Planning a Quiet November as it is NaNoWriMo Time

NaNoWriMo Logo

Saxconspiracy is planning a quiet November. I have some posts prepared and will use this time to repost updated versions of some of the most popular posts.

Taking a second year stab at doing some larger scale writing, by doing the NaNoWriMo project (National Novel Writing Month)

From their website:

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.

In 2007, we had over 100,000 participants. More than 15,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.

So, to recap:

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.

Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

Still confused? Just visit the How NaNoWriMo Works page!

The project URL is at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

My NaNoWriMo name is “StevenW” and you should be able to follow my progress at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/457910

If you want to have a go yourself, please add me as one of your writing buddies!

S

Instrument News – Bass Rackette and Contrabass Sarrusophone Reeds

I’ve found the Early Double Reed Service and commissioned a number of custom double reeds for both the Contrabass Rackette (Sausage Bassoon) and the Conn Contrabass Sarrusophone.

Though I can play the Sarrusophone well enough with the custom mouthpiece Paul Coats built for me, I want to try it as a double reed before committing to one set-up.

The Rackette has been sent to Early Double Reed Service for precise fitting of several new cane and fiber reeds. I suspect they may have built my instrument and await news if they recognize it.

It isn’t really possible or worth the risk to ship the Sarrusophone as reeds are pretty standard for the Conn Contrabasses. Again I have asked for several reeds, mixed between cane and fiber.

Hopefully in the new weeks I will be able to record some sound clips for this blog featuring the new reeds.

S

Sax Conspiracy – New Directions?

There has been a number of issues working against the Sax Conspiracy being very active. Bill’s illness and passing certainly has been the worse of the events. Some players leaving the area transferring work or school, a retirement or two, others having wonderful family special events taking up much of their time, and my being preoccupied with family & work.

I’ve set some very simple Sax Conspiracy goals for this Autumn, to put all the music back in the master folders reorganizing appropriately and playing for Charity this Christmas.

Then we will see what 2010 brings for people, free time and places interested in having us play.

Also looking into 2010 I want to finish a half dozen charts for the group I have left in limbo, read them and put them in the book.

Keeping it simple.

S

To a Kind and Generous Friend – Rest in Peace Bill

In life we have the privilege of sharing time with so many people. People of every sort, from those who we know only from a familiar wave as we pass to those who’s spirit in some deeper way touches our lives.

Through Musical Performance it has been my personal privilege to have met creative, warm and inspiring players. Some very much my junior, some peer aged, some retired and some very much elders.

The Skunk Hollow & Carp Town Saxophone Conspiracy has been a tremendous opportunity to play music with some of the best of these fellow musicians.

Today our group counts one less.

Our friend, Lead Soprano & Alto Saxophone player and the Father of a family of musicians – many who we’ve also played with – Bill Pappathopoulos, passed on after a period of serious illness.

Words seek a simplicity of explaining how someone departed has touched your life. Bill’s interest in playing well while living a Quiet Good & Honorable life touched us much deeper than his his heartfelt saxophone & clarinet playing alone. Those Simple Words only touch lightly on his positive influences.

It has been an honor to play alongside Bill, and to learn from him. My life will always be ever much the richer for the few years we walked the path of life in Music together.

Rest in Peace Dear Friend Bill. Your friends will remember you well and perhaps in the wind memories of your playing will carry ever on.

Steve

Wrestling with Three Octave Keys – Sarrusophone Progress

Working hard at making the Contrabass Sarrusophone stage-ready.

Have a couple tweaks on the instrument. The restoration work is stunning, and remaining there is just a few adjustments and changes. Vintage finger-plateaus sometimes had cork-stops built up under them to keep the range of key movement in check. The Right Hand Finger plateau needs this done and needs a guard mounted felt bumper changes out to a different size.

A couple minor regulation tweaks should bring things into line on another couple palm keys that open further than seems prudent.

Paul Coats has made me a second mouthpiece, this one with a change in the angle the mouthpiece is presented to the player. The first one was tip-down and wasn’t very playable. The second version is a huge improvement, as is it’s longer facing allowing more even low pitches.

Back to the octave keys – two are left-hand thumb keys like an old saxophone before automatic octave mechanisms came into use. The third is a right-hand key that is called a “D-speaker key” in some literature, but is essentially a third octave key. The combinations are straight forward, but a challenge to keep fluid.

Low-Bb is a left-hand thumb key, like the Low-A on a baritone sax, which works well.

The lack of forked-fingerings is vexing – example Bb middle of the staff cannot be fingered as two-index-finger Bb as the Sarrusophone lacks the Bis-Key and forking mechanism. C middle of the staff uses a right-hand palm key like the alternate saxophone fingering, as there is no left-hand middle-finger C.

The sound is lovely though. In the lowest registers it is like the sound the earth itself might make if the bedrock could sing!

Middle and Upper registers have a singing tone to them that is more joyful than notes that low usually are every heard.

Definitely worth the challenge, but a challenge it is!

S

Why We Play

There is an ongoing discussion in our Local Newspaper’s On-Line Edition Opinion Page about changes in a long time local group.

Very strong arguing from non-players about a change in direction of a serious publicly funded local 110+ year old band into a Pep Band/Variety Show sort of group.

Out of this affray arrises the question “Why do We Play?”

Great question!

“Why We Play” differs for every player.

Some of the reasons:

.
• Self Challenge & Improvement
• Community & Friendship
• Musical Exploration
• A Chance to Perform
• An opportunity to be part of a group working together
• Intergenerational Participation
• Receiving & Giving Mentorship
• Chance to try one’s hand at arranging & composing

So much of it is “for the love of the game.”

Like most hobbies the economics are contributory, with the rewards of art in return.

In my personal case I am a fairly typical adult community player, not a front-liner, but trying to do my best to continuously improve and support the team.

The ability to focus on the music is a pleasure after my multifaceted workday. For a change I get to watch, listen and play on one task.

Why do you play?

Steve

Summer Musings – but not too much Music-ings….

For various reasons The Skunk Hollow & Carp Town Saxophone Conspiracy remains dormant this summer.

Several of our players have family things going on, a couple are nursing some ailments and in my case I have needed to work enough hours to make rehearsing & playing a chore.

Personally I’ve been practicing, much on the Contrabass Sarrusophone, and have played with a couple big bands. Was asked to sub with Brass Factory, which is always a wonderful group to play with.

Have a community concert in a few weeks, and otherwise just putting in too long of hours to travel to rehearse & perform.

The main summer local opportunity, The Manitowoc Marine Band, has moved pretty far in a different direction than my interests, having become a sort of Pep Band type group. There are signs that they may be close to completing their migration towards the loud Junior High pep group style and may be following a new direction, but with their huge performance commitment (I’ve heard something like 16 gigs over the summer) and sturctural problems it will have to change a bit to attract serious adult players.

The DePere Bicentennial Band was more fun when I played with them, but rehearses late, leaving me with a scant 5-6 hours until I have to be up for work the next day. They are also blessed with a string sax section turn out this year making it easier to stay on a sub list.

There are other community bands within a 45 minute or so drive, though my same schedule predicament makes that extra 1-1/2 to 2 hours in traveling a problem.

Back to the Saxophone Ensemble I have added another 20-30 charts to the book, and later this summer will be overhauling how the group’s charts are filed & sorted.

In autumn when the Lakeshore Wind Ensemble and Lakeshore Big Band season starts I’ll do some low key recruitment to augment the team and see what we can schedule.

Otherwise it is woodshedding for summertime…..

Cheers!

Steve

At the Theatre – Big Top Chautauqua

Had the great pleasure of seeing/hearing the touring group from The Big Top Chautauqua at John Michael Kohler Arts Centre (JMKAC) in Sheboygan.

Now led by a High School classmate Ed Willet (no we didn’t cross paths much in our huge High School) the group’s performance was outstanding! Ed had to take over when the group’s leader had stepped down as that leader’s personal life did a bad turn. True to form Ed has more than filled the spot, adding a sparkle to this outstanding group.

I’ve often caught their Wisconsin Public Radio show “Tent Show Radio” but had never seen them live.

With the visuals and acting they were first class and a treat. One of those 2 hour concerts you wish would never end.

The music of the the Great Lakes, the Forests, the People and of a joy in living life, are outstanding live! Evoking the deeper emotions the group moves from genre to genre with ease and a crowd pleasing fire!

JMKAC is a small theatre – as Ed commented during the show “It is nice to have you in the Band” as it is about as intimate of a venue as one could desire.

Highly recommended !

Links:

Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua http://www.bigtop.org/

Tent Show Radio http://www.bigtop.org/tsr/

John Michael Kohler Arts Centre (JMKAC) http://www.jmkac.org/

Big Top Chautauqua MySpace http://www.myspace.com/bigtopchautauqua

Transitions of Life & the Group – Positively Looking Up!

The Skunk Hollow & Carp Town Saxophone Conspiracy is shaking off a bit of dormancy and will restart playing this summer.

We had some life transitions as some of our players moved geographically, some retired from their careers, some found they were playing enough with other groups, some decided they were moving on to non-musical challenges in life, and some of us had family & health to deal with.

Traveling a fair bit on my part hasn’t helped keep the group continuously performing.

This summer we will be working on our new line up of personnel, the nearly 100 new charts acquired in the last two years, and firming up performance schedules.

We private parties to play late this summer as well.

Some really neat things are the expanded instrumentation opportunity with the EEb Contrabass Sarrusophone available.

Steve

Conspiracy Horns – Steve

Steve has the largest collection of saxes in the group, but a collection he shares with two sons who also play saxophone.  An asterisk marks his usual saxes:

Soprano – Conn Chu Berry, Early Holton Rudy Weidoeft Model, * Late Holton Rudy Weidoeft Model

Alto – * Keilwerth SX straight Alto, Goodson Model Unison, SML Stencil, Malerne, Olds Parisian

C-Melody – Conn straight neck

Tenor – Dolnet, * Goodson Model Unison, Keilwerth SXR straight Tenor

Bari – * SML, * University loaned Yamaha YBS-51 Low-A, Prestini-Hermes Low-A Yanigasawa Clone

Bass – * Conn 14M (II version)

Contrabass – * Conn 16V EEb Contrabass Sarrusophone

Some of the other instruments in my collection:

Recorders – Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Bass

Clarinets – Bb SML, Eb Alto Vito, Bb Bass Jupiter Pro

Bassoon – Fox Renard

Mediaeval Instruments – Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass Crumhorns, Contrabass Rackette

Flute – SML

Dulcimer – Geo. Washburn Mountain Dulcimer (yes Washburn very briefly made professional Dulcimers in the 1970’s), Traveller Dulcimer

Various Penny Whistles, Autoharps, traditional strings, and just “stuff” about, some used by my sons and some just for when I get around to it.