Posted by hmmm on June 18, 2003 at 06:00:53:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Musician's life in the Military posted by Chuck Jackson on June 17, 2003 at 23:00:09:
Musical challenge coming from within... I agree. I played all as well as I could on every gig I had in the military. I was being payed to play (hopefully) well.
But after a few hundred performances, what's the point of trying to play Stars and Stripes any better? If it keeps you motivated, great. For me it didn't, and so I quit.
Challenge from within? For me, once I realized the military wasn't my thing, I had to reinvent my life and find other work. I'm not even in music anymore, although I still play when I can. I pay the bills in a totally different way, and if you want to talk about a challenge from within, try giving up everything you worked for and learning a whole new job. I put my money where my mouth was, and I quit.
Like I said, I played as well as I could in my military band years, and I do the same whenever the horn is on my face. But trying to play Stars and Stripes better and better? Why? It sure sounds like you are trying to justify the tedium. I couldn't, so I looked for other challenges. Pardon me for saying so, but a lifetime of trying my darndest on marches and funerals just isn't a challenge that interests me.
There were some really great times for me in the military and I made some great friends. I had some wonderful experiences that I will never forget. But as soon as I found work elsewhere, I quit. If you have high standards, then everything should be a challenge, whatever your line of work. You can spend as much time as you want playing perfect funerals and getting better and better at marches, and all the ears in every audience deserve your best. But what's that they say in the military about polishing a tur* ... ?