It's not the size that matters

I was having a chat with an ex professional musician a couple of days ago. He was telling me a few stories of his experiences in pro Bands. He said he had met his fair share of prima donnas, who thought they were pro's but when it came time to produce the goods, they did not make the grade. He also said some of the most insignificant looking players would turn up to dep, and be real stars. In some cases it all came down to the size of mouthpiece or instrument they were playing on, and of course the size of their ego's. In the old days an 'MP' marking in music was played as it dynamically should be, and not blasted ala 'Mighty Powerful' The Band leaders in the 40s stood for no nonsense and you were out the door fast if you messed up. I mentioned that for years I have been blowing a large bore bone, and I know I should be on a medium, as the register I play in is sometimes in the 'God's and it takes some filling these days. However, it is like an old friend ,as it has been all the way through the Army with me from Northern Ireland to Cyprus, and has even been 'sat on' at a Dance (yes it was probably a critic!) so it is really difficult for me to swap after so long. But he did make a lot of sense, and it was fascinating to listen to his stories of how it was.