Dave Payn
Active Member
A bit of (hopefully) light relief. What sort of pranks, say, on band foregn trips, have you witnessed or indeed played on various soloists, conductors etc.
In my 20 years with Crystal Palace Band, all sorts of things went on when we went abroad (usually to Germany), Sure, the audience don't always get it and perhaps that's a bit 'insular' but... hey, I never said it was clever!
I've been in the position to be both perpetrator and victim. Pranks over the years have involved 'sweet' things like breaking into 'Happy Birthday' if a particular player or conductor's birthday falls on that particular day. Others include
Playing an entirely different march to the one the conductor is expecting you to (particularly when the 'replaced' march has an up-beat and the 'new' march doesn't, the missing up-beat can last an eternity!)
Playing the introuction of Forty Fathoms up a semitone. (One of my favourites. Just hearing that opening concert F on the tuba after the introduction finishes on a F sharp major chord. Has to be heard to be appreciated....)
Slapping a custard pie in the cornet soloist's face (I had nothing to do with that one!)
Playing Nessun Dorma on a melodica.
What about other tmp-ers, what are your prized prank moments?
In my 20 years with Crystal Palace Band, all sorts of things went on when we went abroad (usually to Germany), Sure, the audience don't always get it and perhaps that's a bit 'insular' but... hey, I never said it was clever!
I've been in the position to be both perpetrator and victim. Pranks over the years have involved 'sweet' things like breaking into 'Happy Birthday' if a particular player or conductor's birthday falls on that particular day. Others include
Playing an entirely different march to the one the conductor is expecting you to (particularly when the 'replaced' march has an up-beat and the 'new' march doesn't, the missing up-beat can last an eternity!)
Playing the introuction of Forty Fathoms up a semitone. (One of my favourites. Just hearing that opening concert F on the tuba after the introduction finishes on a F sharp major chord. Has to be heard to be appreciated....)
Slapping a custard pie in the cornet soloist's face (I had nothing to do with that one!)
Playing Nessun Dorma on a melodica.
What about other tmp-ers, what are your prized prank moments?