Being In Band

First off you know how to read one of these bad boys and what the difference is between the two. You know that the treble clef has FACE in the spaces and bass clef starts on G. You also know that the only people that really have to worry about bass clef are tubas and some stray baritones and trombones.
For those who don’t know, this is a major staff. The top is the treble clef which is played by most instruments and the first line is the note ‘E’. Then as you go up the staff, on every space and line, the note goes up a letter until you get to ‘G’, then it goes back to ‘A’ and you start again. The same is true for the bottom staff which is called the bass clef and starts on the note ‘G’.

You also know that syncopation can really suck, but not as bad as having to swing while marching. For those who don’t know, syncopation is when you play on the off-beats or the ‘ands’. Swing is typically used in jazz music and instead of playing on the ‘ands’ you play a little bit later than the ‘ands’ and you play on the ‘uhs’ which is almost on the next beat. And if you still have no idea what I’m talking about it may be easier to imagine counting beats like this; 1 | e | & | uh | 2 | e | & | uh | 3 | e | & | uh | 4 | e | & | uh. Each one of those sections is an equal amount of time and is also how band members count for when they need to play and when they need to rest.

Then there’s band camp, hot, sweaty band camp. For anybody who has ever had to endure this week, or even longer hardcore band time they understand that it is both the best part of the marching band season and the worst. It is when you get the drill for your shows, when you start the memorization process for both that and your music, and when you bond with all your fellow band members. It is also where you learn the importance of using your flip folder and lyre so that you can see your music. And also that if you don’t roll step you’re going to sound like a car driving over gravel.
Then there’s step size. For anybody who has ever been in a marching band you know that the perfect step size would get you five yards in eight steps which is 22 1/2 inches each step. Step size is important because people need to get to their places in the drill in exactly the right amount of steps. It looks extremely bad if you are moving while everybody is holding.
If you’re in band you also know what all of these terms mean: Staccato, Accent, Tenuto, Pianissimo, Piano, Mezzo Piano, Mezzo Forte, Forte, Fortissimo, Poco a poco, Ritardando, Crescendo, Decrescendo, and Accelerando. If not here’s what they all mean: Staccato — short and separated, Accent — round and emphasized, Tenuto — long and separated, Pianissimo — very soft, Piano — soft, Mezzo Piano — medium soft, Mezzo Forte — medium loud, Forte — loud, Fortissimo — very loud, Poco a poco — little by little, Ritardando — slow, Accelerando — speed up, Crescendo — gradually increase volume, and Decrescendo — gradually decrease volume. All of these terms are used in music and if you miss one in a song you’re sure to hear about it from your band director. These terms are the basis of music and are what make music music and not just a bunch of random sounds.

Now, if you haven’t understood many of the things that have been mentioned in this and you are in your school band then that just means that you haven’t learned to use the lingo or discourse of our “subculture”. You just have to use it and keep using it, repetition is the best way to get it down.
And if you don’t understand the lingo and don’t want to understand the language because you think all members of the band are just geeks that’s just too bad. Because you’ll never know the excitement of the first game that you had ever performed at. Being able to show all your hard work at memorizing drill and music for the past few months is an amazing thing and is one of my fondest memories.

Anyway, there are many other ways to tell if you at least understand the band lifestyle. Like marching in parades. You understand that when you come to attention from parade rest you have you be as loud and precise as possible. Then once the drumline plays their roll-off everybody has to step off on their left foot in order for the whole band to be in step during the cadence. For those who don’t know what a cadence is it is a “song” that the drumline plays entirely on their own in-between when the band plays as a whole.

This is just like when you have to march your half time show. Everybody has to start on the left foot to have a chance to end on the right foot, (that was a joke for anybody who could understand it). No matter how complicated a show gets you always need to be on the correct foot. Now in high school marching band there isn’t really anything as intense as what the Ohio State marching band does but that doesn’t mean that it’s any less important.

It isn’t very hard to tell when you are in deep with the band. You have old sheet music littering your floor, the band room is like a second home, and your fellow band members are your second family. Being in the band is both like and unlike anything that anybody else can ever take part in and there’s really no way to describe it other than the greatest thing ever.
