[Trombone-l] Pit Stories

[Chris Tune]

Clay and I BOTH had to read these silly notes.  Was really kinda funny. .
.except maybe when you are trying to read them.

The stems are attached to the WRONG SIDE.  So you have to look at 'em and
then look at 'em and after a moment you realize: "Those are quarter
notes!!".

I don't think the copyist did very much work around here.  At least I've not
seen many copied like this. 

Hey Clay. See ya soon.
Chris Tune

-----Original Message-----
From: trombone-l-bounces at samford.edu [mailto:trombone-l-bounces at samford.edu]
On Behalf Of Clay McCarter
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 3:16 PM
To: Eric McKee
Cc: Mailing List - Trombone-L
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Pit Stories

I play in a big band and once played a chart with backwards note stems.
Another piece had very strange markings for quarter rests (made sight
reading the thing an experience).


Clay

On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 3:00 PM, Eric McKee <EMcKee at misupply.com> wrote:

> I used to hate playing pit orchestra gigs because the music was so
> difficult to read.  The parts were always hand written (badly) with as
> much shorthand as possible. Throw in tons of mute changes and tons of
> key changes and tons of accidentals and very little rehearsal time and
> it adds up to aggravation.  I always found it funny when there would be
> a string of notes above the staff.  The notes would line up horizontally
> but there would be different numbers of ledger lines beneath them.
>
> However, I recently played Annie and had a nice spiral-bound computer
> printed part.  I also have seen the parts for a few other musicals
> recently and they seem to be in the same format.
>
> Please tell me that this is the new trend, and that those crappy
> chicken-scratch parts are a thing of the past!  If that's true, I will
> be much more willing to play these gigs in the future.
>
> Thanks
>
> Eric McKee
> Woodwind Products Buyer (but a trombone player nonetheless)
> Woodwind and Brasswind
> 800-348-5003, ext 2264
> ericm at wwbw.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: trombone-l-bounces at samford.edu
> [mailto:trombone-l-bounces at samford.edu] On Behalf Of Harlan Feinstein
> Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 5:35 PM
> To: Clay McCarter
> Cc: Mailing List - Trombone-L
> Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Pit Stories
>
>
> On Dec 5, 2008, at 2:04 PM, Clay McCarter wrote:
>
> > I've really enjoyed reading about players experiences with Wicked.
> > Anyone
> > else out there playing in a pit for a show?  I'd love to hear
> > stories about
> > your past and present gigs.
>
> The story I've got is a past production of West Side Story.  The
> director approached the music director during one of the dress
> rehearsals, asked him to play a given song faster (don't remember what
> song).  The MD [wisely] replied that the orchestra couldn't hold it
> together much faster.  The director told him (well within the
> orchestra's hearing), "I don't care WHAT it SOUNDS like, play it
> FASTER!"
>
> --Harlan
>
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