tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7665270154508394132011-11-27T19:29:24.513-05:00Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.comBlogger1141100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-26427242428427727332010-07-24T16:13:00.001-04:002010-07-24T16:18:43.804-04:00

Temperatures and heat indices have soared here in the past couple of weeks, making practicing in my tiny apartment something of a challenge. And by "a challenge", I mean "nonexistent". No matter how many curtains I close, where I put my fans, or how much ice I put in my swamp cooler, my apartment is still unfortunately hot. The swamp cooler: doesn't quite make the apartment a

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-5189232943812726422010-07-18T18:30:00.000-04:002010-07-18T18:30:03.334-04:00

I've been on a "pick random CDs from my local library's collection and give them a listen" kick, and with that I bring you a review of John Adams: Century Rolls / Lollapalooza / Slonimsky's Earbox. Weirdly, we talk about John Adams in this blog fairly regularly (well, what counts as "regular" for us, anyway). In case you haven't caught on, he's a prolific modern American composer who usually

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-13845825294076097702010-07-09T14:53:00.000-04:002010-07-09T14:53:18.379-04:00

Boy, we have been away, haven't we? Trust me when I say this was totally unplanned. Oh, what, I wasn't supposed to tell them that? Err... well, gentle reader, trust me, we had this planned all along. So in honor of Summer Concert Season, and the inevitable boredom it brings with playing marches and cheesy Broadway medleys, Jon and I have broken out some... unusual horns. I'll leave him to

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-87932007233743580562010-05-28T13:41:00.000-04:002010-05-28T13:41:48.844-04:00

I'm sitting here waiting for my car to be repaired, managed to steal a WiFi signal, and so I thought -- what better time to update the blog? Uh-huh.  I mentioned last time that the AWCB was doing a recording session. The first round of it was this past Monday, we will take a week off for the Memorial Day holiday, and then we'll come back and do another recording in the first week of June. I

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-79276604007752702932010-05-25T19:00:00.001-04:002010-05-25T19:00:00.570-04:00

It’s coming up on summer again, which means it’s time for the annual reordering of the chairs. For reasons I’ll get into below, this isn’t going to amount to much. But having talked last week about some of the chair placement philosophies I’ve encountered in my checkered trombone career, this week I’m going to talk a bit about how they have adapted my personal philosophy on chair placement. One

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-2661677026308538022010-05-21T18:14:00.000-04:002010-05-21T18:14:48.885-04:00

So the AWCB is doing recording sessions in our next rehearsals. The idea is, generally, to put together a CD of light summer fare that we can sell at our summer concerts. We have hired a recording engineer to come in and record us as we play in an auditorium, and (I think) mix it up so it sounds nice; this is different from the recordings done of concerts (we have several of those) which are

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-16324503466769735952010-05-18T19:00:00.001-04:002010-05-18T19:00:02.456-04:00

I mentioned a while back that I’m not really the section leader of the AWCB, and never officially have been. What I am, semi-officially, is in charge of chair assignments and making the little musical decisions when they affect the section, but not enough to catch the attention of the conductor, just the little things to unify our sound. I don’t have to do much, mainly because we’ve played

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-3830547106046918392010-05-14T11:15:00.007-04:002010-05-16T11:23:15.793-04:00

April: 25.5 hours = win! In April, I made my practice goals for the first time since January. \o/ Also, I was pleased with my consistency of practice -- no more than one day off consecutively, and a fair amount of 7+ day strings of regular practice.  I think I can attribute the success of April to two things: 1.) the new mouthpiece at the beginning of the month breathing new life and interest

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-81819185183587634452010-05-04T21:53:00.004-04:002010-05-04T22:33:38.496-04:00

You have to understand something. The musical at my high school was, and remains, a big freaking deal. I've seen a lot of high school musicals, and played a lot of high school musicals, and been in a few, and almost none of them can even compare to ours in terms of scope, execution, budget: they put on a good show up there. There were, if I remember right, nearly 200 little girls trying out for

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-84246237698659042512010-05-02T14:42:00.001-04:002010-05-03T14:56:39.289-04:00

So on Saturday, May 1st, I had the delightful experience of participating in the Three Rivers Community Band Festival for the fourth year, and my second year being a part of the "Festival Band". I wrote about this last week, and I'm pleased to report that I only messed up half of my vibraphone line, but believe I got the important bits right at least. The recording will reveal just how terrible I

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-55930923669687209472010-04-30T20:56:00.000-04:002010-04-30T20:56:19.480-04:00

Well, tomorrow is the annual Three Rivers Community Band Festival. Four bands from the area will perform, and then a "festival band" made up of volunteer musicians from all around the area -- and some from Ohio, too, like my friend Cari who is coming in to play bassoon! I'm playing with the Festival Band for the second year in a row. Jon played last year, and was going to play this year but was

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-85280386353811310232010-04-23T22:00:00.022-04:002010-04-23T22:00:00.797-04:00

I came across a quote the other day: nobody notices your mistakes as much as you do I think the intended meaning of this quote is simple -- don't be afraid to make mistakes, and don't stress out over them when they do happen. However, I took a different and more trombone-related meaning from it. When you're practicing, no one can hear your mistakes except you*. So no one can fix those mistakes

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-25562154106536403572010-04-22T19:16:00.002-04:002010-04-22T21:38:33.732-04:00

So I have recently become two things of which I am not particularly fond: a stage parent and a hockey parent. My perfect daughter (age 8 ½) is performing the part of Molly in the local high school production of Annie starting this weekend, and my youngest (age 5) recently started in developmental hockey, and is doing a skating program over the summer. I’ve spent a lot of time since high school

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-24457239725675250172010-04-16T09:43:00.000-04:002010-04-16T09:43:18.868-04:00

Last week, I made this sort of half-assed resolution to try three new things every week. This mostly came about because I figured out that I had tried three new things that week (a new mouthpiece, Mediterranean food, and soy milk) and, since everything worked out nicely, I felt I should continue this pattern. The new things don't have to be spectacular, but it's all about expanding my

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-87363857973469964192010-04-13T19:36:00.002-04:002010-04-16T09:44:35.574-04:00

I have totally cribbed Lauren's titling style. This has been floating around my head for a while. I don’t really have anything substantive to say about it, but I want to throw it out into the ether just to see what happens to it. For a while a couple of years ago, I was the de facto section leader in the AWCB. I’ve never really had any sort of official post in the band, which makes me unique

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-54143860522853261622010-04-10T14:07:00.000-04:002010-04-10T14:07:25.484-04:00

Today, I felt truly comfortable on the 51B. Jon heard me play a few licks on it and commented that I don't sound terribly bright like I thought I did, which is a relief. It may just be the overtones in my head... My staff notes sound great today. Tone was much better all around. Endurance was also much better. After my practice session, my lips ached a little bit, but I feel as though my chops

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-73946975096496600322010-04-09T16:47:00.000-04:002010-04-09T16:47:36.456-04:00

Practice was not so great today, mostly because my insides kind of feel like they're about to explode. However, I did get some face time, and here are my thoughts: Spent a lot of time on flexibility exercises today. Didn't get tired very quickly at all. Feeling a little more confident about how things are working, although I still feel like I am overshooting my partials a bit. Endurance is

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-23989951557249933582010-04-08T17:45:00.009-04:002010-04-08T17:45:00.588-04:00

Today, I would like to present a basic description of the differences between the two mouthpieces -- the 4CL and the Schilke 51B -- so that perhaps some connection can be made between my playing differences and the actual physical equipment. Mouthpiece Rim Diameter Cup Depth Cup Shape Rim Throat Backbore Conn 4CL 26mm Medium-Deep V Sharp Medium Large Schilke

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-19170530729144097502010-04-07T21:50:00.001-04:002010-04-08T10:22:53.539-04:00

So, after playing on a 4CL almost exclusively since 2004, I have decided to try a new mouthpiece. I like the 4CL a lot -- it really mellows out my naturally bright tone, I have great endurance on it, and my middle range sounds fantastic. However, I seem to have hit a wall with it -- some notes in the staff (particularly G and Gb) have a "spread" sound that I can't get rid of, and I can't seem to

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-45504191096384709552010-04-06T21:11:00.004-04:002010-04-07T07:39:25.767-04:00

I must admit to two things to start out. One is that I'm having a hard time getting motivated to do... well, anything. The second is that I asked to be harassed to get things done. Gotta get back on the horse. The AWCB is getting ready for the seventh annual Three Rivers Community Band Festival. I don't get to play due to work obligations, which is pretty much killing my trombonastical

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-43042335154274148152010-04-02T21:02:00.001-04:002010-04-02T21:03:54.288-04:00

April means... March: 24 hours. FAIL. To be fair, March showed a big improvement over February. I practiced a lot more, and a lot more consistently, than I did before. I developed a plan (and taped it to my calendar -- you can see it in the image at the top) and stuck to it for the most part (although I intend to make a couple of changes for April). I switched up my warm-up and my daily routines

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-585230943168670152010-03-26T18:24:00.024-04:002010-03-27T18:41:15.159-04:00

I found this interesting video from composer Steven Bryant on YouTube. It's the first of a series about his compositional methods in creating his latest work, Concerto for Wind Ensemble. I found this interesting to watch, not only to hear the composer's thoughts on how he conceives the piece, but also to see the methods he uses for actually writing the music. I've been wondering about this for

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-8598429531827726862010-03-19T13:54:00.005-04:002010-03-19T17:21:18.387-04:00

Allow me to rant for just a moment about clarity. I am the instructor of an introductory linguistics course at my university, and I have been recently grading my latest round of homework papers on semantics and pragmatics. This is the unit on context and meaning. My delightful students (they really are delightful) had a problem set on their homework asking them to propose hyponyms and hypernyms

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-41206246062800326532010-03-10T18:01:00.003-05:002010-03-10T23:52:53.161-05:00

Lauren’s discussion on boredom got me thinking.I have a small handful of recurring problems trombone-wise. I mean, there are a lot of things I could do better, and a lot of things that I’m sure the better players and teachers in the section would fix if I gave them the opportunity. But when it comes down to it, there are maybe three or four big problem things that keep happening over and over

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-83013643336962643162010-03-05T17:40:00.001-05:002010-03-05T17:40:00.348-05:00

In my February recap, I talked a little bit about my battle with boredom in my trombone playing. The first step was my warm-up. I have been using Brad Edwards's routine for about a year now, and it has been amazingly helpful. Except now, I got used to it, and it has become boring. But there are only so many ways to warm up, right? Wrong. I read a thread or two over at the Trombone Forum and

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-51295902131328379882010-03-01T14:53:00.035-05:002010-03-02T17:05:04.081-05:00

Hey, it's March! That means that it's time for my February recap. 19 hours 45 minutes -- epic failure!(Although, let's be fair, this is about 5 times more than I practiced last February, so mild success?) I already wrote a little bit about why I failed so much at practicing this month. I also discovered something that has been plaguing my practicing for years:  BOREDOM. In pretty much every

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-54494270485763357562010-02-20T16:28:00.002-05:002010-02-21T11:52:24.103-05:00

So, the AWCB hasn't had rehearsal for the past two weeks, thanks to "SNOMAGGEDON", or the large snowstorm that blanketed our area with -- gasp! -- two feet of snow!* Our city shut down -- my university was closed for three days, and I don't think the area's elementary and high schools have been back to normal since. Lawn chairs have appeared all over, and vigilante parking authorities have been

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-10320318969774807212010-02-18T19:00:00.001-05:002010-02-20T16:29:02.997-05:00

Once again, found while looking for something completely different. This kind of playing makes me want to either practice my face off or lay the horn down and never touch it again, and I can never figure out which is the more appropriate response. Not the best recording quality, but holy cow.

Jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-15283706020377764512010-02-12T15:45:00.000-05:002010-02-12T15:45:00.546-05:00

Something I have always struggled with is playing loud. Yes, I could say "playing loudly", but there seems to be a whole different mindset, even a culture, that goes along with playing at high volumes. So in my mind, it's not just a modifier of one's playing (i.e. the adverb "loudly"), but a modifier of the type of music being played and the style. Anyway, that's a completely different topic

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-6916571104525259992010-02-11T19:00:00.001-05:002010-02-12T17:51:29.140-05:00

I just found this while looking for something else. It's a bit untimely, since the Magnum Mysterium is a Christmas song, but hey. The Lauridsen is my favorite setting, and one of my favorite pieces of music, and it's a trombone choir. Does anybody know anything about Columbus State?

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-33542426365340486262010-02-05T15:59:00.001-05:002010-02-05T15:59:00.092-05:00

It's the first week of February and I do have certain resolutions to uphold, so I figure I should report. 25 hours of practice -- January is a success! 25 hours per month, I said. Each line going across a square represents a half hour, so when there's an X, it means I practiced one full hour. You'll see some days, like the 18th, when I practiced two hours. (Okay, let's be fair, I actually

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-85141132511761064332010-02-02T19:04:00.005-05:002010-02-02T23:45:18.060-05:00

So. I decided to grow a beard. Because I can, more or less. It's kind of thin on the sides, but I've got a pretty decent goatee going, and the sideburns aren't too bad. I don't look quite like a 14-year-old trying to look mature. I know, I have one of those in the house! But there are a couple of things that could be dealbreakers, and make me shave immediately. One is simply if it's annoying,

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-30259783950507376032010-01-29T17:56:00.000-05:002010-01-29T17:56:33.203-05:00

So last week I talked of being inspired by Mark Twain and deciding to practice unmuted in my little apartment for a while. ...this did not work out so well this afternoon. I began to practice at about 5:00, as I usually do, warming up with my usual routine. Suddenly, the people upstairs seemed to be totally unable to handle this fact. The sounds of three or four people jumping up and down on the

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-29546122845335039472010-01-24T12:02:00.001-05:002010-01-24T12:02:00.242-05:00

We've all probably seen this one a billion times, but I remember making fun of it in high school. l'istesso tempo This literally means "the same tempo". A tuba player and I looked it up in high school and laughed -- "why would you need to tell us it's the same tempo?", we wondered. This term, however, comes with a connotation to it -- that being that the meter is going to change, but the

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-16946491666318258962010-01-22T11:45:00.032-05:002010-01-22T17:43:30.852-05:00

I have posted before about my issues with practicing in my little apartment. Since I have been practicing more and more lately, I've noticed some very unfortunate things happening as a result of one of my restrictions -- namely, the need to play with a mute in all the time. Besides screwing with my articulations and my intonation, which is something mutes do anyway, I've noticed that the simple

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-45699565110552170652010-01-21T19:00:00.001-05:002010-01-22T11:16:47.481-05:00

Lauren actually sent this to me after a discussion on my struggles in the low range. It's Alan Raph talking about an alternate embouchure for getting really, really low notes. Not quite contrabass trombone low, but close. I'm always a little wary of shifts and alternate embouchures and other things that could be considered "cheats". I had some trouble back in high school where I had this killer

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-19236093589923242972010-01-17T18:14:00.004-05:002010-01-17T18:19:58.918-05:00

Today's MAotW is brought to you by Jon, who apparently encountered this term while reading about the Carpenters. (Wait, was I not supposed to post that publicly?) prothalamion At last, all that Ancient Greek comes in handy -- this term is clearly very Greek, as it parses into pro+thalamion, pro meaning "in front of" and thalamion being the word referring to the "woman's chamber" of a house.

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-76906577862833525142010-01-15T19:51:00.000-05:002010-01-15T19:51:03.378-05:00

So yesterday, I managed to squeak out my first F5 in years. I've never really had a solid F5, nor an even passably useful one, but back in about 2002 I was actually able to squeak the note out a little bit from time to time. I haven't heard anything from it since then. How did I get it? I've been doing my range exercises faithfully, "do-re-mi-fa-sol" starting on tuning note Bb and moving up by

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-71952683413765275092010-01-10T14:06:00.000-05:002010-01-10T14:06:35.354-05:00

One of the terms I remember having a small argument over in music school was... gravita This was the marking in an etude I was playing once in a lesson. I took it to mean what it looked like -- "graveness" -- so I played the etude with a sort of heavy sounding dirge style. However, when you look gravita up, the definition is "with gravity or majesty"; my problem with this always was that those

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-38606761090694644992010-01-08T11:01:00.015-05:002010-01-08T11:01:01.734-05:00

Jon's post inspired me to write about the only time I ever got a seat in an ensemble completely by accident. For a while when I was a youngster, I played with the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony. One day, that group was rehearsing in a different place than usual, which was the music building at Cleveland State University. I got horribly lost trying to find the right room in that building, and was

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-66894427041254092322010-01-07T19:00:00.002-05:002010-01-07T19:00:00.710-05:00

I know what you're thinking. Ok, I really don't. But this is kind of old, but I found it while looking for something else. It's Murray Crewe, bass trombonist of my beloved Pittsburgh Symphony, talking through the history of his Conn contrabass trombone. The first amusing thing to notice is that they go hunting for him in the bar across the street. The second amusing thing is the sheer size of

Jonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-64719775419417941612010-01-05T18:30:00.005-05:002010-01-07T14:20:33.678-05:00

A few years ago, I subbed for one of the local community symphonies. I did not enjoy the gig. It was a long, hard concert, that required me to play a lot of hard, high, music. I had to borrow a small bore horn to cheat my way to the endurance necessary to get through the concert. My performance was judged (unfavorably) by a single missed high note. I thought the orchestra, as far as an orchestra

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-60307559112264826812010-01-03T13:00:00.000-05:002010-01-03T13:00:34.263-05:00

Today's MAotW is something a little different. false notes I encountered some of these suckers in this solo piece I've been noodling around with, Variations on a March of Shostakovich by Arthur Frackenpohl. Here's what they look like: The directions in the music say, in Courier New font: "half-valve type sound, slap palm on mouthpiece or snap fingers, etc". I have been working at trying to

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-46568190674463980402010-01-01T11:01:00.001-05:002010-02-02T16:01:17.181-05:00

So it's 2010 -- wow, when did that happen? And, coincidentally, it's also my day to post to the blog. And so, here you go, obligatory New Year's Trombonery Resolutions. 1.) Have F5 solid by the end of the year. 2.) Practice 25 hours a month. 3.) Get the quartet back together. How do I plan to accomplish these things? For the F5: I will keep going as I have been going. I've got a shaky D, which

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-89881941426808244322009-12-31T19:00:00.001-05:002009-12-31T19:11:27.412-05:00

My brother always gets me a dvd for Christmas. Well, at least for the last several years he has. This year, it was a copy of Rachel Portman's opera The Little Prince, based on the book by Antoine de St.-Exupery. I really enjoyed it, especially the amazing work by baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes as the pilot. The audio is a little out of sync, but this is the scene shortly after the pilot meets the

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-47180976901798672772009-12-30T17:07:00.008-05:002009-12-30T23:48:02.819-05:00

Of the pieces I’m working on right now, Alan Hovhaness’ Prayer of St. Gregory is probably the least well known among trombonists, owing to the fact that it’s really written for solo trumpet. It started life as an “elegiac intermezzo” for the opera Etchmiadzin, although I have never seen a recording of the opera, or even Hovhaness’ 21st symphony of the same name. Arrangements exist for trumpet

Jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-10449369642868380702009-12-25T17:35:00.000-05:002009-12-25T17:35:02.049-05:00

Today is usually my day to post something meaningful to this blog. However, I am busy, having just gotten in from a trip Back North, cleaning my little apartment in preparation for visits from family members, listening to the local jazz radio station and anticipating good times with family and friends. So with all that in mind, I sat down here for just a moment to wish you, our readers, a Merry

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-39052351584748248242009-12-24T13:27:00.003-05:002009-12-24T13:38:24.199-05:00

I missed my post for this week due to pie and such, but I ran across this on my favorite blogs and had to share. It's the beloved Penguins talking about what they want for Christmas. Marc-Andre Fleury wants Mario Kart and a Ping-Pong table, and Max Talbot got a Guy LaFleur dvd. The first hockey player that really impressed me, before I realized the Penguins existed, before Mario Lemieux came to

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-71531368661665367082009-12-20T15:37:00.000-05:002009-12-20T15:37:00.549-05:00

The MAotW is: quodlibet This is a Latin term meaning "what pleases" (said "kwode-lih-bet"), but the musical meaning can only be described as "a piece made up of a bunch of familiar stuff". Bits and pieces of popular melodies can be knitted together in a musical composition to make up a quodlibet. I've never actually seen this word notated on a piece before, but it's a word I always wished I

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-57203909656492386912009-12-18T12:59:00.001-05:002009-12-18T12:59:00.497-05:00

I haven't been able to play much recently due to an injury to my upper lip, plus getting some horrible sickness, so little trombonery content from yours truly today. In lieu of that, I wanted to share an interesting passage that I encountered in Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers (pages 77-78), an unlikely place to read about the role of amateur musicians in society. For those of you unfamiliar

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-31843488655801758732009-12-15T19:09:00.003-05:002009-12-15T20:53:54.721-05:00

So those of you who read this blog regularly (all three of you) may remember that about six weeks ago, I posted a list of goals. Those of you who don't read the blog regularly can click the link! Anyway, I've been cracking on these pretty hard the last couple of weeks, and I just knocked off a pretty solid practice session, so I thought hey, let's update the mothership goals!1. The trombonery is

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-40066140190410404062009-12-13T17:49:00.000-05:002009-12-13T17:49:31.545-05:00

Today's MAotW is brought to you by DayQuil.* affrettando affrettando (sometimes misspelled "affretando") means "rushed or hurried", and in music is used to indicate an accelerando that is to be done with an impatient or nervous tone to it. Or, in the case of the AWCB's Christmas concert today, describes how Lauren plays the entire gig when she's hopped up on cold medication and, therefore,

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-70438515065753231552009-12-11T19:49:00.007-05:002009-12-11T19:49:00.364-05:00

So while in Lake Placid, the GACB played Italian Rhapsody, written by Julie Giroux and commissioned by our conductor Colonel Gabriel. While some bits of the piece seemed to be regurgitated from another Giroux piece we had played before (Husaria Cavalry Overture), it was overall a very challenging but fun piece to play. The second trombones sure got a workout. The entire last page and a half of

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-59699705891096806242009-12-10T19:00:00.001-05:002009-12-10T19:00:01.197-05:00

If there's anybody on here who is also on my Facebook, and actually pays attention to it, they might have already seen this, but I thought it was really pretty cool. I always dig it when they show the band! But what did the poor drummer do to end up in a little isolation box all by himself?

Jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-46523526549968095182009-12-08T19:00:00.002-05:002009-12-08T19:00:00.688-05:00

If Lauren went home in Lake Placid, I went to strange, scary new places. By the time Lauren and I got to the first Great American Community Band rehearsal, there were two spots open, a second trombone, and the last chair in the section. According to time honored tradition, placement was determined by rock paper scissors, which, as always, I lost: for the first time in my life, I would be playing

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-61320258330645715182009-12-06T19:59:00.042-05:002009-12-06T20:17:50.700-05:00

The highly nuanced Musical Annotation of the Week is... con islancio You have probably only seen this annotation in one place: the last section of Chance's Variations on a Korean Folk Song. Wikipedia tells me that con islancio means "with impetuousness", and my usual online musical dictionary agrees.  Well, at the rehearsals of the Great American Community Band, we heard something different.

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-51541476357968085062009-12-04T16:22:00.000-05:002009-12-04T16:22:00.876-05:00

It's amazing how much one's ear can change in just a couple short years. I flourished as a second trombonist for a long time. First just isn't my bag, although I have been sitting first in the AWCB since fall of 2007 (mostly because nobody else would do it, iirc). I dearly adore playing third trombone, although it frequently makes me sneeze (more on that later). Second, for me, is where it's at.

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-23550828537105510592009-12-01T20:25:00.005-05:002009-12-01T21:16:28.989-05:00

So I'm sure the three of you who actually read this (hi, mom!) noticed that there haven't been any new posts for a while. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is the Thanksgiving Holiday, but another is that both of us were gone for a weekend performing with the Great American Community Band in Lake Placid, New York!For those who aren't familiar with the gig, it's a group formed from adult

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-82427883302570619932009-11-15T14:29:00.003-05:002009-11-15T14:29:00.550-05:00

Today's MAotW is: tailgate Wait, what?  "Tailgate" is not actually Italian, believe it or not, but it is actually a slang term for glissando (also known as "glissing" or "smearing"), or the unique ability of the trombone to slide between two notes. This term is used to denote a Dixieland style of smear. The Virgina Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary gives this etymology for the term "tailgate":

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-6574560437548583192009-11-13T18:17:00.001-05:002009-11-13T18:17:00.796-05:00

So in trying to figure out what to post this week, I realized that I had forgotten to write a review of the AWCB's yearly benefit concert for a local food pantry. And thus, you have my post for the week. For this gig, I was lacking my usual stand partner (::coughbloggingpartnertoocough::), so I got the pleasure of sharing a stand with Trombone Andy (named thus to differentiate him from the 200

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-80849322355690134192009-11-10T19:00:00.001-05:002009-11-10T19:00:00.399-05:00

It’s taken me a long time to get through Princess Resurrection, for a lot of reasons many of which have nothing to do with the anime itself. However, the fact that it’s a bizarre show that doesn’t seem to know what its audience is has a lot to do with the number of times that I’d go weeks in between viewings as well. The basic plot is this. Hiro, a kid of indeterminate age (could be anywhere

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-86627391036981183412009-11-08T16:33:00.001-05:002009-11-08T16:33:00.209-05:00

Today's Musical Annotation of the week is actually three annotations, but we'll start with... ffz I think most musicians get the idea when they see two Fs together, and when there's a Z involved, it usually means to smack the hell out of something.  ffz is an abbreviation for "forzando" or "forzato". It basically means to play the note at the indicated dynamic (ff in this case) but with

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-91131400729388531792009-11-06T16:45:00.000-05:002009-11-06T16:45:00.291-05:00

My old friend from the OMEA Northeast Ohio Honors Orchestra, John Shanks, made the following comment on Facebook regarding my post a couple of weeks ago on "ta" versus "toe" : A problem with "toe" is (and I have struggled with this) that if this isn't specifically taught as a "low" concept, it can really mess up the sound in the high register. The oral cavity should not be the same for C5 as it

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-61031721352369064672009-11-05T19:00:00.001-05:002009-11-05T19:00:03.653-05:00

This clip is entirely worth it to watch Jordan Staal (of my beloved Penguins) talk about his brother Mark dressed up as Pippi Longstocking. Also, what's up with Alex Goligoski and the porn 'stache?Hockey players talk about their childhood Halloween costumes here:

Jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-73810247435280274552009-11-03T19:00:00.004-05:002009-11-03T23:24:42.950-05:00

This one technician who formerly worked for me used to joke that I would end up in my basement writing a manifesto someday. Well, I'm in the attic, but otherwise, here we are!So I'm on the mothership. It's nice here, except somewhat filthier than I had imagined, a little more Vogon than Federation of Planets. But I'll get to that. We get pudding every now and then, if we're good, and colon scrubs

Jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-36030514734165925882009-11-01T16:24:00.015-05:002009-11-01T16:24:00.372-05:00

Today's MAotW (Musical Annotation of the Week) is: singhiozzando In my time as a trombonist, I don't think I've ever seen this marking, but perusing my dictionary this week I found it there waiting for me. It means to play the marked passage "in the manner of sobbing", usually characterized by a gliding between notes.  The trombone being what it is, you'd think we'd get to play singhiozzando

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-24666012887848482122009-10-31T06:32:00.000-04:002009-10-31T06:32:00.474-04:00

I know Jon usually posts the YouTube of the Week, but he's informed me that his posting might be sporadic for a while, so I've decided to step in where I can to keep things regular around here. I was inspired to look up Bill Watrous on YouTube by my friend Joe, who recently saw him play live in Houston. I came across this recording of Watrous playing "Samantha", a beautiful ballad, and the video

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-85272309684848357512009-10-30T15:53:00.032-04:002009-10-30T15:53:00.915-04:00

I just had the most interestingly productive practice session. This is how the span of about two hours went: 1. Picked up the horn and warmed up using my usual routine. 2. Walked over to my computer and answered an e-mail. 3. Picked my horn back up and did some flexibility exercises. 4. Checked on my applesauce which was cooking away in the kitchen. 5. Played some high range exercises. 6. My cat

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-20799143136258219952009-10-28T17:44:00.009-04:002009-10-29T22:55:45.304-04:00

I'm just going to go ahead and point out that I, Jon, and not Lauren, wrote this, in order to save some Facebook angst later. (lolz!)I'm late again. But I've at least gone from thinking nobody reads the blog to being afraid to post because I always manage to tick somebody off. That's progress of some sort, right?I take a great deal of solace from the idea that no matter how screwed up I think

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-40524193143301774062009-10-25T16:34:00.003-04:002009-10-25T16:41:36.322-04:00

Today's Musical Annotation of the week is... Yeah, that's right. STFU. While this does not have a direct translation into Italian, nor is it a common marking in printed music, somehow it seems to be a common penciled in notation in the first trombone music of the AWCB. No, really.   "STFU" is a very nuanced marking. It does not merely mean to play quietly, but it is usually used to mark

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-36071633371073181042009-10-23T12:29:00.001-04:002009-10-23T12:29:25.045-04:00

How did you learn to articulate? When I was first picking up the horn, I was taught "ta ta ta". When I got to college, my instructor beat "ta" out of my head and taught me "toe toe toe", and "low low low" for legato. Obviously, the difference here is the vowel. /a/ and /o/ are both pronounced in the back of the mouth, but /a/ is lower than /o/. That is, your tongue is farther down in the back of

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-54769465195050312882009-10-22T19:30:00.002-04:002009-10-22T19:30:00.281-04:00

And here I admit how old I really am. The Thompson twins (not twins, not named Thompson) were one of my favorite bands when I was very young. I used to sit and listen to my sister listen to these guys. You have to understand- my sister was evil. Like, probably read The Prince and was disgusted at Machiavelli's timidity and lack of imagination. So she'd sit in her room with her stereo and her

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-68226460844096917252009-10-20T16:52:00.003-04:002009-10-20T19:20:08.586-04:00

We've all done this, right? I can't be the only one. You run into somebody you used to know, a former best friend, and ex. Somebody who was once special. Somebody you loved at some point, and then at least thought you didn't love anymore, or maybe that they didn't love you anymore if they ever did. But all you want to do when you see them is throw your arms around them, give them a rib cracking

Jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-13425338427271895492009-10-18T14:53:00.000-04:002009-10-18T14:53:00.467-04:00

Today's Musical Annotation of the Week is an adjective: ben I encountered this in the context ben sost. which I took to mean "ben sostenuto". I've also seen it in ben marcato and ben attaca as well as in many other directives. Little did I know, ben is an abbreviation for bene, which means "good" or "well". But something like ben sostenuto doesn't mean "play good and sustained", it means "

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-57687724485857605102009-10-16T19:53:00.000-04:002009-10-16T19:53:45.334-04:00

It's 2:30 AM on a frigid December night. Across the snowy grasses, you hear a single solo trombonist playing Bordogni #10, accompanied by the echo of an large empty room. She keeps going over and over the key change into G major (at about the 1:58 mark in the video), as though she's missing something. The notes are there, the intonation is there, the tone is there... A voice stops her, followed

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-76238980854508669482009-10-15T19:00:00.001-04:002009-10-15T19:00:06.823-04:00

Not so weekly youtube o' teh week #2!I just love watching these guys. Two of the best singers on the planet, with a heap of stage presence and charm. An innate ability in each of them to not take themselves too seriously while performing impeccably. I totally named my cat after Cecilia Bartolli, and never admitted it publicly until now. Huzzah!

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-16008225984444746742009-10-13T21:28:00.004-04:002009-10-14T17:36:50.212-04:00

My perfect daughter (age 8) recently drew a picture. This is not unusual, there are very few pieces of paper in the house that she hasn't drawn something on, including things like bills and newspapers I haven't read. This picture, though, was all in shades of blue, a blue house with a blue sidewalk and a little blue girl with medium length blue hair and a blue hobo sack, and was titled (in blue)

Jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-79398851053970000072009-10-11T15:12:00.001-04:002009-10-11T15:12:00.281-04:00

Today's Musical Annotation of the Week is: vivace Usually when I see vivace, something along the lines of "HOLY CRAP FAST" goes through my head. A lot of people, in my experience, confuse vivace with presto. presto is what I'm thinking of when I think "HOLY CRAP FAST"; vivace has a much more subtle meaning. vivace means "lively" or "brisk"; often times, this goes along with a quick tempo.

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-17130406188108117312009-10-09T13:18:00.000-04:002009-10-09T13:18:10.923-04:00

So I live in a one-bedroom apartment in an ancient apartment building in close quarters -- to the point that I know exactly what my neighbors' daily routines are -- surrounded by fairly quiet people from all walks of life who only sometimes blast their music. I rarely hear anyone else practicing a musical instrument, much less one that can shake the foundations of a building like a trombone. I

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-65025499722529675962009-10-08T18:52:00.007-04:002009-10-08T19:18:04.161-04:00

So I guess Lauren finally got tired of me sending her Youtube links, because she suggested I post them here rather than send them to her! Since one of the things I do when I'm bored or avoiding doing work is troll through Youtube, starting with something specific and clicking the related links until I find something really neat. So when I do, I'll dump it on here and publish when I find something

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-88117720795446061942009-10-04T19:56:00.002-04:002009-10-04T19:56:00.487-04:00

New weekly segment here on tVftBR: the musical annotation of the week! Each Sunday we'll present something that may be written into a musical piece that might confuse or astound the average musician. In some cases, it'll be something that we think we know, but we really don't. The first one will be the one that inspired me to this endeavor: a la barcarolle a la means "as in" or "like", but

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-9826762652179551102009-10-02T19:53:00.011-04:002009-10-02T19:53:00.235-04:00

I've been recently thinking about my state as "a trombonist who was once a very good player" and my continuing quest to get back to the state of being a good, solid player. It's a hard road, but one thing I've been considering is: what was it that I used to do when I was a very good player that I don't do now? One thing I've realized that I've stopped doing is stretching. Why stretch? Playing a

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-914577329509910452009-09-29T06:52:00.006-04:002009-09-29T18:37:30.078-04:00

I just found a bunch of these that I wrote a long time ago, and thought reviving the practice might be a cure for my tendency to either talk too much or not at all. The game goes like this: 200-300 words of anime review (no less and no more!) and a haiku. Forever and ever amen. So, without further ado, here goes!Il Teatrino picks up more or less where the first Gunslinger Girl left off, but doesn

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-76714166426575256162009-09-25T22:18:00.035-04:002009-09-26T19:53:30.306-04:00

This is a clip from the AWCB's recording from the 2009 Three Rivers Community Band Festival. It's an annoying click-through, and you have to push the play button for it to play, but it's the clip, it's up, and it's a start.If anybody's got a better place for hosting audio files, let me know!

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-33687783345606722562009-09-25T19:27:00.001-04:002009-09-25T19:27:00.268-04:00

I wanted to share a link that I got from Brad Edwards's blog -- a timeline of the history of the trombone, put together by Will Kimball. Here's the link! My favorite part of the whole timeline (I've only read through the 16th century so far!) is what is possibly the earliest incident of trombonists causing trouble. 1467—Siena, Italy: A trombone vacancy in the palace wind band is filled by

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-64853486712363048602009-09-24T18:18:00.005-04:002009-09-24T18:51:20.442-04:00

I'm back in the place where I can't imagine anybody caring about what I have to say. I'm trying really hard to come up with a blog post, but after a couple of weeks that have amounted to being told a lot about what I'm bad at, I just can't conceive of anything to say that's helpful, interesting, witty, or otherwise worth sharing with the three of you. So how about this. For a while there, I

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-5438709441519366642009-09-18T15:51:00.041-04:002009-09-18T17:23:00.697-04:00

Every now and then, I will try to post learnings from my time spent as a trombonist, which is what I call "Trombone Jedi Training". Some may be relevant to the trombone, some not so much. 1. Don't work so hard! And furthermore, don't look like you're working so hard! 2. When you're unsure, it's better to act like you're confident. That way, if you really have made a mistake, no one will notice

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-32771521989545451312009-09-15T19:06:00.009-04:002009-09-16T21:39:23.767-04:00

So here it is, after an amazing long three months that have seen my personal world absolutely turned upside down and inside out, with some of the highest highs and lowest lows I can remember in my three plus decades on our collective dustball: my Beloved Penguins begin their first title defense since 1992 against the Currently Inconsequential Columbus Bluejackets in somnolescent preseason action.

Jonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-25075113597807731112009-09-11T15:02:00.000-04:002009-09-11T15:02:00.592-04:00

I've been working up the Rimsky-Korsakov Concerto for Trombone lately -- for what purpose, exactly, I'm not sure, but this is one of those pieces that I have always wanted to play somewhere. I've been woodshedding the third movement. Today I was working on the passage leading into N, which is deceptively tricky for me. Here's the passage I was working with (6:03 in the video): It doesn't look

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-53737777173895336922009-09-09T10:42:00.007-04:002010-01-08T19:53:00.034-05:00

So because we don't always take time to explain ourselves, here's a little glossary of some terms used in this blog that might not be intuitive. We will be updating this as necessary. Anime / Animu -- Japanese animated television shows or films, usually created for an adult audience rather than American-style "cartoons". AWCB, The -- The "Award-Winning Community Band" that Jon and Lauren

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-85029240193197296622009-09-08T17:00:00.002-04:002009-09-08T20:40:35.208-04:00

So I don't think I'm a very good trombone player. I point this out because I all the time say things like "I don't think I'm a very good trombonist" and people act like I'm fishing for compliments or something, but no, it's simply true that I don't think I'm very good trombone player. So when we started this blog, I made some vague commitment to providing a post every Tuesday, and talking about

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-33964340443792584422009-09-06T14:17:00.004-04:002009-09-06T14:39:56.248-04:00

Lauren here, reporting from the music school at The RLMU (link to a feature done by a local paper about this place, and please note that the "faculty member" talking in that video was, in fact, my trombone professor in my time here). Sitting here gives me a strange feeling of mixed nostalgia and foreboding. I wanted to go in and see what's new, but the door was locked -- one of the excuses that I

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-14124808545668145672009-09-04T14:02:00.003-04:002009-09-04T14:02:00.606-04:00

So the AWCB had this gig on Monday at Friendship Village, which is a retirement community in the suburbs. I'm pretty sure the band outnumbered the audience, and it felt kind of like playing inside of a cardboard box, but they were definitely a receptive audience and we chose just the right music for them. (Playing selections from Annie was a much better choice than, say, Hazo's Ride.)After the

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-38257632732640688212009-09-01T21:58:00.003-04:002009-09-01T23:06:21.791-04:00

It's been a tough couple of weeks, but doggone it, this week I will be on time! And in order to do it, I will resort to a cheap trick: behold, a list of music that make me feel better when I'm in a really bad mood! In no particular order.Come thou fount of every blessingAn old American hymn- I'm particular to the Mack Wilberg arrangement. Those who know me now will be mildly surprised at this,

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-60089269800288484942009-08-31T19:25:00.000-04:002009-08-31T19:25:00.716-04:00

From the View from the Back Row test kitchen:I was going to say "cook", but that wouldn't be quite right.A while back, Lauren and I played this gig for the director of the AWCB. In the course of making small talk, I pointed out that I had a cantaloupe that was going to go bad if I didn't eat it pronto, and the director gave me a recipe for cantaloupe soup. Well, last Saturday, Lauren was

Jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-45149048188044356942009-08-28T17:30:00.004-04:002009-09-01T17:44:22.003-04:00

I was drawn to this book by the cover – an old-fashioned French horn with a man’s head peering out of the bell with a look of utter confusion on his face. Having experienced utter confusion regarding the French horn many times in my life, I immediately picked up this book and could not have been more delighted by it.This is the story of a British journalist’s journey to re-learn the French horn

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-72885224066210838452009-08-27T17:05:00.005-04:002009-08-31T15:33:30.201-04:00

I'm late again, dear reader. (Singular?) I got run over pretty hard by the despair train this week, what with school starting and the stark realization that I've got four people worth of homework to parse every night, including my own, which I just turned in. (A good hour early, I might add!) But in order to get myself off of my own self-pitying behind, what better task than a quick blog post?And

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-15466994927640797992009-08-21T23:39:00.000-04:002009-08-22T12:23:22.870-04:00

It's a theme; I'm now riffing on my own post from last week, but at least this time I'd already said I was going to do so.So, about practicing and how I've changed my methods. I hate to admit this, especially in front of the public, but with graduate school and a romantic relationship kicking my ass and a general lack of musical motivation (which came from rebellion at being away from music

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01036602519656908347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-909322141366300972009-08-20T19:56:00.001-04:002009-08-20T19:58:40.415-04:00

Riffing on Lauren's post from last week...Back when we started this blog, we settled on a schedule: better to get readership, according to one of Lauren's seasoned blogger friends. I was supposed to post on Tuesday, the better to record shenanigans from weekly band rehearsals.For those not paying attention, it's now Thursday, and here I am doing a major re-write of this week's post, because I've

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766527015450839413.post-59905155117254094822009-08-16T21:40:00.010-04:002009-08-16T22:40:25.729-04:00

Every so often, a small group of us wander off to movies on a weekend night. This past Friday, we had planned to see Star Trek for a dollar (each), but while looking through the paper for show times. Jon saw that Ponyo on the Cliff, the new Hayao Miyazaki movie was playing, which lead to a number of "Who?" and "What's a Ponyo" kinds of questions. But with a little insistence and a promise to go

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0