Klarinet Archive - Posting 000389.txt from 1994/11

From: John Dohrmann <jdohrman@-----.COM>
Subj: Listing to the recording first
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 1994 19:04:40 -0500

I just saw a message by Mr. Zello saying how he benefited from hearing a
recording of a piece of music before preparing it as a group. I have often
"learned" parts by ear off recordings, but I consider that for music I can
jazz up (playing along with Paul Desmond on my old Conn alto). When I was
learing a movement of the Weber Concerto No. 2 while in high school, the drama
arts teacher offered me a recording to listen to and I declined several times
and in fact managed to never hear anyone else play the piece before I
performed it in public. I don't know whether I didn't want to be "forced" to
play it like someone else OR whether I feared feeling inadequate (hearing a
professional performance) and losing my own self-worth. Today I have a
recording (plus the band record of my own effort) and I listen to both. But I
had the same reaction to the Ibert quintet. I ordered the sheet music but did
NOT buy a recording.

BUT IN GENERAL, do you-all prefer to hear a piece played before you learn it
from the sheet music, or do you prefer to struggle by yourself (OK, with your
director) to wake the silent ink marks into something alive.

<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>

John Dohrmann

Puget Sound Water Quality Authority

Olympia, Washington

jdohrman@-----.com