Recently I decided to end my playing commitment with Watford Band as I felt that I couldn’t play to the best of my ability and to what the band required given my limited ability to practice.

Since leaving I’ve taken up playing with a volunteer military wind band at the NATO Joint Services Unit in Northwood, at the behest of a church friend of mine who plays saxophone with the band. I’ve enjoyed playing with this band as the rehearsals are much less pressured, and although I try to do the best that I can always, I am not left stressed about the amount of practice time I can fit in.

I am the only trumpet/cornet player which has challenges in some pieces as there is little room to rest and it can get quite exposed. But the payoff comes when you get to play some of the more exciting big band numbers or dixieland music that we did at the last two rehearsals.

It was great to use my plunger mute for the first time with my trumpet in the opening, easy solo to a selection from the musical Chicago. Now I just need to learn how to use the plunger properly!

The dixieland piece was good fun too as we had a 4 man dixieland band playing against the rest of the band. It included Copenhagen, Basin Street Blues and When the Saints. It was a bit awkward with Basin Street Blues as Watford Band have a great arrangement of that for trombone by their principal trombonist, Mike Innes, and I kept trying to play what Mike plays instead of what was written.

Thoroughly enjoyable it all was.