Contrabass Digest

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2000-05-11

 
From: "Matthew W. Presson" <musicmeister @ mindspring.com>
Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 18:44:25 -0400
Subject: Re: [CB] the pits

Simple.  You stick your piccolo in your ear, and balance the clarinet on
your chin while you play flute, all the while straining under the weight of
the alto, tenor and bari hanging from your neck.  The oboe and english
horn--ask someone in the first row to hold them for you.  Hold your
contrabassoon between your legs.  Let one of the violists hold your soprano
sax--they don't get to do anything interesting, and they will have fun,
since everyone who's not a sax player likes Kenny G, right?  The conductor
can hold your bassoon and bass clarinet, since he's not really doing
anything important, anyway.  The big question is where to put the music so
you can still see past all the instruments in your way.  Usually you can't.
Besides, who wants to put up with those stand lights, anyway?  So you
improvise, of course.  That's why broadway shows always sound jazzy.

The biggest point for a doubler is to look busy, and drop important-sounding
sections here-and-there, to sound like you are working hard.  After all,
it's not about music, doubling.  It's about coming across as if you don't
have a life, taking the time to not only learn 50 gazillion instruments to
performance (or to at least "faking") quality, but to carry all the cases,
and stands, and do embochure exercises so that you don't lose it from one to
another, and the time to wet and re-wet all the reeds!  For example, every
gig I double at, it always takes just enough time to pack up and drive home,
that I have time to turn around and drive back for the next night's gig.
The fact that I have to drive 100 miles for nominal pay and infinite stress
from reading 4 books at once makes it all worth it, though.  Violins are
wimps!

-Matt

> From: "Jean Adler" <jean @ espressocom.com>
>  Hey Richard,
> I am currently doing West Side Story.  The biggest problem is the number of
> woodwind instruments in the pit. 5 players and a total of 14 instruments.
> My question is this:  Where do you put them all?!?
> Jean

---------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 16:08:12 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen @ contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: [CB] the pits

>another, and the time to wet and re-wet all the reeds!  For example, every
>gig I double at, it always takes just enough time to pack up and drive home,
>that I have time to turn around and drive back for the next night's gig.
>The fact that I have to drive 100 miles for nominal pay and infinite stress
>from reading 4 books at once makes it all worth it, though.  Violins are
>wimps!

Reminds me of the old drummer's joke: "I *play* for free - what they
pay me for is seting up and tearing down."

Grant

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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---------------------------------------------------------

From: "Tom Izzo" <jeanvaljean @ ntsource.com>
Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 23:35:25 -0500
Subject: Re: [CB] the pits
 

----- Original Message -----
From: Abigail S. Tenenbaum <abi @ brandeis.edu>
> >  Hey Richard,
> > I am currently doing West Side Story.  The biggest problem is the number of
> > woodwind instruments in the pit. 5 players and a total of 14
> > instruments.

There are more than that!
There are 8 instruments on the third part & 6 on the 4th part alone.

For those of you who don't know the WSS score:

That's 23 if you use all 5 books.

Fun show!
Lots of Bass Clarinets too! (4)

I like the Wiz score too: (4 reed books)


You low Sax players would like "The Boyfriend" score:


Tom
a multi-instrument Bass & Contrabass brass player (and WW section contractor)
 

---------------------------------------------------------

From: CoolStu67 @ aol.com
Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 23:54:06 EDT
Subject: Re: [CB] the pits

<<
 That's 23 if you use all 5 books.
 
 Fun show!
>>

Each year, my choral director (in high school) puts on a show with our show
choir. This year, we're doing WSS. He is very talented, graduate of FSU, and
listened to the pro-CD of it, and transcribed it to fit our show band (2
trpts, 2 tbns, 2 saxes). The director does this each year (listening to each
year pro's CD and transcribing it). It works well; ever considered
transcribing things to be a little more practical? Maybe not the professional
way out, but it might work well if it's a community effort.

Stuart
---------------------------------------------------------

From: "Tom Izzo" <jeanvaljean @ ntsource.com>
Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 00:11:56 -0500
Subject: Re: [CB] the pits

>  That's 23 if you use all 5 books.
>
>  Fun show!
> >>
>
> Each year, my choral director (in high school) puts on a show with our show
> choir. This year, we're doing WSS. He is very talented, graduate of FSU, and
> listened to the pro-CD of it, and transcribed it to fit our show band (2
> trpts, 2 tbns, 2 saxes). The director does this each year (listening to each
> year pro's CD and transcribing it). It works well; ever considered
> transcribing things to be a little more practical?

It's also illegal.
You'll also not get practical experience in "real life" by simplifying everything.
Even if you can't play every instrument, most schools have students sharing
books.

Tom
 
 

---------------------------------------------------------

From: "Jean Adler" <jean @ espressocom.com>
Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 00:20:06 -0500
Subject: [CB] WSS

Evening all,
Thanks for all the fun comments about "pit" playing. This is the third time for me doing WSS and the scoring is different this time around.  I recall the last time I played it (over 20 years ago) I had more instruments in front of me.  Could it be there are 2 versions floating around?  Also we were the first to play out of the books so there weren't anyone else's marks all over them.  And I only found one note that was written incorrectly. The books this time around are as follows:

It was weird because my book had all sorts of things like, play this part if no reed 3, or play here if no bassoon.  Fortunately all the parts were covered and by 5 people.  No high school kids, and all of the woodwind players have taught music at one time or another.  Is there a show that is harder than this one?  I haven't done any of the "newer" shows so I am not familiar with Lloyd Weber, or Sondheim, the guy who wrote Les Mis.  New rule...no more doing shows I have done before.  And having done over 40 that will be tough.  The newer ones are too expensive for "community" theatre.
  Do all the rest of you have the same problem finding strings to play in pits?  I can't decide if they are too stuck up to play in the pit because there are plenty of them in town who will play in the symphony. Anyway, we had our preview tonight and it went very well...didn't have to vamp much and the scene changes didn't go on forever.

Only problem is I am wide awake after a show and have a heckuva time falling asleep.  Not used to playing at night  these days I guess.

Off to bed,
Jean
 

---------------------------------------------------------

From: "Tom Izzo" <jeanvaljean @ ntsource.com>
Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 01:41:56 -0500
Subject: Re: [CB] WSS
 

----- Original Message -----
From: Jean Adler <jean @ espressocom.com>
> Evening all,
> Thanks for all the fun comments about "pit" playing. This is the third time
> for me doing WSS and the scoring is different this time around.  I recall
> the last time I played it (over 20 years ago) I had more instruments in
> front of me.  Could it be there are 2 versions floating around?

Could very well be! Les Miz has three orchestrations, so why not WSS?

Also we
> were the first to play out of the books so there weren't anyone else's marks
> all over them.  And I only found one note that was written incorrectly. The
> books this time around are as follows:
> Reed 1:  Picc, Flute, Clar, Sax
> Reed 2:  The same with Eb clarinet added to make the reed 2 player nuts
> Reed 3: Picc, Flute, Clar, Tenor Sax
> Reed 4: Clarinet, Bass clarinet, Bari Sax (my book)

Very interesting.

And since no one could
> find me a bari to use since school is still in session I am transposing the
> bari part to bass clarinet.  Not easy on "Cool", but a great transposing
> exercise.  those of you who transpose know how I am doing it.  Really quite
> easy when you think about it...a g is a c ... and the same fingering!!!
> Reed 5:  Bassoon  Those darn bassoonists. just one horn.

hhahahahahaha The orchestrator loved the bassoon so much, she didn't want
him to double.

> It was weird because my book had all sorts of things like, play this part if
> no reed 3, or play here if no bassoon.  Fortunately all the parts were
> covered and by 5 people.  No high school kids, and all of the woodwind
> players have taught music at one time or another.  Is there a show that is
> harder than this one?

Not really. Tho I've not seen any of these "cues" you've mention with the
"other" orchestration,

 I haven't done any of the "newer" shows so I am not
> familiar with Lloyd Weber, or Sondheim, the guy who wrote Les Mis.

Claude Michel Schoenberg,
And if you're doing WSS, Sondheim is involved, he was the lyricist.

 New
> rule...no more doing shows I have done before.  And having done over 40 that
> will be tough.  The newer ones are too expensive for "community" theatre.
>   Do all the rest of you have the same problem finding strings to play in
> pits?

Don't have trouble finding strings to play in a pit, but do have trouble
finding strings who play in tune! :-)

I can't decide if they are too stuck up to play in the pit because
> there are plenty of them in town who will play in the symphony.

Nahhhhhh.
I'm basically a brass player, but I've done my share of pit playing on Bass,
too (both acoustic & electric).

> Anyway, we had our preview tonight and it went very well...didn't have to
> vamp much and the scene changes didn't go on forever.
>
> Only problem is I am wide awake after a show and have a heckuva time falling
> asleep.

My case as well.

>  Not used to playing at night  these days I guess.
>
Enjoy it.
 

Tom
 

---------------------------------------------------------

From: "Tom Izzo" <jeanvaljean @ ntsource.com>
Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 01:52:50 -0500
Subject: Re: [CB] WSS

> Could very well be! Les Miz has three orchestrations,

Les Misérables three orchestrations' reed sections:

Version 1 (CSR  & TAC recordings)

  1. ) Flute, Piccolo
  2. ) Oboe, English Horn
  3. ) Clarinet, Alto Sax
  4. ) Clarinet, Bass Clarinet
  5. ) Bassoon


Version 2 (Orig  Paris, London, NYC, etc)

  1. ) Flute, Piccolo
  2. ) Oboe, English Horn
  3. ) Clarinet, Alto Sax


Version 3 (Touring orchestration)

  1. ) Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Alto Sax
  2. ) Oboe, Eng Horn, Clarinet, Alto Sax


Tom
 
 

---------------------------------------------------------

From: "Jay Easton" <whistler @ aznet.net>
Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 09:46:44 -0700
Subject: [CB] bass sax

>We started rehearsing Music Man for a local semi-pro/pro production
>(featuring Larry Gatlin as Prof. Hill) last weekend, and we shuffled the
>parts around so that we covered both the bassoon parts and bass saxophone
>parts. Most of these have bassoon transposition as an alternate, and it took
>a bit of brainwork to get all the voicings covered (we are 4 reed players
>covering 5 parts, too--so we're all playing pic, flute, clarinet . . . and
>so on).

>I gotta tell you though, there is no better instrument to cover these
>quasi-ragtime bass lines than the bass saxophone. If you've got one, get
>some work in the pits!

>Anybody else have similar experiences?

 Yup- pretty much an identical experience!  I ended up covering reed 4 and reed 5 (bassoon, clarinet, bass sax)in a local production last month, and I LIVE for playing the bass sax!  It was really a fun show to play because of that.  I am very much looking forward to doing West Side Story this summer- I'm playing bass sax, bass clarinet, etc.  for that.  I heard rumors that Gypsy has a bass sax part-  does anyone else know of musicals that call for bass sax in the orchestra?

Thanks!

Jay

---------------------------------------------------------

From: "Tom Izzo" <jeanvaljean @ ntsource.com>
Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 13:04:11 -0500
Subject: Re: [CB] bass sax

  ----- Original Message -----

  From: Jay Easton

  etc.  for that.  I heard rumors that Gypsy has a bass sax part-  does anyone else know of musicals that call for bass sax in the orchestra?
  Thanks!


  The Boyfriend (on Reed 3)
  West Side Story (on Reed 4)
  plus Music Man, of course.

  I don't remember, but there might be a part in "Roar of the Greasepaint, Smell of the Crowd". It has some wierd things, including Euphonium-very rare for an orchestra (double for the Trombonist).

  Are there are CB Sax parts in pit orchestrations?

  Tom

  Jay

***End of Contrabass Digest***


 
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