Reading question. I apologize already as I'm sure it is quite dumb...

[jfh2424]

Hello!

I recently subbed for a bassist in a big band situation. My reading is not good. I took the charts home to work on them. I've been improving. All that is good.

One of the pieces (The Jazz Police) is a five minute plus piece. It is spread over four written pages. It is very quick (176). Tough, very tough. I am having a hard time just reading and flipping the pages.

Here's my question, which I'm sure will make you sigh: what's the best way to deal with the flipping pages as spreading them all out on one stand does not work, my stand is not wide enough, the pages fall off. I have therefore scotch taped them side by side and put them on two stands side by side so I can read them from one page to the next without having to physically flip the pages over. This way, I can concentrate on the execution. Is this generally acceptable? Am I going to look like an idiot if I do this at rehearsal or a gig with knowledgeable musicians? Do people just keep practicing them until they have them so well that they actually have the time to flip the pages? At the pace of the music, I don't see how this can be done as it is basically quarter notes all the way through and this would mean taking my hand off the neck...or maybe this break in the music to flip is actually accepted?

Thanks, I appreciate whatever comment is made and all help is welcomed!

John

 

[Mingo Sanders]

Memorize. Here's a memorization strategy: memorize the final measure. Now memorize the last two measures. The last three measures. Keep working backward one measure at a time. If that's not musical, then learn the last phrase or section, and work backward one phrase or section at a time. Memorize, memorize, memorize. Yes, you can do it, just like so many who came before you.

 

[FRRGC]

Sorry its late, but to answer your question, that is a very common thing for the entire rhythm section. Just don't do that in a classical setting and you shouldn't get any funny looks

 

[akrachanko]

I played Jazz Police back in high school. My solution, 2 music stands. Most of the music we played was 3 or 4 pages, so I just got into the habit of using 2 music stands.

Now, I just scan the music and put it in my iPad (Forscore), and use an AirTurn pedal to turn my pages.

 

[jfh2424]

Hello everyone.

Thx so much for your comments, they are very appreciated, especially for a newbie like me.

Since I’ve written my original post, I've worked really hard on the Jazz Police. Ironically, i now know a lot of it off by heart, but I still use the paper for some of it. And now, i won’t feel funny about using two stands for it, when I play it in front of others.

Thx!

John

 

[Jeremy Darrow]

Good call. I would 100% use two stands in this situation. It's not possible to play during a page turn no matter how much you've memorized, and turning during a moment of silence (should there be one) then relying on memory until you're back on the page seems like an overcomplicated solution to a simple problem, to me anyway.

Don't forget to get a second stand light!