Extremely true, and as with any profession or any field if you want to make it to the top you have to study on top of practice. For professional Horn playing, the field is also much smaller for the number of those wishing to get in.
Also the amount of practicing, the meticulous detail, and the music are so important if you wish to make it. So many people concentrate on getting every note right and end up playing motononously. Not only must you have supreme accuracy (that will help no matter what) but you should have musicality in orchestral and solo work that makes people take notice, and that is of course tasteful yet refreshing. Of course I'm not there yet, but my accuracy is getting much better than it was. I used to have difficulty making it through three or four lines without a bad note or articulation and now I'm finding that I'm making it through a page or two without a crack. It's not 100% yet but I'm learning how to practice to iron out anything like that, and I'm much more of an efficient practicer now than I ever was. Hopefully soon that 100% will be there. Of course I cannot say when but if you work hard enough at it and with the right routes taken you will get there. On a side note I've started several things to improve my practicing and musicality and I'd like to share them to see what other people think about it. The first is that I practice near my computer sometimes and play a MIDIfied version of the piano part to any solo I'm playing. I don't become a slave to it, but I do use it to double check intonation and locking in with the piano part. Also in some difficult and tricky measures it sure is nice sometimes to have the piano part clicking away with a metronome with you. My second thing is that I'm now practicing with a tape recorder and microphone nearby. I sometimes record my practicing, then play it back to see how I can become more efficient. I also play it back to listen to phrasings, articulations, clarity, intonation, and consistency. There are so many things you get used to hearing when you play that you get to the point that you sometimes don't notice them. Recording things has let me notice almost everything, and I think my playing is improving drastically. Another thing I'm trying out every now and then is recording through the tape recorder while the earphones are plugged in. When I'm listening to the output of the earphones it's kind of like listening to what other people hear. It was strange at first but now it's so helpful. I also noticed something similar on a July 4th concert when we played the 1812. I had earplugs in because the cannons were right behind us and while I played with them it was very odd but somehow I could hear things I never heard before like the sound of my tounge articulating and such. Anyways I was wondering if anyone else had similar experiences, ideas, or thoughts to this. Thanks! -William PS: Sorry for my earlier comments about Mr. Bolton and Dino. I sometimes joke and cross the line. I'm learning not to though. In a message dated 10/29/2003 2:43:46 PM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > Subj: RE: [Hornlist] Playing Professionally > Date: 10/29/2003 2:43:46 PM Pacific Standard Time > From: <A HREF="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]">[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> > Reply-to: <A HREF="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]">[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> > To: <A HREF="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]">[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> > Sent from the Internet > > > > First of all, there are some questions regarding your personal > situation, before any specific answer can be given. > > What is your age ? > What kind of musical education did you pass through until now ? > > If you study for - say - four five years with a good , a very good > teacher, a responsible teacher, at an excellent music school, you MIGHT > mature as a player - I said MIGHT -. Studying on a school is necessary, > because just studying the horn is not enough for any orchestra job. > Making music professionally requires more than just embouchure &playing > technique. There is a lot other things to study. > > Without being integrated to a school system, forget the study. > > Consider your age, as many things while playing the horn, MUST work > spontaneously, as a reflex, actions to be acquired at a very young age. > Please, other readers, do not oppose with some rare samples of "late > starters". These are just very extremely rare samples (Dr.Charles > Kavalovski e.g.). > > How will you ever get routine, if you enter to the professional field > around your 30th birthday more or less ? You might get a chance to play > at an audition then, but chances getting less &less in a reciproke way > to the age progress. > > Did you ever consider the difference playing in a Community orchestra or > make the entire living from playing the horn ? > > You ask about upcoming vacancies. Well, find an orchestra list of your > country (Internet), imagine horn sections of mixed age, consider how > many might quit playing the horn or may be forced to quit - not many & > not every year. Consider, how long they will play in the orchestras: > more or less until pension age or longer. So you can calculate the > number of vacancies. Divide these number by the horn players leaving > their academy after completing their studies. Then you have your chance > quota. > > Think about that there are many much younger students, who have a great > musical back ground (playing violin &piano from youngest age, singing > in various ensembles or choirs, playing in youth orchestras). You have > to compete with them. Just the love to the instrument, that is not > enough, - and you have to compensate all the years you lost already. > > And people say, you are a natural player. What kind of people told you > that ? Are they friends or critical colleagues or teachers ? Do they > have access to concerts with first class orchestras, so to compare your > talent with the players there ? > > I do not like to insult you, or doubt that you are not as good as you > say, but I am just warning you, that the wind, blowing in the > professional field is not a wind, it is rather a stiff storm &climate > can be very icy. > > Anyway, best wishes. Triple consider your decisions. - Last notice: the > orchestra life is not so nice as it was years ago. Bad conductors become > boss &tyrant of good orchestras, etc.etc. > > ============================================================ > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf > Of katrien m. > Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 8:43 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [Hornlist] Playing Professionally > > Sorry about the blank post - I did not format it correctly. > > Hi all, > > I have been a lurker on this list for quite a while and have enjoyed the > > discussions. I now have a query that I hope someone can help me with. > > I'm at a point in my life where I have to make a big decision. I have > played the horn in high school and after a brief hietous (6 year) to > earn an > art history degree and work in the field I have returned to the horn > (about > a year and a half now). I have worked myself up to a grade 9 level > (Royal > Conservatory in Canada) and play in a community orchestra. I have been > told > that I am a natural player and have potential - and I really love the > instrument. I am seriously considering studying the horn full time and > am > wondering what the job situation is like out there. Are there many > opportunities? How often do positions come available in professional > symphonies? Also, what are the prerequisites of playing professionally? > > What education does one need to get there? Does one need a B. Mus or > can > one study extensively with a respected hornist? How is this viewed > within > the music community? > > Any help would be greatly appreciated - Kate > > In youth and beauty, wisdom is rare. > > _________________________________________________________________ > Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online > http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 > > _______________________________________________ > post: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > set your options at > http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/hans.pizka%40t-online.de > > > _______________________________________________ > post: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > set your options at > http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/valkhorn%40aol.com > _______________________________________________ post: [EMAIL PROTECTED] set your options at http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
