parp, bang, whistle

[leedy]

We finally had an orchestral rehearsal for the Mahler last night, at which I was disappointed to see that we only had the BARE MINIMUM allocation of two harps. Bah. Still, there's an impressively huge brass section and lots of percussion and woodwind, including everybody's favourite comedy instrument, the contrabassoon (which always looks to me like the bassoonist is trying to play a small oil refinery). Bit of a "meh" rehearsal overall - not very long, and the conductor was mostly focussing on the orchestra. Also I had forgotten just how foul the acoustic in the NCH is - performing there always feels a bit like singing into a mattress. Still, we have a longer rehearsal tonight so hopefully it will all come together for the performance tomorrow.

Also, dear fellow chorister who sits beside me (not the Youth Defence one, the other one), perhaps if you stopped wittering on at me about how he's very hard to hear isn't he, where are we going from, God, you can't hear him at all, can you?, you might ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO HEAR HIM. Gah.

Comments

[socmot.livejournal.com]

Good luck with it!!

[leedy.livejournal.com]

Thankew!

Then I've got the Liszt next week, and a Cake gig in Trinity the week after (at which we are hoping to do a short set of new stuff, eek), and a Cake gig in Cork the week after. It's all go round here, I tell you.

[socmot.livejournal.com]

I think my Dad (and perhaps me) is going to the Liszt performance.

I saw Cake in San Francisco in 2001, it was pretty good. Is the Trinity show open to the general populace or is it Trinity-only?

[leedy.livejournal.com]

Argh, must stop using bizarre abbreviations known only to me - no, I meant "Cake" as in The Jimmy Cake, not "Cake" as in The Entirely Different, If Pretty Good, Band Cake. Hence my stress, as if it was another band's gig I wouldn't have to, ooh, help make sure all the new stuff is actually finished and presentable before the gig!

As for the students-only-ness of it, I will check (if you are still interested, given that it's just us and not a fancy band from Foreign).

[socmot.livejournal.com]

I thought it was the other Cake, and that if so, they might be playing at a ball or some such, hence the question. I'll leave it I think, as I'll no doubt see you play at some stage again. Hope that doesn't cause offence, it's certainly not meant to!

[leedy.livejournal.com]

No offence taken whatsoever!

[wonderlanded.livejournal.com]

Hee! I love the contrabassoon description. And two harps sounds like luxury. I'm seriously envious.

But ugh on the icky rehearsals, and the awful acoustics, and if you would like me to come and kick Wittering Chorister with my pointy shoes, I will. Just for you.

[leedy.livejournal.com]

Oh, please do. She's a nice woman, but frequently just WILL NOT SHUT UP.

[ladyxoc.livejournal.com]

and please get pictures?

[biascut.livejournal.com]

As we were singing our Hildegard de Bingen yesterday, our (substitute) choir director kept telling the drones that they needed to sound like crumhorns. I have since decided that early English instruments are going to be my insults of choice. "You crumhorn!" "You sackbutt!" &c.

[leedy.livejournal.com]

"You, sir, are an utter REBEC! And a LUTE!"

Yes, I can see it catching on...

[wonderlanded.livejournal.com]

"What a SITTERN! And a GEMSHORN and a -- a BLADDER PIPE!!"

[pinguin.livejournal.com]

everybody's favourite comedy instrument, the contrabassoon

First lesson on the contrabassoon: which hole to blow into, and which ones the air should come out of.

[jeejeen.livejournal.com]

You want a comedy instrument?

http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om06300.html

Make sure you put your speakers on.

[leedy.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's BRILLIANT! Maybe we could make one for the band. With a ceremonial beer-bottle emptying beforehand, of course.

[blue-monday.livejournal.com]

Hee! I'd forgotten how funny contrabassoons looked until now. Obviously it's been too long since I played in an orchestra.