Tonight’s CSWO rehearsal mainly focused on investigating the dusty corners of the pad and trying out pieces that were candidates for being culled from the regular collection. That meant quite a sight reading challenge. Some of them were decent parts to play from (including one we did try in the time I was in the band which I’d produced my own part for) but others were more challenging.

Probably the worst was a part probably handwritten in the era before computer-based layout became common for Bb tuba (as in a tuba reading a Bb part). Not only was it tightly spaced but I had to both transpose up an octave (tuba reading to string bass reading) and down a tone (Bb part to concert pitch). We’re keeping that one so, when it comes up for a gig, that goes on the “write it up” pile. There were also some that probably haven’t been played much because they introduce passages with more challenging time signatures – one that spiced things up with the occasional 7/8 bar among the 4/4 sections and another that was mainly in 11/8 except when it went into 13/8. Both of those are staying as well, so my time signature reading repertoire is likely to increase.

A fair number of pieces were set aside so, for those carrying around paper-based pads, it will ease their backs a bit! As a bonus, a couple of the pieces might be suitable for the Training Band. I’m going to scan them in and, at some point, we’ll give them a go. For example, there was a medley of Shania Twain songs that sounded like the corners had been rounded off. For the Symphonic Wind Orchestra, we should be able to cope with arrangements that sound like the originals but, with the Training Band, that might make them more approachable and give us a presentable result.

The final challenge of the night was a piece called Spider Legs. Here the challenge was tempo – very fast and with lots of syncopated semiquavers. We tried it about a year ago and I have a recollection that it “kicked my butt”. I certainly put some time into practising it and then it didn’t come out again. Last night that paid off though. There are still some sections I need to do more work on but, in the main, it was exhilarating rather than exhausting.