[Trombone-l] Alto Trombone requirement at Vanderbilt

[billredgate@comcast.net]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tony Clements" ttuba at comcast.net 


.Tony Wrote; 





 I have never let a stick wielding semi-conductor tell me which tuba to play. Not that they'd 
know the difference anyway. 





Tony; 



         Please understand that I know you play better in your sleep than I ever will.  I knwo that if I practiced all day every day for the rest of my life I couldn't begin to be qualified to sit in the same group with you.   I even know that you're a good guy. 



         BUT...... 



         I do know "professionalism".  I do know business ethics.  If you're not willing to do what your immediate supervisor tells you to do - the way that supervisor asks that it be done - then you have no business taking that job.  It's just that simple.  Its the same for carpenters, managers and street walking prostitutes.  Everybody who takes a job implies willingness to comply with direction from (heirarchically) superior.  Given the market today,  you must be one big time player if you can operate under that rule and still hold a job.  I'm proud for you that you are - and I hope you can continue to.  But really ..... just because you know the right way to perform a given task and your supervisor doesn't have a clue, doesn't give you the option of faliing to comply.  Most places that will get you fired pretty quickly.  That's also why the girl on the streetcorner gets it all straight and agreed upon in advance. 



        I would suggest to you that - given your principle - it would only be fair to your employer to make up a list of all the rep likely to be performed and indicate on which of these you'll play which horn.  It might be the best thing ever - somebody gives you grief later on you can point to the agreed upon list.  Or it could get you fired now.  But it's fair to let them know what you're willing - or not willing - to do for their money. 



        I'm really not trying to be mean spirited or a hard case or anything.  I'm not trying to challenge your right to live your life by your rules.  I really hate to even bring this up, but it is one of the really big things in music when money is present.  When is the instrumentalist a technician, and when is he an artist?  Or is he ever either?  My way of looking at it is simple.  When the "Stick" is the one who's "vision" you're paid to try to create, then you're a technician.  You use every trick you've ever learned to try to make it sound just like "the Stick" wants it to.  Count your money and go home and have a laugh.  When You're out front - soloing whatever - then it's YOU.  That's when you get to be an artist.  



         As has been mentioned time and again here on this list, not all "stick" types are what we the player would want them to be.  Maybe they're not even what they ought to be - but that's not our call.  We don't own the music.  We don't usually even own the performance.  No one can - but its important that we never lose sight of the fact who's on the hook for it.  It's not fair and not right not to try your best to give the person at risk what they've asked for - even if it's stupid. 



         Again please understand that I am not trying to get in your face about this.  I really don't want you to think that I intend in any way to be difficult.  But by golly man - "I've never let my boss tell me what to do" is a pretty strong statement.  I just couldn't let it slide. 



Sorry 



Bill Redgate 

Atlanta Georgia