> Part of your responsibility is to point out the potential problem > Why is it that most people have far greater wisdom assessing blame > than they do for recognizing responsibility
My, how condescending we are. I tried reading it some other way, but to no avail. It is most certainly NOT "my responsibility" to "point out a potential problem." It is my responsibility to 1) serve the music, and 2) play what the conductor wants to hear, regardless if he is able to communicate through his stick technique. Once upon a time, I made a living with my horn. As 1st horn, I sat in the hot seat, or rather, as hot a seat as my abilities afforded me at the time. And during those years I have sat through many rehearsals where valuable time was wasted by someone "pointing out potential problems" to the conductor and the group. One wonders if these "helpers" would be so chatty if their episodes of pontification weren't accompanied by the warm fuzzy feeling they get when hi-jacking a rehearsal... or so it seems. I'll bet we've all it happen: Playing "Happy Birthday" in the key of C, and ONE CLARINET (for instance) PART, has an Eb written on the tonic chord in the final cadence. Stymied, the player's hand goes up and rehearsal grinds to a halt on behalf of the unarmed gunman: "Uhhh, can I have a note check please. Y'see, everyone seems to be playing a different note than mine and I was wondering if maybe... <snip>. The performance in question concerned a small wind group + percussion/piano accompanying an amateur chorus. The conductor is a friend of mine, so mind games were not in order here. There were no cues given during the entire rehearsal, nor were any forthcoming during the performance.. There also was no eye contact at any time. The conductor marked time with his stick while he stared at the score. From this, we, as professionals, were paid to extract a stirring performance. And we did. The conductor was beaming afterwards, and "beaming" is a lot different from a cold, "good job." A good worker with a right heart will not mind making his boss look good... even when he might not deserve the applause. Perhaps he deserved the applause for being the kind of person who would hire the kind of people who would be willing to help rather than hinder his efforts. And who is also the kind of person for whom such people are willing to give their best. *** > Responsibility is completely under your own control And I used it. Rather, "we" used it. The ensemble had a short meeting of the minds concerning how to handle the problem areas. We formulated a plan and stuck to it. It worked. I'll forgive your air if you're willing to forgive me if I've misread your intent. On second thought, I forgive you regardless. That ***is*** my responsibility. jrc in SC _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
