Posted by Rick Denney on September 27, 2002 at 15:32:30:
In Reply to: Re: Qunitet questions posted by js on September 27, 2002 at 13:24:11:
Only for a few is the line so easily drawn. Many non-professionals will still be in quintets that are open to the occasional pay gig. We just get to charge less than your definition of a "gigging" quintet.
The notion of having music that is not too hard to play is a good strategy in any case. For weddings and other background music gigs, difficulty is neither needed nor appreciated. The clients want solid performance that doesn't drown out conversation (at the reception, anyway). So, relatively easy music that sounds good seems to me fully consistent with your objective of getting the most pay for the least time spent.
I would suggest the Canadian Brass Book of Advanced Quintets. It's advanced only from the high-school perspective, but it all sounds good and satisfies clients for background-music gigs. Plus, it gives you a good basic starter set in one book. If you do Christmas gigs, the Canadian Brass Christmas book does the same thing. Nobody at the party will know that it's the same book everyone else is playing out of.
I have several of the big-boy CB arrangements, some of which I can almost play. But to perform them would require the sort of rehearsal and stretching that is not consistent with making the most money for the least time, and consistently delivering a solid product. Of course, most pros wouldn't have that problem.
Rick "who thinks this sort of gigging is altogether different than doing recitals" Denney