I’m back to stunts alone again tonight. I’m in training to play the opening lines of kaddish while lying on my back, and I’m having trouble figuring out how to do this without exacerbating a finger injury.
Author: erin
Erin Vang, PMP, BMus, MMus, is Owner and Principal Pragmatist of the consultancy Global Pragmatica LLC®, offering custom JMP scripting, localization program management, and facilitative leadership services. She is also an orchestral horn player who freelanced in the San Francisco Bay Area and played assorted brass for the celebrated dance bands Midnight Smørgåsbord and contraPtion. She now conducts all her nefarious activities from Vanghalla, in Helena, Montana, where she's principal hornist of the Helena Symphony. More about Erin…
daily kaddish: on Mira’s dad’s birthday
Thank you, Mira, for tonight, and for joining me in this project. It’s an honor to be here with you. May the Tzaddik rest in peace.
daily kaddish: supine at home
Tonight begins my several weeks of training to be able to play this thing well despite lying on my back. I recorded the whole Kaddish in my studio with the usual setup except that I was lying on my back on the floor.
daily kaddish: in which Erin reveals just how horrible her Hebrew/Aramaic is
I attempted to read the text looking only at the Hebrew/Aramaic column. You’d think I’d have the text close enough to memorized by now that I’d be half decent at this, but no—and especially not when I’m half asleep and not wearing my glasses.
daily kaddish: second rehearsal
Tonight was our second rehearsal. I again recorded our run-through, and here is the opening segment of “Kaddish” from that recording.
daily kaddish: from the dance floor
Tonight we worked the dance in sections, experimenting with musical ideas, transitions, blocking, cues, and so on. Then we tried a run-through from the top, which I recorded on my iPad, which was sitting just off-stage, stage right.
daily kaddish: for britt
A kaddish for a damned fine yellow lab, with thanks to Dana and Dave for sharing her with the rest of us.
daily kaddish: for 5771, on erev erev rosh hashana 5772
Mira and I did a Kaddish together at the start of her Jewish Mysticism class at San José State University tonight.
daily kaddish: supine with a sinus infection
Tonight I tried another “Kaddish” lying supine, so that I can get used to the technical challenges that my upcoming collaboration with Charlotte Adams and John Manning will present.
daily kaddish: stumbling
The “only one take, no matter what” rule is bad enough on horn, where I have to let go of clams and splatters, but when I’m taking a huge shortcut and just reading it, and I still want to start over again? Oy.