The Brass Hub

 Well the MD stuck to his word last night with a light rehearsal. Boy how rehearsing a band at the top has changed from years ago. I can remember slugging it out in rehearsals right up until the night before, even hours before a major contest performance. (i can remember a year at the nationals in the early nighties in sydney with Preston band rehearsing the own choice (essence of time) slugging it out for 2 hrs to mid- night after just having stuffed up the test that day ) Each to his own I suppose 

Rehearsal went 1hr & 15 mins, the mouthpiece was probably on the chops for 30 mins of that all told. Most of the rehearsal was spent listening in patches to a recording of the performances of the previous day. The MD & principal players of the band had critiqued & collectively made their assessments for improvements which were discussed with the band, pencils at hand. I think they call it in the sporting arena the one percentes. (All positive)

Got a few sickies in the band at the moment, colds, flu, that sort of thing, not sure if it's a good thing that they keep on turning up to rehearsal or not, I guess you can call it sacrificing for the cause? Anyway it creates a bit of fun in the band when these guys keep getting bagged for blowing their noses & coughing their lungs out in the bars rests. (Yeh good on ya Robbie (boy) Coulson (bombers are the best mate) 

Back tonight for the last rehearsal in Melbourne, probably similar rehearsal to last night if we are good boys & girls  

Lead up to the Nationals

Big all weekend rehearsal is over. For us hobby brass players if were not in some sort of form now we never will be. The hard work has been done, 2 main rehearsals at home to go, tonight & Tuesday night before we head up to Sydney over the Wednesday (soloists) & Thursday the rest of the band.

These next 2 rehearsals are pretty much run throughs & if there are no major hick ups will last for probably 1 hour or so. This is generally the way the MD works it pre national's performances to keep us fresh. (Top & Tail as he says)

Our pre Nats concert yesterday was a good hit out but raised a few issues under the spotlight which I'm sure will be addressed at rehearsal tonight, but most of it was due to fatigued after a long weekend rehearsing. 

The physical & mental application is abig part of performace, we will all go on stage fresh of course next week in Sydney.

Lead up to the Nationals p3

The Bari is working fine after some attention was paid to it yesterday with a good cleanout. It always amazes me what comes out sometimes, which gives me a sense of that was why I was playing like crappe before.

Well with a new sense of hope for some great stuff to flow from the instrument we took off to band rehearsal last. We spent the whole night on the hymn & the test. Unfortunately we had 0ne player missing to have a full band, I guess that means we still keep above the 95% attendance for the Nationals preparation.

Just love this time of year in banding, as a team everybody gets behind each other wanting each to do well for the whole bands performance. It was a great vibe amongst the players & that's what it's all about supporting each other in our music making & enjoying being there doing it.

All weekend rehearsal this weekend in camp, so today as my wife is home from work will spend the day with her & the Bari stays in its case.

Been successfully married 28 years now & banding & marriage can exist in perfect harmony.

Just a tip for the boys (from Mars) I have discovered the female species (from Venus) loves good QUALITY TIME spent with them not QUANTITY time.

sitting at home watching the football or listenning to brass band CDs is not goint to help

QUALITY time spent doing something together enjoyed by both especially the female,  so we are going to head off for a drive up the road into the country side of Vic, get out &have a Latte at some yuppie,  la de dar coffee shop, look around at a few antique shops and maybe look at some of the countryside. Probably not everyone's cup of tea but it is to my wife & she deserves for me to spend this QUALITY time together with her because we probably won't see each other much this weekend let only next weekend when I will be in Sydney.

Are well it seems to have worked for me after 28 years of marriage & banding.

Lead up to the Nationals p2

Well today with 9 days to go & rehearsal tonight, me think it be a good idea if we do some practise today, but only the parts i cannot play well as yet.  This is a good approach i mean what is the use of practising the parts you can play (this is a time waster). It's about using your rehearsal time wisely me old man use to say. Man I'm a busy man & my time is precious.

I have a separate sheet created from cutting & pasting the parts in the test & own choice music which i cannot play & i will rehearse them slowly with the old metronome, then gradually build the speed required over time.  Have always taken this approach with my solo work as well. 

Presently I have my instrument in pieces giving it a good working over. Actually playing 2nd Baritone for the first time at a contest. At the moment i have it sitting in the bath soaking, preparing to give it a good clean out before I will do the practise.

My hope is it will sound better after a good clean out.

Isn't it  funny how the lead up to the Nationals can get you all excited in your preparation to look & sound your best for the day more than any other time of the banding year.

Are well back to the cleaning & practising

Lead up to the Nationals

Well i guess all bands heading to the Sydney are all hard at work in preparation to be & sound the best they can be on their days

In all my years of banding i have never known the preparation of a band to be so committed for a purpose than the band i play with (refrained from using the name because i thought it might not be appropriate legally before the contest but easy to workout).

My involvement in banding has been 43 years now and we all know how hard it is to get full band rehearsals. It's the MDs dream & nightmare in one, especially here in our Australian banding.

My band had a radical shake up last year with a change of MD which has inspired & taught this band of focused musicians a thing or two about commitment to each other week in week out at rehearsal to be the best in the country.  It was like the radical shake up the band had to have to remain at the top of banding in this country.

Band culture has changed: It is said now we obtain 95% attendance at rehearsal week in week out & the level of enthusiasm has lifted dramatically. It is amazing what a group of dedicted musicians can achieve together.

It is so much better to come to band with a near capacity full band to half a band i can tell you. I have never known a lead up to a national performance in any band i have been involved in that has consistently had full band rehearsals.

Banding is the best it has ever been. Regardless of results at Sydney this band is already a winner & the attitude of the members has produced this.