Posted by Max Tunnell on January 15, 2000 at 21:42:55:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Doublers-READ THIS PLEASE posted by Jeff Miller on January 15, 2000 at 09:51:36:
Don,
I am an old public school bandmaster who gets to play a lot with local banda. Some jobs pay, some not. I double on CC, Eb and Euphonium, bass and treble clef for all 3 horns, Eb, c, Bb, all kinds of sax parts, Etc and rarely, I have to play a trombone. Keep in mind that if one wants to play 2 instruments equally well, one must practice twice as much. Fortunately, you don't have to play them all equally well, Some you just play well enough to do the job.
Equipment, as long as it is big enough and of acceptable quality, isn't really an issue with me, but sound IS. These instruments all have a different characteristic sound and style and you have to listen to good players and make the sound and style happen for yourself!! To get it right you must have a clear image of the "ideal" sound in your mind and work to get it.
For me the real problem is when I switch horns or clefs or transpositions in the same job. We do a lot of reading on polka jobs. Then I tend to make a lot of fingering mistakes, partly due to differing fingering patterns. Especially when a different treatment of accidentals is made necessary when the pattern is familar, but the clef has changed (such as playing euphonium in bass clef and then switching to a Eb melody part or sax part or switching from Eb tuba to treble clef baritone or a tenor sax part -played on euphonium, or the Eb). Hey, you do stuff like this all the time in a polka band. It's fun when you aren't embarrassing yourself!
When I know in advance this is coming up I can practice the changes and that helps, but I have played some real "clams" in those situations.
Remember,the 3 reasons for our instrumenrts and for our playing them are "sound, sound, and sound".
Oh yeah, I use a Bach 7 on my CC Mirafone, a 22 on the 1917 Martin Handcraft Helicon Eb ( may go to a little smaller one later) and a 61/2 al on the 1952 Boosey and Hawkes Imperial (an early European version of the SOVERIGN) compensating system euphonium.
Have fun developing the euphonium sound, It's the most beautiful of the brasses IMHO.
Max