TromboneChat

So for you city folks, you now know some of the life beyond music. Playing brass instruments is safer than farming!

For both pros and amateurs, my experience has been that the higher the population density, the better the opportunities. Where do you country folk play?

AtomicClock wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2024 9:57 pm For both pros and amateurs, my experience has been that the higher the population density, the better the opportunities. Where do you country folk play?

BrassSection wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2024 5:57 pm Down side is it takes 2 years from birth to butcher

That 2 years means everything to the cow.

BrassSection wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2024 7:53 pm Playing brass instruments is safer than farming!

I suspect that may depend on the locations and environments in which you play them.

AtomicClock wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2024 9:57 pm For both pros and amateurs, my experience has been that the higher the population density, the better the opportunities. Where do you country folk play?

Also, the denser the competition: more places to play but more people wanting to play.

So basically, if you live "in the country" and want to play, you have to "go to town" somewhere. I'm not sure this ends up being much different than being "in the city" and having to go from one part of it to another (depending on the size of the city).

For the bands I've played in around here, I've always had to drive between 15 and 30 miles. This used to take me less than half an hour each way, but as population has increased in the area (LOTS of people moving to NC and to the RTP area), the driving time has gone up. When I was playing in Chapel HIll (to my North). it got to the point it took me 45 minutes one way. Pretty much the same story for Holly springs (to my East). Raleigh, Durham, or Cary would have been worse. Now it takes me about 30-40 minutes one way (on what most people would view as "secondary roads") to Fuquay-Varina, depending on whether I get behind a slow driver, somebody pulling a boat around the lake, or a big truck going to/from one of the industrial sites. Coming back is somewhat slower because of the deer (which I'm afraid introduces animal considerations again).

The only time in my life I've ever hit a deer -- after more than half a century of driving in all kinds of country terrain -- was just a few years ago, a quarter mile from home, coming back from a band practice at about 10 PM, and I'd slowed down to about 30 mph and was aggressively watching for them. I caught the motion along the right side of the car as the buck was suddenly running parallel to me, was on the brake, and he cut over right in front of me. I could see my driveway entrance. But of course, the same thing might have happened in my driveway. They're really squirrely.

If i see someone running down the shoulder with a tuba case, i slow down. If their tuba case handle appears to be broken, i slow down even more.

My playing is weekly in the church worship band. I provide 4 different brass horns to go along with the assorted guitars, drums, vocals, and occasional keyboards. Tuba isn’t used for services, but we have had some special occasion ensembles where I’ve covered everything from first trumpet part to the tuba part. Our drummer is a tuba major/band director; he has also covered various parts and even arranged some songs for us. Daughter joins the group on French horn, grandson on cornet or euphonium, then a few members of the congregation dust off their horns and join us. I think my favorite group was a quartet of the real tuba player, myself on euph and a very proficient euphonium playing nephew, and daughter on French horn playing O Holy Night one Christmas Eve.

If I had lots of free time, there is a local community band I could play in…maybe when the old 1830s farmhouse is all remodeled that will be an option.

I’m low brass by birth, trumpet player by necessity.

Can a broken tuba case simply be repaired with a tuba glue?

My pro trumpet buddy that occasionally joins us said a trombone case on the dash is a universal symbol of being handicapped, allowing you to park in a handicap spot without the special tag or license plate. Drum sticks on the dash are also acceptable.