Worst forgetful moments?

[Burgerbob]

Doug wrote about his experience recently in the medium bore thread:

"I played a borrowed 3B/F on a gig a few days ago because I forgot my horn..."

I'm sure we've had this thread before, but what have you done? Or better yet, not done?

I usually err the other way and overprepare. Once I showed up to a rehearsal a MONTH early, the dates and days lined up and I had put it down wrong in my calendar. Oops.

Once I was 100% sure I was supposed to play bass trombone at Disneyland. I showed up, warmed up, and promptly ran into the full time bass trombonist holding his bass trombone as well... had to play a borrowed 891Z and my backup 4C all day on 3rd trombone instead. Lesson learned, check the schedule!

I was lucky enough to be an extra player with a major orchestra here a few years ago. At the last performance, I showed up, warmed up, and promptly realized that everyone was wearing a different concert wear than the other concerts. Just barely got the right stuff in time to walk out for my piece.

Fingers crossed, knock on wood, I can't remember a time I've forgotten a horn or mouthpiece. I always have a full backup set of mouthpieces in my gig pack just in case.

[Bach5G]

Came home from a gig, popped the trunk, and… no trombone.

[BGuttman]

I was temporarily unable to drive and had a friend pick me up to take me to rehearsal. I get to rehearsal, open the trombone bag, and ... no mouthpiece! Also, I was playing a Bach 36 for that concert so my friend's spare mouthpiece (for his 42) wouldn't fit.

Got home from the rehearsal, looked down in the driveway, and there was my mouthpiece, where it had fallen out of the bag.

[Posaunus]

The worst that I've done:
• Arrived at a rehearsal without music (once) or a stand (once).
• Arrived at a concert without a trombone slide (sitting at home drying by the sink after I'd given it a thorough cleaning!)

Never again!

[2bobone]

A friend/trombonist colleague in TUSAB was hustling his way, in uniform and with horn in hand, across the National Mall in Washington, D.C. through a few inches of snow that had fallen the night before to participate in a TUSAB job. Suddenly, he noticed that his mouthpiece had fallen from its receiver and was not to be seen. He lined up his path to The Smithsonian Castle and another building across the Mall. Come Spring, he returned to the Mall, lined up the trajectory and with a good bit of luck found his mouthpiece waiting for him to come back. Lucky guy ! Then there was the trumpet player who arrived at a performance of "Camelot" with his B Flat, his C and his E Flat trumpets but NO mouthpieces ! Luckily the conductor was a high school music teacher and had a 7C in the bottom of his briefcase so he "lucked out". Coincidentally, that's the best I ever heard that trumpet player play !

[LeTromboniste]

My commute to most gigs is a 25 minute train ride, then a quick changeover that is timed so the trains pull into the station on facing platforms at roughly the same time, to a second, 60 minute train ride, a 10 minute connection and a third train from there to wherever I'm playing.

Well, a few months ago, on my way to a rehearsal I left my sackbut and slide trumpet on that first train, boarded the second train and only realised I was missing my instruments an hour later when I got up for my second changeover...never felt so stupid in my life, or been so panicked. Everytime I've heard of someone forgetting their horn on a train or bus, I thought how could you possibly let that happen...well now I know!

Now, that first train only goes one more stop before turning around to travel halfway around the country. Fortunately they did a sweep of the train before it turned around, and took them in there where I could retrieve them the same day. Otherwise who knows where my horns would have ended up, and they would likely have been processed into the lost luggage system. It then would have required waiting 3 days to get them back, which would have been after I was scheduled to travel out of the country for a gig.

[Kbiggs]

I’ve forgotten mouthpieces twice, both times for rehearsals. I had to borrow one once. It was hard to play and sound decent as the mouthpiece was too small. The second time I was the only bass trombonist in a wind ensemble. I figured I had enough time to go home and retrieve it if I exceeded the speed limit both ways. I would have made it if I hand’t been pulled over for speeding. The Highway Patrol didn’t think that was a legitimate purpose for speeding.

I forgot my music for a show one night. Thankfully, my wife was home and delivered it 5 minutes before downbeat.

Never again. If anything, I get too anxious about having all the equipment I need before I get out the door. I have to double- and triple-check sometimes. Makes the start of the drive to the gig nerve-wracking sometimes, but I know when I get there I’ve got what I need… I hope…

[harrisonreed]

For me, it was the sudden brain dump of one of the pieces I had to play in a memorized set with a brass band. And not just me, but a few of the others. The set started off great, but a certain piece came up and it was like all of a sudden the were three beginners playing random notes and looking scared. To make things worse, it turns out everyone except the band leader had forgotten how to play this piece. The tuba player, who had just been faking the line, accidentally went to a completely different part of the form (which was in another key) and took about half the band with him including everyone who has brain dumped the piece and was faking it. The rest of the band either was already lost and couldn't figure out how to fake it, or was following the band leader, who was now fuming with crazy eyes and playing something that sounded completely wrong. Utter disaster. I think we just all played some really loud dissonant thing at the end and yelled "yeah!". Rest of the set was great though.

Aiden, in your interview with him you had some great (actually unbelievable) forgetful moments that Lindberg told you about at ITA. Didn't he forget his mouthpiece or lose it on multiple gigs? I remember he said he borrowed the bass trombonist's bucket mouthpiece and played some concerto on it (in front of a paying audience) and he said James DePreist was like "wow, you sounded huge tonight". And then he forgot his trombone altogether on another concert and borrowed the 1st trombone player's gear. I had asked him once what his most embarrassing moment was and he told me he had just finished playing Blue Bells of Scotland in NY, and the crowd was going nuts, and for some reason he had decided to play Berio's Sequenza after it. Except he forgot how it went after the first line and had no music. So he made up some stuff, realized it was horrible, and then just ended it with the final pedal Bb. The piece lasted only 30 seconds, when it should have been more like 5 minutes (maybe not the worst outcome!).

[MrHCinDE]

Forgot to set a phone alarm after a very late big band gig. Woke up crashed out on a friend’s couch with minutes to spare before a final run through a requiem and had to do walk of shame and rehearsal in previous night’s tux and manage the rehearsal without music, which was still on the practice stand at home. Won‘t be repeating that oversight any time soon. At least I had my bone from the previous gig.

[AndrewMeronek]

I haven't forgotten my trombone or mouthpiece yet. I forgot my tux jacket once, and ended up borrowing one that was way too small donated by the sound guy's son who was just checking out the gig.

[Burgerbob]

Aiden, in your interview with him you had some great (actually unbelievable) forgetful moments that Lindberg told you about at ITA. Didn't he forget his mouthpiece or lose it on multiple gigs?

Yup! He had some crazy ones. Jim Miller also had a couple, like when he forgot his horn at home and had to borrow the personnel manager's, who just happened to play trombone and have one in his office. Another time he forgot his horn at home, phoned a friend who he knew would be driving by, and picked it up off the curb minutes before downbeat.

[jorymil]

Performances? Not so much. Airplane flights, on the other hand....

[mbarbier]

. Another time he forgot his horn at home, phoned a friend who he knew would be driving by, and picked it up off the curb minutes before downbeat.

that's one of my favorite Jim stories.

First two times i did something for the Phil i forgot my mouthpiece. two times in a row. and, like someone else on their thread, medium bore so couldn't just borrow one. did one thing with no lead pipe and a large shank oof.

opened my case in Berlin once with no mp. Now my partner and my duo mate ask me multiple times and i keep backup ones in the case, my car, my partner's car, and my suitcase. I'm sure I'll find something new to start forgetting.

[rickfaulknernyc]

I came back from a 4-week European tour, and had a week off before beginning a 4-week US tour. Had one gig in the city during the week off. I switched my horn from my road case to my gig bag to take it on the subway, then switched it back afterwards.

We arrived at the first tour date (in Burlington VT) and I opened my road case to find that I'd left my slide in the gig bag. Luckily there was a music store a couple of blocks away, and I bought the cheapest used student horn they had. I played that for three nights until we routed back through NYC and I was able to pick up the missing slide. A couple weeks later, I sold the student horn in LA for exactly what I'd paid for it, so no harm done.

[rickfaulknernyc]

Salsa trombone legend Barry Rogers and a friend once acquired a pair of excellent Conn trombones (Navy surplus) at an amazing price. Barry placed his on top of his car, then forgot it was there and drove off. Never saw it again.

[ithinknot]

Once I showed up to a rehearsal a MONTH early, the dates and days lined up and I had put it down wrong in my calendar

The February surprise!

Late night, after a Bm Mass or similar that involved harpsichord and continuo organ. Loaded up the van with the hps on its spine down one side. Normally I'd strap it to the wall, but with the organ, stool, stands etc in there the whole floor of the van was covered and nothing could shift. Drop off the organ at its usual home. Hard right to exit that venue's parking lot, with limited visibility for oncoming traffic; peel out, accompanied by the sound of 8ft of harpsichord flipping over in the now-empty van. Shit and fan indivisible, with liberty and justice for all

[Digidog]

Salsa trombone legend Barry Rogers and a friend once acquired a pair of excellent Conn trombones (Navy surplus) at an amazing price. Barry placed his on top of his car, then forgot it was there and drove off. Never saw it again.

This is exactly what I've done, too.

I had had three long and strenuous studio days, recording house music, when at the end of the last session day one of the other musicians suggested we drive to a better restaurant, some distance away. I loaded up the car, but only put one of the trombones I'd used in the trunk; the other one, my main horn, I forgot on the roof of the car, in a Reunion Blues leather gig bag.

I drove through a whole town with the horn on the roof (maybe the leather was sticking to the warm metal - this was in June), but on the ramp to the highway it fell off. Luckily it rolled down the ramp embankment, so it got off the driving lane, and, also by sheer luck, one of my passengers saw something falling off the car. Nothing was heard, no noise at all.... So when we stopped at the restaurant and I found that I missed a horn, I could quickly get back to where it happened and (illegally) stop on the ramp, scuttle down the embankment and retrieve the bruised gig bag.

Surprisingly the only damage to the trombone, was a perfectly ninety degrees fold to the whole lower side of the bell (picture the lowest third of the bell perfectly folded backwards ninety degrees) - which was easily repaired and left nothing but a faded surface where the lacquer was removed.

[Crazy4Tbone86]

I showed up for a brass band performance one time without my mouthpiece. I was playing bass trombone on that gig and one of the other trombonists had a 6.5AL. Simply put, I am not capable of making a pretty bass trombone sound with such a small mouthpiece!

My reading vision has gone downhill in the last several years. I have a special pair of reading glasses that allows me to see music clearly at about 30-32 inches away. On a few gigs, I forgot to switch from my regular “progressive” glasses to my music reading glasses. It made for some very interesting chord clusters. Reading music with progressive lenses also makes for a lot of banging the slide into the music stand because the mid-range parts of the lenses are so narrow. I’m sure there are many other musicians that have similar stories about wearing the wrong glasses while on stage.

[soseggnchips]

Once spent most of a day helping a friend locate his trumpet after he a) left it at a pub and b) couldn't remember which pub it was the next morning. We did find it eventually...

[Doug Elliott]

One time on tour I left my computer in my hotel room and I discovered it only after being on the bus to the next city. I had them drop me off at an airport so I could rent a car and go back for it.

[Vegasbound]

Picked up trombone case, drove to venue for the early rehearsal, opened trombone case and remembered I had put it in a gig bag for ease of carrying, standing looking into empty case rang my less than sympathetic wife who picked up said gig bag and brought it to the venue

[SwissTbone]

Once spent most of a day helping a friend locate his trumpet after he a) left it at a pub and b) couldn't remember which pub it was the next morning. We did find it eventually...

Sounds like a fun day!

[SwissTbone]

My worst moment was dropping the slide on a low E in the middle of a slow and soft trumpet solo. Including a loud fart noise....

Big band seating of course. So everyone in the audience could see me very well.

[MrHCinDE]

I almost forgot about this one:

I left my trombone outside on the pavement next to the front door (which was directly on a main road in a row of traditional British terraced houses) because I was distracted by someone phoning me whilst I was opening the door. My housemates found it an hour or so later, still by the door, when they came home from the pub.

[JohnL]

I left my trombone outside on the pavement next to the front door (which was directly on a main road in a row of traditional British terraced houses) because I was distracted by someone phoning me whilst I was opening the door. My housemates found it an hour or so later, still by the door, when they came home from the pub.

You're very fortunate. Uncle Olaf did that with his accordion once; two hours later, there were three accordions.

[MTbassbone]

Left my mouthpiece at home last night. Might have been the first time in 30 years of playing. I guess that isn't too bad. LOL

[calcbone]

I played a gig one time with a bass trombone player who had been oiling his valves at home, and forgot to put his tuning slide back in before putting his horn in the case. So, he opened his case at the gig and found his horn sans tuning slide.

The gig was a reunion at an old high school (the school was closing, so all alumni were invited back for this event). We visited the band room, where the band director happened to have an old King 5B that he ended up borrowing for the gig.

[keybone]

Actually, I was asked me to play piano on a Trad Jazz gig. I arrived at the gig and the leader asked me where was my trombone. I told him it was at home. Evidently, he left a message with my wife who did not pass it along to me. I ended up playing the gig on a double bell euphonium. Since then, I now take my trombone on piano gigs!

Glissandos were a little rough...

[hwlentz]

Not me, but a trombonist friend. I was playing euphonium in a wind ensemble and one of the trombonists forget her straight mute. I told her my wife was coming to the concert and could bring one of mine. Called and described what we needed and where it was in my music room (figured the Humes and Berg was the easiest to describe and find.) She showed up with, and I handed my friend…

a Pixie mute!

Later my wife said “You mean you can mute that thing?!”

[Oslide]

Not me, but I saw it happen.

The six of us were standing onstage in a club, waiting for our bandleader finally to arrive for the afternoon gig. Fifteen minutes late, he rushed in, jumped behind his organ, and off we went.

An hour and a half later - we’d played the last tune - he found time for a cigarette, telling us why he’d been so late.

Suddenly he gasped and ran out the door, with us on his heels to see what the problem was.

Turned out, though, everything was alright - his car (a Fiat Spider with rotary engine) still standing aslant at the curbstone, in a no-parking zone of course, the driver’s door still hanging wide open over the sidewalk, the car key with a bundle of other keys still in the lock, his jacket still on the seat, with his wallet sticking out quite visibly - and several hundred bucks plus ID card and license still in there…

Living in a boring middle-sized town did have its nice sides then - but that was fifty years ago.

[soseggnchips]

Turned out, though, everything was alright - his car (a Fiat Spider with rotary engine) still standing aslant at the curbstone, in a no-parking zone of course, the driver’s door still hanging wide open over the sidewalk, the car key with a bundle of other keys still in the lock, his jacket still on the seat, with his wallet sticking out quite visibly - and several hundred bucks plus ID card and license still in there…

Living in a boring middle-sized town did have its nice sides then - but that was fifty years ago.

I did that in south London about 10 years ago - left it idling by the side of the road for several hours when I popped back in the house and got distracted. The fact it was still there probably says less about the safety of the neighbourhood and more about how desirable that car was...

[Doug Elliott]

Rotary engine, as in old Mazdas? In a Fiat?

[JohnL]

Rotary engine, as in old Mazdas? In a Fiat?

From what I gather, dropping a rotary into a Fiat 124 is something people do.

[Posaunus]

Rotary engine, as in old Mazdas? In a Fiat?

From what I gather, dropping a rotary into a Fiat 124 is something people do.

Or perhaps did 50 years ago?

Wankel engines were cool, but could not compete for a variety of reasons. R.I.P.

[Mikebmiller]

I grabbed my trombone case and headed out to a church xmas gig one time. Got to the church and realized that I had my case, but the horn was still on the stand at home. I had to drive 20 minutes fast as hell both ways to get there 20 minutes into the service.

And my worst moment was as the leader of my quintet. We played a college graduation for 10 years and it was always at 7 pm. Then one year they changed it to 6. That year was fine. But then the next year I forgot that it was changed to 6 and the whole quintet plus 4 extra players was stuck in the line of traffic trying to get parked at 7 when we should have been playing the processional They delayed about 15 minutes and then used canned music. I have never been so embarrassed in my life.

[Oslide]

Rotary engine, as in old Mazdas? In a Fiat?

You're right - I had to check once again. That story happened with his dark-green Fiat 850 Spider. He had a Mazda rotary shortly before or after that Fiat. Sorry for the confusion.

[JohnL]

From what I gather, dropping a rotary into a Fiat 124 is something people do.

Or perhaps did 50 years ago?

Wankel engines were cool, but could not compete for a variety of reasons. R.I.P.

Apparently, Mazda still produces rotary engines in small numbers for racing use and is planning to use a small rotary as a range extender in an upcoming plug-in hybrid. Not quite dead yet.

Glad this came up; it led me to some interesting videos of a guy down in Australia who races a rotary-powered 124 Coupe. Ah, that Wankel sound; nothing quite like it.

[Doug Elliott]

I had a Mazda for a while. They were fantastic as long as you used high quality oil and kept the level up.

[BurckhardtS]

I played a 1st on a symphony gig on a Bach 1G because I forgot a mouthpiece and no one had an extra tenor mouthpiece, but the bass player did. Forgotten my music and mutes countless times. I've also forgotten my black dress shoes probably half a dozen times and just played in my black socks.

[DDoghouse]

Driving to a gig with a 20's style Hot Dance band, was buzzing on my rim in the car. Left the rim in the car, played the first set on the cup with no rim. Learned how to play with no pressure really fast.

[baBposaune]

One of my truly forgetful moments was at a rehearsal of the California All State Honor Orchestra. Left my music folder at home and had to "fake it" for the first half of the rehearsal, run out to the theater lobby during break and frantically try to convince my sister to make the drive to deliver it to me. She was NOT amused but did bring it after much pleading.

The other was when I brought my horn to may after school job at an insurance agency because I had a rehearsal that night and didn't want to leave it in my car in plain view. When I got home I panicked when there was no horn! The manager of the office called me and said he had taken it home with him for safe keeping and I could swing by and pick it up on my way to the rehearsal.

[RoscoTrombone]

Not me but once when in Germany doing a concert our big band was playing and the music of the guy beside me fell forward -we were standing - so he duly reached forward to stop it but forgot to put his pinky round the slide and his outer went down between the saxes. How we made it through the rest of the number I don't know because all I could see were shoulders going up & down. To be fair to him though trombone was his 2nd instrument.

[ArbanRubank]

I always photocopied my music so I could mark it up at will with my Crayolas. Once, a chart fell off my stand. I emptied my spit valve on it and scraped it back with my foot, tearing and rumpling it badly. The horrified look I got from the euphonium player to my right! He thought it was an original chart from our library. I didn't tell him otherwise. LOL!

Okay the above wasn't "forgetful". My most forgetful moment to date was forgetting my spit rag for a rehearsal. Oh, the humanity! lol

[baroquetrombone]

Well, a few months ago, on my way to a rehearsal I left my sackbut and slide trumpet on that first train, boarded the second train and only realised I was missing my instruments an hour later when I got up for my second changeover...never felt so stupid in my life, or been so panicked. Everytime I've heard of someone forgetting their horn on a train or bus, I thought how could you possibly let that happen...well now I know!

Holy crap. That's the stuff of nightmares. I normally go the other way, constantly panicking when I DON'T have a trombone with me on public transport, which isn't very often. I have started using an Apple AirTag on whatever case I'm traveling with though, as I know it's probably inevitable. Two years of no travel made things more worrisome, too.

I've watched rather high profile violinists leave their instruments twice, and one was a loaned, mid-six digit historical one. Being the nice brass player I am, both times, I picked them up quietly and put it in the car or carried it on my back and waited for them to realize. The looks on the faces were priceless.

[DDoghouse]

Was driving to a gig with a 20's style Hot Dance band. Was buzzing on my rim while driving. Forgot to put the rim back on the mouthpiece. Played 1st set with no rim. No pressure!

[ithinknot]

Driving to a gig with a 20's style Hot Dance band, was buzzing on my rim in the car. Left the rim in the car, played the first set on the cup with no rim. Learned how to play with no pressure really fast.

Was driving to a gig with a 20's style Hot Dance band. Was buzzing on my rim while driving. Forgot to put the rim back on the mouthpiece. Played 1st set with no rim. No pressure!

speaking of forgetting

[BHolleyBrass]

When I was in college, a local church used to hire four of us (two trumpets and two trombones) to play several services every year. My best buddy forgot his mouthpiece at home and faked playing the entire service by moving his slide and taking big breaths at the proper times. I covered the occasional second trombone solo sections and the organist/director never knew.

[OneTon]

I had a Mazda for a while. They were fantastic as long as you used high quality oil and kept the level up.

People make fun of me for checking oil in vehicles. My current record occurred when I had to add 4 gallons of oil to a Kenworth T-680 prior to driving it 90 miles for service. The on site mechanic’s only comment was, “You must not work here if you checked the oil.”

I opened the case one time and there was no bell in it. That was humbling to say the least.

[mcphatty00]

I played in a large jazz trombone group in Pittsburgh and Murray Crewe (RIP) usually played. We did a gig at a lounge one night and he left his bass trombone in the middle of the stage and just took off. What a hilarious dude!

[Vegasbound]

This happened during my time in the services, our band sgt maj travelling in on the tube when the BSM of the Irish guards Harry Copbnall got on conversation followed as told to us

“ Morning Harry, your going in late”

“ Yes, gave the band the day off”

A puzzled long pause….then

“Harry, your band is on guard mount this morning”

Long pause and Harry looked to the sky and replied

“F**k”

The changing of the guard at Buckingham palace happened without music that day