[Dixielandjazz] Bouncing Sound - Was Monitors03

[Randy Fendrick]

Both of you are correct.  As a trombonist in a symphony orchestra, we 
sit at the back of the orchestra and must anticipate the beat just a 
"hair" in order to get the sound to the front at the proper time.  But, 
and this is a big "butt" we also must listen. The A we tune to changes 
with the changing conditions of hall.  The Forte is different in some 
pieces than in others. The articulation is different each piece.  As a 
result the symphony musician must listen for all of those 
characteristics to make the piece come together.  In addition, some 
halls are more conducive to playing and listening than others, and the 
hall that I generally play in is not friendly for anyone, players or 
the audience.  When we add singers, we generally add monitors for them 
to hear, as they are positioned to the rear of the orchestra, and the 
monitors are for the choir, not the players.
That being said, there is no feeling in the world, to replace a good 
rhythm playing together, and there is no feeling in the world to 
replace a rhythm section that doesn't.  Sometimes when we haven't 
played together for a week or two, it takes several sets, to get the 
rhythm section to act as one.  With the guys I play with, we all have 
other gigs that we do, and the requirements are different in each group 
and style of music that we play.  For instance, our bass player is 
rather young, late 20's and he plays a lot of free jazz (yes, he gets 
paid for it) but the role of the bass player in that group is far 
different than in a trad. band.  The drummer and guitar player the 
same, the guitar player plays a lot of, what people today call blues, 
and it sometimes takes an hour or so before he remembers that great 
Freddy Green sound, but when he does and the other three guys are 
swingin, its great,
later,
rf

> I'm willing to bet that the musicians in a symphony orchestra listen 
> only to
> their immediate neighbors if at all.  They don't really have to listen.
> They get the tempo and cues from the conductor. That's why he is there.
> They have mastered their instruments and reading skills are sharply 
> honed so
> they can follow the music.   There is no real need for them to listen 
> to
> anyone else.
>
>
Randy Fendrick,
Southside Chicago Seven
Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra