The last post I made about concert band was the Winter Gala, so I figured it was time for an update.
Between Winter Gala and April Gala, there was a grand total of 9 rehearsals, due to a combination of holidays, breaks, and Ms.Duncan being out for things. Currently, we now have only 3 rehearsals remaining to prepare our music, which is quite challenging. The two pieces we’re playing are called “Soul Bossa Nova” and “The Blues Brothers Revue”.
Soul Bossa Nova is known for being the theme song for the Austin Powers series of movies, and it’s considered the easier one that we’re playing. It’s little bit of a jazzy song, but it’s got a great baseline and a nice Euphonium solo, which I’m very excited to play in concert.
Our second piece, Blues Brothers Review, is a medley of songs from both the movie and musical group, the Blues Brothers. It’s been a very challenging song, with 4 very different segments spanning a total of 153 measures. The numerous tempo and key changes kept throwing us off for the first few times we practiced it, and it was definitely a challenge for every single member of the band. For me personally, the greatest obstacle came in the form of the opening section, “I can’t turn you loose”. Naturally, the opening of a song is the most important part, and aside from the piano and electric bass, I’m the only instrument. While the piano and electric bass are great, they produce more of a quiet sound, meaning that I have to be perfect in my playing as it would be very obvious if I messed up. The melody itself is simple, but the length of time for which I have to do it without breathing is the real kicker. I have to go 8 measures playing loudly without time to sneak a breath until the other parts come in, and I can take one. While I’ve definitely improved since I’ve started playing it, I still have some difficulty. The other parts of the song are difficult, but I’ve managed to get them down through a lot of practice. While I said I was excited for Soul Bossa Nova, it’s no where near my level of anticipation for this piece, and I think it’s the perfect song to show how we’ve grown in such a brief time.
I think that the Spring Gala is going to be 100% better than the winter gala, as the music we’re playing is much more fun and interesting, both for the band and the audience. While the concert is a month away, with only 3 more rehearsals it’s practically here. If you’re available to attend, I’d strongly recommend it.