Dennis Bathory-Kitsz wrote:
On Wed, March 17, 2010 12:29 am, Michael Greensill wrote:
Now, after about 100 years, if we could just get string sections to
learn how to swing......
[Coffee-Sputter] Maybe Dudamel will.
I had one conductor explain to me that string players are so driven to be in
tune and to play together that asking them to engage in the imprecision of
swing violated this basic drive.
Hey, it's just what I was told.
And unfortunately, that's what way too many people are told.
On the other hand, in my opinion, the reality of the
situation is that string players can't swing because
nobody's taught them how. Nobody's made them play swing
music. It's not that they can't, they just need to learn.
And unfortunately, all too often, the conductor of an
orchestra which is trying to swing on some pop tune for a
Pops concert never learned either, so it's a case of the
blind leading the blind. Or rather, the square leading the
square.
When I conducted a community orchestra, we were going to do
a Sinatra medley, and as expected, the orchestra couldn't
swing. I explained things and they began to get it but
still weren't fully loosening up. Finally I simply brought
in some recordings of the original tunes and told them "Now
that you have the beginnings of an understanding, listen to
this and then we'll try to copy it." They got it right away
after that, and the following year it was much easier to do
similar music.
Just as with any aspect of music, if a person is never
taught properly, they'll never play properly.
--
David H. Bailey
[email protected]
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