Hello William, now we are approaching each other in terms. Thanks for the laudatio, but that is for the past not for now at age 68. Well, I still play a decent K447, the Huebler for 4 horns & perhaps Strauss no.1, but not comparable to my professional time. And I do not play for money since I have retired, making a big difference. I do not follow calls from other orchestras, but I enjoy playing with our symphony of retired professionals plus few younger players still in the profession plus a lot of devoted amateurs in the best sense. But we play exclusively for audiences of members of Schlaraffia (called German Society outside the German speaking countries), a society which just celebrated 150 years of existence. We also travel as a group and I have been asked to play as a soloist again on a South America Tour next April. It is great fun & satisfaction, not only as a soloist but also being a member of that orchestra. So far.
But I have not forgotten what I have learned through 50 years of professional horn playing. That´s what I return to the horn player community. Now to your preparation: a good warm up is necessary. The length of that depends on the embouchure of the particular player and can be from five minutes to half an hour: long notes, scales, arpeggios, but all done with rhythm & most musically as they would become a very boring routine exercise. There is a big difference preparing a solo piece or an orchestra piece. Let´s forget the solo piece now. I think, your preparation questions are not about that. Is it really necessary to divide an orchestra piece into sections & note down what you have prepared during a preparation session ? Isn´t that a great waste of time ? Do you play such complicated works ? Surely not. My advice: read the piece through without the instrument & mark "delicate" entrances & "complicated" fingerings. Concentrate your effort upon that and avoid practicing every note from beginning to the end. It would be a waste of your life time. Try the most simple fingerings, even on the F-side, if easier. Avoid strange alternated fingerings as it would led to confusion when under stress conditions. How to get that knowledge ? Try some Kopprasch or Maxime-Alphonse Etudes - not book no.6 - but switch back & forth between Bb- & F-Side, let´s say every line. You will notice, that after a while you can switch back & forth anywhere you want. To increase that, use the better-in-tune fingerings of both sides, even mid in a scale, if it makes reason. Use the appropriate horn (F or Bb) if there is a chance for arpeggios (most in the classic). You will find, that this method will save you a lot of energy. Forget that crazy lipping up or down. Get the defects of the several pitches stored in your mind & correct them with a mini-adaptation of the right hand. Endurance ? Etudes, etudes, etudes. Play through them, no matter about injuries or killings the way long. Ha-ha ! Try to get as many notes good (not perfect), but do not forget to play things musically - not as an exercise. Warm-up can be made musically also, to get multi-profit from your efforts. Do not reduce your practice to the actual piece. Get through the excerpt book as many times as you can. So these excerpts stay in your memory. Anyway, avoid practicing such accompaniment as in Brahms or Beethoven Symphonies, just because of the transposition. As a computer & software man, this should not be any difficult task for you. Perhaps, refresh your basic knowledge about music (rhythm, tonalities, phrases, etc.). If you do this properly, you will never be seen as a coward, but a reliable musician. Hope, it helps. Regards from rather cool May in Munich (12 degrees Celsius on May 13th - public baths should open May 15th, but no chance this year except for "ice bathing" perhaps. But all this happen before, even a snow storm in early June or mid August). ################################################################################################################### Am 13.05.2010 um 08:58 schrieb [email protected]: > > That's fine, at least you're candid about it and speak your mind. > > Let me say first that I know of your reputation. I know of your playing and > have heard it a few times. You're a fine player and because I might have > disagreed with you does not mean that I don't have respect for you as a > professional. > > But what I did take a grudge with is that you criticized my preparation > without knowing how I prepare. It also seems like you criticized my playing > without even hearing me play. > > Granted, I never said anything about how I play. I hate to brag but I will > say I try my best and I stand by what I do. > > As far as my preparation, what I usually do is divide the piece up into > sections and make a grid on a post it note. I write down exactly what I did > for that excerpt on what day as well. Within the grid, I make a column for a > date and I have to play through a section of that excerpt perfectly at least > 5 times in a row. Sometimes I merge the grid and do blocks the same way. > Consistency has always been a problem of mine so that's what I'm working on. > > > > > I try to play as musically as I can and I try to play in tune and not miss. > > A third of the time is a daily warmup routine that I liken to warming up for > a 5 or 10K for someone who doesn't run all the time. I focus on the > fundamentals as much as possible and make sure I keep my endurance up. > > As far as gigs go, I've only been in the area 2 years and I'm an active sub > in every orchestra within a 2 hour by car radius. So I don't think that's a > bad thing. Keeping in mind there has only been one opening in the last two > years and I was 2nd overall to the person who won it out of an audition of 30 > people. There are also a few older people who pretty much camp out on > positions, too. > > I was actually a very decent player through college and won a lot of > competitions nationally. But when I found out how little the horn playing > world paid and how tough it was to land any job I decided to go into > software. At least this way I can be moderately happy and get a paycheck. > > I'm not a pro though - but I'm no slouch either. I know there are plenty of > players out there who are far better than I am. > > -William > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Hans Pizka <[email protected]> > To: The Horn List <[email protected]> > Sent: Thu, May 13, 2010 2:28 am > Subject: Re: [Hornlist] The Nuances of Auditions > > > Wiiliam, I tried to address you by name as the author of your letter, even > your > letter was meant (?) & understood as directed to the crowd, also speaking for > many people. > > There are very amusing things with many amateurs. Several of them hide behind > a > make up as being young or as being very well experienced, just to camouflage > that they miss a lot of knowledge about what they try to speak about. There > is > e.g. a gentleman here in Bavaria, who set up a page about the history of the > hunting horn & the different styles of playing, but confesses that he is a > bloody amateur with a minimum of musical knowledge. He even talks about the > Viennese Hunting Horn School preferring the 3/6 rhythm (not an error, it is > on > his page such !!). This is an extreme example. > > Would it not be better, to "lets not get carried away" and asking innocent > questions instead ? The professionals here on the list would answer at best > surely. Why to try Till, if one has a deficit in rhythm; why to try Bruckner > no.4, if one has trouble with f2, why to try Oberon, if one is shy to enter > alone, why trying Mahler no.6, if one cannot play loud ........ Self > restriction > comes first of all. Otherwise one will waste time of the orchestra, time of > the > audition jury, time of the audience, time of oneself, time of the neighbors, > ....... > > But does it help, barking back, if the answerer has "hit ones nerve" > definitely > ? And, it is nonsense, mere nonsense, to put all kind of auditions into one > pot. > An audition to test you if you will be able to perform a certain piece with > an > amateur orchestra, well, can you call this an audition, a real audition ? If > your playing experience & horn schooling has not brought you up to the level > required for a certain piece, even thousand hours with the one piece will not > bring you to the LEVEL, by no means. But it will bring frustration to you - > in > return. The kind of auditions, you obviously wrote about, is also nonsense. > If a > player is good as high or as low player, the musical community around knows > that > & will call that person for the gig anyway. If you fail or if you ruin the > gig, > they will never call you again. That is reality, no matter how much you > practice. > > I hope strongly, that you have understood, what I meant "practicing the brain > involved" . It is not important how many hours you practice, but HOW you > practice. > > But one last thing: > > It is very funny, how otherwise very successful individuals, doing extreme > well > in their profession, are less successful in their "hobbies" (e.g. playing a > musical instrument), but how "big" they speak about their playing. There is > an > island with a single bus line. The busses are quite short but very wide, > because > all travelers want to sit beside the driver. (So to speak about people, > looking > for a first chair.) > > ################################################################################################################## > Am 12.05.2010 um 22:30 schrieb [email protected]: > >> >> >> >> Because unlike you I am not: >> >> 1) A professional player >> 2) Do not have a full time playing gig >> 3) Play mostly part time when I have the free time. >> >> I do not have the decades of experience that people like yourself might >> have. > My hours of prep work are polishing up and making consistent excerpts I am > not > familiar with. >> >> This is how I want to prepare. This is how I want to spend my free time > working up for an audition. >> >> It is nothing like prepping for an entire orchestra concert. This is prep >> work > for very small but over exposed parts that make or break a gig. >> >> Let's say you have to rebuild a transmission on a car. Does this mean you >> have > to rebuild everything on the car? No. >> >> Also, what are you referring to when you speak of 'high-school slang'? >> Please > cite specific examples. >> >> I'm sorry, but I make a very good living as a non-horn player and I'm not > going to give up my salary and very well paying job to go back to school and > pile up more mountains of debt. This is the path I chose. This is the path > I'm > happy with. I'm a part time player. I'm an amateur. >> >> You tell me to be a realist - I don't see how I am doing anything but that. >> >> I think you're reading far to much into my post and instead of listening > you're trying to come up with two excuses and a judgement for every single > sentence that I say. >> >> -William >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Hans Pizka <[email protected]> >> To: The Horn List <[email protected]> >> Sent: Wed, May 12, 2010 4:03 pm >> Subject: Re: [Hornlist] The Nuances of Auditions >> >> >> William, >> if you need that much time as preparation for an audition, how will you > survive >> in the orchestra if you need a comparable amount of time preparing yourself > for >> every performance & the rehearsals, as this would exceed the 24 hours a day >> given by nature. >> >> You should be prepared a long time before applying for an invitation to >> become > a >> participant., prepared enough as a player but not prepared for a certain >> job. > If >> you need that much time, it would mean, you would become inflexible totally >> & > be >> a nightmare for the future section you will play with. >> >> Get your standard pieces prepared for yourself & NOT for the audition, so >> you >> have to refresh them only. Get all kind of standard repertory (excerpts) >> prepared for yourself also, to be prepared for the audition or any audition. > It >> is good being prepared for high & low excerpts as well, as this will keep >> your > >> embouchure flexible. >> >> It is not the amount of spent time bringing you to success during the > audition. >> It is how you practice with the brain involved. What will you do, if the >> conductor wants to hear a certain passage much faster or much slower or >> softer > >> than you had it prepared ? You would be lost definitely. No chance. If the >> conductor or the leader of the section or the other principal players find >> you > >> inflexible, forget your dreams, FORGET THEM. ZERO chance. >> >> Be prepared as a player first. Then look around where you would have >> chances. > Do >> not look for the places you want to be in the future. Do not dream of it. Be >> a > >> realist. Do all according to your REAL potentials, otherwise forget all. >> >> Keeping this in mind, practice just three hours (playing time) but with much > use >> of the brain. to arrive at the top of the success-ladder. >> >> Good luck ! >> Less is often more !!!!! >> Do not waste your time by practicing things you can do very well allready. >> Be > a >> lot self critical. It is not important how good to be you think. The only >> criteria will be what the listeners will think about your playing & your >> presentation. >> ############################################################################################################## >> Am 12.05.2010 um 21:07 schrieb [email protected]: >> >>> >>> Prepping for my next audition, I got to thinking about all of the nuances > that >> I've come across during my prep work and during my audition that could have >> helped me and could have hurt me. >>> >>> There was a discussion on the list a while ago about when one plays in an >> audition (1st or not 1st) and there was almost a consensus that playing 1st >> would be in ones favor. Whether this is because of psychology with the >> auditioning panel, or being prepared for a specific time, or not stewing > around >> in a practice room and listening to other players annoy you, well it could >> be >> anything. >>> >>> I was reminded of this as I was trying to calculate the number of hours I > have >> prepped so far for this audition (including fundamental exercises and a warm > up >> every morning) and calculated that at my current rate I will prep about 100 >> to > >> 125 hours for this next audition (which is about 40 days multiplied by 2.5 > hours >> playing each day and some change). The last audition I had, I went first and >> prepped about 100 hours into and did fairly well. The one before that, I > prepped >> about 60 hours and didn't do as well as I wanted to. >>> >>> So, I wonder, if a survey could be handed out to audition applicants during >> auditions to find out how much prep work they've done coupled with their >> audition time and audition order if one could find any patterns as to their >> audition results? I suppose this could be done by giving a very specific > survey >> to determine how many hours they practiced instead of asking them to write > down >> a number, then letting the personnel manager write down the order of who won > and >> sending in the surveys. >>> >>> I know it's probably purely academic, but I do wonder about patterns > occurring >> in every day things - and wonder what patterns that human psychology will >> play > >> into audition results. >>> >>> >>> This sounds more of a psychology thesis than a music thesis because it can >> apply to acting and any sort of audition or even sports tournaments, but I >> thought I'd share my thoughts with the group. >>> >>> -William >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> post: [email protected] >>> unsubscribe or set options at >>> https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/hpizka%40me.com >> >> _______________________________________________ >> post: [email protected] >> unsubscribe or set options at >> https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/valkhorn%40aol.com >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> post: [email protected] >> unsubscribe or set options at >> https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/hpizka%40me.com > > _______________________________________________ > post: [email protected] > unsubscribe or set options at > https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/valkhorn%40aol.com > > > _______________________________________________ > post: [email protected] > unsubscribe or set options at > https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/hpizka%40me.com _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
