Re: [Harp-L] Good Philharmonic Gig Story

[harp <harp@xxxxxxxxx>]

What a great story Michael.  Thanks for sharing.  And another shout out to
Ron at Rockin¹ Rons.  Just spoke with him last night about an order.

Brad

On 2/4/14, 6:06 AM, "Mike Wilbur" <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>Great Michael
>And couldn't agree more about Rockin Ron...
>
>Mike Wilbur
>
>
>
>On Feb 3, 2014, at 10:52 PM, Michael Rubin
><michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> About two weeks ago I receive a call from a woman named Toni.
>> 
>> Toni:  Do you play chromatic harmonica?
>> 
>> Me: Yes.
>> 
>> Toni: Can you read music?
>> 
>> Me: Yes.
>> 
>> Toni: I'm with the Laredo Philharmonic. We are putting on a show on
>>Friday,
>> January 31st.  We are playing John Phillips Sousa's Harmonica Wizard.
>>We
>> had a harmonica player but he plays the wrong kind of harmonica.  He
>>cannot
>> read music and he was learning the song by ear.  He just realized he
>>can't
>> do the song.  We're still having him perform.  It would be great if you
>> would do a dueling harmonicas song with him.  Could you do that?
>> 
>> (Laredo is 4 hours drive from Austin, where I live)
>> 
>> Me:  Sure.
>> 
>> Toni:  You would have to come down on Thursday and practice for an hour.
>> Then we'll pay for your dinner and hotel and give you $250.  Can you do
>>it?
>> 
>> Me: Let me discuss it with my wife.
>> 
>> I get the okay.
>> 
>> Due to previous experiences with trouble getting paid, I sent an email
>>to
>> Toni explaining exactly what I understood was expected of me and how and
>> when I was to be paid.  Then I included a clause that if the concert was
>> cancelled within one week of Jan 31st, I would still be paid.
>> 
>> She agreed.
>> 
>> The race was on.
>> 
>> Me:  Overnight me the music and I'll get to work.
>> 
>> The next day:
>> 
>> Toni:  We don't have the harmonica part, just what the orchestra will
>> play.  Buy the harmonica part and we'll reimburse you.
>> 
>> I google the song and discover plenty of websites carry the music and
>>they
>> can all ship it to me in 4 short weeks.
>> 
>> I call on a friend.  Thanks, George Miklas.  He sends it over right away
>> but warns me the music is written in the key of C, but sometimes
>>orchestras
>> play it in the key of Bb.  If so, he suggests I just buy a chromatic in
>>the
>> key of Bb.
>> 
>> Sure, only $160 out of a $250 check.  That and gas and I'm making $50.
>>(I
>> own a Prius hybrid, gas is not so bad.)
>> 
>> I send Toni an email.  Is it in C or Bb?  She sends me to the
>>conductor.  I
>> leave a voicemail and an email and get to practicing the song.  3 days
>> later, the news arrives.  It's in Bb.
>> 
>> Now, I could easily transpose to Bb on the C chromatic, but it would
>>mean
>> relearning the song and the note layout could be very difficult.
>> 
>> I call Rockin Rons Music For Less.  Can you do anything on the price?
>> Suffice to say,  they could only do so much, but I want to shout it from
>> the hills:  Rockin Rons Music For Less is the best online harp store
>>ever!
>> And you can quote me.
>> 
>> I tell him I have to think about it.  I hang up and begin transposing
>>the
>> song to Bb.  In less than a minute, my brain hurts.  I am 44 years old.
>> I
>> have proven to myself I know how to transpose.  I call Rons back.  "Ship
>> it!"
>> 
>> So I work on the song.  Especially over a certain speed, there are
>>always
>> mistakes.  There are 3 types of mistakes:
>> 
>> 1.  Easily covered up so that the audience would never know.
>> 2.  Not so easily covered up but still small enough to be forgivable.
>> 3.  Total derailment.
>> 
>> You know that line about pros practicing so much that they cannot make a
>> mistake?  I guess I am not a pro.  I return my card.
>> 
>> I order 5 CDs from Amazon to make the drive easier.  Two Muddy Waters, a
>> Don Byas collection and an Art Pepper collection plus the Art Pepper
>>bio,
>> Straight Life.  The latter two don't make it in time for the trip.  I've
>> got them now though.  Byas and Pepper's music is new to me, although
>>I've
>> seen the Pepper documentary.
>> 
>> On the drive down I discover Don Byas is a genius and I still love
>>Muddy.
>> (Also a genius)
>> 
>> The drive is uneventful.  Then the storm appears.  Toni picks me up from
>> the hotel and is a high energy, constantly talking, sweetheart of a
>>woman.
>> Also along for the ride is the other harmonica player, Larry Delawder,
>>who
>> is a great guy and great harp player.  He grew up playing, singing and
>> touring in his family gospel group and has the quickest ability to
>>create
>> harp harmonies I have ever seen.  We worked up Down By the Riverside for
>> our tune.  His wife and two little girls also were in Laredo.  Then
>>there
>> was Emma Resmini and her Mom,  a 13 year old flute prodigy.  She was
>>very
>> smart and polite but the feeling that I was in a car with one of the
>>best
>> classical musicians the world will ever know could not escape me.
>> 
>> Upon arrival at the University where the concert hall was, it was clear
>>the
>> was a nice venue.  But on the stage was an orchestra of high school
>> children.  Surprise.  I was playing with a high school orchestra and the
>> show was put on by the Philharmonic.  I did get to meet the conductor of
>> the Philharmonic and 3 other members who backed Emma in a quartet
>>setting.
>> 
>> The kids were great and knew the tune.  I am very glad we practiced
>>because
>> there was a note that I played that was VERY different from the note
>>that
>> they played.  After my song I calmly said, there is a discrepancy with
>>one
>> of our notes.  The conductor found it.  He pointed to it and said,
>>"We're
>> playing this."  It was around 10 feet off the staff.  I can read music
>>but
>> my brain couldn't handle it.  He saw my confusion and said it was a B.
>> That's when I put my transposing to work and said Bb is to B as C is to
>> C#.  I need to play a C# and my harp will make the B note.  Success!
>> 
>> The dinner was incredible at a Mexican restaurant Toni said was very
>> authentic.  Larry and I got to know each other.  He's a friend of Todd
>> Parrott's.
>> 
>> The next morning I did the show to an audience of 600 elementary school
>> kids.  They were a great audience and whatever mistakes I made fell
>>under
>> category number 1.
>> 
>> Then we were ushered to a table for autographs.  Emma was basically The
>> Beatles.  Larry's two little girls also sat at the table giving
>>autographs,
>> I think my popularity was just a bit under the seven year old's.  She
>> didn't have to rub it in, though.  600 autographs later (no kidding.
>>Every
>> kid went to every performer.) and I headed home.
>> 
>> There was traffic in San Antonio.  It took 90 minutes to go 5 miles to
>>make
>> sure everyone got a good look at the crash.
>> 
>> Then the bank almost didn't cash my money order because it was made out
>>to
>> Michael Rubin Performer.  But all is well.  Hopefully videos will come
>>soon.
>> Michael Rubin
>> Michaelrubinharmonica.com
>