astonished to find that she has virtually no experience, and until I pointed out some useful web sites, could not read music - she can do, to some extent, now. There are some things which it is very easy to take for granted if you've had any form of music training at all.

I did think of becoming a professional, but life went in other ways.

[mangerton]

ardcarp,

I've just had a look. It's on side 1 band 6 of Munrow's Praetorius Terpsichore rec 1974. It's also on Philip Pickett's recording.

[amateur51]

though I've got rather small hands!

Well that opens up other professional and recreational possibilities

[ardcarp]

I've just had a look. It's on side 1 band 6 of Munrow's Praetorius Terpsichore rec 1974

Found it. Thanks.

[Dave2002]

Ah! You've been there, too, Alpie!

And some conductors ask for "15 bars after D" after you've just counted 130, and you can't see where D is.

And for the 3rd or 4th time he stops 149 bars into the 150 bars before you come in.

And then ... "We'll skip to letter F now", thus missing out the solo or other interesting bit you'd hoped to play again.

[salymap]

Slightly off topic but how do orchestral players respond or like a conductor who does, what I am told is called 'Rhythmical vocalisation'? Sargent particularly, used to sing [??] things and say 'I want digga, digga, dom, nor digga digga doom', while the orchestra looked bemused or bored. Beecham did it a bit but don't remember Boult singing at all. Any views?

Just means conductors who sing, or think they can.