A long overdue update

It’s been three months since my last update and so much has happened since then.  I have played a solo with another band (which I had never done before), played at the English Nationals (requiring two test pieces), had a break from playing (which I try to do annually) and returned to a busy concert schedule, including playing at a wedding with an almost ‘scratch band’.

Firstly, my routine has developed a little, bit by bit.  I will post an update on that separately.  The routine has progressed gradually so as not to be too dramatic a change at any one time.

So, Saturday 16^th June 2012: my first solo with another band.  Pemberton Old Wigan DW Band had arranged to do a joint concert with Yorkshire Imperial at the infamous Morley Town Hall.  As part of this, we played two joint items, followed by one set each and accompany two soloists from the other band, culminating in another two joint items.  The joint items and our individual sets were all great.  When it came to playing my solo, ‘Live and Let Die’ arranged by Ray Farr, I have never been so nervous.  I had practised the solo plenty.  I had even performed at a number of concerts with Pemberton when I first joined the band four years ago, so was confident I could play it well.  The only problem was with not knowing the band.  Being accompanied by your own band and your own conductor is comfortable.  You know how each other tick.  A new conductor and a new band bring up too many variables for my confidence.

Anyway, it went fine.  I know I could have played better.  I know there were bits I have played better in my own practise and in concert with my own band.  I also know that it wasn’t the band’s fault, or the conductor’s.  It was my own performance anxiety – nerves.  I am not ashamed of how I played.  It wasn’t that bad.  I am just unhappy that the performance wasn’t better.  I hope to be able to perform solos with other bands and do a better job of it in the future.

The week that followed was contest week building up to the English Nationals.  This year, just like last year, we had to prepare two test pieces.  First, was the set test piece ‘Masquerade’ by Philip Wilby, followed by our own choice ‘Harmony Music’ by Philip Sparke.  Last year, working on two test pieces in a week of rehearsals was very tough.  Perhaps due to the demands of the pieces - we played ‘Elgar Variations’ and ‘Spriti’.  The Thomas Doss piece, written for the 2010 European Championships, has a demanding Soprano Cornet part, with a lengthy delicate ‘religioso misterioso’ section.

This year, even though the two pieces are demanding and require lots of stamina and test all facets of brass playing, from range to finger technique to tonguing and articulation to loud playing to the softest, most delicate playing.  I enjoyed the rehearsals, and think that the key to my ‘survival’ during the week, was pacing myself.  The way our conductor works, is that we do work on our test piece to then run at the end of the rehearsal.  This usually starts a few weeks before the contest.  Sometimes, we do an early run-through to see how it feels on a ‘fresh lip’.  My stance during non-contest-week rehearsals is to always give 100%.  How else can I improve and be sure to be confident in what I am playing?  However, in contest-week I save it for run-throughs and the ‘important bits’.

By preserving my energy in rehearsals and only really ‘stepping on the gas’ during run-throughs, I knew I had the stamina and energy in reserve for the big day.  I played well, as did the band.  ‘Masquerade’ finally came together on stage, it is not a piece that suits us particularly well.  However, ‘Harmony Music’ is right up our street - big solo for our star euphonium, cadenzas for cornet and horn.  The right people are featured, and the technique of the band is tested and displayed.  On the set test we came 8^th out of 8, and on the own choice we came 6^th.  This made us joint last with two other bands (Reg Vardy and GUS).  We were very pleased with our performances, but in such a strong field were happy to have beaten a couple of rivals, even if only in the own choice.

Following the English Nationals, on Saturday 23^rd June 2012, we only had one or two performances before our summer break, which started in mid-July and lasted until mid-August.  After our final rehearsal, I put the instrument away and left it there.  I didn’t touch it for nearly two weeks.  This is quite a long time really.  In previous years I have only not played for one week at the most.  I decided for my own sanity, and for the sake of an effective recovery, I needed to have a longer break this year.  We had been so busy, and I needed to spend quality time with my young family, I wanted a longer break.

Once school finished for summer, I could spend quality time with the family as well as begin to practise again.  I built gradually over the course of a week, before returning to a complete routine again, by adding an extra exercise a day.  Within two weeks of my return I was playing at a wedding for a friend of the band, with a ‘scratch band’ made up of mainly Pemberton and Wingates players, with a few others thrown in for good measure.  The programme, including the hymns, were mainly Salvationist arrangements, with a number Paul Lovatt-Cooper pieces (himself a Salvationist).  Anybody who has played Salvationist hymn arrangements for band will know that they are quite demanding in terms of stamina.  They are fair more demanding than the ‘Red Books’ most other bands use.  We coped, but it was a bit of a blow.

A week later and we were back at band an performing in public again.  Saturday 18^th August was a private function.  We had a light programme, but a baptism of fire in terms of our return to band.  Wednesday 22^nd August was where we backed our principal cornet player, Joanne Johnson, in her final Masters Recital.  We accompanied her in a 45 minute programme and then we continued with a normal, but open-to-the-public, rehearsal.  What a hectic return to band.  Good job I was back in good form because of my practice routine!

Since then, we have done two concerts, one of them with the Hoghton Weavers.  Both of them the band has played really well.  We have a weekend of this weekend, but we are then busy the next four.  All concerts.  At the end of November we are competing in the Scottish Open and we haven’t confirmed our choice yet, but it is looking very likely that we will be performing a piece that has an exceptionally demanding Soprano Cornet part.  So far, so good.  Contest week might be a different ball game!

I will give more details of how my routine has changed since June (three months ago!!) and how I phased my return to playing after my short break in the next update.