Dave Playing in Church Aug 6 2023

[davewerden]

Playing this today for our church's offertory.

How did it go?

[davewerden]

... Dave, where are your glasses in this video? I don't think I have ever seen you play without your glasses.

It wasn't exactly intentional! When I play I use special music glasses that are single vision, focused to about music stand distance. During the service I might choose to take them off so I can see people better and read the projection screen better. But I am supposed to put them back on before I go play again!

The upside? This proves the value of practicing a piece, even a fairly simple piece like this, sufficiently so that you can almost play it from memory. I could see the music enough to see the form, dynamics, etc., but I would not have been accurate at playing accidentals (and maybe even notes) if I had not practiced the piece quite a bit.

I sort of did the same thing in my masters recital, except in that case I had forgotten to switch from my trifocals to my single vision. I played the first piece, Concert Etude, while trying to move my head to keep the line of music inside the narrow middle-range lens area. It made me pretty nervous. But luckily, the recital was "The Euphonium Family" and the baritone was only used for this first piece. When I went offstage to change horns I also changed glasses. Here is the recording, which came out pretty well in spite of the little surprise I threw myself! (BTW, in case anyone did the math, I was pretty young to have had trifocals. I developed cataracts at an usually early age, so after they ripped out my natural lenses and replaced them with the "Brownie camera" concept of fixed focus lenses, I had to have trifocals for general use.)

https://youtu.be/fqpE6g40q6c

[John Morgan]

Well, that makes sense to me. I wear progressive lens glasses normally, and they are totally unusable for me when playing music that I have to read. For reading music, I wear single vision lenses (like those you can buy at a bookstore) that focus on the music. The conductor is a little blurry, but I can see well enough to know what is going on.

I actually had a funny experience with the glasses. I was playing a "stand out in front of the band" solo with the Rapid City New Horizons Band at our fall concert. When I got up to be introduced, I put my glasses in my shirt pocket as I walked up to the front of the band. The band started the piece, then I came in on an opening cadenza, which I knew from memory. So far, no problem. Then came the first variation (or theme actually), and I was uncharacteristically (for me - I usually always have solos memorized) using music for this solo. I looked at the music and couldn't read it at all, so I politely stopped the band, reached into my pocket to get my glasses, put them on, then we continued.

[iMav]

How did it go?

It went well. Thanks for arranging this piece!

[dsurkin]

Well, that makes sense to me. I wear progressive lens glasses normally, and they are totally unusable for me when playing music that I have to read. For reading music, I wear single vision lenses (like those you can buy at a bookstore) that focus on the music. The conductor is a little blurry, but I can see well enough to know what is going on. [snip]

I also wear progressive lenses. The last time I got new glasses, I had my ophthalmologist write two prescriptions: one regular and one that he called "computer glasses" and that I called "music glasses." They are progressive lenses, but the change-over position is much closer to the top. This way, when I read music I can see it plainly - and a slight glance upwards lets me see the conductor in full focus.

[John Morgan]

I also wear progressive lenses. The last time I got new glasses, I had my ophthalmologist write two prescriptions: one regular and one that he called "computer glasses" and that I called "music glasses." They are progressive lenses, but the change-over position is much closer to the top. This way, when I read music I can see it plainly - and a slight glance upwards lets me see the conductor in full focus.

Dean,

That is an excellent idea with what you have done.

The bookstore glasses make me look like sort of a dork. Maybe that is why my wife, Linda, calls me Major Dork. That would be a combination of my military service and computer science background I think, but maybe not.

Anyhow, I may look into doing what you have had done. With my current progressives, I would have to look way up when trying to read music, then that would put me in an awkward position with the horn and trying to see the conductor. I had thought about lasik surgery like my wife had, which was life changing (for the better, she was blind as a bat before, coke bottle type lenses). But at my age, not sure about that. I really don't like having to fuss with glasses. My regular ones are Silhouettes, which are just about lighter than air and I love them (if I have to wear glasses). The bookstore readers are huge and clunky. Maybe I should look around a little more.

Ahh, what we do to keep playing our horn...

[Fishlips]

I likewise found that my progressive lenses were not practical for playing. I consulted with my optometrist and he made me a pair of lined bifocals. The bottom two-thirds of the lens were focused at music stand distance, and the top third was set for conductor distance. The line on the lenses would appear right at the top edge of my music stand. They worked very well!

Since that time, I have had lens replacement surgery due to cataracts. My implanted artificial lenses focus well at distance, and I wear low magnification off-the-shelf reading glasses to see my stand. Though I like a 2.0 diopter magnification for use with books, tablets, and the phone, I find that 1.0 or 1.25 diopter work well at music stand distance. And, since they are available at the dollar store, it doesn't cost much to try out a few different magnifications.

[John Morgan]

I likewise found that my progressive lenses were not practical for playing. I consulted with my optometrist and he made me a pair of lined bifocals. The bottom two-thirds of the lens were focused at music stand distance, and the top third was set for conductor distance. The line on the lenses would appear right at the top edge of my music stand. They worked very well!

Since that time, I have had lens replacement surgery due to cataracts. My implanted artificial lenses focus well at distance, and I wear low magnification off-the-shelf reading glasses to see my stand. Though I like a 2.0 diopter magnification for use with books, tablets, and the phone, I find that 1.0 or 1.25 diopter work well at music stand distance. And, since they are available at the dollar store, it doesn't cost much to try out a few different magnifications.

I may do some more snooping around the bookstores for readers. I think my latest ones are 3.00, so my eyeballs must be a lot worse than yours. Glasses, ugh! Sure wish I didn't have to deal with them.