At 6:23 PM -0400 9/7/07, Andrew Stiller wrote:
If I can just get 10 minutes in front of the orchestra to tell them
the following five things, and they pay attention, I'll be happy:
1) No vibrato
2) trills start on the auxilliary tone, and *on the beat*
3) bow from the wrist--if possible with the elbow down.
4) emphasize strong vs. weak beats. No. 3 will help w. this.
5) always bow on the string except where instructed otherwise.
Yes, this is just a beginning, and oversimplified to boot--but
it's a start, and will lead to a performance that, to our audience
at least, will sound stylish. For a bunch of amateurs, I don't
think it's realistic to try and demand more.
Andrew, that's a WONDERFUL start. I have to reteach that every year
to my college Early Music Ensemble, but it does finally sink in. The
only other thing I might suggest--but it might freak them out!--is to
move the right hand up the stick just a little farther from the
frog--an inch or so would do it--closer to he balance point. If you
have strings who play with a Russian low-wrist bow position you'll
get resistance to the low elbow concept, but there's more than one
way to ... whatever.
But sell your conductor first! My school group plays correctly, but
I've given up on the conductor of our community string orchestra.
John
--
John R. Howell
Virginia Tech Department of Music
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
(mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])
http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html
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