The following is a reprint of an article featured in the Vanderbilt Engineering newsletter:
Slide Trombone Zen
| A.B. Bonds doesn't blow his own horn-except when he's playing with the Nashville Community Concert Band. Then he lets loose with his slide trombone at concerts in parks, churches and synagogues. "Ensemble playing is really a gas" says Bonds. "It's very Zen. You are totally focused on the music, and all the things you were worrying about disappear. It's my therapy." | |
By day, Bonds teaches circuits, digital logic and microprocessors as professor of electrical engineering, computer engineering and biomedical engineering. A 26-year veteran of the Vanderbilt engineering faculty, he also serves as associate chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and director of undergraduate studies in computer engineering.
Music, Collections and Cars
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After playing in bands from junior high through graduate school, Bonds put down his horn to concentrate on establishing his academic career. Then in 1991 during a "midlife crisis," he picked up the trombone again and hooked up with the Nashville Community Band. They play classical music, jazz, show tunes and martial airs, often teaming up with military and university ensembles, including the Vanderbilt Community Concert Band. |
But performance isn't Bonds' only groove. He collects early recording devices, like an Edison cylinder patented in 1878, and vintage recordings such as Caruso singing an aria from Pagliacci. He has shared his collection with alumni at Reunion and in an engineering freshman seminar titled "Audio Reproduction." Bonds also collects and restores antique cars, including a 1930 Rolls Royce, a 1952 MG and a 1973 MGB. "As an engineer I like fixing things," he says with a smile. "I like to see old machinery doing its job."
Brain-Cell Teamwork
An early interest in radios, which continues to this day, steered Bonds to a career in electrical engineering. "I built my first radio when I was 11," he says. "By the time I was 13, I was doing some fairly sophisticated designs." He also took courses in biomedical engineering while earning a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Northwestern University. Today, as a member of the Vanderbilt Vision Center and the Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience, Bonds studies the brain's visual system from an engineering perspective. His recent discovery that teamwork among nerve cells improves their ability to discriminate between visual patterns has opened up a revolutionary new way of looking at how the brain functions. "One of the most immediate applications of this knowledge will be to help us build much more efficient systems of robot vision." he says. Bonds says his greatest satisfaction as a teacher comes when an alumnus returns to campus and tells him, "I really hated it when you taught such-and-such a course, but I have used it a lot in my career."
Written by Joanne L. Beckham
David Ford submitted an old photo of the community band of Patterson, Illinois, taken at some point in the 1890's. David's grandfather is shown in this photo, back row, far left, on the tuba. And, his great-grandfather is the one in the front row, third from the left on cornet.
Here are a couple of clinical
write-ups that any musician will find most beneficial.
These have been submitted by our very own Matt Ward.
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How to improve your intonation. | ||
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Etiquette for Theatre, Ballet, and Music Concerts | ||
(from rec.music.classical)
August 1998, Montevideo, Uruguay
Paolo Esperanza, bass-trombonist with the Simphonica Mayor de Uruguay, in a misplaced moment of inspiration decided to make his own contribution to the cannon shots fired as part of the orchestra's performance of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture at an outdoor children's concert. In complete seriousness he placed a large, ignited firecracker, which was equivalent in strength to a quarter stick of dynamite, into his aluminum straight mute and then stuck the mute into the bell of his quite new Yamaha in-line double-valve bass trombone.
Later, from his hospital bed he explained to a reporter through bandages on his mouth, "I thought that the bell of my trombone would shield me from the explosion and instead, would focus the energy of the blast outwards and away from me, propelling the mute high above the orchestra, like a rocket." However, Paolo was not up on his propulsion physics nor qualified to use high-powered artillery and in his haste to get the horn up before the firecracker went off, he failed to raise the bell of the horn high enough so as to give the mute enough arc to clear the orchestra.
What actually happened should serve as a lesson to us all during those delirious moments of divine inspiration. First, because he failed to sufficiently elevate the bell of his horn, the blast propelled the mute between rows of players in the woodwind and viola sections of the orchestra, missing the players and straight into the stomach of the conductor, driving him off the podium and directly into the front row of the audience.
Fortunately, the audience were sitting in folding chairs and thus they were protected from serious injury, for the chairs collapsed under them passing the energy of the impact of the flying conductor backwards into row of people sitting behind them, who in turn were driven back into the people in the row behind and so on, like a row of dominoes. The sound of collapsing wooden chairs and grunts of people falling on their behinds increased logarithmically, adding to the overall sound of brass cannons and brass playing as constitutes the closing measures of the Overture.
Meanwhile, all of this unplanned choreography not withstanding, back on stage Paolo's Waterloo was still unfolding. According to Paolo, "Just as I heard the sound of the blast, time seemed to stand still. Everything moved in slow motion. Just before I felt searing pain to my mouth, I could swear I heard a voice with a Austrian accent say "Fur every akshon zer iz un eekvul un opposeet reakshon!" Well, this should come as no surprise, for Paolo had set himself up for a textbook demonstration of this fundamental law of physics. Having failed to plug the lead pipe of his trombone, he allowed the energy of the blast to send a super heated jet of gas backwards through the mouth pipe of the trombone which exited the mouthpiece burning his lips and face.
The pyrotechnic ballet wasn't over yet. The force of the blast was so great it split the bell of his shiny Yamaha right down the middle, turning it inside out while at the same time propelling Paolo backwards off the riser. And for the grand finale, as Paolo fell backwards he lost his grip on the slide of the trombone allowing the pressure of the hot gases coursing through the horn to propel the trombone's slide like a double golden spear into the head of the 3rd clarinetist, knocking him unconscious.
The moral of the story? Beware the next time you hear someone in the trombone section yell out "Hey, everyone, watch this!"
Submitted by Matt Ward
To All Section Leaders:
This
web site is a great asset to the band, but the webmaster can only do so
much. We encourage you to submit write-ups, stories, amusing anecdotes of
your fellow musicians, or whatever would be of interest to the band members
and/or the general public. A group shot of your section would
be ideal! Photos are definitely welcome. Whether they are jpeg
or bmp, if they need to be scanned, if they are digital, we can
process most of them.
If someone out there wants to submit a column of
interest on a regular basis, we can certainly facilitate that. If you want
to type up you own HTML file (those of you who are computer savvy), then they
can be emailed to the webmaster.
Fund raising is a constant!!!
Margaret Turner and Barbara Cantrell remind everyone that the NCCB is completely non-profit. Aside from the few amenities that is provided us by the Metro Schools Adult Community Education program at Glenclif High School, the band is completely self sustaining. This means that the band relies on contributions from players and outside supporters alike. The familiar red plaid box can be seen every Monday at the rehearsals - always ready to accept a tax-free cash or check contribution.
Gee, I wish we had some cool uniforms!
Photo submitted by David Ford
(as collected by the members of the Philadelphia Orchestra)
submitted by Matt Ward
With us tonight is William Warfield, who is with us tonight...
He is a wonderful man and so is his wife.
I told him he'd have a heart attack a year ago, but unfortunately he lived a year longer.
I conduct faster here so you can see my beat.
The next movement is still in the factory.
Think of your girlfriend or boyfriend or whomever you want to.
At every concert I've sensed a certain insecurity about the tempo. It's clearly marked quarter note = 80, uh, 69.
All of you are ready to start so I must be ready.
It's not important. It's only important when it's late.
It's difficult to remember when you haven't played it before.
I'm conducting slowly because I don't know the tempo.
I don't want to repeat this 100 times. When you see crescendo, it means p.
I cannot give it to you so try to watch me.
I was trying to help you so I was beating wrong.
The minute you slow down a fraction, you're behind.
I wrote it the right way so it was copied the wrong way right - I mean the right way wrong.
Who is sitting in that empty chair?
Tuba player: Long note?
EO: Yes, make it seem short.
I guess you thought I was conducting, but I wasn't.
The notes are right, but if I listened they would be wrong.
You have to do two things. Watch it and me.
Even if the right instruments are not here, we will play it anyway. It's only a short piece.
I am thinking it right but beating it wrong.
I can conduct it better than I count.
Intonation is important, especially when it is cold.
It is not together, but the ensemble is perfect.
Don't ever follow me because I am difficult.
I purposely gave you a slower tempo, because I did not know what the right one was.
Suddenly I was in the right tempo -- but it wasn't.
Brass, stay down all Summer.
My bowings are only general.
After two minutes after this time, and I am already there.
This is one bar you should take home.
I never know where I am.
Tonight is the night when 300 years ago Johann Strauss was born. That's why this year is important.
Something went wrong. It was correct when I studied it.
There was confusion since I stood here 35 years ago.
During the rests -- pray.
It has no rhythm, but it will because it's so much faster.
Don't play louder, just give it more.
More basses because you are so far away.
Relax. Don't be nervous. My God, it's the Philadelphia Orchestra!
You're looking at me so strangely.
I purposely didn't do anything and you were all behind.
It can either be too soon or too late or not together.
I go forward in tempo.
There is a shadow on every page.
You know who you are.
EO: There are no
woodwinds at Number 6.
Woodwinds: We're at number 15.
EO: I know. That is why.
Start 4 and be 42.
Did you play? It sounded very good.
I never say what I mean but I always manage to say something similar.
EO: Percussion a little
louder
Percussion: We don't have anything.
EO: That's right, play it louder.
As pp as possible -- even softer.
That C major chord is always out of tune. I don't know why -- it can't be you.
Let me explain what I do here. I don't want to confuse you any more than absolutely necessary.
That's the way Stravinsky was -- Bup, bup, bup - The poor guy's dead now. Play it legato.
(To William Smith) Did
you play?
WS: Yes.
EO: I know. I heard you.
Why do you always insist on playing while I'm trying to conduct?
We can't hear the balance yet because the soloist is still on the airplane.
I think one thing and say another.
It's hot as hell as can be.
Start at B. No. Yes. No. Yes. NO.
Congratulations to each and every one of you for the concert last night in New York and vice versa.
Watch me closely -- only one can spoil it.
Accelerando means in tempo. Don't rush.
It's so legato it's difficult to splice. Sibelius was famous for that.
I can see none of you are smugglers, that's why it's so loud.
You notice I go faster and slower, faster and slower. It is all in relation to the previous tempo.
The tempo remains pp.
Without him here, it is impossible to know how fast he will play it, approximately.
We do not know when he is coming. He is coming tomorrow.
Someone came too sooner.
After one performance it will be perfect.
That's the way it was every time I studied it.
Serkin was so sick he almost died for three days.
We have to play it longer because there are no numbers or letters.
Thank you for your cooperation and vice versa.
Don't think you are looking at me because you are not.
I mean what I meant.
I don't mean to make you nervous but unfortunately I have to.
Even when you are not playing, you are holding me back.
Not one of you told me I was too slow - I know I was too slow - why didn't you tell me?
He was listening so I don't remember.
I know this music from memory, not from the music.
I always feel I do it too slow, but then others do it faster.
Chorus, I am sorry you have to stand so long, but can you stand again?
Beauty is less important than quality.
There is a number missing. I can see it.
That was perfect. It was just the opposite from what I said yesterday.
Please follow me because I have to follow him and he isn't here.
I need one more bass less.
Yes, the mutes are already on. You took them off in the beginning.
I am glad you asked me, or am.
You know me. I'm a maniac when it comes to rhythm.
I forgive you for shaving yourself.
It is not as difficult as I thought it was, but it is harder than it is.
It's marked accelerando, so you push ahead.
Q: is that a G or a G#
Maestro?
EO: Yes.
Why do you always start after my beat then rush to catch up? Do you want us to stay behind?
(Before walking on stage) Is the audience all here?
Tonight I'm going to listen with my ears.
Muti is going to do the Alpine Symphony this year. He will do it well because it is not very well known.
I will beat in six because of the distance.
It's all very well to have principles, but when it comes to money, you have to be flexible.
(In reference to Willy Knappell's death) Death is an awful thing. I don't believe in it myself.
(To Kendall Betts) When you have those dark glasses on, I can't tell whether you're looking at me or doubling.
Bizet was a very young man when he composed this symphony, so play it softly.
Start three bars before something.
Write it down in your own handwriting.
(To the horns) The trouble is not with you; it is with me. I have to catch him and then it is too late.
Let's start at 35 because I don't know where it is.
This is a very democratic organization, so let's take a vote. All those who disagree with me, raise their hands.
(To Cindy Williams, violinist) I don't think I've ever met you. Are you Swedish?
If you don't have it in your part, leave it out because there is enough missing already.
Now we will play something we have never played before. I didn't mean that. Mahler wrote it as the 3rd Movement of his 4th Symphony. I mean the 4th Movement of his 1st Symphony - we play it third. The trumpet solo will be played by our solo trumpet player. It's named "Blumine" - which has something to do with flowers.