On Apr 20, 2006, at 10:00 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
message: 8
date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 23:40:04 -0700 (PDT)
from: Larry Jellison [EMAIL PROTECTED]
subject: [Hornlist] Protecting one's horn from other players
Just seems that it is a matter of time before other
ensemble players do damage to one's horn by tipping
over music stands or by swinging their horn into ours.
I make mental notes about specific players that seem
to put my horn at high risk, and I protect my horn
from them the best I can. Examples of high risk
colleageus include those who arrive late and have to
sqweeze between rows, bumping and tipping stands on
their way. One can anticipate their actions, perhaps
moving one's stand to create more room for their
passage or grabbing the stand so that it doesn't tip
and fall into your horn. Then there's the horn
playing colleague next to you that wildly swings his
horn, hitting yours in the process. For the horn
swinger one can start by spreading the chairs apart,
and you might have to arrive early to be able to do
this. Otherwise, as they swing their horn, move your
horn as far away from them as you can. I haven't yet
made a terse comment to anyone, but that would follow
once the gash into the horn happens. And, I think
when walking with the horn, the horn has more
protection when holding it high across one's chest so
that all of the horn is in your view; carrying the
horn on your side leaves the bell vulnerable. Oh,
happy day! Other suggestions? Thanks.
You might want to politely ask them to be more careful. If you see
someone coming toward you, loaded up with their case, music, lunch,
clothing and other sundry items, you should take take preemptive
action by standing up or holding out an arm and asking them to be
careful- perhaps putting some of their stuff down somewhere else. If
you know someone swings their horn around a lot, you should catch
them gently before they do it and ask them to be careful. A couple of
these polite moves should do the job. If not, then more positive
actions should be taken. You can always suggest that if they are
always going to be late then they should play 4th horn or a part that
is easier to get to in a pinch.
Some people seem to always be late and are used to rushing around,
often losing sight of what effect that has on other people. When I
used to contract professional groups I would take people aside who
were chronically late or just rushing in at the last minute and
explain to them that I, as a contractor, did not appreciate that
because it made me nervous and stressed out, so no matter how good
they were as a player, I would be less likely to hire them in the
future. That usually helped. : )
I sometimes work in crowded pit or stage conditions with
PROFESSIONALS and for the most part, they are very considerate of
other peoples' instruments. We help each other get into our positions
and sometimes people who sit farther in are playfully razzed by those
they have to climb over if they are later than they should be. The
people in the back of the pit near the entrance usually make it a
point to come in later if there is a problem with space, which there
usually is. This is just adult behavior.
Other behavior should be discouraged right away but in a nice way. I
don't believe that you should encourage bad behavior by just making
it easier for them to do it by moving things around and trying to get
out of their way any more than is reasonable. (Sure, you need to make
room and help people pass, but we all know there are limits to this.)
Sometimes there just isn't any more room and if you end up in another
hall where there isn't enough room to avoid them then the problem is
still there and just more deeply ingrained. I wouldn't wait until
damage is done.
Most people respond to polite, helpful advice from a respected player
on how to be more professional.
Accidents do happen so you should protect your horn at all times and
don't leave it anywhere where it might be damaged, especially in
amateur and school situations.
Sincerely,
Wendell Rider
For information about my book, Real World Horn Playing and the
summer seminar, go to my website: www.wendellworld.com
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