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RE: Music for the Common Man - Rubbish

Hi John and Tricky

If I may present an alternative viewpoint.

I had the privilege (dubious) of hearing every performance of both Ballet
for Band and Spectrum at the Scottish Championships and I must say the
overall standard was extremely low.  However, before anyone concludes that
this simply reflects the standard of Scottish bands in general I think the
recent Finals results suggest that the best of Scottish bands bear up pretty
well with those in other areas.

No, I think the standard was low because the pieces were simply far too
difficult.  As an ex-player I know very well how exciting it is to 'run
through' the great pieces in our repertoire in the confines of our
bandrooms.  However, these valiant attempts should remain in the bandroom!
The area championships should be a showcase for bands at ALL levels and the
music should be chosen to best display the bands' abilities.  I don't
subscribe to the view that so-called easy pieces are playable by all bands
and consequently make judging difficult.

It's a worrying trend in recent years to set ever harder tests for the lower
sections - Salute to Youth and Three Figures for this year's 1st and 2nd
section National Finals was quite frankly preposterous.  Yes, let's set some
decent tests for the lower sections but let's also consider the enjoyment of
the listening audience.

I haven't heard and don't know Music for the Common Man so I can't comment.
What I do know though is that I'd prefer to hear the majority of bands give
a decent performance of the set test rather than witness only one
performance in which the band can even play the notes.

Gordon Simpson

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