Am I insane/stupid?

[Jmmsbnd007]

Ok, just recently for marching band I was offered a snare solo (I'm in pit, the part of the marching band that plays the xylophone and gong and bass drum and timpani and stuff) which I obviously accepted. I'm going to be playing on one of those old-skool strap harnesses which means I have to play with traditional grip, which I only have a few DAYS of experience with. But hey, I'm a fast learner, right? The part won't be written/given to me until next week, but I'm told it will be hard, but not super-hard-insanely-hard. Was I stupid to accept this? The only thing I have to lie on is that if I practice anything enough I can get it right. By the way, I have been playing the drums for 2 years and I'm pretty decent at it.

 

[UberDave]

It's not stupid if you want to do it.


<------------- used to be a Trumpet player in H.S.

 

[pyonir]

not stupid. It is a challenge. It is good to challenge yourself.

 

[Jmmsbnd007]

Originally posted by: pyonir
not stupid. It is a challenge. It is good to challenge yourself.

Minor detail: I almost always screw up Oh well, I'm going to bed.

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: Jmmsbnd007

Originally posted by: pyonir
not stupid. It is a challenge. It is good to challenge yourself.

Minor detail: I almost always screw up Oh well, I'm going to bed.

bah, so do i. but life would be pretty dull and uneventful if you didn't try new things and challenge yourself.

 

[Murphyrulez]

You're screwed. Get a backup plan ready. Prepare a suicide note.

 

[MacBaine]

Suicide is your best option at this point. The sooner the better.

 

[Spike]

your not screwed, it is always good to accept challenges. If you mess up, oh well, who needs friends in H.S. anyway?

 

[bonk102]

hey, whatever you want to do, i want to lose 20 pounds, am i stupid for wanting to do that?

 

[Jmmsbnd007]

Originally posted by: Murphyrulez
You're screwed. Get a backup plan ready. Prepare a suicide note.

 

[Zugzwang152]

Man, let me tell you, as a former marching band member msyelf: Take all the solos you can get your hands on I played trumpet in high school, so naturally they were plentiful, but man, you'll regret it later. I was second seat and i gave up my solo to the first seat, and i was jealous as hell later hehehehe. but it was too late to get it back cause i had willingly given it up.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Note to aspiring band members: just because an instument looks simple doesn't mean it is!

(trumpet has 3 keys, wanna guess how it gets all those notes?)

 

[Jmmsbnd007]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Note to aspiring band members: just because an instument looks simple doesn't mean it is!

(trumpet has 3 keys, wanna guess how it gets all those notes?)

Likewise! A snare drum isn't as simple as hitting the head, it is by far much harder.

 

[Jzero]

You don't become a better musician by sitting around playing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" all day long. You have to keep finding more and more challenging pieces in order to continue developing your skills. Also, as an lime-light craving youngest child, more solos is always a good thing.

Taking the solo was a good thing. Learning a challenging part and getting better at playing traditional grip will help you as a musician.

 

[Jmmsbnd007]

Originally posted by: Jzero
You don't become a better musician by sitting around playing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" all day long. You have to keep finding more and more challenging pieces in order to continue developing your skills. Also, as an lime-light craving youngest child, more solos is always a good thing.

Taking the solo was a good thing. Learning a challenging part and getting better at playing traditional grip will help you as a musician.

True... but playing in jazz band on the drum set in front of 350 elementary schoolers is nothing, because I know that they won't notice if I screw up. On a football field, with 1000+ watching you plus judges = nervous++. Keep in mind that I just learned traditional, much less be good at it, a few days ago. By the way, the first football game is September 6th :Q

 

[Alphazero]

Originally posted by: Jmmsbnd007
...and timpani and stuff....

That sounds dirty

As you can see, I don't know much about music. However, as with any challenging task, if you know your abilities and apply yourself, you will pull it off.

Good luck!

 

[Jzero]

True... but playing in jazz band on the drum set in front of 350 elementary schoolers is nothing, because I know that they won't notice if I screw up. On a football field, with 1000+ watching you plus judges = nervous++.

Not a chance. Especially if it's not a well-known piece. I used to play in a lot of hand-bell choirs. One of the industry "tricks" is that if your ensemble isn't that great, just pick obscure songs. Few in the audience will ever realize how badly it was botched.
Judges MAY pick up on a mistake, but OTOH even if the judge is familiar with the solo, there's no real way for him to know exactly how it was arranged, nor whether you took liberties as a soloist. As long as it's not way off, they will be none the wiser.
My band once made the mistake of choosing music that was arranged by an area artist, and he was once the musical judge at a competition, and was able to harp on every single mistake.

Keep in mind that I just learned tradition, much less be good at it, a few days ago. By the way, the first football game is September 6th :Q

You've got 3 weeks! You will be fine. Just don't let on that you made any mistakes, and make sure you get it better with each passing game/competition. By the end of the season, you'll be a master at traditional grip, and you will be blazing away at that solo.

 

[Jmmsbnd007]

The solo isn't even written yet so no problems there... *sigh* I always get so nervous...