And no, I'm not talking about a Noise Violation. I just wanted to vent about my dilemma in trying to practice my piccolo. It seems like no matter how I try to practice, I get blocked, interrupted, bitched at, interrogated etc.. I feel like its a crime sometimes to play this tiny, yet annoying to some, instrument.
First a little background...
For people who don't know, the piccolo is the highest pitched instrument in an orchestra. Its pitched higher than the flute, but looks just like a mini version of it. Most piccolists have to practice with earplugs if they don't want to damage their ears. I stuff pieces of napkins in my ears, which helps alot, but I should have real earplugs.
I didn't really play it too much. I mostly play flute. I played in the summer band in my town on marches, because theres a woman who plays picc on the rest of the songs who is amazingly good and she def deserves to play. You only have a day and a half from rehearsal to concert in that band. Me being a terrible sight reader, I don't think I am even good enough to play picc in that band. But anyone with a picc (there are 3 others) can play on marches. So thats when I play. Summers only. I practice once, if I have time. If not, I play flute for the whole thing. No problems. No hassles.
Occasionally I played in the other band I'm in. In 2008 I played Stars and Stripes Forever with the piccolo player at the time, who was in High School, and was told I had to play when she missed rehearsal, which was kinda frequently. I don't think I practiced at all tho then. lol. This year, the current picc player is going to be out of town for our last concert and I was asked to play. I said I would, but I also felt like the director put me in a very bad position, as he expected me to rehearse w/ the band (he made an incorrect announcement that i was playing picc the whole season - which I wasn't), but I had to figure out how to do it and split the time w/ the current picc player. They asked me if I just wanted to play the whole time and I said I didn't want to screw over the girl who's playing now. Cuz its not fair. I missed a show last season for my cruise, and I wouldn't like if I was ousted off flute for it! I said I'll just cover for her. Thats it. I'll be able to play in OG band and the one show and I am thankful for that.
Anyway, I played picc w/ the band a few weeks ago, and I'm playing again tomorrow. That means I really have to know this stuff, inside and out. Before when I was temping, going to school every night and trying to study, it worried me that I wasn't able to dedicate the time to this like I'd like to. I almost backed out. Alotta things were going wrong in my life (as usual) that I had to dedicate alot of time, effort and energy to fix, and I didn't know if I should be playing picc. Then I thought that they were going to be upset w/ me if I backed out. I rearraged some things during the evenings so that I would be less exhausted and run around less. But where was I gonna practice?
THIS is the problem. I live in a house that is divided up into apartments. All of the neighbors are ALWAYS home. Except for the girl down the hall. People have complained. The landlord mentioned something about it, although he said I had a right to play, which I do. But the flute is one thing. Its a soprano instrument, and isn't THAT high unless you really get up into the 3rd octave. The flute can be drowned out, more or less if you crank up your tv. Which almost all my neighbors told me they do. lol But the piccolo can't be drowned out. At all. Its loud. Its shrill. Its high. Its annoying. Its deafening.
Trying to play when you know how annoying it is is hard. (at home). It really discourages me from practicing. I had practiced in my car last year when I was working on the Stars and Stripes before a concert, and I decided to resort to that method again. So, where was I gonna go?
Usually I go to a park, or a school after hours. The problem is you look "suspicious" sitting there. If I practice at a park that noone is at, all of a sudden people start coming. They walk their dogs, they walk straight up to my car (i guess they hear the music? I play along w/ youtube mobile). People are so damn nosy! So many old ladies with their dogs, mothers with children walk right up to my car and look in the window as I'm playing. Then I stop cuz its too weird. I get really annoyed because I feel like I have no privacy whatsoever, at home or outside. And I really just want to play, get it done, and go home. Its winter. Its cold. I don't leave the car on when I play, so I don't waste gas. And I'm NOT giving you a private concert!
Whether I'm at home or in a park, and there are people around, i'm always heard. If I get a new piece and I butcher it, everyone hears me butcher it. If some high notes aren't coming out that day, everyone hears that. If I repeat a line of music over and over and over trying to play it better, everyone hears it. People call me and say "I heard you playing [blablablaaa]
So I go in my car to practice picc. I manage to get a show runthrough down wherever I go. And I can work on some things, but it gets kind of cold to work on TOO many things. I scare the geese when I play my picc....which was actually funny lol. But one thing I've had an issue with were COPS.
Last weekend, I was practicing at a school. Noone was there. Just the geese, who don't bitch about the noise.I ran throught hte show, high note scared them off towards the end *shrug*, and a cop car pulls up and sits about 7 spaces away from me. I stopped playing for a min, hoping he'd leave. He didn't . Then he drove by (probably scanning my plate), and drove by again. I was getting cold and I hadn't eaten lunch yet so I had to do the stars and stripes a few times before I went grocery shopping (the next errand on my list). I had to ignore the cop and just do what I came here to do. I played the S&S picc solo about 15 times and when I was done, the cop was gone. *whew*. Even with the cop there, I had an audience. I'm TIRED of having an audience.
Several other times were at parks, and I got curious onlookers w/ dogs and kids looking in my windows, w/ me giving "WTF looks" at them lol. But I had to deal w/ it. Today I know I had to practice, because I'm playing picc w/ the band tomorrow night and althought I practiced Friday, I wanted to do one more sesh today. I was having trouble thinking of a place to go. I have very little gas, and no money til the next check so I couldnt' drive too far to a park. I found a spot off the boardwalk that was kind of off to the side. I hoped that not too many people would go by me. It seemed like a good spot. I did another show runthrough and there were a few nosy ass people who drove by and slowed down to stare *shakes head*. Once again, it was time to do the Stars & Stripes picc solo and who comes along but another COP! Ugh.
This was a different location, different town. I stopped playing again, because its just AWKWARD when a cop car is parked right behind you in the middle of the road obviously scanning your plate! He just sat there for a while. It was getting really cold, and I have to do the S&S at the end of every practice session a few times, so I decided to just play. The cop pulled up right next to me and got out. I stopped now because I had to tell him what I was doing. He asked me why Iwas sitting here. As dumb as it sounds, I told him I had to practice in my car due to my living situation. He looked suspcious, as usual. My music was clipped onto my steering wheel, and I showed him my picc. He told me someone in the condos nearby thought someone was doing drugs in this car. *roll eyes*. I guess they thought my picc was some kinda pipe or something. That you........hold........sideways? I told the cop, I dont do drugs, and he can search my car if he wants to. I was just trying to practice where noone was around, but OBVIOUSLY no such place exists around here. He looked in the window and saw music all over the place and said he doubted there was drug activity here and said "have a nice day." Ugh. Now I feel like I can't park there and practice anymore because people are thinking I'm doing drugs. So............ for the next time I gotta find a new place to go. I feel like its a crime to play an instrument, however weird playing in a car may be, I gotta do what I gotta do. If I don't practice, I get ousted. I feel like I need to rent out studio time just to git 'er done. And I can't afford to so... back to the drawing board. I wish I could afford to rent a house. This way I can play and noone will hear me. No concerts, no criticism, no bitching, no trained monkey.That's all. Just needed to get that out.
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