TubaForum.net

Most know that I’m not “into” (one word) offering scheduled lessons.

I’ll be glad to listen to someone (who doesn’t play as well as I do or who plays way better than I do - and whatever instrument) either for money (if they have some to offer) or for free, if they want to play me their audition stuff for someplace - and get feedback, but that’s about it.

Today - after some quintet scramble-around-town performances, the young man - who plays the second trumpet parts on most pieces, is perhaps 26 years old or so (??), and just finished up his doctorate in performance - asked me if he could come by my place on his way to or from Memphis - from time to time - and play duets.

Over the last three years or so…maybe four, I’ve heard him improve from “usually good enough“ to “really quite good, and spot on intonation to boot”. ‘ pretty sure he is interested in continuing to move on up to the next - and then the next plateau - with his playing. He’s becoming pretty good at turning a musical phrase as well, and – probably even more important – making the first player sound as nice as they can possibly sound, via his really good job of supporting with the second parts. Now that his academic rigmarole is in his past, I believe he’s really interested in concentrating on that what his terminal degree was supposed to actually concentrate.

I do think that a nice complement that someone should think to seek time playing with another person and particularly so when that someone is an up and coming player. The chap who got me playing again (after decades away from brass) ended up as my duet companion - two trombones - and whilst he remained the better player we both learned something from each other during the sessions together. He’s in a different band to me now, I play Eb tuba now (which complicates things) and covid has also made us drift apart; I value that time together and sometimes wonder how we might get together a few times a year for more.

Resources for duet playing was an issue. We hit on Compatible Duets for Winds by Larry Clark, I’m wondering what you might use?

Something that I’m really picking up from this forum is the concept of, recognition of and importance of supportive roles. It’s something that I haven’t really seem expressed so helpfully and positively before: my role - in which I aim to excel - is to make someone else sound good. That mindset is subtly different from: others do the clever stuff but I can do fancy playing too and they’d be nothing without the support work going on under them.

I told him that I’d be glad to play euphonium or tuba duets with his trumpet, and - if he wanted me to be more ready with my parts, instead of just reading them - he could scan/email them to me and then ask me about a date.

Our little program featured a trombone tuba duet that the trombonist asked me to play as part of the show. I don’t know if that particular thing spurned the young trumpet player’s interest...??

‘ saw this posted on their fb timeline, today.

Can lightning strike twice?

I’ll be right over!