[Dixielandjazz] Twelve Rules For Playing in a Band

[Robert Ringwald]

12 RULES FOR PLAYING IN A BAND
1. Everyone should play the same piece.
2. Observe the repeat signs only if what you just played was interesting.
3. If you play a wrong note, glare at one of the other players.
4. The right note, at the wrong time, is a wrong note. (And vice-versa.)
5. A wrong note, played timidly, is a wrong note.
6. A wrong note, played with authority, is simply your interpretation of the phrase.
7. If everyone gets lost except you, follow the ones who are lost.
8. Strive always to play the maximum notes per second. This will intimidate the weaker
players and gain you the admiration of the ignorant.
9. Markings for slurs, dynamics, and accidentals should be completely ignored. They
are only there to make the score look more complicated.
10. If a passage is difficult, slow down. If it is easy, speed up. Everything will
even itself out in the end.
11. You have achieved a true interpretation when, in the end, you have not played
one note of the original piece.
12. When everyone else stops playing, you should stop also. Do not play any notes
you may have left over.


--Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
Fulton Street Jazz Band
530/ 642-9551 Office
916/ 806-9551 Cell
Amateur (Ham) Radio K6YBV

"If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents, he would
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H. L. Mencken 1880-1956