I don’t watch much TV, but I’ll admit I got addicted to The Pitt. Watching people be really good at their jobs — even fictionally — is a real pleasure for me, and because of the popularity of the series, I’ve learned there’s a name for that pleasure: “competence porn.”
I experienced my own version recently, after I wrote a concert march for full orchestra. While I was putting the final touches on the piece — the phrasing marks, the dynamic markings, etc. — I wanted to make sure I had gotten the standard tropes of a march just right.
So I called my good friend and Barnstorm bandmate, Mark Carson, a master percussionist. Mark played in the US Air Force band. He has played with every orchestra in the DC area and in every pit in every local theater. He also makes drums — both the wood parts and the metal parts.
Mark was kind enough to come over and help me edit the entire percussion section of the piece, which is called Good-Time Charlie’s Graduation March. It was a revelation to watch him work. In an increasingly automated world, I’m grateful for the things that can only be done by expert humans, by ear and by hand.