Merry Christmas!....my past month has been spent practicing piano exercises out of Hanon's book 3-4+ hours each day and trying to find some place/somebody to rent me a Triton Synth on little to no budget....my practice is inspired by RCC winterline and hopes for a WGI world title...but I honestly think my practice is in vain... I really doubt that judges will comment on the nuances in playing and technique on my instrument... not to mention the current synth I play on lacks expressiveness and all the small nuances are lost anyway. I think that somebody with far less experience on the instrument could play my part and receive just as much, or sadly, little credit... the writing is the best out there..but the parts are cake…just the nature of the instrument in the ensemble, but I feel as though I don’t contribute musically to the group as much as the world class musicians I play with… but you could possibly attribute that to my ego and personality…I have to be the trumpet player playing that double A at the end of a tune, or the mallet player that had to lock himself in a closet for 2 weeks before mastering a part, in order for me to feel a sense of satisfaction and purpose in my performance… which is the reason for my recent ambition to practice more than my usual hour and a half...I feel like if RCC were to earn a top placement in the highest possible division, I would need to be the best at what I do…even if unnoticed. I am in need of ideas to help me feel apart of the ensemble musically…lets see if anybody has been in a similar situation and can offer some bits of wisdom...I am curious of how you view electronics (synths, digital pianos, guitar, bass) in your lines, and your general opinion of usage in the WGI arena ...Thanks!

Hi there I know what you are talking about. I stand there in the back of the ensemble and I feel like my parts are just as simple as 5th grade sheet music. i have been playing for about 9 years and I did an ensemble last year. Last year was different though, it was a crazy show, and lots of different things were going on. This year is so cool but I feel like I can't just stand there because I used to be center snare for about 3 years for my high school. My parts do contribute. No matter what you think, your parts can be just as vital as a mallet part if yuo know when to play out and when to hold back. Its fun at least being part of a world group that asks you to stay and do something like that, even if it doesn't feel like yuor doing much.

Whoa! Whoa! We're missing a vital thing here. The purpose of playing in ensembles and competitive lines is not to get noticed by judges or even the score for that matter! Let us not forget that! The main goal is to learn how to play in an ensemble setting and to become better musicians ourselves!! A lot of players and even begining instructors/directors get caught up in scores and judges' tapes. What you're doing is correct. Practice your [expletive deleted] of man and try to make every part perfect and you will become the best musician you can be and you will get everything you can from the experience. Pay no attention to whether the judges notice you or not. Just do your thing.