Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Doubling mania

Fun times here on the peak - yesterday a package arrived with the bass clarinet neck! For anyone who may have forgotten, J got me a bass clarinet for my birthday (fixer upper) which he had basically fixed up, but it had no neck. This is a huge problem, and he was actually contemplating MAKING one (OMG) but fortunately he found one on line. Seems to work great! Now I am getting excited about the BC, but it does need some adjustment work before it gets the green light.

Tonight I'm going to play tenor sax with my friend's dance band, just to get playing again. It really helps me to have a group to play with. I have about a month til rehearsals start for West Side, so all my weird instruments need to be ready by then. Of course I'm just assuming my oboe playing will be fabulous (hahaha).

I am having the best time rehearsing for La Boheme - the winds are truly a joy to hear. I am a bit concerned about how they are going to fit us all in the pit though - lots of percussion and people, at least there is no keyboard. And it is kind of weird they hired double winds except oboe! I don't know if they just couldn't find someone, or what - but you'd think they would have given me the 2nd/eh book to cover some of the exposed parts (which the conductor sings while he looks at me mournfully). Music is great though, and I can't wait for the sitzprobe (when the singers come in) on Sunday.

1 comment:

oboeinsight.com said...

Ahhh ... now I remember! La Bohème! I had forgotten you were doing that!

Why didn't they just use the reduced book then? Puccini himself approved it, and it makes for an easier time. (Sadly it doesn't use EH.) We used to use reduced books all the time when we were in a smaller pit. It would be double flutes and clarinets and sometimes even double bassoons, but VERY rarely would we have two oboes. Such is life!