Sometimes it is best to audition.

I looked back at my blog and found 'Sometimes its best not to audition.'

Now I have a counter argument for it...

Last night I got the letter accepting me into 6 Counties Symphony Orchestra, which is about the best thing I could possibly get into.

And between you and me.

I had a lot of luck.

In our county, only 2 percussionists turned up to the auditions, me and some drummer (who's actually good).

So even then I had a pretty high chance of getting in. (There is the orchestra, wind band, brass band and big band)

I guess I can talk about how it went now, even though I was so ashamed of it I thought I would never want to relive it again.

I played a piece on the xylophone. I stumbled.

I played a piece on the snare drum. It went fine. I thought. Until I had my percussion tuition again and realised I got some of the rhythms completely wrong. But its okay, because the auditioner-person doesn't know that.

Ooft. Then the sight reading bit.

Snare drum first...... It went so well that he had to stop me. Stood next to me. Clapped the rhythm out, while tapping his foot, and I had to try again. He obviously thought I was amazing.... 'Good effort.... but never mind....'

Timpani s. I was supposed to tune the timpani s myself. I hopelessly peddled at the peddle in trying to get the right note. The same thing happened with the snare drum again. They ended up clapping the rhythm out. It was insanely obvious to all of us that I couldn't sight read untuned rhythms. 

So, onto the xylophone.I was looking forward to this. I'm good at the xylophone. And sight reading at it too.

However they already saw my inability, and gave me an awfully easy piece. Possibly to make me feel better.

I played it perfectly.

The thing is. I got in. And I should be selling how amazing I am.

But truthfully, there is a lack of percussionists. And they're desperate.

And I am a bit worried.

I played in the county orchestra concert last week. I played very well in the rehearsals. And fell apart a bit in the real thing. Mainly going too fast. But it was fine. I got a 'well done, but there were some hairy moments'.

So, sometimes it is best to audition. Sometimes you get in regardless of your ability/inability.

To read the 'Sometimes its best not to audition'

Click here!

The 3 T's, Triangle, Timpanis and the Titanic

Ugh, I 've finally stopped rubbing my eyes so I can say something now.

If you're not the best percussionist in your section in the Orchestra you play the triangle.
I, have been in that position many times.
There are quite a few advantages to that.
The gentle ring and 'ting' of the triangle fits in anywhere in most pieces, when it's right it's right, when it's wrong it sounds right (95%).
You also cannot play the wrong note. It only makes one note.
When I'm lucky enough to have a decent part on the xylophone or the glockenspiel, it usually involves me counting for about 16-17 bars (64 bars once!) - with a changing time signature (different amount of beats in a bar).
And I cannot count.
Or rather my concentration span does not reach the capacity to count for so long.
Also, the glockenspiel parts have been time and time again very exposed.
And I do not perform well under pressure.
I quite like the triangle.

The timpanis are pretty cool I guess.
I think I have a photo of me playing the timpanis.

5 minutes of browsing and its not great quality.
I remember that concert, it was about a year ago.
I was showing off my skills that I could play that, the xylophone and the flute so I played all 3 and in between every piece of music I would run about to my destination.
To be honest, I don't actually play the timpanis, I just pretend I can, push the pedal to get the right note, and hit it and perform rolls on it.

My conversation with my brother sums it up pretty much:

Me: I have a 3 bar solo on the timpanis in Wind band!!
My brother: I didn't know you could play the timpani!
Me: Neither did I!

The timpani also fits into most places, however its very easily out of tune, and seeing as I am in a room full of amazing musicians, they can probably tell.

My first year in county orchestra was when I was 12. It was quite intimidating as everyone was 15  to 18 roughly. I was playing the traingle....yay. The conductor then made the orchestra applaud me for my triangle skills because I was hitting it 'beautifully' and making the perfect note.
Go me!

Oh and I just wrote 'Titanic' in the title because I needed to make up for the 3 T's. Actually I coud write 'tambourine'. Nah.

In the Hall of the Mountain King - Xylophone duet

My brother and I did a little duet on my xylophone of 'In the Hall of the Mountain King'. We finally got it on the 5th take, hope you like it! 

Any orchestra with me in it, will never be prim nor proper.

Sunday morning, 10 am, Orchestra practice...
Percussion section, me, and three other girls.

It was great.... well, as great as it gets.
Me, playing the glockenspiel, hitting some notes every minute in a piece or so.
*** playing the snare drum, eniviously expertly.
*** playing the timpanis.
*** standing by the xylophone, standing there, counting the beats until, I guess until the piece finishes and we can all sit down.

And then there was a ginger kid. He was going to join our percussion section... great, we needed a drummer, who could play the drums. Unlike us, drummers who can't.
So the the staff told him to join us, and we would be lovely and look after him and give him parts to play.

We spoke English, he spoke English. And we know his name is Benedict. Or Benjamin. Or something else. Bashfully I admit to you, (I can't remember).
But the beautiful outcome was that he ended up eating cheese and onion pringles for the rest of the 4 hours in rehearsal. He didn't even produce one note. Wow, thats even worse than my first rehearsal. (Call me Corinne, Corinne the trianglist).
Oh, but then, I can't say much about him eating pringles, I ate chocolate digestives in a piece once where there was one note, which I couldn't even play at the right time, and choked in the pianissimo (very very quiet) part.

BUT, that wasn't even the worst part.
Cymbals,
loud,
sonorous,
distinctive.
And the exact instrument you should not entrust me with.
So, I was given the crash cymbal (a cymbal on a stand, usually part of the drum kit, hit with a mallet).
Well, once they found it they gave it to me.
It was already halfway through the piece when we set it up.
And I started hitting it, (to the correct beat, I must boast)
And, silence, a dramatic clean finish.
HA
And, silence, *crash* (everyone swivels around to look at the culprit) *nervous giggling*.

Yeah, even with the conductor waving for a sharp finish, I continued right through, hitting the crash cymbal with all my might. Being me, I died a little inside. Oh, how embarassing.
I nearly ate my scarf, trying to hide my face.