Music needed..

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Bin Hire

Ken, please let me try to explain. There are many old jokes about people from Scotland being thrifty (careful with money). Yes, I know that is a stereotype, like us people from Bahrain all having big noses, though maybe true in my case.
Pardon me for even suggesting it but, in most cultures, $4.95 is not much more than you would pay for a cup of coffee.
If you love to play the bass it is a small price, no?

Where is Coffee $4.95?

It's about $1.45 around here.

The point was they would not buy me that part. Everyone else on the gig has a part for their own instrument. The conductors attitude was, use the Tuba part if you wanna play. If not, don't play. I have been Principal bass there for many years. I have never had to buy my own music for a concert.

[Bin Hire]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Where is Coffee $4.95?

It's about $1.45 around here.

The point was they would not buy me that part. Everyone else on the gig has a part for their own instrument. The conductors attitude was, use the Tuba part if you wanna play. If not, don't play. I have been Principal bass there for many years. I have never had to buy my own music for a concert.

I pay $4 for a cup of coffee though, sorry, not American dollars.
"The conductor's attitude was, use the Tuba part if you wanna play. If not, don't play."
Excuse this suggestion but, what would he say if he realised the basses weren't playing? Is he paying you a good salary to play whatever he puts in front of you or is this more about not much money but musical enjoyment?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Bin Hire

I pay $4 for a cup of coffee though, sorry, not American dollars.
"The conductor's attitude was, use the Tuba part if you wanna play. If not, don't play."
Excuse this suggestion but, what would he say if he realised the basses weren't playing? Is he paying you a good salary to play whatever he puts in front of you or is this more about not much money but musical enjoyment?

It's a wind & brass concert with one piece added for 1 bass and cello and one with optional bass. I am the optional bass and the bass with the cello. All other bass players are off for this concert as well as ALL other strings. Because I am there for one piece, he invited me for the other piece but they didn't have a string bass part, just the tuba parts. It wasn't until the Fall concert I even knew I was on this venue as it was billed as 'no strings' at all. It's not about the money, its about the music and the audience. If I have to read a jumbled part in 3 octaves to pick out my part, I would just bow out. For $4.95 of which I will ask for it back, I will play.

[Scott Pope]

So, how did the gig go?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Scott Pope

So, how did the gig go?

It went great. After the Thursday rehearsal the conductor sent me a link for yet another bass part (and cello) to print out for the Berlioz piece. So, one rehearsal and the hit. I read thru the score at the Thurs. rehearsal and I played a tiny bit in the 1st movement, tacit the 2nd and most of the 3rd. Talk about counting rests, lol.

I told the conductor this should be added to the audition list, "how to count and stay still for 20 minutes!"

Hey, they did Mars and Jupiter from the Planets, THAT I have played b4 but this was an arrangement without strings. These parts I would have loved to play but, most of what I did play was quite a challenge. Solo Bass with Brass and woodwinds, no where to hide. I used my Uebel bass (w/Jargar strings, blues) and that thing is LOUD and carried better than the Hart and Neuner. Go figure. maybe it's the design, shorter string length and/or restoration work. For now, if I don't need a low C-extension, I will play the Uebel for orchestra gigs. I might even put an extension on it as well in the near future.

Thanks for asking Scott.

[Anselm Hauke]

wow, never heard of uebel basses.
you should play a gig with it here: http://www.uebelundgefaehrlich.com/v...tung-1857.html

[Terry McDougal]

"Uebel & Gefährlich"
Google translator had trouble dealing with the first word, is it "Mean and Dangerous"? It came up as "Nauseous and Dangerous".
What do they do at that club?

Anyway, well done with the gig Ken.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Anselm Hauke

wow, never heard of uebel basses.
you should play a gig with it here: http://www.uebelundgefaehrlich.com/v...tung-1857.html

I have seen one other than mine. A twin to the bass, exact bass. It probably needed as much restoration and in the process, this one was shortened as it was near 43" SL before. W. Uebel is listed as a 19th century maker who opened his shop in 1868. I have 12 Uebel's listed, one of them a bow maker. The founder of the VM family was born in 1710 and they stretch into the 20th century. Karl Uebel is noted for D.Basses but in the 20th century. The lineage of the family is not laid out so I don't know who's related how within them.