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The worst thing about playing music is...

M

malicant

Oct 14, 2011
72
2
#1
... other musicians or at least, that's what my best music teacher told me. He also backed that up with a story I'm going to share.

This took place in the early 00's in a Jazz bar in Dublin, Ireland. My teacher and his friend, a saxophonist of decent ability whom we will call Mike, went along to see a jazz band that the said friend was a big fan of. Now, prior to the main act, there was an improvisation session that anyone could join in if they thought they were good enough so my teacher's friend had brought his sax.

The evening began well and both my teacher and mike took part in the improv with laudable results. Being pretty fired up by his preformance, Mike then decided to ask the band leader of the main act if he could join them for one number. Seemingly bemused, the band leader (a bassist) told Mike he was welcome to play with them but asked him if he was 100% certain he was ready for it. Mike nonchalantly replied that he was and the bassist told him to take his place so onto the state he sauntered.

Now, the tune they were to play was in the key of B flat minor so Mike expected nothing out of the ordinary as he lifted the sax to his lips. The band leader took his place at the front of the band and counted in the tune "a-one, a-two, a one-two three E FLAT!". Instantly, the pianist, guitarist and the bassist switched into the new key and poor Mike was left to attempt to find his place. He promptly failed and had to leave the stage in a dejected mood.

Now, I don't know for sure that that story is true but my teacher was fairly adamant that it was. Either way, it really does illustrate how nasty musicians can be to each other. Granted, Mike probably set himself up for the fall but I think it was a bit mean to do that to him all the same.

Anyone else ever encountered anything like this?
 
#10
"Mike" learned a valuable lesson in musicianship. When he was asked if he was 100% certain he was ready for it, there was his magic moment to gracefully bow out.

The jazz band i play with does key changes frequently. Sometimes to accomodate a sit-in vocalist, sometimes just for s__ts & giggles! But we're always ready for the knuckleball pitch.

That was a good story your music teacher passed to you...even if it never actually took place.
 
#11
The worst thing would be the 3:00am drunks who think they're your best bud and want to stand around and ramble at you about nothing when you just want to pack up and go home, 'cause you still have to load the truck, drive, and unload the truck when you get back, then have to try to get some sleep before you get up at 9:00am.
 
#14
thats sort of hilarious in a "you had to be there and i know im a d--k for this" kind of way.

a buddy of mine was telling me the other day about this bar band he once joined, the band leader gave him something like 70 tunes to learn, no rehearsal. at the gig the band leader comes up to him and says "scratch those tunes, were doing a different set." my friend, being a competent musician, while annoyed, agreed to follow along as much as he could. four beats for nothing, song starts, bandleader (guitarist) turns the other way so my friend couldn't watch his hands for chords. all ears.

basically the same thing. i guess it happens sometimes.
 
#15
The truth is that Mike had no business asking to play if he could not figure out the key on his own. In a real jamm, many times someone will start playing, lets say, a riff in A-5b. The rest of the people will follow it without no one calling out the key. I mean, what for? GOOD LESSON!

The worst thing about playing music its the best thing about it: other musicians. That is a condition of the human race, not of the profession of music. There is good people and there is bad people, good musicians and bad musicians.

To tell you the truth, if the rest of the band help you out loading the van, it is even fun... If they leave you alone, its a piece of ______.

But the bottom line is that we take all the crap (van loading, drunks after gigs, etc...) for the chance to play. There is always a solo, a riff, a vamp, a song, or simply a moment of GREAT complicity that its elating, that takes you away. For that moment, we will do anything, simply, because we can.
 
#16
malicant said:
... other musicians or at least, that's what my best music teacher told me. He also backed that up with a story I'm going to share.

This took place in the early 00's in a Jazz bar in Dublin, Ireland. My teacher and his friend, a saxophonist of decent ability whom we will call Mike, went along to see a jazz band that the said friend was a big fan of. Now, prior to the main act, there was an improvisation session that anyone could join in if they thought they were good enough so my teacher's friend had brought his sax.

The evening began well and both my teacher and mike took part in the improv with laudable results. Being pretty fired up by his preformance, Mike then decided to ask the band leader of the main act if he could join them for one number. Seemingly bemused, the band leader (a bassist) told Mike he was welcome to play with them but asked him if he was 100% certain he was ready for it. Mike nonchalantly replied that he was and the bassist told him to take his place so onto the state he sauntered.

Now, the tune they were to play was in the key of B flat minor so Mike expected nothing out of the ordinary as he lifted the sax to his lips. The band leader took his place at the front of the band and counted in the tune "a-one, a-two, a one-two three E FLAT!". Instantly, the pianist, guitarist and the bassist switched into the new key and poor Mike was left to attempt to find his place. He promptly failed and had to leave the stage in a dejected mood.

Now, I don't know for sure that that story is true but my teacher was fairly adamant that it was. Either way, it really does illustrate how nasty musicians can be to each other. Granted, Mike probably set himself up for the fall but I think it was a bit mean to do that to him all the same.

Anyone else ever encountered anything like this?
Click to expand...

Well, the band leader asked if he was 100% ready and the sax player said he was, so the band leader tested him. Granted, he could have asked specifically, "If I call the tune in a different key on the upbeat, will you be able to play it?", but...

Not being a sax player, I don't know how hard it is to transpose on the fly but if he really knows his instrument and has a good ear, he should have been able to manage it.

I can't say I'd be happy if I was in his place but I'd assume key changes happen at the last second on other gigs, somewhere.
 
#17
There are some "communities" where that happens, very cut-throat and competitive. I'm fortunate that where I live the musicians are, for the most part, real friends, and have been for decades. Openness, sharing, collaborating ... that's what I live with. Thankfully!
 
#18
Well, right now for me it's everything surrounding that heavenly 45 minutes to an hour of actual performance. I'm not an overly social person and have always been lousy at small talk so the period waiting to go on isn't usually a whole lot of fun, same for the period after the performance. Then there is the cost of rehearsal studios, recording/mastering costs, production costs. Then there are the other musicians (who in my experience have generally been, if not great, then at least decent), who can remove every ounce of joy from a rehearsal or performance in seconds.

I'm about ready to hang up my performing/band boots, just have some milestones to reach (record release for band #1, recording and a few high-profile gigs in band #2), and then I think I'm going to just woodshed and find some folks to collaborate with on home recordings. Far lower stress, FAR lower costs.
 
#19
1958Bassman said:
Well, the band leader asked if he was 100% ready and the sax player said he was, so the band leader tested him. Granted, he could have asked specifically, "If I call the tune in a different key on the upbeat, will you be able to play it?", but...

Not being a sax player, I don't know how hard it is to transpose on the fly but if he really knows his instrument and has a good ear, he should have been able to manage it.

I can't say I'd be happy if I was in his place but I'd assume key changes happen at the last second on other gigs, somewhere.
Click to expand...

A move to E flat minor would have put him in either C minor or F minor depending on the key of the saxophone. There are certainly worse keys to have to transpose (at least to me anyway) :). I don't particularly care for it when someone I don't know wants to sit in on a tune. However, I wouldn't try to set them up for failure.
 

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