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In reply to the discussion: I Was a High School Band Geek. [View all]MineralMan
(146,286 posts)We also had an outstanding tuba player who switched from trumpet. He was good on the trumpet, and the band director talked him into switching. He helped improve the rest of the tuba players at the same time. Smart move on the band director's part. It was a lot like moving me from second chair clarinet to the oboe. I learned quickly and made the transition pretty easily.
When I was in the eighth grade, the high school's bass clarinetist got sick just before a band competition. I had fooled around with the bass clarinet in the band room, so the band director (same for both bands) got me out of class, put me on bass clarinet for a week in the high school band and I got to go to the competition with the high school kids. One of the pieces the band played had a bass clarinet solo at the very beginning of the piece. Lots of pressure. But I pulled it off OK.
I also played tenor sax in a rock band with some other band geeks. We were actually not too bad, really.