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RE: David vs Goliath

To: "'brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'" <brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: David vs Goliath
From: Dave Hogg <davehogg@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 01:28:51 -0000
Cc: "'musicdep@xxxxxxxxxxx'" <musicdep@xxxxxxxxxxx>, "'dan.wild@xxxxxxxxx'" <dan.wild@xxxxxxxxx>, "'fiona.sturrock@xxxxxxxxx'" <fiona.sturrock@xxxxxxxxx>
Priority: low
Reply-to: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tom

Fiona and I have just been out on the beer / wine/ alcohol...  This was
our only night off from banding in 8 day intensive cycle. Basically,
we're sick of Variations on an Enigma. I'm trying my utmost to play the
xylophone solo, and whilst I'm quite an accomplished  musician (with the
certificates to prove it) and whilst Fiona is a damn good cornet-to-horn
conversion, we are not--- and will never pretend to be -- Siomone
Rebello and Shoena White (despite some of the snide remarks and winks we
get from other band members who pretend to be in the know). We fully
appreciate the needs of great performance (indeed strive towards it),
but at the end of the day we spend 45 hours a week working for BAE
SYSTEMS so (a) substitute your company, b) note that the BAe Chadderton
band can no longer exist in name) and still we try to compete in the
Championship section. So basically, we'd get loads of paid overtime from
work, but instead we pay subs for the privilege of another 15 hours a
week hard graft in the bandroom (not including travel time and personal
practice). If there is a message to this it is sixfold (sorry, but
that's industry for you):

1) It's F***ing difficult to maintain the standards required or a
Championship section band in the face of other commitments
2) Yeah maybe it would be easier to go to a lower section band, but it
would really lack musical enthusiasm (certainly in terms of percussion
it would be difficult to keep all  three players motivated)
3) Get off your high horse and share the pain  --- as well as the glory
4) You talk about 'the inner feeling'. Whilst I'm not an expert, I did a
degree in psychology for three years where folks endlessly pontificated
about the inner feeling to no avail. There's nothing better than just
getting on with life and accepting the cr** than comes with it.
5) The band we play for remains firmly rooted in a village without any
sponsorship, even though we gratefully receive players from the
surrounding region, and indeed some players aspire to greater things
Manchester way but thankfully and honourably choose to stay
6) On our one day off from band in eight days (it's not only the area,
but a  big concert coming up), we've had to go on a team building
session with work (incestuous or what that several members of the band
work together) and you don't appreciate how many spell checks we've gone
through to write this.

So stop whingeing, everyone's in the same shitty boat, and if you still
have a problem go and play dominoes down the local (the same local we
sink several pints in after most rehearsals).

Regards.

Dave (BOSS) Hogg
Percussionist, Freckleton Band

Love and kisses
Fiona (I'm a bonny Scottish lass) Sturrock
Horn, Freckleton Band
(PS what a superb boss Dave is to me at work, despite how much I
cock-up)


--

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