Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: suggested guidelines


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Posted by le fesseur on May 01, 2003 at 21:36:12:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: suggested guidelines posted by Anon boy on May 01, 2003 at 18:29:29:

Though this is kind of self-explaining crap is R-E-A-L-L-Y boring, if you know my perspective you might understand why I view some of these "brilliant" discussions the way I do:

I went to high school where (of COURSE there was no air conditioning - HA HA) and the BEST tuba in the back of the band room was a valves-totally-shot-to-absolute-hell 3V King detachable bell-up (with two rim repairs) BBb tuba. Other instruments included a "parts" King brass sousaphone (When I was in the 12th grade, it occurred to me that I could use a couple of the valves from the sousaphone to make the King tuba barely work.), two cruddy Holton fiberglass sousaphones, and two good condition Conn 36K (B-grade - NOT "short-action") fiberglass sousaphones. Since the 36K's were the best thing we had, the best player got one of those. He was one year older than I was, and his name was Jesse Allen. His mother was a widow and Jesse, though quite courteous, extremely well-spoken, God-worshiping, and very generous, was a bit of a loner who liked to watch L&N trains, since his (deceased) dad had been a brakeman for the L&N railroad.

When Jesse was in the 7th grade (beginner band) he went to a music store (hopped on a freight train to get downtown), bought a Bill Bell "Foundation to Tuba and Sousaphone Playing" book, some Rubank books, and a couple of other books (a Legato-type book, as I recall) and went to work. He took one of the Holton crapola fiberglass home EVERY day and (of course) walked about three miles home and three miles back to school each day. When he was in the eighth grade, Jesse made FIRST CHAIR in the Tennessee (HIGH SCHOOL, but at that time "wide open" from grades 7-12) All-State band on that Holton piece of sh*t fiber-sousa. The next year, our school got those two new Conn 36K fiber-sousas and that's when Jesse got to "move up" to a "better" instrument.

Each year after that, Jesse made first chair in the regional and All-State Bands (c. 1969-'73) on the Conn 36K fiberglass sousaphone. Needless to say, even though Jesse carried that instrument home every day, that 36K of his had NO dents nor scratches. When he was in the 12th grade, he decided to get ready marry his sweetheart and audition for the Army with his (school owned B-grade Conn 36K) fiberglass sousaphone. Of course, at this time the Vietnam War was still in progress and everyone who played well was trying to get into military bands to avoid the draft and avoid being sent to Vietnam. Jesse was immediately accepted into the Army Bands and sent to the U.S. military's School of Music in Virginia. At the School Jesse, for the first time ever, played a four-valve tuba, and was taught music theory, music history, and received his very FIRST TUBA LESSONS. Once he had spent a few months at the School of Music, they assigned him to a base band at Ft. Campbell Kentucky. A few months later, there was an opening in Pershing's Own in Washington, D.C. Jesse auditioned for that position and was immediately accepted.

Growing up in Jesse's shadow as a (considered myself) non-serious junior high tuba player who practiced very little, my instrument was classic guitar. I got an evening newspaper route and worked it for about four months until I managed to save up about $125 (maybe the equivalent of $700 in Y2K money) and practiced classic guitar technique in my bedroom about as much (perhaps 6 hours a day) as Jesse practiced the tuba. Beginning at age 14, people began hiring me to play guitar for local professionally-produced musicals, miscellaneous gigs, and once-a-week at the U.S.O. Club downtown (a place for soldiers away from home to hang out). When I first (reluctantly) auditioned for the regional and then All-State Bands (on tuba) after Jesse graduated and myself made first chair, I was astonished. My "standard" for that position was "Jesse Allen", and I knew that my own tuba playing abilities were absolutely laughable compared to his (yet I know now, just trying to keep from looking stupid next to him and listening to him play actually taught me quite a bit). btw, I made first chair in the All-State Band on that super-leaky P.O.S. King tuba.

After a few years in "Pershing's Own", Jesse decided that he didn't like living in D.C. He simply quit the D.C. Army Band and moved to an area of the country that he thought he would like (middle Tennessee). Jesse found a job (Any job would do.) in "refrigeration technology". He sold his tuba and never played again...until fairly recently. He is now - quietly in the back den of his home - a euphonium virtuoso (and you had better believe it).

so when I see the sea of ridiculous posts by those who haven't even done 1/1000% of 1% of the practicing nor (obviously) have a thimble-full of the discipline that Jesse has oceans of...YES, I get annoyed.


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