Annie

What's the worst performance nightmare you've ever dreamed? I had one last night...It was horrible...I was awfully late to two performances, and the person I wanted to show up never showed up! And on top of that, I couldn't play! I woke up after I started crying in my dream...I'd have to say that was my worst performance nightmare...

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~Annie

*I may not be great yet, but I'm working hard on it and one day I'm gonna be there.*

tpter1

Annie-You know you've been practicing too much when...

Reminds me of a story. During my freshman year of college, shortly after beginning to work out of Bordogni (a book of vocalises, where you transpose for various key trumpets throughout each etude), I had a similar occurance. My alarm went off for my 8:00 am aural skills class, and instead of the usual "uuggghhh" my first thought of the day was a panicked "Transposition!"

I've actually had a few nightmare experiences during performance; like having the wrong piece in front of me when the conductor was on the box raising his baton! (I realized it as I looked at the stands of those around me). From that day forward, I write the number on the piece and circle it and go through my music order several times before each performance and between halves.

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-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting

Heavens2kadonka

I'll actually share with you guys my worst performance experience!

A brass quintet gig at an African American church. We did "just a Closer Walk With Thee." I FORGET THE FIRST LINE OF THE PIECE!!!!

Yuck. I have never made the same mistake again.

I think everyone needs to crash and burn once (or twice). Keeps the ole' ego in check.


I've had panic attacks about performances before. Now my right leg twitches everytime I solo. Maybe I can eventually work the twitch down to my toe...?

Van

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Stage 1 California Light
'94 Bach Strad 37
1900 Eb Cornet

LOUD Steve Patrick 10 1/2 C
LOUD LM93

trickg

When I was in The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, I used to have these nightmares occasionally where I would show up late and I wasn't in colonials (the performance uniform - for a frame of reference: http://www.mdw.army.mil/fdc/index.asp )

Anyway, we would be lined up getting ready to do the show and since they couldn't wait for me, they would go ahead and start the March-on sequence for the show, which was usually drummers first, then fifes, then bugles. I'd still be spazzing, getting my uniform on as the march-on got closer and closer to the bugles part and I would wake up just as the bugles started playing...without me!

I've actually been to a gig where the band was playing a tune and I discovered after the page turn that I was missing an entire page of the music. Those are bad too!

__________________
Patrick Gleason
email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com

"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
"At my signal, unleash hell."
- Maximus Decimus Meridius

Ai_Dygress

I had my jazz instructor count out infront of me during a concert, during a solo, due to me being unable to hear the beat properly since we were in an indoor running track.

I quit shortly after that. That is and was my worst nightmare come true.

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Alas...Ai Dygress

hsa-arch

OH MY GOSH do I have a ton of them!!!

Brass quintet wedding gig.
A good friend of mine was getting married and hired us to play the ceramony at a large catholic church. Maybe 100-200 people attending. I knew just about all of them but this was the first time they would have heard the quintet which I talked so highly of with me playing lead.

We warmed up and tuned to the organ. played some pre-ceramony stuff and then got the que that the bride had arrived. I knew we had a few minutes before we were to start all the processional music so I put my horn down on my horn stand. It was like a small trombone stand.

We got the que that the wedding party is ready so I pick up my horn and blow a little air through it to empty the spit. Well I can't get any air through it because the little rubber stopper on top of the tube of the horn stand is stuck up inside my bell. Panicked, I start blowing as hard as I can hoping it will come out of the bell. I blew so hard my first valve slide pops... I mean "POPS" out like a champagne bottle cork on New Years in a completely silent church..hits the granite floor and bounces down the stairs from the chior loft dinging and ringing like a bell choir. The other four member of the quintet are crying with tears trying to hold back the laughter.. I'm starting to hyperventilate and I think my tux was completely drenched from sweat. I ran after the slide... down a full flight of stairs and then ran back up them...I sit down still not able to get any air through the horn when suddenly the quick thinking trombone player stuck his cleaning rod up the bell of my horn and pried the stopper loose...as the stopper is rolling down the stairs of the chior loft we start playing for the brides maids.

I will never forget the feeling of shear terror when I thought I was going to ruin somebody's wedding. I didn't stop shaking until about an hour into the reception when the cocktails started to kick in.

I now have a different trumpet stand.

old geezer

I was playing with a small group that had been assembled for a special performance - one of the tunes had a real bluesy solo in it that I played. well right before we started to play the guy who set this up came over to me and said not to screw up because we were playing for a bunch of band directors and they were here to check out the music to see if they would like to purchase it for their schools. when my solo came up I lost it - all I saw were black dots that made no sense - I didn't see notes or music or anything but black dots. they stopped the tune and had me play my solo again - same results. every time now I play a solo in public I get real nervous because I keep remembering that fateful night. I can even give myself the shakes in my own practice room at home by visualizing that scene in my head. that was over 20 years ago and it still has an effect on me. old geezer Dave

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L.A.Benge 2ML 16389
L.A.Benge 2MLP 11745
K- Allmen 1414
Yamaha 231 Flugel 15383
Olds Amb. Cornet 50734

Heavens2kadonka

I used to get the shakes before solos as well. Shoot, I still get them every now and then. I'm just high-strung, I guess.

Good lord, Dave! Thats a rough story..

Van

__________________
Stage 1 California Light
'94 Bach Strad 37
1900 Eb Cornet

LOUD Steve Patrick 10 1/2 C
LOUD LM93

Double_G

Van, don't forget to tell them about knocking over the stands and sitting in the wrong chair. Ah, I remember the stories of you guys that next Monday...LOL.

Andrew

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King Silver Flair 2055S
Getzen 770 SG Gold Series
Bundy Series II cornet

Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education. -Plato

JackD

I once had a nightmare where I was sitting in a church with the brass section of the LSO, with various other people like James Watson and Paul Archibald, plus my dad (a beginner trombonist!). It was a recording session or something, and someone started counting in...




Guess my subconscious is telling me I'm not ready for the big time yet.