Oh, how I love being in an orchestra! I love a good challenge; and that's exactly what orchestra is.
Several weeks ago, my conductor approached us about needing a pianist for one of the pieces. I thought, if no one else volunteers, I will. Apparently, I'm one of the few pianists in the orchestra. Later that day, my conductor gave me piano music and said he'd like to hear it in a week or so.
I practiced hard that week. Since I hadn't been chosen to play piano when I first auditioned, I really wanted to play this. Most of it turned out to be very fun. Overall, it was somewhat tricky, but not difficult. Lots of scales and broken chords, and about ten glissandi (slides up the keyboard).
While practicing the music at church one day (since they have a baby grand, and that's what I'd be playing), I almost scraped off two fingernails during the glissandi. I'd left little splatters of blood on the upper white keys-oops! So I bandaged up my fingers and started again.
Later that day after rehearsal, I played the music for my conductor, inwardly begging him not to make me play the glissandi. Thankfully, he didn't. After playing the piece, he told me I could do it.
The following week-last week as it turned out-I played the first movement with the orchestra. It was amazing! I love it even more, despite the strange scales, broken chords, and glissandi.
