Anachronistic

Hey, Old Navy: Next time you do a retro Stones' 1975 tour t-shirt, don't use a font from 1992!

Victory Tour

What a fantastic night I had! I haven’t played clarinet since high school, and tonight was my first concert with the Scotia-Glenville Community Band. The forecast said rain so we played at the high school auditorium instead of the outdoor pavilion along the Mohawk River. Slight bummer, but the concert was still so much fun.

I joined late in the season, so my only practice with the full band was my sightreading session last Thursday night, one week ago. I was so turned around that night trying to remember how to read music and figure out which notes I should be playing. Before we ran through the first song, I turned to fellow clarinet Alexis and pointed to notes 3 lines below the staff and asked if my instrument would play that low. That’s how lost I was at reading last week.

I printed a fingering chart off the web and relearned my notes. I got on band music publisher websites, or found YouTube home videos of other high school bands playing our same arrangements, and stripped the audio so I could figure out how I was supposed to sound and where I came in.

It worked perfectly — I spent 2-3 hours every day for the last seven days in a row practicing with full bands. I didn’t get lost once tonight, and thankfully, our director (Allison Atchley from S-G High School) conducted a little slower than I had been practicing. I hit notes I couldn’t get to fast enough during my practice this week … I did even better than I expected. I listened to Lisa on the other side of me playing accents marked on the notes (oops, forgot to practice those) so I adjusted midcourse and improved during the concert. And instead of playing 2 hours straight and getting really tired like I did during practice sessions, we took an intermission, and I was able to make it through all 9 songs just fine.

This venture that started in complete frustration one week ago became a major victory for me tonight. I wasn’t perfect, I didn’t hit every note, but I held my own and sounded great for one week of playing. I hope to do this again next summer and perform even better.

This feels like one of the bravest things I’ve done in a while, to walk in off the street with a goal, then work really hard all week long and end up making a contribution.

I’m wiped out after this week, but really happy about what I pulled off. Time to figure out what to tackle next.

Tendrils

Lightning tendrils looking east over Schenectady Airport.

Panic in B-Flat

I must be crazy. Last night I took my clarinet — the one I haven’t played since high school — to my first practice with the Scotia-Glenville Community Band. At the concert in the park last week the director announced, “Come play with us! We take all skill levels!” I can tell you that statement is true, because they let me in the door. How hard could it be, right?

Last night at practice I got my backside kicked. There are 9 complex songs. Meanwhile: I don’t remember all the notes, my fingerings are rusty, my embouchure is nonexistent, I forgot how to read music, there are lots of nasty runs and phrasings, most songs switch keys and some even vary time signatures all the way through. I can sort of play parts of the Star Wars medley so far.

Did I mention the concert’s one week away?

But this is No. 27 on my list of New Year’s resolutions: "Be musical." So I’m going to stick it out. I have new appreciation for those who play well and make it look easy — I know how hard you've worked. I've been playing 1-1/2 hours so far tonight and I'm still trying to get through my second song. Beth, I hear you calling.

[Update 7/26/2012: we're using the rain location that follows.] If you're a fan of horror, the concert will be Thursday, July 26, 7:00 p.m. at Scotia-Glenville High School. I’ll be practicing like crazy until then.

Birthday Un-cake

I make a mean scratch chocolate cake with an emphasis on homemade frosting, but my birthday buddy Ro is not a big chocolate person (nobody's perfect).

So I learned to make shortcake last week and this is how it turned out. The blue garnish was my patriotic addition to the recipe. It was a hit at the office, and Claire is now an official fan.

Here's the part I can't believe — two of the partakers at work had never had strawberry shortcake! Where have these guys been, the fifth moon of Pluto?

Sheets Happen

This is what my office mate, Ro is going to see when she walks in Thursday morning. It's like Vanna White attacked the place. A guy from down the hall stopped in to say goodnight and did a double take — it's huge.

This weekend I made my first shortcake from scratch as a trial run; tonight I put together an improved batch: I made them bigger. I'm going to slice and mash strawberries in the morning. Got my hand mixer packed with a sandwich bag of sugar to fluff the whipping cream there.

She's not going to know what hit her.