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Your experiences playing in pit bands/orchestras for musicals?
- Thread starter CrimsonElf22
- Start date
I forgot the best part of playing in a pit band: not having the responsibility to "drive" the band. That's the conductor's job. It's very relaxing not having to push all night!
Whilst working on an NCL ship out of Miami we had a touring production of "Ain't Misbehaving". We, the band, were on stage behind the cast and and the show was ambient miked - a few microphones on low stands in front if the cast and as the rest if the band - piano, drums and 2 horns were fine as they were used ti hearing themselves acoustically, but I had to turn down really low - disconnect one spreaker cab and turn the other 90 degrees to the stage - and had a real probkem adjusting..
The show was great fun to play as I love all those Fats Waller tunes, we got 1 4 hour rehearsal to nail the show (they brought their own MD) and I also got along pretty well with one of the cast
.
We did some stuff at high school as well - we did the second EVER Joseph and some selections from JCS but my ine ambition was, like a lot of people, to play West Side Story.
My daughter, who is 15, is playing Dorothy in The Wizard if Oz in February in her school production (4th - 7th February @ the Rhoad Mcgaw Theatre, Woking) and I'd like to play that but ... having your DAD in the band ....
The show was great fun to play as I love all those Fats Waller tunes, we got 1 4 hour rehearsal to nail the show (they brought their own MD) and I also got along pretty well with one of the cast
.We did some stuff at high school as well - we did the second EVER Joseph and some selections from JCS but my ine ambition was, like a lot of people, to play West Side Story.
My daughter, who is 15, is playing Dorothy in The Wizard if Oz in February in her school production (4th - 7th February @ the Rhoad Mcgaw Theatre, Woking) and I'd like to play that but ... having your DAD in the band ....
Yeah, there's almost never any need for a big amp for musicals, even for big (more than 10 people) orchestras. I usually did shows with a 150 watt combo and never needed to go over about 3-4 on the output volume. I've even done a few shows with a tiny little practice amp - no point in breaking your back if you can't use it, right?
The point was I making was that I was used to hearing my Bass at a certain volume against the other instruments in the band - the piano, horns and any vocals were normally miked through the PA when we were playing for dancing and backing cabaret.
However for this show their mikes were off - the band was playing acoustically with the singers un-miked and I had to play at a volume which would fit in with the situation. The end result was that the only way I could actually hear myself when playing at that volume was to stack my 120w combo on top of my extension speaker, disconnect the lower one and turn the combo sideways so it was pointing at me (and into the wings). I wish I'd played double bass @ the time as that would have worked perfectly.
I now gig normally with my 30W Ashdown Perfect 10 combo...
However for this show their mikes were off - the band was playing acoustically with the singers un-miked and I had to play at a volume which would fit in with the situation. The end result was that the only way I could actually hear myself when playing at that volume was to stack my 120w combo on top of my extension speaker, disconnect the lower one and turn the combo sideways so it was pointing at me (and into the wings). I wish I'd played double bass @ the time as that would have worked perfectly.
I now gig normally with my 30W Ashdown Perfect 10 combo...
I've had similar situations and my solution was to use one earbud.
I've used the Rolls PM351 Personal Monitor System http://www.rolls.com/productImage.php?pid=PM351
Sometimes I use a mic and position it to help me hear other things I need...If I have a nice sound man, I can get an unpowered monitor mix for it as well.
Behringer makes a really inexpensive model if you don't need the third input: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MA400
I really enjoy theater pit work. It keeps my reading chops up, you often get to play great music and it can be fun being part of the whole process. The comment someone made about immersing yourself in the music for two weeks and then forgetting it is right on.
For a while I was the regular bassist for the Spanish Lyric Theater here in Tampa which did shows featuring music from Spain and Cuba as well standard fare like "Showboat" and "Sound of Music". For a few productions, the orchetsra was on stage and had to interact with the cast, which was interesting, although you couldn't relax between musical numbers. This year I will be playing "The Fantasticks" at the Tarpon Springs Perfroming Arts Center, "Beautyand the Beast" at Clearwater High School and "Anything Goes" (Cole Porter) at Shorecrest in St. Pete and the Straz Center in Tampa. All of these shows call for double bass, but I'll be playing electric for "Anything Goes" due to the depth of the orchestra pit (or lack thereof).
- Steve
For a while I was the regular bassist for the Spanish Lyric Theater here in Tampa which did shows featuring music from Spain and Cuba as well standard fare like "Showboat" and "Sound of Music". For a few productions, the orchetsra was on stage and had to interact with the cast, which was interesting, although you couldn't relax between musical numbers. This year I will be playing "The Fantasticks" at the Tarpon Springs Perfroming Arts Center, "Beautyand the Beast" at Clearwater High School and "Anything Goes" (Cole Porter) at Shorecrest in St. Pete and the Straz Center in Tampa. All of these shows call for double bass, but I'll be playing electric for "Anything Goes" due to the depth of the orchestra pit (or lack thereof).
- Steve
Never have done one on bass, but did a few on trombone. The Boyfriend, Sound of Music, Three Penny Opera. Had a dancer fall off the stage during rehearsal for the boyfriend onto me and my trombone. Neither she nor I were hurt, but I ended up with a trombone with a flying V slide. The theater paid for the replacement.
Fortunately, I've only had one situation where that would have come into play. I did "Jesus Christ Superstar" for a local theater back when I was in high school, and was primarily on electric bass, but also doubled on tuba ("Herod's Song" doesn't work on anything else) and bass clarinet. I borrowed a tuba from the local college, and a bass clarinet from my own school. We didn't have any stands for the clarinet, and after one show I watched in horror as the clarinet (a nice wooden Selmer) fell from the back of the pit that it was resting against, and it snapped right at the body joint when it hit the floor, along with bending a couple of the rods. It certainly didn't improve my already deteriorating relationship with my band director at school, but it didn't cost me anything else.
I think I'm going to audition for bass in The Addams Family Musical here in Syracuse. Do you have the book for it already?
Audition is Monday, show is in April. I haven't done much sightreading lately, but I come from a jazz background. I've never done a musical, but I want the challenge and fun of it.
I've done Annie, Fame, the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and the Phantom of the Opera. Very different experience each time.
The run of Phantom was the last one before the Lion King replaced it as the highest-grossing musical of all time!
Next for me is Evita, starting in about a month.
The run of Phantom was the last one before the Lion King replaced it as the highest-grossing musical of all time!
Next for me is Evita, starting in about a month.
I have a couple of quasi-related-experiences.
One was for a "follies" show at my work. They had a bunch of musical tunes that they'd rewritten the lyrics to be about the company. The parts were not particularly hard, and we were definitely a minor part of the production, so we were very much taken for granted while the out of tune singers with (not so) clever lyrics got the applause.
The other one was when the jazz combo I was in (jr. college) was backup for a professional Jazz Quartet. These were arrangements of Jazz vocal tunes and a Disney medley arranged by one of the singers. They were quality parts which required both reading specific lines and walking over changes. The phrasing took a bit to get used to with all the random syncopated notes. Plus I got to figure out how to manage 8 -12 pages of a score per tune. The only weird thing about it was that we didn't rehearse with the singers until the day of the show, and they changed the arrangements during the only rehearsal.
I didn't get the full experience, but I did get a taste. I've been in orchestra, symphony, blues/rock bands, jazz ensembles, and this was definitely unique among my experiences.
One was for a "follies" show at my work. They had a bunch of musical tunes that they'd rewritten the lyrics to be about the company. The parts were not particularly hard, and we were definitely a minor part of the production, so we were very much taken for granted while the out of tune singers with (not so) clever lyrics got the applause.
The other one was when the jazz combo I was in (jr. college) was backup for a professional Jazz Quartet. These were arrangements of Jazz vocal tunes and a Disney medley arranged by one of the singers. They were quality parts which required both reading specific lines and walking over changes. The phrasing took a bit to get used to with all the random syncopated notes. Plus I got to figure out how to manage 8 -12 pages of a score per tune. The only weird thing about it was that we didn't rehearse with the singers until the day of the show, and they changed the arrangements during the only rehearsal.
I didn't get the full experience, but I did get a taste. I've been in orchestra, symphony, blues/rock bands, jazz ensembles, and this was definitely unique among my experiences.
Hi,
Unfortunately this production will be using an all-student pit this year. I think the drama department lost one of their benefactors and cannot afford to pay hired guns. So I haven't seen the book. You should be able to find the whole show on YouTube. You can at least get a feel for the score.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
Unfortunately this production will be using an all-student pit this year. I think the drama department lost one of their benefactors and cannot afford to pay hired guns. So I haven't seen the book. You should be able to find the whole show on YouTube. You can at least get a feel for the score.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
Ah, that's too bad.
Turns out, the trombonist in my funk ensemble is a part of the organization putting the show on, and I believe he'll be playing 'bone too, so he gave me the book to check out before Monday. I don't think there are any other bass players auditioning that fit the requirements: it's for non-performance majors that are either transfers or first-year.
I haven't see that many time changes and syncopation in a long time. To the woodshed!
Hi,
Yep, that's what I dig about a pit orchestra gig, very challenging. The are usually lots of time signature and key signature changes along with lots of tempo and feel changes, not to mention all the odd chromatic riffs, abrupt stops and starts, etc. Fun stuff!
For your reference:
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
Yep, that's what I dig about a pit orchestra gig, very challenging. The are usually lots of time signature and key signature changes along with lots of tempo and feel changes, not to mention all the odd chromatic riffs, abrupt stops and starts, etc. Fun stuff!
For your reference:
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
Auditions for Rent coming up in a couple of weeks. Questions for the group:
1. I'm a doubler--in your experience, does the gig require it?
2. They asked me to bring a prepared piece--but said nothing about reading. Should I bring a piece from the musical itself? (I think the stage manager scheduling auditions might have less experience at them than I.)
1. I'm a doubler--in your experience, does the gig require it?
2. They asked me to bring a prepared piece--but said nothing about reading. Should I bring a piece from the musical itself? (I think the stage manager scheduling auditions might have less experience at them than I.)
Thanks @elgecko! I decided to start searching here, and found a number of Rent threads (including the bassguitarmag charts). No doubling, but fretless, fretted, fiver maybe, octave pedal maybe. Looks a hoot! Since they weren't discussing reading, I think I'll bring Santa Fe for my play piece. At least that way I won't get caught having to sight read the hardest chart in the book.
