From: someone@anywheret.net   
      
   "Jim D"  wrote in message news:201812270938442207-Not@ThisAddresscom...   
      
   > Had lunch with a bass player buddy yesterday. He doesn't want in our band   
   > ...   and he had some thoughts.  Said, " Do you need them to sound good ?   
   > Do they make you sound better when they are there ?  "   
      
   That's the 'magic' question, or a more profound statement of it: Does every   
   player always endeavor to make the band sound better because they are in it?   
      
   > The answers are solid no's.  We don't need any more people. And when we do   
   > have extras, we sound worse overall as they don't know our arrangements.   
      
   They'd know them if they'd bother to *work* at *learning* them!!!   
      
   > He said, well, there's your answer. It's obvious.   
      
   It's always obvious - you can HEAR it!!!   
      
   > Long phone chat with band girl yesterday on same topic. She wants to try   
   > and keep options open, in case her or I get sick or something.  I thought,   
   > well, what if Paul McCartney booked a concert and couldn't make it ?  Do   
   > they hire a fill in to take his place on the stage ?   
      
   If the performer can perform at all, then the show goes on, with whatever   
   medications can help, and if not, the show is rescheduled.   
      
   > Meaning ..... we're the band, her and I. If we can't make it, we might as   
   > well cancel the gig.  Much better option than trying to do it with some   
   > unrehearsed fill in ... as FRONT PEOPLE .........   
      
   JimD   
      
   Definitely. And there are options -  but unrehearsed is NEVER one of   
   them...at least ideally ;)   
      
   Now for the reality ;) Sometimes it is possible, although Never desirable,   
   to fill in unrehearsed - I've done it, totally reluctantly and horrified at   
   first, and now, every now and then, merely Stressed out, because I've done   
   it far too much in the past ;)   
      
   Most recent case in point; on Sunday, December 16, 2018, my *former* church   
   had its last service, and then moved about 16 miles away, callously leaving   
   the Lutheran church they had established a partnership with several years   
   earlier for mutual survival, to fend for themselves...so naturally, I'm now   
   attending the Lutheran church and playing keys there...in the very same   
   building ;)   
      
   What a Refreshing difference! No ego problems!!! We can all hear ourselves   
   and each other...and all I have to do is learn LOTS of Lutheran church   
   Music, including liturgical material, but hey, I'm up for it and only regret   
   that I didn't go to that church for the last 4.5 + years I Wasted with the   
   church that Faithlessly ran away! Since all the Lutheran musicians are   
   familiar with my style as we've played together in the past during our   
   combined services (Evangelical Lutheran and American Baptist), I was warmly   
   welcomed aboard and am enjoying every minute of it even though I'm currently   
   'winging it' 'without a net' ;)   
      
   It'll be sooooo much better once I actually *learn* the material, like I did   
   with the church that moved away.   
      
   Ouisie   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)