Sunday Meeting at Thacher

2013/10/27
1930-2235

In attendance: Victor, Scott, Dev, Brad, Chris, RM

The room is tidied and the team is seated by 2000.  Opening circulation leads way to improv.  RM leads calisthenics with work on the 1st primary in semiquavers up and down the neck in true ascending and true descending patterns.  Tempos range from 76 to 92.  For the second half of calisthenics the team does a syncopation exercise with semiquaver picking and introducing a single semiquaver rest that moves around in 2-bar patterns.

Dev then asks for EOTN.  After a few go throughs the comment is made "It needs a bit more work in places."  Another noticing is that while we need to play it "at the drop of a hat" with musicality, we aren't doing this.  A suggestion for marching is met with indifference so a bit of section work for the benefit of the basses is addressed.  In this, Victor sees a few points with the leads that need addressing and they run through a few section with the basses listening.  Comments are made that there is vast improvement.  The full team get's back at it with counting added for the basses in the Dm section.

Work then on VOAC with half the team playing, half listening.  Then the other half gives it a go.  Tempo is addressed and adopted as 90 being the target.  A comment is made that it isn't sounding very musical and the suggestion is give: "play it as though your life depended upon it."  A few more go 'rounds with attention on musicality and the team notices that there is slight improvement.

As Flying Home is called Chris announces that he is on a tight curfew and has to leave at 2100 and since it was 2100, he leaves.  The 5 piece team begins work on Flying Home and after playing though twice Dev fills Victor in on the Flying Home work that was done and the noticings at the previous meeting.

Victor calls for the basses to play and has some comments and suggestions for them centering around how to play more together.  Then the leads-only play through the Dm section as RM tries to project while Victor runs the harmony and back again.  RM comments that he noticed an additional fingering correction at the last meeting and that his practice on this has been helping, but still a good way to go yet.  Though, it does seem to be getting a bit easier to play.  Victor then pushes the tempo up and the team plays the piece through.  Comments include "old habits creep back in" and "so hard."

A closing circulation turned improv and the meeting is adjourned at 2235.