tonight was my second rehearsal with the Wind Symphony. didn’t write anything last week because I wanted to have more than just a first impression. glad I didn’t post – last week, I left enthused about being in the band, pumped about the skill level of the rest of the players, but very much annoyed by the players in my section. I’m getting a kick out of it now, because either I got used to them or they relaxed a little.

my section leader is a woman high school band director who’s married to a sax instructor at a college downtown. he’s big cheese (at least, she thinks he is – I’m not plugged into the “scene”, so I don’t know if she’s just being a proud wife or if he’s really that good), and she’s learned from someone how to play well. thing is, she knows it. =) so she’s a little over the top. I walked in and sat down (after being ignored for a few minutes while she finished a conversation with a woman who was sitting in my seat) and the first thing she said was, “you’ve got a LeBlanc!?” no, I say, I have a LeBlanc case for my Vito horn. she starts saying how she was almost very jealous about the LeBlanc (an old, old brand of horn), then goes on about how Vitos are good horns, too. I looked at her and said, “no, they’re not.” just like that. =)

seriously, folks – the brand is close to the bottom rung on the ladder of saxophone manufacturers. I happen to have an awesome horn (especially for its age) because it was made in the dark ages when they still used really heavy metals for instruments, so my Vito transcends its brand-stigma. (most cheap horns, which Vitos now are, are made of very thin, tinny sounding alloys – I got mine second-hand from an already ancient man when I was in 8th grade. this horn is *old*.) anyway, she’s taken aback and says, “you know Yamaha makes Vitos?” (she’s got a Yamaha horn). I say “yep” and leave it at that.

I really am a snob about this one point – the best professional horns out there, imho, except for the very rare old ones, are Selmer Paris horns. Yamaha makes a custom horn that I’m sure costs more, but really sounds much more… juvenile. good for American jazz playing because it produces thin and bright tones, but awful for the rich, full, cello-like sounds *I* want to have.

she spent the rest of the rehearsal going through reed after reed – pulling out a reed trimmer (looks like a flat cigar clipper) and complaining about VanDorens (the standard reed for [musical] sax players)… sigh. =) she’s not so bad, just not so humble. this week, she was actually pretty fun. inclusive, at least – I felt like less of an outsider as she joked more and more with me. in fact, she kind of egged me into giving a “dramatic” reading of some Chaucer I had with me… gave the whole sax section a good chuckle. now… I just need to get her out of teacher/student mode with me. =)

anyway, I’m just glad to get the opportunity to be able to grumble about my section leader – have I mentioned how much I’ve missed playing? =) it’s so good to be back in a band – especially a good band. it’s going to be a very enjoyable, if stretching, experience (especially once I learn to articulate again). I’m gladder and gladder I made the decision to join every time I think about it.