Church gig number one was a bit odd. I received an email late in the week saying we were playing both services (double money!), but we had to be there a half hour early (boo!). I showed up with all my horns, only to find out that we were playing the entire service with the orchestra (a few strings added to a concert band). I ended up playing the oboe parts on soprano sax. Unfortunately, I was seated in the back next to the low brass, so the flutes and clarinets played the oboe cues on their parts; I assume they didn't hear me. No oboe, no problem.
This gig did offer me the opportunity to concentrate on tuning for my soprano--looking for the spot where the left hand can be in tune and I can lip down the right hand. Fun. At least that gave me something to do.
Just for the sake of bitching, let me also mention that we're still on the "all black" dress code, which I still don't get because the band leader doesn't follow this rule; the organist doesn't follow this rule; the vocalists don't follow this rule; the orchestra wears choir robes (as you can see in the picture). Uhh…so it's just four sleepy guys wearing all black. I think the goal was for us to look a little dressier, so why not say "no jeans?" I don't think you can make the argument that we were trying to look uniform.
I did talk to one of the members of the orchestra, who seemed surprised that I could read music (and that I was reading the oboe part up a whole step on the fly). I think there's the misconception that because I am an improvising musician, I must only play by ear. Ha! I have a classical performance degree in flute, clarinet, and saxophone.
Church gig number two was more of the same kind of stuff. The music didn't seem to need much in the way of solos or fills, so I focused on playing in tune. Cold churches are tough on wind instruments.
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