Jonathan, very well said. To be more effectively, try to sing your part, perhaps while listening to a recording, but also try to sing a part even without singing along to a recording. You will find a big difference then. Well, this refers to the melodic & soloistic passages, often be found in the romantic repertory & the repertory of the early 20th century.
Singing the part makes good phrases. It also will tell you, where the emphasis be made. Too many people believe all is about accuracy. But accuracy is just the beginning or better said the precondition. Do not care much about the small accidents which might happen. They happen if you are prepared at best also. Do not let you be kicked from your path by these accidents, just remember them positively as they mark your weakness & do it better the next time. That´s it. Otherwise you will become some sort of "nerve-cripple". Develop a rather thick skin, but also very thin if it goes about sensitiveness while playing a beautiful (better: while singing with the instrument) phrase or piece. See your horn as some kind of a megaphone, perhaps. To the amateurs: you are part of a very strange society, strange, because a lot of the professionals have not understood, what I have said just in the paragraph above. They even practice ooompah-ooompah in Verdi operas if the part is in a rare transposition instead of reading the pitches as they are written (simple text mostly) & let the brain do the transposition. Horn players with software experience (any software, not the music software) can do these calculations quite instantaneous, if they have understood the mechanism and if they have passed a certain training in basic music theory, as it should be part of every music teaching. Fingering alone will not make it. Forcing the embouchure will not make it, but ruin it. Do not reach for the stars if you are not ready to do it. One step after the other. That´s the way up. ####################################################################### Am 13.05.2010 um 12:51 schrieb Jonathan West: > Hi William > > As one experienced amateur to another, I would be inclined to say you should > do whatever works for you. > > But also as an amateur with limited practice time, I would be inclined also > to suggest that using practice time effectively is of great importance. This > is not specifically for auditions, but with regards to any performance. I > agree entirely with Hans' point of practicing with the brain engaged. > > When I come to a new piece, I try if at all possible to have a listen to it > before the first rehearsal and and to look at the part at the same time. The > aim is to identify the exposed bits, and especially the exposed difficult > bits. > > These are what you will be judged on, both by the conductor and the > audience. Therefore these are what your practice must ruthlessly concentrate > on. The 5-times-perfect is a good approach to this, particularly by starting > slowly and working up to speed. I've described my approach to this on my > blog. > > Practicing a difficult passage effectively > http://jonathanhornthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/07/practicing-difficult-passage.html > > Now, it is these difficult and exposed passages which will also tend to get > used in auditions, so if you know how to get these up to scratch quickly, > you will be at an advantage. > > Also, with solo passages, particularly the heroic and romantic ones the horn > tends to be given, there is a need to plan how you are going to play it, > what you are trying to achieve with the expression, what emotions you want > to convey. A 2-bar solo can be routine or wonderful to the audience > depending on whether you have worked out precisely where the top of the > crescendo should come and how far you should drop down after. > > As for the more routine accompanying parts of symphonies and other > orchestral works, they still have to be played of course, and a few places > may still be tricky, but the aim here is support and blending. So the notes > need less practice at home, and your main aim is not to be too loud and to > make sure you come in at the right point. So listening to recordings can > actually be more useful than practicing the part. > > For a concert I'm playing this weekend, there are about 20 bars in 3 pieces > that need some dedicated practice at home, being both exposed and in places > difficult. There is one solo passage where I've had to plan and make > decisions how I'm going to do the expression. The rest is relatively > routine. > > Regards > Jonathan West > _______________________________________________ > 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
