I've just been listening to a radio discussion about coming out of
Lockdown. Someone suggested that the wearing of face masks could become
compulsory at social gatherings for a time. So I started to think about the
effect of this at jazz gigs.
(Editor: Scott Black, the hottest cornet player in Hong Kong, posted this photo on Facebook back in February.)
Should instruments that you blow be banned?
This would be the end for saxophones of all sizes and also trumpets, cornets,
trombones etc. There'd be an upsurge in music for piano, guitar, drums and
bass. Would the reed players start to learn guitar instead? Would the non-reed
players wear masks in sympathy with their fellow musicians, even though it
didn't stopped them playing their instruments.
Would saxophonists etc contrive a way of
playing whilst wearing a mask? If their whole mouth was covered except for the
opening where the mouthpiece goes in, would this be practical? Would they be
blowing the virus out through the aperture? Some people, naming no names, have
said that worse than the virus comes out of some saxophones!
I'd hate to see this happening as there'd
be no more Hexham Clap Sessions on BSH unless the drummer appeared alone.
It's amazing what random ideas pop into
your head at times like these.
Ann Alex
5 comments :
Another problem Ann is that a lot of gigs look to bar takings to pay staff and musicians - face masks would present a further problem. Plus if sax players etc had to wear masks then pianists and guitarists should be made to wear gloves to create a level playing field.
Ha Ha! We have some great guitarists and pianists and I bet they'd be able to play somewhat even wearing gloves! Drummers could play wearing gloves, though the sound would be a bit muffled on congas! Come to think of it, it's worth a try, and probably has been tried. And Bill Shaw could have drawn a great cartoon of all this!
Oh yes, and what about singers?
Can't see there being any proper gigs for a while yet anyway...
Interesting suggestions nonetheless.
Singers sound would be muffled and maybe improved in some cases, naming no names, but some have said that it applies to the writer of this comment! Or a new kind of scat could be invented!
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