Adventure #1 Brass Quintet.

Every now and then, I rehearse with a brass quintet because life can get pretty boring.  Just to be clear, a brass quintet is where five instrumentalists, who chose a lifestyle of playing brass based instruments, join forces and play music together.  The effect can either be mesmerizing or distressing. 

Now, those who know me well can say, without difficulty, that I can be quite a douche.  Today, I felt a little flippant.      As I walked into the rehearsal room, I passed out some music, Ewald's Quintet No.3 to be specific, and I got some nasty looks.  As the trombonist gazed at his part, he noticed the five flats in the key signature and the tenor clef transposition it demanded.  Not a good day to be a trombonist.          The two trumpeters stared at the rhythmic perplexity of the piece due to the post-romantic Russian design.  The decadent and lifted nature eluded them throughout the entire rehearsal as they lost themselves in the most obvious places.             The French horn player nearly quit as the ostinato in his high register crushed his face.  And there I was, enjoying myself as everyone suffered.  Unfortunately, I realized that the piece weighed the ensemble down, and I was brought down with it. 

Too many wrong notes, too many wrong rhythms, and such dry skills of sight reading that day.  Alas! That is the ONLY way for a chamber ensemble to improve.  The most demanding skills to learn within an ensemble come exactly from confronting new and new pieces everyday.  It is simply what it takes.