Australian Concert Bands

Now i get it! Its bad enough with a trumpet mouthpiece banging your lips on a march, let alone a double reed tearing into the roof of your mouth!

Percussion is fun though! One of the easiest Anzac Days ive had is playing the bass drum - also allowed me to save some lip to do the bugle calls!

When I play in a band as I am doing now, I volunteer for the bass drum as the horn only plays side drum off beats on the march anyway and the horn mouthpice bounces all over your mouth.
I actually played for Princess Diana on bass drum years ago. I had about 40 other muso's around me at the time forming the band but I like to think I played for Princess Di. It was the Australian Surf Championships at Wanda Beach and the Police Band were playing for the march past. Mike Butcher had the band at that time.
Talking about double reeds on the march, I know an oboe player who used to play with the Grenadier Guards and he used to play cymbals on the march, but the poor old bassonists play in the guards bands on the march.

Hi all.

As President of the Victorian Bands' League, I'm looking forward to reading and contributing to discussions on this forum. Please feel free to drop me a note at any time.

good to hear from you Chris, I have seen your name on Spitvalve

Hi Chris

Good to see you here mate.

Ill create a new forum for the VBL where you can post announcements on anything that comes up!

Cheers

Ben

Hi Chris, It is so good to see you here. The VBL is surely going to go ahead if they follow your influence.
Bev.

Hi everyone

I found this site through the Royal Marines Band Service (RMBS) site and as I now live in this part of the world I thought it might be interesting to join this forum to see what you bandies all get up to.

For myself I am a clarinet & saxophone player currently serving in the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) Band in Auckland.
Previously from 2003 I was a music teacher in Kent UK but before that I spent 26 years in the RMBS.

I think the idea for this site is great, all adding to the rise of the concert band in the world of music, and it's a pleasure to be a member.

My best regards to all, and as it's nearly Christmas, here's wishing you all a happy Christmas.

Hello Dusty, No doubt you will get an official welcome from Ben who started the Forum. But from South Australia I say "G'day and it's nice to meet you via the site". I also extend to you my Greetings for Christmas and 2008.
I am the Mum of a Bandie and love the music and friendship of the Bands.
Bev.

Official Welcome?! But no one welcomed me officially.......

Just kiddin!

Welcome to the forum Dusty! Look forward to seeing you around the site!

Consider yourself well and truly welcomed Ben.

Yes Ben. all mine show 67 and all yours show 231. I think there might be gremlin somewhere.
Bev.

Hi I'm Nicole. I play with Unley Concert Band in South Australia. We are a State A Grade band (competing in B Grade at a National Level). I play mainly clarinet (have an Honours degree in music performance) but also tenor saxophone and have just started learning cornet so that I can uphold my family's brass band traditions.

It's great to see Australian concert bands getting to know each other in this overly saturated brass band country.

Hi wittlenix.

I saw your band march at the Nationals in Melbourne last year and we competed against you in the B Grade section. Unley is a very impressive band. Nice to meet another concert band person.